6 Celebrating Allied Health Professionals
SUPPLEMENT TO THE FREE PRESS • SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2026
PHARMACIST
It’s all about the people. We truly love meeting and helping them; it’s so rewarding being able to help them out every day.
– Christine Hayden, resident pharmacist and co-owner of Brathwaite’s Pharmacy
Geoff and Christine Hayden are the co-owners of Brathwaite's Pharmacy in St. James. Supplied
Offering a personal touch BRAITHWAITE’S PHARMACY CO-OWNERS LOVE CONNECTING WITH THE COMMUNITY
By Todd Lewys I n a day and age where big-box stores dominate the retail landscape, there’s the occasional store that bucks the trend of bigger being better. Brathwaite’s Pharmacy at 1772 Ness Ave. in St. James is one of those stores, standing as a delightful throwback to a time when personal service was the norm, rather than a novelty. With a history that stretches back to 1903 and the original fam- ily-run store on Main Street, resident pharmacist and co-owner Christine Hayden says her affiliation (and love affair) with the store started more than 40 years ago. “I started here in 1985 when I was in university looking for a job – I worked part-time to begin with, then full-time,” she recalls, adding that the pharmacy has called 1772 Ness home since 1959. “I was fascinated by biology but realized I couldn’t ever be a doctor or nurse because I was squeamish. So, I went into pharmacy.” During her studies, Christine took her pharmacy internship at Brathwaite’s. Eventually, she returned to Brathwaite’s to become a full-time pharmacist after graduating in 1987. Meanwhile, she had also married her sweetheart Geoff, who stayed home to raise their kids while Christine dispensed prescrip- tions and friendly advice. As time is wont to do, it flew by. Then, in 2012, Brathwaite’s came up for sale, and the Haydens jumped at the chance to buy the store. “The opportunity presented itself, and we took it. We bought it from Craig McCallum, the son of former owner Earl McCallum, who’d passed by then,” she says. “When we purchased it, it need- ed a bit of a facelift.” That facelift entailed not only cosmetic and technological up- dates, but something far more intangible. “As much as we wanted the pharmacy to be a place to get in- formation and pick up prescriptions, we wanted it to turn it into a community hub,” says Christine. “We wanted to carry on the name, which was so well-known. But more than anything, we wanted to
offer the personal touch that’s missing so often today.” Enter Geoff, who became the pharmacy’s official merchandiser, goodwill ambassador and dispenser of good cheer. “I’m a chatter, so it comes naturally to me,” he says. Not surprisingly, that commitment to the personal touch paid off. “As time went on, the store became like the bar on the show Cheers,” she says. “People were greeted by name when they came in and still are. We know them, and they know us.”
Now, as Christine looks back on her journey at Brathwaite’s – she will celebrate her 40th anniversary working there as a pharma- cist in 2027 – she says much has changed over the years. “Things have changed quite a bit since the mid-80s when I start - ed working here part-time. We didn’t computerize until the mid- 90s, and as time has gone on, technology has become a more important factor in our work.” Moreover, the role of the pharmacist has changed perceptibly. “Today, a pharmacist is part of a medical team, whereas when I started as a licensed pharmacist in 1987, we basically just dis - pensed prescriptions,” notes Christine. “Now, we are the eyes for doctors, making sure medication is appropriate for the patient, and that it’s delivered to them in the appropriate manner, with the right directions.” That’s just the start of a what a pharmacist does, she adds. “We can now prescribe antibiotics, smoking cessation meds, and administer vaccines for COVID and the flu. We can also pre - scribe for minor ailments like rhinitis and eczema, as well.” That is where personal relationships with patients pay off. “Because we have a smaller community and know most pa- tients quite well, we can monitor medications, and, if they have some sort of issue where they can’t get to a doctor for some rea- son, they can come in and see us. We can then give them proper direction, and reassurance.” To pay homage to Braithwaite’s previous locations, the Haydens have an in-store display that showcases memorabilia collected from all the different stores spanning a timeline of some 124 years. It serves as a reminder of how integral it’s been to the fabric of the city, no matter where it was located. “It’s all about the people. We truly love meeting and helping them; it’s so rewarding being able to help them out every day. We have a wonderful staff, who have all been hand-picked by us, so our plan is to continue the business with them. We plan to keep going for as long as we can,” she adds. ■
We wanted to carry on the name, which was so well-known. But more than anything, we wanted to offer the personal touch that’s missing so often today
– Christine Hayden, resident pharmacist and co-owner of Brathwaite’s Pharmacy
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