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A Big Loss: Goodbye, Umatilla Pharmacy

    Umatilla is losing its local pharmacy this week.  Umatilla Pharmacy, previously known as Umatilla Drug Store, formally announced on Monday that it was closing its doors.  The closure was to be effective the end of business on Wednesday, March 4, with prescriptions/accounts being transferred to the Walgreens location on SR 19 between Umatilla and Eustis.
    The pharmacy was founded by Richard and Claudia Greer nearly two decades ago, and was operated by the family until Greer’s passing in 2024.  Shortly after, the business was purchased by brother and sister Sean and Shannon Corkrean, who are associated Leesburg’s The Pharmacist organization.  The duo installed Umatilla native and former Umatilla Drug Store employee Morgan Byrd as the location’s pharmacist, a situation that has continued until this week.
    “I want to thank the community and the Greer family,” said Sean Corkrean on Monday. Corkrean, who is also a pharmacist who did rotations with Richard Greer at Umatilla Drug Store while in school, said he is disappointed that the store is closing, but the economic realities of the situation left little choice.
    In a social media post, the business described the move as coming with ‘appreciation and a heavy heart’. 
    The pharmacy was hailed upon its opening, with the Greer family touting Umatilla Drug Store’s commitment to ‘neighbor to neighbor care’.  The Greers used the drug store as a place to help those in need, regardless of social status or even ability to pay.  In his book “Crossing Paths, Finding Hope”, Greer wrote a fictionalized portrayal of using the drug store to support the broader community, and he often spoke of his desire to see the drug store serve the community in broad ways, beyond simply filling prescriptions. 
    A visit to the drug store’s old time store front could include a bottle of Coca Cola, a stint at the checkers table, and the chance to partake of area history on display.  Additionally, the counter was often stocked with homemade confections from Claudia Greer’s kitchen.  A noted baker, Claudia has seen recipes featured in ’Southern Living’ magazine.
    The business was a supporter of many community events and activities, and Richard Greer was named a Umatilla Citizen of the Year in 2009.  The business has also been honored over the years by the Umatilla Chamber of Commerce for its dedication to the community.