New opportunities lay ahead for a longtime Morden business owner as she prepares to shut down her pharmacy at the end of the month.
Lisa Zaretzky sees the decision to close Apothecary of Morden after 20 years in business as an exciting chance for her to take the next step in her journey.
“Part of this transition for me is not just ending something but changing it,” said Zaretzky. “I still will have things like my consultation services.
“I just need to take time to take care of my personal needs and perhaps move on to a different type of practice where I have a lot less responsibilities,” she said. “This has nothing to do with not enjoying it. Being a community pharmacist in Morden has been a wonderful experience for me.”
Getting back to business in a more normal way following the pandemic was a challenge, Zaretzky noted.
“Going through the pandemic and the after effects of that … especially in business, it was quite difficult … our world has changed … it changed how I took care of people,” she said. “I waited until things were back to some sense of normality.”
Zaretzky very much built up a business that went deeper than just being a pharmacy but one with a focus on advanced personalized care and overall wellness to help people improve their health, prevent illness and improve your quality of life.
She feels good about what she built up here.
“Growing up in northern Manitoba creates a different type of intimate relationship in the community,” she noted. “I think I wanted to bring that professional intimacy into health care and the way I wanted to practice.
“I actually had to open my own pharmacy to practice the way that I wanted with the full depth and breadth of what is possible,” she added.
Zaretzky now looks forward to perhaps inspiring and mentoring students who will be among our future pharmacists and perhaps show them how they too could go further and deeper with their practice.
“I would love to teach that to other students,” she said. “I’m really passionate about teaching, and I’ve actually passed up a few opportunities because I couldn’t leave my community practice … so now I will see what’s out there for me in the near future.”
She takes satisfaction in hearing from some of her clients that she will be missed, and she will miss it as well but is still excited for what may come next.
“As a business owner, I really take pride in respecting my staff, the people who decided to work along side me … teaching them and mentoring them,” she said. “I really wanted to make sure that my staff were really cared for … the people who decided to work with me … it was an honour.
“And from the patient perspective, having people trust you with their health and what they have to share and how their journey has effected them is very important to me.
Finally, she noted with one grandchild and another on the way, she also looks forward to devoting more time for her family.
“My family has been hugely supportive of my career. They had to make sacrifices as well for everything I have done.”
