‘It’s destroying this side of town.’ Lexington to lose two Rite Aids

Lexington is losing two pharmacies to drugstore consolidation. Two Rite Aid stores, both on Broadway, will be closing in June.

A spokesman for Walgreens, which recently purchased 1,932 Rite Aid stores, confirmed that last day of business for the pharmacy at the Rite Aid at 130 West Loudon Avenue is June 4. The store will stay open for up to two more weeks for a final sale.

“As previously announced we will be closing some store locations to help ensure we have the right stores in the right locations to create a more focused network of stores that can deliver the greatest value for our customers,” said spokesman Phil Caruso.

He said they also plan to close the Walgreens-owned Rite Aid at 1335 South Broadway, near Saint Joseph hospital. The pharmacy’s last day will be June 5; prescription files in that location will transfer to the Walgreens at 2001 Harrodsburg Road at the intersection with Lane Allen Road. The store also will remain open for about two weeks for the final sale.

Most employees will be able to transfer to other locations, he said.

When the West Loudon pharmacy closes, prescription files will be available at the Walgreens located at about a mile away at 260 E. New Circle Road, Caruso said.

That may not seem like very far, but for the neighborhood, the closing will be a big loss, residents said.

“It’s destroying this side of town,” said Linda Hurst, who lives in the neighborhood. She pointed out that many people who live nearby don’t have cars, so walking a mile or more for prescriptions, let alone other items, will be a severe hardship.

Unfortunately, there isn’t much the city can do, said Lexington-Fayette Urban County Councilman James Brown, whose district includes Loudon Avenue and North Broadway.

Brown said he has heard from at least one constituent concerned about the imminent closure of the store. “This is very unfortunate for that area,” Brown said. “But it’s a national chain that made that call.”

Another population that likely will be impacted by the closure: The clients of nearby homeless shelters.

Carrie Thayer, the director of development for Hope Center, said there are few other retail options or pharmacies in that area.

That Rite Aid is within walking distance of the Hope Center, an emergency homeless shelter and drug and alcohol treatment center.

“It is the most convenient place for our clients to walk to,” Thayer said. “It will be a loss to them and to the neighborhood.”

She said the center will have to use its vans, which take people to doctor’s appointments, to help clients get their medications at the new pharmacy location.

“We also have some clients who have cars who take other clients places they need to go,” Thayer said.

This story was originally published May 9, 2019 at 7:00 AM.