First Black-owned pharmacy in 100 years opening in west Louisville this summer

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- It's a much-needed shot in the arm for Louisville's west end: A new pharmacy is opening this summer.

As national drug store chains close up shop, including the only CVS in the city's Portland neighborhood, construction is underway on the first Black-owned pharmacy to open in Louisville in 100 years.

While they aren't pharmacists, they found a need to serve the community with the motivation to deliver coming from their mothers.

Jones and King are high school friends who cemented their friendship by becoming business partners while at Northern Kentucky University.

"My mom was not able to get the medication she needed to prolong her life a little bit longer," said Jones.

Jones lost his mother, Sherre Lynn Jones, in June 2018. At the time, he was a student at NKU with King.

"We did a lot of collaboration on a lot of events for Northern Kentucky, and now here we are," Jones said. "He's a good friend of mine, and we are opening a pharmacy on the west end."

It has taken them four years to get where they are today, standing in the middle of a partially-framed building in Louisville's Russell neighborhood waiting for the drywall to be put up. They needed funding to make the pharmacy a reality, and the city offered a helping hand.

"It is not easy. Especially when you necessarily don't come from a pharmacy background," said King. "So trying to explain to a group of people of why they should give you $200,000 for a pharmacy that you've never technically worked in one, it's hard."

The money comes from Metro Louisville's METCO Loan Program, which provides funding to startups but does require collateral. Their plan to capture market share is detailed, yet simple at the same time.

"I believe we can capture the African American market and pretty much anybody that lives in this area," King said. "Because what separates us from a Kroger or a Walgreens is that we have more personal skills, and you can come in and feel like you belong here."

The west end is considered a pharmacy desert. CVS closed its location in the Portland neighborhood in January, leaving the closest option for residents downtown, which is a three-mile walk. Many saw the closing as the loss of a vital resource in the west end, amplifying the area's lack of convenient, affordable places to shop for food and transportation concerns.

"I know that our store, and our mission, and everything we are doing is needed," Jones said.

They still need to select the right color for floor tiles, paint for the walls, and hire at least two pharmacists.

"We are doing something we've never done before, while trying to make an impact in the community and bring something that the community has never, I would say, seen in the west end," said Jones.

King and Jones have hired someone to help them focus on diversity to find at least two pharmacists, who want to work in Louisville and be part of something other than working in a big-box retailer.

While they don't have an exact opening date, they plan to be open sometime this summer.

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