NORFOLK — Just a little over a year after a beloved Ghent pharmacy closed, another longtime Norfolk independent pharmacy is shutting its doors, according to the building owner.
MacArthur Pharmacy, which has served downtown Norfolk residents for more than 23 years, will closethis month, said landlord and Norfolk developer Bobby Wright.
“They’re family and good friends,” Wright said. “And so downtown will definitely miss that service of getting their prescriptions more easily.”
In its place, Wright plans to open a general store and mini-grocery store, offering meat, eggs and other food to downtown residents.
The closure will leave the area — now an area of around 6,500 residents, according to the Downtown Norfolk Council — without a nearby pharmacy.
Pharmacy co-owners Chris Lawrence and David Bass Jr. opened the business Nov. 1, 2000. According to previous Virginian-Pilot reporting, Lawrence grew up in his father’s pharmacy, Lawrence Pharmacy in Chesapeake. Bass and Lawrence have been best friends since kindergarten and delivered papers together when they were 16.
Neither co-owner responded to repeated attempts for comment. Wright also declined to say why the pharmacy was closing.
The pharmacy’s last day of business would be around next Friday, Wright said. He added that all prescriptions would be transferred to the Rite Aid at 525 W. 21st St. in Ghent.
Shortly after the pharmacy closes, Wright said he plans to convert the space into what he calls MacArthur General Store: Farm to Table. He plans to keep much of the front-of-store retail items such as drinks and snacks, and add items from local farmers such as meat, eggs, mushrooms and other goods.
Wright also said he wants to survey downtown residents on what items they need the most. For years, downtown residents have clamored for a grocery store after a grocer on the first floor of 123 College Place closed in 2011.
The idea is to create a destination grocer akin to a Trader Joe’s, Wright said, where customers sometimes travel an hour to access its food.
“So, I can see people traveling into our downtown from the Oceanfront and maybe even Williamsburg because of some of the offerings,” he said.
Wright also hopes to start a grocery delivery service to those living downtown.
Independent and chain pharmacies have struggled in recent years. Colley Discount Pharmacy in Ghent closed in March 2023 after nearly 40 years of business as the store encountered difficulty with sales during the pandemic, trouble hiring employees and issues with insurance company reimbursements.
Rite Aid has closed at least 23 Hampton Roads stores this year as it undergoes the bankruptcy process. And national pharmacy chain Walgreens announced it could close hundreds of underperforming stores over the next three years, its CEO told analysts in late June, according to Associated Press reporting.
Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, trevor.metcalfe@pilotonline.com
