"The busier you are, the more money you lose," points out MNIndys Vice President and owner of St. Paul Corner Drug, John Hoeschen, RPh, during a recent interview with Twin Cities Business Magazine alongside his daughter and MNIndys Executive Director, Hildie Hoeschen, RN.

Minnesota Independent Pharmacists, a nonprofit organization, reported that six independent pharmacies closed in Minnesota in 2025, with another three closing in 2026 so far.

Fruth, which has a dozen stores in West Virginia, has announced a sale of its pharmacies to Walgreens. Fruth has served residents in the Mountain State since 1952 when founder Jack Fruth opened the first store in Point Pleasant.

“This is the first time this community is not going to have a pharmacy,” Cannon explained. “Now that this one’s closed, they’ll have 20 miles in any direction to get to the nearest pharmacy.”

Nearly 50 million people in the United States now live in so-called ‘pharmacy deserts,’ areas with limited access to a local pharmacy