During the ribbon-cutting ceremony for New Spring Pharmacy, located on 151st, just west of S. 33rd W. Ave, a steady stream of curious folks flowed in and out of the store.
Kyle Rackley and his wife Karen, who own the store, live in nearby Mounds, and were running another drugstore in Broken Arrow. They’d had it for about four years, but the going was tough. “In a 2-mile radius from that store, there was something like fourteen other pharmacies,” Rackley said. “Someone told me Broken Arrow was the most condensed area in the state for pharmacies, outside of Edmond.”
That’s a sharp contrast to where they are now, being the only pharmacy in the small but bustling town of Kiefer. “I love it,” Rackley says. “I’ve cut about an hour a day off of my commute and customers are following us here. They’ll come in and say ‘I’m so glad we found you! We’ll drive from Tulsa!’ It’s been a great experience so far,” he says.
The store is now in its second month of operation, but the Rackleys were waiting until they got their outdoor sign installed to do their ribbon cutting. On Wednesday afternoon, they were offering BBQ sandwiches, snow cones, and samples to anyone who wanted to stop by, and there were plenty. Rackley says the friendly charm of the hometown pharmacy is exactly what they’re trying to achieve.
“We don’t want to be a Walmart or Walgreens,” he says. “We want to know everyone that comes in the door. Not only do I know your name, but I know your wife’s name, what ball team your son plays for, how your daughter did at her dance recital. Our customers are our family here, and we want to make them feel special.”
Rather than the stale floor and lights of a commercial pharmacy, New Spring sits on dark hardwood floors and has lots of natural light. The shelves are lined with not only medicines for every ailment, but fudges, salsas, honey, home decor, and t-shirts. Nearly everything on the shelf is made in or around the area. “This honey is harvested by this teenager that runs a bee farm right down the street. These soaps come from Beggs—we’ve got local t-shirts…almost everything we sell came from around here,” he said.
Aside from the soaps and the shelf of ten-cent candy, they do fill prescriptions. “We can fill any kind of prescription that anyone needs, and we can mail it out to anyone in the state,” Rackley said.
So far, most people have been driving by or finding the place by word of mouth and Facebook. Rackley says they’re just getting started and really happy to be adding to the value and charm of Kiefer. “My wife and I are very involved in the community over at Mounds, and so we know that there’s a need for this in the area,” he said.
New Spring Pharmacy is open Monday through Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
