The Willow Glen Resident

Sav-Co closes its Willow Glen location

Pharmacy will be replaced by Longs

By Mary Spicuzza

On Aug. 31, Sav-Co Generic Drugs in Willow Glen's Foxworthy Center closed its doors for the last time, ending its 20 years of service to the community. Sav-Co, which built its reputation as "The Good Neighbor Pharmacy," will be replaced by a Longs Drugs store. The other two South Bay Sav-Co locations will remain open for business.

"The big keep getting bigger, and the small keep going out of business," says Sav-Co co-owner Jim Junker. "That's one less independent pharmacy in the county...and there really aren't many of us left."

Junker, partner Tom Tam and a "small group of close friends" have co-owned and managed the three Sav-Co locations for several decades. For many years, former Willow Glen resident Junker lived around the corner from the Foxworthy Center.

Sav-Co's lease was up for renewal in March. Tam says that he'd tried numerous times to contact landlord Barry Ford of Western Property Group since the beginning of the year, but none of his phone calls were returned. In May, Ford wrote to Sav-Co, notifying the pharmacy that Longs Drugs would be moving into the Foxworthy Center.

"The letter said that [Western Property] had signed a lease with Longs, and that there was a no-compete clause in that agreement," Tam says.

Not so, according to Longs spokes-woman Nancy Cockerham. Cockerham says Western Property contacted her company, claiming that the neighborhood pharmacy was closing and notifying Longs that the company wanted to pursue a lease with a larger corporation.

Longs has more than 373 locations nationwide, with 23 stores in Santa Clara County.

"[Sav-Co's closing] was presented to us as a done deal," Cockerham says. "If we hadn't accepted, they would have offered it to another large pharmacist. They said they were looking for a store to draw business to the center."

Barry Ford of Western Property Group did not return numerous calls from The Willow Glen Resident.

Junker says his pharmacy would have stayed were that an option, adding he is confident they could have competed against the larger chain pharmacy.

Tam and Junker say Ed Poon, the Willow Glen store's pharmacist, and other employees will be transferred to other Sav-Co locations, and promise they refuse to lay off any workers. "We're more worried about our customers," Tam says. "We cater to a lot of elderly in the area. Many of them have limited transportation."

Junker says Sav-Co will increase delivery services to meet the needs of those customers.

Sav-Co pharmacy technician Amy Schmidt, an employee at the Foxworthy Center location for 15 years, says she's happy to keep her job but still regrets the closing. "I've known these people for years and years. I now help the children of old customers." Schmidt says. "And I'm going to miss them."

[ Back to Contents Page | Willow Glen Resident Home Page | Archives ]