Family-owned pharmacy offers community support, holiday fun

By Bethany Adams, For The Tribune

CLAY — Pharmacies in the modern age tend to lack the level of personal care that was once provided by independent, family-owned establishments. They also tend not to be places frequented by elves.

Carroll Pharmacy is an exception to both of these rules.

Carroll Pharmacy first began serving the public in 1995, when the first location opened in Clay. Years later, the Carroll family now serves both Clay and Trussville with services like compounding and drive-thru pick-up, support for organizations such as the Hewitt Athletic Foundation, and community outreach events—including the annual Elf Parties.

Photo provided by Carroll Pharmacy

“We just sort of felt like Trussville needed an independent pharmacy,” Deana Carroll said, explaining that they were able to move into a location on Highway 11 after having served Clay for years. “And we were there for three years, but that whole time, we wanted to be in downtown Trussville.”

Now, they are located on North Chalkville Road, and Deana described the experience as “a blessing.”

“We love it there,” Deana said. “We love being in the middle of everything; we love being in downtown Trussville.”

The business also offers boutique-type ladies’ clothing, a wide range of gift items and, in the Trussville location, Huskey apparel.

It’s a family business in the truest sense of the phrase. Greg and Deana have four children between them, two of whom are currently a part of the business. Maegan Carroll Reynolds, whose husband is a teacher and coach at Hewitt-Trussville Middle School, is a pharmacist alongside Greg and Deana, and Geoff Carroll works full-time as the company’s media specialist.

Greg also currently serves as the President of the Trussville Downtown Merchants’ Association, and he and Deana are involved in the community in a number of different ways. One of the more well-known events hosted by Carroll Pharmacy is the upcoming Elf Party, an event which allows children to have their pictures made with Santa and share a snack with some magical friends.

“We have the elves for adoption in our store,” Deana said, referring to the line of children’s toys by the Elf Magic company. The children also get to meet and have pictures with Jingle and Jangle, two real-life elves, and with the Caring Bear, Carroll Pharmacy’s mascot.

But beyond hosting parties and providing support to local groups, the Carroll family is dedicated to serving their community on a personal level.

“I think the biggest thing is, we pride ourselves on the relationship that we have with our customers,” Deana said.

And the community has taken notice. Jess Odom, a local community member, described the lengths that the Carrolls went to in order to quickly fill her son’s prescription when a larger chain pharmacy failed to keep the medication on order.

“Carroll stepped in and made the necessary steps to fill my scripts for me,” Odom said. “They are so awesome and I greatly appreciate the effort they have put forth and went out of the way to help keep my family healthy!”

Since 1995, the Carroll family has been finding unique ways to serve their customers with a level of care that has become almost obsolete in modern pharmacies. Through pharmaceutical services, outreach programs and community support, Carroll Pharmacy is reminding Trussville and Clay what it means to be exceptional.

Carroll Pharmacy is located at 6767 Old Springville Road in Clay and at 115 N Chalkville Road in Trussville. This year’s Elf Parties will take place at the Clay location on Saturday, December 3 from 10 a.m.-noon and at the Trussville location on Sunday, November 27 from 1-3 p.m. For more information, visit Carrollrx.com or visit them on Facebook.