Enterprise Pharmacists Offer Hometown Service

By Michelle Mann
Published: June 15, 2009

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Humbled and gratified is how two local pharmacists describe themselves less than a month after they re-opened an Enterprise drug store they started decades ago.
With a combined total of more than 60 years of pharmaceutical experience under their belts, Joel Ellis and Steve Shiver have reopened Center Drugs and Home Health in their former location at Evergreen Place on Boll Weevil Circle.
“The response of people has been so heartwarming,” Ellis said. “It has been overwhelming to us to hear such positive feedback and words of encouragement.”
The two met while attending what was then called Enterprise State Junior College, and attended Auburn University’s Pharmacy School together Ellis said.
“After we graduated from pharmacy school, I went to work in Montgomery and Steve worked Opp.” Shiver ultimately co-owned Center Drugs in Daleville and worked in that city some 25 years, he recalled.
“Joel came back to town and he and I worked together at Center Drugs.”
The two operated the hometown full-service home health care store and fully stocked pharmacy until they sold the pharmacy part of the operation to a national pharmacy chain. The home health care equipment store moved to a new location and operated independently until Center Drugs and Home Health reopened in May.
Home Health Care Manager Betty Jones said she’s glad to be back with Ellis and Shiver. “It just feels like the right place to be,” she said with a smile. “It feels like home.”
Home Health Care’s community relations person, Starla Flowers, agreed. “With the home health equipment located within the pharmacy and operating the same hours, we’re providing one-stop-shopping with hours convenient for our customer.”
“Over the past four years, we missed the one-on-one relationships with our friends and customers that we had had in owning an independent, hometown pharmacy,’ Shiver said. Ellis agreed. “We’ve been looking forward to this day for some time now.”