Eventually, it became clear to the partners that they would need to sell the business, he added.
“CVS has approached us since they opened their store in Rhinebeck 12 years ago at least once a year,” Czajka said. “Twelve years ago, we were hanging in there. Every year [we would say]: not yet, not yet.”
Foot traffic was important for the business and allowed the partners to employ three to four people to take care of the front of the store, according to Czajka. There were eight employees in addition to Verven and Czajka.
Shirley Nemec worked at the pharmacy years ago when Czajka started there, left to work for a family business, and then came back about seven years ago. “I’m going to miss working there and miss working with Walt and George, they were extremely good to me,” Nemec told The Observer. “They worked very, very hard to keep that business going. It’s a sad day and really hard on everybody.”
Nemec said Czajka informed her and the other employees the week before the store closed.
Czajka said that employees “took [the news] pretty well,” and added that “they all have the option of working for CVS. They will be hired if they apply. That was part of the deal.”
However, Czajka and Verven decided not to give notice to their customers. “That was by design,” Czajka said, using the analogy of pulling off a Bandaid. “It hurts less if you pull it off fast.”
Verven declined to be interviewed. However, in a CVS press release on their new purchase April 16, he said, “It has been an honor to take care of our customers’ pharmacy needs over the years.”
All customer records have been transferred to CVS in Rhinebeck, and Czajka said, “We’ll be here and look forward to seeing [our former customers].”
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