JAY – Steve Maki has realized a longtime dream of opening his own community pharmacy.

A celebration and ribbon-cutting for Spruce Mountain Pharmacy at 3 Tweedie Road will take place at 10 a.m. Monday, May 11.

The pharmacy has been open for about four weeks while Maki sorted out details. The shelves are now stocked with a variety of health care items.

“It’s a work in progress but I’m happy with the store and really excited to be open,” he said Wednesday. “It’s a dream come to life.”

Maki, who has worked nearly 15 years in larger chain pharmacies, nine of those at Jay’s Hannaford, didn’t forget the thought he had while in pharmacy school at the University of Rhode Island: working for himself in a local community.

“I used to be Steve at Hannaford’s,” Maki, 40, said thinking many will recognize him that way.

Some may also recognize him as the youngster who grew up in the New Vineyard/Farmington area, graduated from Mt. Blue High School and the University of Maine at Farmington with a degree in education.

While working as a pharmacy tech at Laverdiere’s in Farmington, he decided to become a pharmacist.

Maki has a couple definite reasons for starting the new business during a difficult economic time and one that sees many independent pharmacies closing.

“There’s a niche there that’s being underserved. It’s an opportunity to use my pharmacy skills to the best of my ability and the opportunity presented it self,” he said. The second major reason, two young sons who will only be young once, he added.

The pharmacy is in the former AV Construction building within view of Route 4 and near Tasteful Creations. When owner Tom Godin realized Maki’s hopes, he took him to see the building formerly separated into several offices. Working with Maki, the building now has a bright new interior complete with a showroom, pharmacy and drive-up window.

Maki wasn’t excited about drive-up windows until he saw a mother pull up with two sick children while he was working at Walgreens in Augusta.

“Then I knew it was the right thing to do,” he said.

With the help of his wife, Michelle, and sons, the store has been a family project and Maki wants to make it a family-friendly pharmacy with store hours scheduled from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Working for the larger pharmacies, employees work nights, weekends and holidays. When his children became involved in sports, scouts and school events, he often couldn’t be there, he said. Now, the boys, who both play ice hockey, will participate with the Portland Junior Pirates, requiring two or three trips to Portland each week, he said. With their talent and desire to play, he couldn’t say no, he said.

Maki acknowledged he had some concerns about starting the independent pharmacy but knew if he could make it through the current economic storm, he could be successful, he said.

“It’s a tough market but a focus on customers, professionalism of a pharmacist and the availability of health care items will help the independent be successful,” he said.

Prescription prices will be similar and competitive with the larger stores, although he realizes he can’t match every price, he said.

“Walgreens and Hannaford were great to work for,” he said. “They were a springboard for what I wanted to do.”

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