New independent pharmacy in Beaufort could open soon

Jeremy Simmons remembers visiting Aimar’s Pharmacy on Ribaut Road with his grandmother.

Now the Seabrook resident plans to open an independent pharmacy of his own at the Ribaut Road building where Charles Aimar long filled prescriptions. Beaufort Pharmacy and Compounding, at 968 Ribaut Road, could open in June, Simmons said Wednesday.

Simmons owns Carolina Pharmacy of the Lowcountry in Hampton, where he says he has had success building relationships in the community and delivering medicine to people unable to come into the store.

It’s a plan he hopes helps him stand out with chain drugstores Rite Aid and CVS not far down the road.

“Beaufort needs that,” Simmons said. “I think people are going to respond to it.”

Beaufort Pharmacy’s building across from Beaufort Memorial Hospital was the longtime pharmacy of Aimar, who died in 2012 and spent more than 50 years as a pharmacist in Beaufort. The building, which includes a drive-up window, most recently was a second location of City Java and before that housed Medical Park Deli.

Aimar’s Pharmacy closed in 2008, and its stock was sold to Rite-Aid, The Beaufort Gazette reported at the time. Aimar had started his business on Carteret Street in 1952 after serving in the Marines.

When he retired at age 84, Aimar told The Beaufort Gazette that small, independent businesses like his filled a need in the community.

“Sometimes in hearing someone, you knew you had the answer, one way or the other,” Aimar said in 2008. “That's a gratifying experience, to know that you can help someone in a meaningful way.”

Simmons agrees.

When Estill’s only pharmacy abruptly shuttered last year, Simmons began regular deliveries to the town’s senior center. And though he doesn’t advertise the service, Simmons also arranges deliveries for some homebound patients, he said.

He said his prices are low and customers enjoy knowing their pharmacist.

“It’s been a successful formula for us,” he said.

Simmons, 34, plans to keep his Hampton pharmacy open. He plans to spend 36 hours a week in Beaufort and hire help the other days.

Simmons grew up in Grays, between Ridgeland and Hampton, and attended Thomas Heyward Academy. He attended the South Carolina College of Pharmacy at the Medical University of South Carolina, he said.

Before opening his own pharmacy, he worked as a pharmacist at Bi-Lo in Beaufort. He said the experience helped show him how an independent pharmacy could compete with chains.

“If you treat people right, they are going to support you,” he said.

This story was originally published May 18, 2016 at 11:59 AM with the headline "New independent pharmacy in Beaufort could open soon."