Byrd Watson Drug Company has celebrated its new location at 790 West McCord Street in Centralia with a Centralia Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting.
Owner-Pharmacist Kim Weiter says the ribbon cutting ends a whirlwind year for her. She noted at this time last year she wasn’t even sure if she would be constructing the new building. Construction then began in April with the move to the new store from the Fairview Shopping Center in October.
“We kept the same general concept,” Weiter said. “We’ve got the pharmacy and we kept the gift shop. We’ve been downsized in square footage, but we’ve tried to bring in better products that are Centralia-specific and things that people are hopefully going to like to see in here. We made it a bit more homey and a bit more customer friendly, I think. The drive-throughs have been huge. We have two drive-throughs, actually, and those have both been busy pretty much since day one. I think people appreciate the convenience of it, which is what we were going for. That was one of the reasons why we built a new building.”
Weiter says the new location has brought more business and she will soon be adding a fourth pharmacist. The store now employees around 18 people.
Chamber of Commerce Membership Director Matthew Packman noted the collaboration between Tyler and Traci Reuter, Bradford National Bank, and Johannes Construction in making the new Byrd Watson facility a reality.
City Manager Galen Mahle noted the idea of this project was one of the first things he was approached with when taking the job and commended the collaboration.
“We just thank everybody for their involvement, and reinvesting and doing great things for the city of Centralia,” Mahle said. “We’re seeing more of these than we have in years, and that’s a testament to people willing to invest, reinvest, and try new things for our city.”
Bryd Watson Drug Store traces its history in Centralia back 120 years. Weiter purchased the business in April of 2023 and began work on the new building two years later.
Byrd Watson Owner-Pharmacist Kim Weiter in the store. Photo by Bruce Kropp.
Merchandise displayed in the Byrd Watson location. Photo by Bruce Kropp.
