LONOKE, Ark. — Small businesses across Arkansas have struggled during the coronavirus pandemic. So we wanted to help by spotlighting local businesses in Arkansas.
In Lonoke, Lyons Pharmacy has been serving the community for nearly a century now.
Owner Rick Pennington told us the original owners opened the pharmacy in the 1940s. He worked there for decades before buying it in 2005.
Obviously, a lot has changed since the 1940s and 2005, but a whole lot has changed just in 2020.
"It's a fancy shower curtain basically," Pennington said, explaining some of the COVID-19 protections he installed at the pharmacy.
He said early on in the pandemic, the pharmacy was closed for several months. But once they reopened they stuck to curbside pickup.
Pennington managed to keep all of his employees despite all of these changes.
"The gift shop used to rely on wedding registries, but there haven't been as many wedding registries in the last year," he said.
For the holiday season, the inside of the rest of the store is decked out.
The drugstore mostly relied on people being prescribed medicine, but Pennington said "people aren't going to the doctor."
But through it all, the people of Lonoke have helped Lyons Pharmacy stay in business.
"Most of our customers have been coming here a long time and they've supported us through thick and thin," Pennington told us.
And if you're living in Lonoke, Pennington said he'd love for you to come get your next gift of prescription at Lyons Pharmacy.
"We're going to make it," he said. "Lonoke is very supportive. it's been a little difficult but its coming back and we're looking forward to the future."