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- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 11 Mar 2007.
Just Plain Talk: Had any good medicine?
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 24 Feb 2014.
From one corner to the other
Businesses are finding new homes before spring arrives
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Monday afternoon was balmy, sunny and a relief from the not-so-sweet Valentine’s time of snow and ice, when I walked into the new Wilson’s Sav-Mor Pharmacy. The folks you know moved one block from the west side of Newport Dry Goods to the east side in what was formerly Minnis Drugs. You will not recognize anything but the people because of the modernization and presentation of the new drug store. Ruth Wilson, Rob Bullington and staff moved into the time-hallowed location with little fanfare in mid November. One of the first people who greeted me was Lisa Giles, a 27-year-veteran clerk and all-around helper. You know her well. I chatted some with Helen McClaren, the pharmacist on duty. She has been with Wilson’s Sav-Mor for about five years, grew up in Jefferson City but worked many years in Jackson before Rob recruited her for Newport. Perhaps the person other than Ruth, who has worked there the longest is Linda Swanger, a pharmacy technician. Here are some of the other folks you know who attend to your prescription needs: Lexi Wilson, pharmacy tech; Dillian Hall, pharmacy tech; and Tonya Smith, also a pharmacy tech and long-timer at the business. Ruth helped plan the move and all her customers followed.
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- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 3 Mar 2014.
Just Plain Talk: Lots of movement in our town signals the stirring of spring
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New location a block away
Last week, we took a quick tour of the new Wilson’s Sav-Mor Pharmacy closer to US Bank and National Bank of Tennessee now. The inside is modern yet welcoming, and I guess the warmth is coming from the employees or maybe the great lighting and layout. One interesting thing pointed out to me in the pharmacy is a display for schools’ use. Each month a different school creates the presentation and it was Grassy Fork’s turn in February. Another new face is Michael Moser, who functions as the office manager and works in marketing so we have been working with him through the Plain Talk to get the word out about the move and what’s new. He is from Seymour, and I believe there is a new pharmacist joining. It was nice to chat on the phone with Ruth who was not scheduled to work until Tuesday. She told me she enjoys meeting her customers and friends and has done so at Wilson’s Sav-More since the early 1980s, when her late husband Dick Wilson opened for business there. She has five wonderful girls and you’ve seen their photos in the Plain Talk over the years, mostly good news except for the sad event in Bean Station when Lexi was shot in a robbery by a drug head. The other girls are Amy Murphy, Laura Trent, Jennifer Wilson, and Erika Angelos. And there are four grandsons: The Trents being Brandon, Matthew and Weston, and Thomas Angelos. “We are a very close family.” As an aside, she thanked all those people who said prayers and sent cards to Lexi, when she was recovering last year from the shooting.
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- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 8 Mar 2014.
Stop into Freeman's Furniture and find out just who Jim is
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Before talking about my focus on Jim at Freeman's Furniture, let's finish our visit with Ruth Wilson at the new Wilson's Sav-Mor Pharmacy. Ruth gave me some more details on what her five "babies" are now doing. The oldest, Jennifer, is a recruiter for a national staffing company, Staffing Solutions of Morristown. Most likely you have seen their employment ads in the Plain Talk. Amy is a pharmacist at Crescent Center Drugs in Morristown. Laura is a registered nurse at Alpha Primary School. Lexi is a certified pharmacy technician splitting her time with Down Home drug store of Bean Station and Newport's Wilson's Sav-Mor. Erika is a radiology technician at Jefferson Memorial Hospital. So they all stayed close to mommy and she is glad of it and made this observation on her career: "You can raise children and make a living even if it is not easy at first."
Ruth shows up for work
It was my pleasure to see Ruth Wilson, whom I have not had a chance to talk to in person for a long time, too long. She was greeting customers, many she has known for well over 30 years. You remember her late husband, Dick Wilson, who died about five years ago but they had been divorced for many years. Ruth said they met in the late 1960s, when he was getting his pharmacy degree in Memphis. He brought her to Newport and she fit right in, though a flat-lander like me. Dick linked up with Z-Buda and they operated at least five drug stores until Wilson went out on his own. We reminisced on the most unforgettable Z-Buda and his ability to parlay his pharmacies into a multi-million dollar empire chiefly by buying a lot of land in Pigeon Forge before all the glitter and gold arrived.
I was also fortunate to meet the new operations manager Michael Moser, an easy-going senor like myself and who has been working with the rather young owner, Mr. Bullington. Michael tells me he was born in Arlington, Virginia but lived in various locations before settling in Seymour. I did get to ask Ruth what the most significant change has been in the pharmacy business, and her former associates at Wilson's, Marty Bailey and Jabo Francis, most like would agree: the increase federal regulations. She said the large chain pharmacy have changed the complexion of the drug store world. However, her goal has always been to hold on to the close patient-customer relationship with herself and employees. As she summed it all up: "I just like to hug everyone of my customers." She said success of the pharmacy was "because people took me under their wings." She is a west Tennessee native who married a local boy and Cocke County folks took to her quickly. "I feel very humble about the customer relationship. I've been so blessed." I hope to share more about how she is doing and especially Lexi, glad to be back at work and back in Newport, her home. If you haven't visited yet, I suggest you drop by even if you don't need any bitters, tonics, or bromides.
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, d. 3 Jul 2005, Cocke County, Tennessee