Beemon Drugs, a Jackson fixture since 1956, to close

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - An independent, locally-owned drugstore that has been serving Jackson residents for more than six decades will be closed by the end of the month.

A sign posted in the window of Beemon Drugs says owner/pharmacist Lester Hailey is retiring. It says customers’ prescriptions will be transferred to the CVS on Canton Mart Road at Deville Plaza.

Beemon opened as Beemon & Brent in 1956, one of the original tenants at Maywood Mart on Northside Drive at Interstate 55. 65-year-old Hailey began working at the store in 1977 and became the sole owner about 25 years later.

Lester Hailey, owner, Beemon Drugs (Source: WLBT)

In 2013, the Independent Pharmacy Cooperative named Beemon its Most Valuable Pharmacy.

The store managed to compete with national pharmacy chains by focusing on personal service and cultivating relationships with multiple generations of many Jackson families. A steady stream of regular customers greeted Hailey and his employees warmly on Monday, some learning of the plans to close for the first time.