Kristen Watt, owner and pharmacist at Kristen’s Pharmacy, located in the Subway plaza on Highway 21 in Southampton, set to open March 1.

Hub Staff

Southampton will soon have a new pharmacy. Kristen’s Pharmacy, located in the Subway plaza on Albert Street South, Highway 21, is set to open its doors on March 1.

Pharmacist and owner Kristen Watt is originally from Goderich and now lives with her husband and two young boys in Kincardine. A former owner of Shoppers Drug Mart in Kincardine, Watt’s recent work has been in long term care. “I've taken care of nine or 10 nursing homes in the area for the last four years providing them with consultation pharmacy services,” she said. “I decided I really missed pharmacy ownership but not corporate life and here I am.”

Watt was the pharmacist at Southampton Care Centre and, as a result, has developed relationships with a number of physicians in town. “I feel that there's a mutual respect and trust and that is really, really important,” she said. “If they trust that I can provide their patients with the continued care that they've started at their clinic then they’re going to be very happy with the service I provide.”

Being an independent, full service pharmacy, Watt said, gives her more flexibility to serve patients in a way they want to be served. “If there's something someone wants, I can do it or I can get it or I can make it happen," she said. "The answer will never be ‘No’ here.”

Watt chose Southampton because she saw a need. “Kincardine has five pharmacies and a really good independent, Port Elgin has a number of pharmacies and an independent as well,” said Watt, adding that because she will be the only pharmacist on staff, “you'll never wonder who and if you've got the right person who remembers you or your family.”

Kristen’s Pharmacy will have a comprehensive travel vaccine program, from consultations to injections. “If you are travelling to a resort in Mexico, if you are doing missionary work in Africa, if you are going to visit family for an extended visit in India, you have different travel needs and so you'd come to me for a consult and we discuss your needs and in conjunction with the physician, get prescriptions for particular vaccines and I can inject all of them here,” said Watt.

She also plans to offer patients a free, comprehensive de-prescribing program. “That seems a little odd to a lot of people,” Watt said. “I want to get people off their meds as a pharmacist instead of getting them on their meds but that kind of thing builds loyalty and in my experience in long term care that's a lot of what we do.”

Watt said that through her work in long term care, she found a lot of residents were taking medications they didn’t need. “Understanding where the evidence lies for reducing medication has become something I've been focused on,” she said. “Come in with all your meds, hopefully you leave with less.”

As a way to give the pharmacy a family oriented feel, Watt plans to have pictures of her two sons on one window and her grandparents on the other “to show the life spectrum, and I’m serving everyone in between," she said. 

Watt has four staff members hired, all from Saugeen Shores, and is hoping to hire a Pharmacy Assistant. She also has a delivery driver and is offering free delivery in Saugeen Shores and down to Kincardine.

Pharmacy hours will be Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. She will be closed on Sundays. On Victoria Day, Canada Day and Civic Holiday, she plans to open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and close on other holiday days.

A grand opening celebration is being planned for the May long weekend.

Kristen's Pharmacy, waiting on a few finishing touches, is set to open March 1. 

Kristen Watt, along with her husband Eric and two sons, 2-year old John and 1-year old Leo. Her sons will be featured on one of the windows of the new pharmacy.