Vandalia Medicine Shoppe pharmacy closes

After more than three years in business in Vandalia, Keri Henry has closed the Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy, selling the customer prescription files to Cain’s HealthMart Pharmacy.
Henry cited the state’s slow payment record as the primary reason for her decision to pull the plug on the business at the end of the day last Friday.
“The reason we sold is because of how the state of Illinois is operating now,” she said. “It’s hard to stay open when you’re not getting paid.”
She said that schools, doctors and pharmacies are among the hardest hit by the state’s financial backlog, which now totals about $9 billion.
“We even went to the state comptroller’s office to see if we could get some payments,” she said. “But they couldn’t give me any idea of when we would get paid.
“Unfortunately, when the state is in the position it’s in, it’s tough on businesses.”
Henry, a Vandalia native, graduated from Vandalia Community High School in 2000, and then attended St. Louis College of Pharmacy. She is the daughter of Scott and Deb Spencer.
“This was my dream – to own my own pharmacy," Henry said. "I hate that it happened this way, but I had to do what’s best for my family. Our customers will be well taken care of at Cain’s HealthMart.”
She said that she and her husband, Josh, plan to move to the Metro East area of St. Louis. She will pursue a job in the retail pharmacy business there.
She also said that her husband plans to keep the office open for his local business, Axess Network.
Darryl Tjaden, owner of Cain's HealthMart said that the transition should be seamless for former Medicine Shoppe customers.
"We welcome all Medicine Shoppe customers," Tjaden said. "We have all of Medicine Shoppe's customer prescription files. The transition should be a smooth one, and patrons shouldn't even notice a difference."
Cain's HealthMart is located at 1401 N. Eighth St., almost directly across the street from the former Medicine Shoppe location.
The telephone number at Cain's is 283-0196.