MONROE — Pharmacist Mike Kuckes didn’t expect the company where he had spent more than a decade to abruptly end their connection with him.

But that’s what happened in late January, when Shopko corporation announced the closure of its pharmacy in Monroe. 

“Stomach in my throat, couldn’t breathe, total shock,” Kuckes said. 

He recalled the initial announcement that only 65 store pharmacies were to be closed and did not expect any more to be shut down. Kuckes had even been traveling to other pharmacies that were part of the first announcement, helping with closures. He didn’t expect to be one of the casualties. 

But a month later, Shopko announced the closure of all of its remaining pharmacies.  

“That’s when it really hit,” Kuckes said.

At the time of the announcement, Kuckes had been speaking with friends and acquaintances, who are also pharmacists, about the possibility of transitioning to a Hometown Pharmacy. However, he had been having these talks for years. He liked his patients, he liked his coworkers. He didn’t plan to leave.

Kuckes, a Burlington native and pharmacist of 28 years, had been with Shopko for 11 years. He began with the company by selling his files to the store in Freeport and moved to Monroe after gaining the position of pharmacist in charge. He was happy to remain at the retail store.

“I really wasn’t interested in going anywhere else,” Kuckes said. 

But the announcement was made; Shopko’s pharmacy in Monroe planned to close. And it did on Feb. 5, marking the first shuttering of a portion of the building now set to close completely on June 16. 

Despite the setback, Kuckes decided to use his resources. In his final weeks at Shopko, he struck an agreement with Hometown Pharmacy. It all came together fairly quickly, Kuckes said. The building on West 7th Street was available for rent and within 60 days, they had installed new shelving units and lights, setting up displays and a full counter. The week of the grand opening April 1, pill bottles lined the shelves, with a few still awaiting natural items that Kuckes said were in the process of being delivered.

He added that Hometown Pharmacy inherited a boon with the mass closure of Shopko pharmacies. The company was not planning to expand this year, he said, but funds were allocated to add 15 more Hometown locations within the state after the announcement ensured the unemployment of a number of pharmacists and their staff. Kuckes was joined by all of the technicians he worked with at Shopko.

Carol Carpenter, Monticello, said she had been going to the Shopko pharmacy for 20 years. She enjoyed the friendly interactions with the people who worked there.

“I was really disappointed,” she said of the pharmacy’s closure. 

She was at the westside Hometown Pharmacy on April 3 to pick up medications. Carpenter said she did not want to speak badly about other large pharmacies within the city, but she simply preferred the personal touch at Shopko. She was glad to see Kuckes had transitioned and would continue to provide that care.

“A lot of our old patients are trickling in,” Kuckes said. “I’ve gotten lots of hugs.” 

The main priority after Shopko’s closure was to open the westside Hometown Pharmacy location. He said the workers and patients needed time to acclimate to the space. Kuckes noted a lot of emotion in response to the kindness expressed by patients he has been seeing for years. 

“It almost brings a tear to your eye that they care so much,” he said. “We’re very excited that our patients are happy we’re back.”

Kuckes said the pharmacy still needs until May 1 to finalize prescription arrangements to ensure everyone can get their medications there. However, the group is “very excited to be open,” he said.

“I think we’re going to take a bad thing and make something really good out of it,” Kuckes said.