MONROE, CT — Medical Arts Pharmacy relocated from the Medical Arts building in Trumbull to its own space at 461 Monroe Turnpike. Now in its 10th year, the store is expanding its services to include printing, fingerprinting, passport photos, express shipping and virtual and regular mailbox rentals.
Balloons flew outside the brick building on Monroe Turnpike Friday afternoon, when Chris Jakka, the pharmacy’s manager and owner, celebrated Medical Arts’ grand opening with family, staff and town officials.
Among the local dignitaries were First Selectman Terry Rooney, Economic and Community Development Director William Holsworth, State Rep. Tony Scott, R-112th, Town Councilman Jason Maur, Monroe Chamber of Commerce President Ray Giovanni and several chamber members.
“We were renting before and this gives us more visibility, because we’re in town on a main road, instead of inside a medical building,” Jakka said. “This gives more access for people and we have a drive-thru.”
The retail pharmacy’s speciality is the way its staff prepares prescriptions for each patient.
“We organize the meds for you, according to the time and day that you take them,” Elena Concepcion, a certified pharmacy technician at Medical Arts Pharmacy, explained.
Jakka, who lives in Trumbull, said this makes it easier for customers to keep track of their medications.
Over the counter drugs are displayed on shelves inside the store and the shipping area has a white counter with the FedEx and United States Postal Service logos on it. Jakka said they will soon be adding UPS and Amazon.
“You can pick up and drop off here,” he said of the shipping business.
The printing service offers everything one would expect, including business cards.
Among the family members attending the ribbon cutting ceremony were Jakka’s wife, Poornima, and son, Neel, 16, a junior at Trumbull High School.
Jakka and Rooney cut the yellow ribbon together, before everyone mingled over pizza, desserts and other food inside the store.
“On behalf of the town of Monroe, I want to congratulate the Jakka family for opening one of the most recent of the last 82 businesses that opened in town in the last 22 months or so,” Rooney said. “This is a pharmacy that’s very much needed with the closure of Rite-Aid and we’re very appreciative to have them in town.”
The first selectman also thanked all of the town officials, Scott and Monroe Chamber of Commerce members for attending the ceremony.
Giovanni, who is branch manager of Union Savings Bank in Monroe, said he used to work inside the Medical Arts Pharmacy’s building for many years when it had housed a bank. He praised the Jakka family for the job they did renovating the facility for their business.
“This was not an easy project, but they persevered,” Giovanni said. “They’re a good family. Small businesses are so key and pivotal to our success in town and we have wonderful small business owners here, who are going to make it a big business — and we’re gonna cheer them on all the way.”
Medical Arts Pharmacy is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. It is closed on Sundays. For information, visit the pharmacy’s website, Facebook, and Instagram pages.
