New drug store planned for Charles City’s Main Street

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

A new drug store is coming to Main Street in Charles City.

Main Street Drug Inc. will be owned by Cynthia and Shane Uetz of Charles City. Cynthia Uetz was the pharmacy manager at Kmart in Charles City until that part of the business closed.

The new drug store will be located at 204 N. Main St., the former location of Lidd & Cordray Ltd., the clothing store that closed last year when the owner, Michael Lidd, retired.

“I just knew that the town was going to need another pharmacy,” Cynthia Uetz told the Press on Monday. “Hy-Vee has always been really busy, so I think it’s great for the town to have a second option — somewhere where people can go and get quick service,” she said.

Uetz said she plans to emphasize superior customer service, as well as delivery, including outside of Charles City.

“We haven’t decided how far we’re going, but possibly some of the smaller towns like Rockford, Marble Rock,” she said. “We talked about Elma, Colwell.”

They plan to open the store in the spring, but the timetable is not certain yet. Hours at least in the beginning would be 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

“We are obviously going to completely revamp Lidd’s there,” Uetz said. “We’ll be doing lots of construction. We’re trying to keep most of the construction local — I want this to be a community business. I want to support local business.”

Uetz said signage, flooring, plumbing and electrical are all being purchased locally.

“I do plan on starting a Facebook page once we get possession there, so people can follow along with the construction and see the new look even before it opens,” she said.

The pharmacy will be completely independent, she said.

“That gives me a lot more freedom,” Uetz said. “There’s some things where people would come into Kmart and I said, ‘My hands are tied. I can’t give you that because corporate says no.’”

At the Main Street store, “It’s up to me,” she said. “We’re going to make it work for our customers.”

The majority of the business will be the pharmacy, but Uetz said they will also have over-the-counter items and items like sports braces, compression stockings and a limited selection of medical equipment.

“We are also going to be consigning items for area artists, designers, repurposers,” she said. “I had one lady who’s interested in selling quilts that she makes there. We’ll have a lot of space. I don’t need all that space for over-the-counter, so that’s another opportunity to get the community involved and interested in it, and to pay back.”

Cynthia and Shane are lifelong Charles City residents, both graduating from Charles City High School. Shane is the health, safety and environment specialist at Valero Renewables – Charles City.

Cynthia received her degree in pharmacy from the University of Iowa in 2009.

“I’ve worked in two different states,” she said. “I did a stint down in Nashville, Tennessee, before I started having kids and realized I needed to be back in Iowa around my home and family. This is my forever home now.”

Uetz said she worked at a couple of big chain pharmacies and helped open the Cresco Family Pharmacy, and that experience will help guide her as she starts her own business, both in what to do and what not to do.

She will be the store’s pharmacist starting out, with at least one pharmacy technician, but she hopes the business grows to the point where she can add more techs and maybe even another part-time or full-time pharmacist.

“I hope people are excited,” Uetz said. “I think it’s going to be really good. I think people will be really interested in keeping it local if they can get some good service and that’s totally my aim — quick, accurate and good service.”