Berwick natives Krystin St. Romain and Emily Alpha own Southern Oaks Pharmacy. The two met while working at Oschner St. Mary Hospital formerly Teche Regional Medical Center.
“I was the director of pharmacy and Emily was a new student and she knew a heck of a lot more clinically than I did so," St. Romain said.
After working in a large corporate pharmacy they both knew it wasn't for them. St. Romain came to Alpha wanting to own an independent compounding pharmacy.
“Kristyn approached me a couple of times about opening this,” Alpha said. “And I really do love to help the community, and that’s kind of where both of our hearts had been.”
The pharmacy serving those who live in Patterson, Berwick, Morgan City, and Stephensville ironically opened the same month Spitale Pharmacy, the closest independently owned pharmacy closed its doors.
“We did not know that at all. We found out with the rest of the community so that was just all the stars aligning I guess.”
St. Romaine said they took on a lot of Spitale’s old customers, those who wanted to stay local.
“We’re servicing the people who don’t want to use the big chains. That’s kind of the feel everybody wants to support local things.”
The pharmacy also features a section of items made by those locally. The two owners wanted the coffee shop inside their pharmacy “The Daily Dose Coffee” to have a 1950’s pharmacy “soda feel” for our time.
“We wanted to capture that I guess feel with what modern day soda is and its coffee,” St. Romain said. “Everybody loves coffee.”
As the only coffee shop in town, Alpha said the community has loved it from the start.
“And that’s kinda what we envisioned I think is that it would become like a gathering place,” Alpha said. “Pharmacies don’t have to be cold like they usually are and thy don’t have to be so standoffish.”
St. Romain and Alpha both work as PRNs at Oschner St. Mary Hospital while running their pharmacy.
“If you understand what people are going through in a hospital you can better help them in the retail setting.”
As for the impact they hope the pharmacy makes in Berwick...
“I hope it gives people a reason to stay in our town, it gives people a job here,” St. Romain said.
The grand opening is Friday at 5:30 p.m.
