Starting over with a new business

W
hen the unimaginable happened and she lost her job, pharmacist Ruth Taylor had to rethink her future. And that future is now Cambria Discount Drug, which will open in the new Decker’s Market building when it is complete 
“It wasn’t in the plan. I had worked at Shopko for 30 years,” Taylor said. “When I became pharmacy manager, I assumed I would retire out with Shopko.” 
Those plans changed when Taylor returned from a cruise in early 2019 and realized she could no longer order drugs for the pharmacy she had dedicated herself to for the past 30 years. 
“I found out we were going bankrupt and I had to make new plans,” Taylor recalled. “I knew that Danny (Decker) was building a new store, and when I found out we (Shopko Pharmacy) would for sure be closing, I approached him about the possibility of leasing space in his new store.”
She was lucky that she approached him when she did, Taylor said, because the Deckers were just about to submit their blueprints. With Taylor’s idea for a pharmacy in their new building, they made adjustments to the plans to provide space for Taylor. 
“I did have a choice over whether or not to move and work for another corporation, but I have lived here my whole life and that really wasn’t an option for us (Taylor and her husband, Don),” she said. “This is where I grew up, and I know everyone here. We had just remodeled a house, so the choice was pretty simple.”
For the past year, Taylor has been commuting to Torrington while developing and working toward the opening of Cambria Discount Drug. 
“I am beyond anxious and excited. I have been traveling back and forth to Torrington because I had to pay the bills,” Taylor said. 
After a year of working out of town, Taylor is excited to reopen in the town she calls home and serve the clientele she has grown to love, although she admits that none of this would have been possible without her husband and the Deckers.
“I have to give props to my husband; he has helped with the business portion,” Taylor said. “I was the pharmacist, I didn’t have to worry about financials and he had more knowledge with his work experience.” 
As far as the actual pharmacy goes, Taylor said the process leading up to its opening has involved a “million and one” applications, both for a drug wholesaler and insurance companies. The work has been worth it, though. Taylor said that she should be able to accept any form of insurance and run the information electronically. 
“It has all been a very time-consuming and meticulous process. You have to make sure you have all your i’s dotted and your t’s crossed,” Taylor said. 
All that’s left to do, she said, is wait for construction to be completed so she can officially open her doors. 
“We had our inspection this last Wednesday and passed. We were able to order medications and are putting them away as we speak,” Taylor said. “We are ready to open our doors.” 
Once she is open, Taylor said she is willing to do whatever it takes to serve her customers through the COVID-19 scare. 
“We don’t have a drive-thru here, but I am willing to do curbside delivery,” Taylor said. “I am willing to do whatever it takes to get through this situation and do whatever it takes to keep my customers happy and make them feel at home.”
Cambria Discount Drug will have the ability to do your medication business online or through an application on your phone, she said.
Cambria Discount Drug will be open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. It will be closed on Sundays.