Corner drugstores are being repurposed
Two pharmacies in Baton Rouge will feed the demand of residents and students around them
In Baton Rouge, two closed drugstores are being reborn as something else. That makes them a preview of what happens when an old retail institution starts coming apart.
Why it matters: Former pharmacies do not have to become empty boxes with faded signs and weeds in the parking lot. In many cases, they are finding second lives that may fit neighborhoods better than the stores they replaced.
The Baton Rouge angle:
- The former Rite Aid at Jefferson Highway and Corporate Boulevard is becoming a Hollywood Feed, a pet store built around animal health and nutrition. A construction superintendent says two other businesses are expected there, with Chipotle in the mix. Chiptole has been opening drive-thru only restaurants in an expansion, a fit for the former Rite-Aid.
- The former CVS at Acadian and Government is being carved into at least four spaces: PJ’s Coffee, Marco’s Pizza, Wingstop and Donuts and Burgers, according to The Advocate. Three of the largest high schools in East Baton Rouge Parish sit near that corner.
In a twist: Prescriptions to Geaux, a local independent pharmacy, set up shop in a former bank building on Government Street.
By the numbers: The national pharmacy retreat is real.
- Between 2010 and 2020, 30% of the nation’s 89,000 pharmacies closed, according to Health Affairs.
- Since 2019, more than 7,000 physical pharmacies have shut down
- CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid have closed thousands of locations since 2018, with another 3,000 expected through 2027.
The reasons: Pharmacies are getting squeezed from both sides. Operating costs are up. Reimbursements from insurers and pharmacy benefit managers are down. Meanwhile, Walmart, Amazon and online sellers have pulled customers away from the old corner drugstore model.
Yes, but: Pharmacy deserts are a real concern. Delivery has softened that blow for some households. It has not solved it for everyone.
What they become: Prominent corners are real estate gold. Former pharmacies have been converted into urgent care clinics, dollar stores, thrift stores, independent grocers, specialty retailers, drive-thru restaurants, pickleball courts and even car washes, according to the Urban Land Institute.
The bottom line: The chain drugstore era is contracting. But in Baton Rouge, some of those empty corners are being filled with a new mix of stores, restaurants and services that may better match what the neighborhood wants now.
