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ASPINWALL - Though Towne Drugs was closed on Thanksgiving Day, the sign on the door lists the owner/pharmacist's cell phone number in case of emergencies.
It's likely for this reason that more than 75 percent of the pharmacy's client base are regular customers. "I've seen a lot of second- and thirdfamily generations come back," said Bob Akanowicz, who started working in the pharmacy after graduating from Duquesne University in 1976. He became owner of the Aspinwall store on Dec. 31, 1983.
"I know everybody by name," said Mr. Akanowicz.
Welcome to the community drugstore - a somewhat rare breed among today's giant chains such as Giant Eagle, Eckerd and CVS. According to the National Community Pharmacists Association, 43 percent of the nation's 55,200 drugstores are single-store, independent pharmacies.
And independent pharmacies may be making a comeback, according to an October 2003 Consumer Reports survey. More than 85 percent of 32,000...