AMBER MUCKLEROY WAITS on a customer April 5 at Louis Morgan Drug No. 4 in Longview.

SMALL BUSINESS | LONGVIEW

LONGVIEW — Mike Holbert recalls working at his father’s pharmacy as a 10-year-old, making 10 cents per delivery from the now-defunct Louis Morgan Drug No. 2 at Alpine Road and Marshall Avenue.

After graduating from pharmacy school at the University of Texas at Austin in 1973, Holbert went to work at Louis Morgan Drug No. 4, which opened four years earlier at 110 Johnston St.

“My dad gave me the key to the front door and said I would have one year to make it successful or he would close it,” he said.

Holbert met the challenge, survived technological changes and competition from chain stores and supermarkets, and watched the business grow and thrive. It has grown to 50 employees from its original three and nearly doubled in size to 10,000 square feet by expanding into a former Brookshire’s grocery store that closed years ago.

Louis Morgan Drug No. 4 is marking its 50th anniversary this year, and will follow its tradition by giving back to the community in October and offering promotions that month, said Shawn Sams, Holbert’s business partner and a fellow UT Austin pharmacy grad.

Like other successful small-business owners, Holbert, 69, and Sams, 37, credit personalized service for their success.

“Virtually every person who walks in, we know,” Holbert said. “We are available to talk to them if they have questions. We deliver. Our wait time is considerably less (than the chain competition).”

PLENTY OF CHANGES

But Holbert and Sams, who joined the pharmacy about 10 years ago after working for a chain store, have seen plenty of changes over the years.

For example, back in the early 1970s the pharmacy filled 30 or 40 prescriptions a day. Nowadays, Louis Morgan No. 4 fills as many as 1,000 a day. Besides serving individual customers, the store handles computer-generated orders for assisted-living centers in the area.

Computers are another change that’s boosted the business. They did not arrive until the early 1980s, said Jeannette Crow. She started working as a cashier at Louis Morgan in 1977 while a senior at Hallsville High School. Now, she’s one of its longest-serving employees.

She said the pharmacists did not want to type prescriptions for computers, so she filled that role.

“They asked me to come (in the back) and enter prescriptions,” Crow said.

She is among 15 employees who operate the pharmacy, Sams said, a number larger than most chain store pharmacies.

Entering prescriptions electronically is not the only way technology has exploded over the past decade, he said.

“In the early days, you could talk to somebody (over the phone), and they would take your refill,” Sams said. “Now, people can use our mobile app. They can text their refill numbers,” or go online at lmd4.com.

“We pride ourselves as being a traditional pharmacy with modern technology,” he said.

RISING PRICES

Another change from those early days is the availability of generic drugs, Holbert said. Despite that, prescriptions cost much more today, and he blamed higher prices on co-payments for customers who have health insurance.

Holbert and Sams brought a woman’s perspective to the pharmacy by hiring Susan Roerecke, also a UT Austin pharmacy school grad, as their third pharmacist six years ago.

A pharmacist since 1985, Roerecke said she spent the first two-thirds of her career in hospitals and worked for another local pharmacy for six years before joining Louis Morgan.

“I decided I wanted to get into retail, but I wanted to work for an independent pharmacy,” she said. “I like the interaction with the patients, and I also like the (hormone) compounding aspect, to be able to help patients that need compounded medicines.”

She said she’s glad she made the move. “This is one of the best environments I have ever worked in, because of Mike and Shawn being such great owners and bosses,” Roerecke said.

Holbert and Sams said the store’s motto is “We take care of you.”

‘THEY REALLY CARE’

Barney Jones, a customer for 10 years, apparently agrees. He said he has patronized the drugstore since moving from Atlanta.

“We tried the national brands,” he said. “We just got personal care. The people are very friendly, and they really care. … They want to take care of all your pharmaceutical needs.”

Jones said his wife, Rachel, enjoys shopping in the store’s gift shop, which has a wedding registry and sells merchandise that includes china, silverware, jewelry, stuffed animals and clothing.

Jones said he also finds Louis Morgan Drugs No. 4 “very competitive” with the chain pharmacies.

What’s next? The pharmacy is working to continue growing for the next 50 years, Holbert and Sams said. Holbert, whose children did not pursue pharmacy careers, said he has no immediate plans to retire but has a continuity plan in place.

Sams said he has three daughters, ages 4, 5 and 10, and hopes one or more of them will follow their father’s footsteps.

Meanwhile, Holbert said he continues to enjoy a field in which he has had a connection for 59 years.

“It is not really like working,” he said.