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Community Corner

Snell's Pharmacy: A Rich Past and Promising Future

Snell's Pharmacy has been Snellville's go-to pharmacy for more than 50 years.

, located at 2295 Oak Road, opened its doors in 1956.  It was one of the original four stores in downtown Snellville, and is now run by former Mayor T.W. Briscoe’s grandson, Dr. Michael T. Briscoe. 

Michael Briscoe purchased the store, which was Snellville’s very first pharmacy, from his cousins Claude and Mary Bates. Mary Bates was the daughter of Joe Snell, who first owned the store. (Does the name sound familiar? Joe Snell was a direct descendant of our town’s namesake, Thomas Snell.) The Bateses worked under him until he retired, then took over.

, who is close to the family, is a loyal customer.

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“We never used anybody else but Snell's,” she said.  “It’s family-owned and operated even now. We’ve been going there for 35 years.”

For Buchanan, the pleasantness of the people and their genuine concern is what keeps her going  back. 

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“It doesn’t matter if you’re family or not,” she added.  “The people who go there have become family.”

When the pharmacy was still on the corner, a group of friends congregated there once a week for coffee and to “solve the problems of the world,” according to Buchanan. The group still gathers to this day.  

Before T.W. Briscoe became mayor, he was an active participant in the city’s growth.  The Snells were living in Columbus, Ga., but he convinced them to move back to Snellville and start a pharmacy.

“He told them, ‘We need a place where people can get their stuff taken care of,’” explained Michael Briscoe, a pharmacist.

Now that T.W. Briscoe's grandson is running the pharmacy, it seems as if it’s come full circle. Michael Briscoe bought the store in 2003 after working at a Publix before that. He graduated from , then attended Young Harris College, and finally Mercer University Southern School of Pharmacy, where he got his doctorate in pharmacy.

“We’ve been here forever and still have a base of clientele from people who have always been here,” he said. 

Although there is a chain pharmacy on almost every corner, business is going strong. 

“A concern of mine when I bought the store was, how much business can this little store get?," Briscoe said. "But I was stunned. We provide a level of service that is beyond compare; the chains don’t even come close.”

One of the reasons for the pharmacy’s success is the niche it has created. Among other things, their compounding business has allowed them to stay strong in tough economic times. 

“We provide custom-made medications that are not available in the marketplace,” Briscoe explained.  “A veterinary dermatologist called me just a little while ago with a dog who has food allergies and wants to know if we can dose this dog with a liquid form, because the client can’t give it a pill or it will snap at her.  She wanted me to come up with a way to dose this medicine to this dog in a flavored liquid that is not going to cause an allergic reaction to occur.”

Snell's Pharmacy has a laboratory to make the medicines, which is something Briscoe enjoys. Aside from pet medicines, they also specialize in pediatric compounding, like making heart medicine dosed down to small increments for babies. The lab is not yet able to create sterile medicines, like injectables, inhalables or eye drops, but Briscoe has plans to expand an area of the store for just that purpose. He envisions windows to the lab so that the general public can see how it is done.  

They also do bio-identical hormone replacement therapy, or BHRT, a concept that was popularized by Suzanne Somer’s book Ageless: the Naked Truth About Bioidentical Hormones.  In 2009, The Oprah Winfrey Show did a segment on it, and the rest is history. 

“A person will go to the doctor, have a saliva test, and the doctor will tell you exactly what levels your hormones are at and where they should be,” Briscoe said. 

They also offer a bubble-packing service. 

Briscoe is also a strong supporter of the Snellville Farmers' Market.

“When the farmers' market came around I just thought it was a good idea,” he said.  “I personally love to cook, so I thought it was a great thing. I sponsor it as a means of giving back to the community.”

The community seems to appreciates the pharmacy. As customers walked in and out a recent day, they appeared content with the service. There is a small waiting area with a few tables and chairs arranged around a snack center. People wait for their medicine -- but never for very long -- and chat with the staff.

In a rapidly growing town, the pharmacy still has a small-town feel. Fifty-five years later, that small-town feel is still welcome in Snellville. And, in a time when chain pharmacies dot many corners, Snell's personal touch and connections keep it forging ahead.

For more on Snell's Pharmacy, click here or visit their Facebook page

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