Walgreens in Canton slated to close
By John Fitts Staff Writer
CANTON – The Walgreens in the Canton Village Shopping Center is slated to close on Feb. 19, according to signs at the location.
A sign at the store - posted on Jan. 23 confirms that the location is set to close at 3 p.m. that day. The sign follows several days of Facebook posts about an impending closing.
The sign assures customers that all prescription information will be available through the Walgreens location at 540 Bushy Hill Road in Simsbury.
While that location is approximately 2 miles from the Canton store, many worry about delivery and other services. Several area residents are hoping to convince the corporation to keep the location at Canton Village, pointing to its small-pharmacy atmosphere, several long time and caring employees and personalized delivery service.
“Canton Village Walgreens is a throwback to the beloved neighborhood pharmacy where personal care mattered and a longtime staff could be relied on – attributes that are hard to replicate in larger stores," said Avon resident C. Dianne Zweig. "This cherished drugstore was a village staple for decades."
She said that it will be an especially big loss for the elderly and disabled who depend on the delivery service the location offers.
"Isn’t that amazing that a small village pharmacy located in Canton could make such an amazing impression on people throughout the Farmington Valley?“ Zweig added.
Many have also posted on social media, expressing disappointment in the news.
Charles Bonelli, also a Doctor of Optometry at Bonelli Eye Care, owns the building that houses Walgreens, his business and several others. He said Walgreens renewed their lease last September and as of Tuesday, Jan. 23 he had no official notice of a closing.
“This is obviously some kind of corporate decision and it kind of comes to me as a big surprise since they just signed another five-year lease,” he said. “I’m very disappointed.”
Bonelli said he is going to make some inquiries to explore the possibility of attracting another pharmacy to the location.
The pharmacy tradition at the location is certainly a long one that dates back decades.
Included in town records is an October 1958 trade name application for Valley Pharmacy by William E. Reutenauer of Hu-Bil Pharmacy. State records indicate Hu-Bil was formed two years prior. Also in the building file at Town Hall is a Feb. 25, 1970 building and zoning permit application for a 30" by 32" sign for Valley Pharmacy in building 5 at 220 Albany Turnpike (Canton Village). The document indications that the space was vacant and "intended for business." An accompanying graphic shows the pharmacy space, which was larger than what exists today.
According to lifelong Collinsville resident and current selectman Bill Volovski the original Valley Pharmacy operated in the current town hall building on Main Street before moving to Route 44 in the 1960s and Canton Village in 1970.
Circa 1993 Valley Pharmacy became an Arrow Prescription Center (Arrow Pharmacy) according to town records and news reports. By that time, Valley Pharmacy was owned by Andrew and Shelia Grinvalsky. In 1994, a drive-thru was added to the building and records indicate that Arrow was still in operation in 2007. The location become Walgreens shortly after that, according to sources and Valley Press is seeking to confirm a date but a 2009 Hartford Courant article confirms it was Walgreens by then.
A Walgreens spokeswoman confirmed the closing and also stated, "Customers will continue to have access to prescription delivery and we are making every effort to retain impacted team members at other nearby locations."
Additionally, at least one other area pharmacy has posted that it is willing to take on customers and some have said they plan to use the CVS Pharmacy at 111 Albany Turnpike in Canton.
p
