SOLEDAD — Last Tuesday was bittersweet for local Pharmacists Anne Trebino and Jeff Hoogendyk, as Soledad Pharmacy closed its doors for good.
City Council Member Anna Velazquez spent a lot of time at the Soledad Pharmacy throughout her high school and college years working as a gift wrapper. Due to her connection with the pharmacy and Trebino and Hoogendyk’s desire to retire quietly, she presented a certificate of achievement to the staff Jan. 15 on behalf of the entire council.
Not only did Velazquez work at the Soledad Pharmacy, but it was also where she met her husband who she said used to come in to buy candy and go to her register.
Although the pharmacy was set to close at 6 p.m., the staff was still receiving phone calls to make sure it was true and not an April Fools’ joke.
Residents were still coming in to get last-minute gifts or prescriptions before the patient files were transferred to CVS Pharmacy, located down the street in the Soledad Mission Shopping Center.
Soledad Pharmacy had ties to the community through giving scholarships, supporting the Little League, 4-H and FFA and helping out non-profit organizations by purchasing tickets from them. All the hubbub in the pharmacy’s final hours shows the kind of impression it has left on the community.
Now the doors are closed, and the building’s owner says there are other businesses interested in the space.
