The pharmacy chain CVS opened its doors to Bowling Green residents this October after six months of construction.
The drug store, located on the corner of South Prospect and East Wooster, will provide students with convenient access to necessary everyday items, said Doug Greek, store manager. Some of these items can be found under brightly colored signs covering the walls of the store, displaying different sections like beer, beauty, food and health.
CVS also provides access to prescription medication with a full indoor pharmacy and drive-thru window.
The store welcomes students who are new customers to their pharmacy as well as those who already frequent another store, Greek said.
“At BG, there are a lot of students who come from places like Cleveland, where they already have a CVS prescription,” he said, “It will be easier for them.”
Sophomore Danielle Hall said she didn’t realize how excited she was about having the new pharmacy in town until she saw it finally open.
“In Cleveland, we have CVS and Rite Aid right there, but while living here I haven’t always been able to get out to Walmart or Kroger,” she said. “This is walking distance for me because I live at Founders.”
The CVS will eventually offer what they call a “minute clinic,” which will provide minor and inexpensive health services.
“Sometime early in 2014 the minute clinic will open and there will be a nurse physician in the store,” Greek said. “We will take insurance, but you don’t have to have it.”
Lori Tretter, Bowling Green assistant municipal administrator, spoke for the city and said they are not worried about the drug store giant compromising the character of the downtown area that it is so close to. The new building will actually improve the look of the “busy corridor,” she said. The buildings that were in the lot before CVS had been vacant for years.
“It is a new construction, but we feel they’ve done a great job making it fit into the neighborhood,” she said. “The landscaping is nice, and it’s set back from the street a little so there is a large grassy area in front.”
Tretter said the “walkability factor” is what makes CVS an asset to Bowling Green, a sentiment Greek echoed.
“Our main reason for wanting to come here is the walking traffic,” he said. “We tend to do better in those areas than in business districts.”
Greek said CVS has proven to do well near college campuses, with successful stores close to Ohio State University and Ohio University.
It made sense to come back to Bowling Green after the end of a contract with Rite Aid that kept them out of the Toledo market, Greek said.
“We recently tested the market by opening a store in Tiffin, and that did well, so we decided to open in Toledo and Bowling Green,” he said. “It’s been great so far.”
