Wightman Pharmacy officially closed its doors last Wednesday, marking an end to 128 years of dedicated service to the community.

While managing the many closing affairs of the business had owner Steve Wightman understandably busy during the pharmacy’s final days, he was available to speak with the Republic-Times following a surprise community send-off as the store closed for the last time.

Naturally, Wightman has had fond memories of the pharmacy all his life. Some of his first recollections of the store were from him and his siblings stopping by after school to see their father, get some candy and hang around as they waited for their mother to pick them up.

While many family businesses tend to have the kids help day-to-day, Wightman said he kept himself busy with school and extracurriculars rather than officially working in the store.

Just as they didn’t insist he work there as a teenager, Wightman said his parents also didn’t drive him to follow in their footsteps, instead encouraging him to pursue whatever interest he might have in college.

He nevertheless wound up following the family pharmacy trend.

Wightman pursued a bachelor of pharmacy at Truman State University, later truly keeping in the family tradition as he completed his education at the St. Louis College of Pharmacy.

He didn’t immediately return to Waterloo upon graduating, instead working for a time at St. Louis State Hospital and only occasionally helping out at the family pharmacy – though he ultimately made his way back home.

Wightman took over for his father Tom when he retired in 1999, though Tom stuck around to assist here and there.

“Luckily, for about 18 years or so, 20 years, my dad was kind enough to work on most Saturdays to give me a break,” Wightman said. “He did that until he was probably late 70s or so, which was wonderful. Wonderful that he could do that and he was willing to do that. Really helped me out a lot.”

Wightman recalled his time working at the family shop quite fondly, with a particular pride placed in his and his staff’s customer service.

“I really enjoyed my job,” Wightman said. “I love talking to people, helping people, answering their questions. My dad did that…  I didn’t know my grandpa and my great grandpa, but from what I understand, we were all pretty personable, and we were good at talking to people and that kind of thing.”

This care and helpfulness – perhaps best encapsulated in how customers were greeted by name on any subsequent visits – will undoubtedly be what is most remembered about the pharmacy judging by the outpouring of appreciation expressed by folks on social media and in-person.

“I definitely have heard from a lot of people, whether they came into the store and talked to me or texted me or called or whatever, even wrote some letters to me, and some folks were even kind enough to give me – and I’m not necessarily retiring – some gifts, which was nice,” Wightman said.

While there was plenty of positive to talk about when it came to the business, Wightman also offered some perspective on the hardships of being a small, local pharmacy.

He spoke chiefly about issues with insurance, identifying changes in that area over the last few years as the biggest difficulty he encountered as a pharmacist, with problems particularly ramping up in the past two years.

“There’s a lot of prescriptions we get less than a dollar for a month’s worth of medicine,” Wightman said. “That doesn’t pay for the bottle it’s in or the lid or the label, much less our employees’ salaries. When you lose money on so many prescriptions, it’s hard to pay the bill at the end of the month.”

He emphasized it was never his hope to close the pharmacy, but he simply didn’t anticipate the insurance problem changing enough to keep things profitable.

While the closure is sad for the family, business and community, Wightman Pharmacy leaves a tremendous legacy within Waterloo.

The store has long served as an institution downtown, beloved for the kind of service that few stores besides a family-owned shop can provide.

“I think it’s very important,” Wightman said. “That’s what we built our legacy, tradition on, whatever you want to call it, taking care of our people and making sure they’re treated right, making sure that they have their questions answered.”

When it comes to the future, Wightman didn’t have much to say. He noted that he doesn’t plan on retiring just yet, though he’s not quite sure where he’ll find himself.

The building is still owned by the family as it’s been for a very long time, and the first order of business now that the store is closed is to get it cleaned and fixed up so it can go to another owner who will hopefully put it to good use as much as the Wightmans have.

Regardless of the future, Wightman Pharmacy will still be loved by folks in Waterloo for a long time to come.

“The legacy, I like to think, is the personal service and treating people right,” Wightman said. “I always tried to call people by name when they walked in the store, and that’s just something you don’t get at a lot of places as far as the small town, small business feel.”