Allen's Pharmacy

06/09/2026

June 9, 1941.

Eighty-five years ago, Gib got a vendor’s license, opened the doors at 601 East Main, and probably had no idea what he was starting. Since then, Allen’s Pharmacy has survived a world war, a highway that bisected our neighborhood shortly after moving to Eastern Avenue, recessions, blizzards, floods, chain stores, days-long power outages, drug shortages, legislative changes, insurance reimbursement cuts, a pandemic, the roof blowing off, mechanical breakdowns, and computers that freeze at the worst possible time.

And yet… we’re still here.

To the people of Chillicothe and the surrounding areas, thank you for 85 unbelievably loyal, supportive, patient, stubborn, hilarious, hardworking, compassionate, generous, encouraging, and amazing years.

Thank you for supporting local when it’s easier not to. Thank you for trusting us with your family’s healthcare. Thank you for the conversations at the soda fountain, the jokes at the counter, the patience during the chaos, and the grace when things aren’t perfect.

This old 1941 Vendor’s License, Gib’s first one, is a reminder that long before any of us were here, somebody took a chance on serving this community. We’re incredibly proud to still carry that forward today.

A lot has changed since June 9, 1941.

But one thing hasn’t. This pharmacy belongs to this community as much as it belongs to us.

So, from all of us at Allen’s Pharmacy, thank you for keeping this little independent pharmacy going for 85 wild years.

Lord willing, and the creek don’t rise, here’s to many more.🤞🙏

05/22/2026

We will be closed on Monday, May 25th for Memorial Day. We would like to thank all of the former military members for their service and sacrifice. And, we hope that you all have a safe and happy holiday.

04/28/2026

A huge congratulations to our brother, friend, and former coworker, Casey McFadden! Casey was awarded the Bowl of Hygeia, which is one of the most prestigious and recognized awards one can earn in the field of pharmacy. Recipients are selected for their significant, voluntary contributions to their community outside of their regular professional duties. This award is only presented to one pharmacist per state, per year. So, this is a huge honor for a pharmacist in our area.

Congratulations, Casey!

Congratulations to the 2026 Bowl of Hygeia winner for Ohio, Casey McFadden!

Established in 1958, the Bowl of Hygeia Award recognizes pharmacists who possess outstanding records of civic leadership in their communities. In addition to service through their local, state, and national pharmacy associations, award recipients devote their time, talent, and resources to a wide variety of causes and community service outside the profession.

Today, the Bowl of Hygeia is the most widely recognized international symbol for the pharmacy profession and is considered one of the profession’s most prestigious awards. The award is presented annually by participating state pharmacy associations, including those in the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. View the 2025 recipients and read their inspiring stories here: naspa.us/bowlofhygeia

Casey is a pharmacist and the owner of McFadden Pharmacy, a locally owned community/retail pharmacy located in Bainbridge, Ohio. McFadden has been recognized for his pharmacy's role in supporting the Bainbridge area, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. As an independent pharmacist, he kept the business open as an essential service, fielded health questions from customers when doctor access was limited and made himself available via cell phone for consultations. He has been active in professional advocacy, providing proponent testimony to the Ohio House Insurance Committee in 2024 on pharmacy-related legislation, such as bills addressing pharmacy benefit managers and other industry issues. McFadden goes "above and beyond" to serve the community. In addition to his professional service, McFadden is also an active supporter for numerous community organizations serving senior citizens, schools, youth athletics and recreation, and his church. Examples of support include promotion of school supply donation drives to help local children prepare for the school year, being a founder of Irons Sharpens Iron Men's breakfast which is a monthly men's breakfast in Bainbridge, serving as one of the elders of his church, Acts Believe Church and on the Board for "Created 4 More", a non-profit ministry designed to break down the walls of church's and create events to bring everyone together to worship.

Congratulations Casey! The Bowl of Hygeia award is sponsored by the American Pharmacists Association Foundation and the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations.

04/03/2026

I was digging through some old newspaper clippings, and came across this gem from 1988… featuring Steve talking about (wait for it)… mail-order prescriptions.

Yep. Even back then, pharmacists were already feeling the pressure of convenience creeping into healthcare.

Reading his quotes now is… kind of wild.
Different decade. Same fight.

Back then it was mail-order.
Today? Pharmacy Benefit Managers stacking the deck against independent pharmacies. Online giants like Amazon moving into prescriptions. A growing “click it and ship it” mindset where convenience often wins over relationships and customer service.

And, now…Seems like half the roads in Chillicothe are closed. Do people deal with the headaches and still show up? Or, do they finally give in to mail-order, or online?

What hits the most is this:
Steve wasn’t just worried about business. He was worried about what gets lost when pharmacy becomes transactional.

Because this job has never just been counting pills.

It’s human interactions.
It’s knowing your name.
It’s helping you figure things out when the system makes no sense.
It’s being here when you need a real person.

We’re still here doing it the same way Steve and Gib believed in… just with a few more obstacles (and a robot named Fillbert).

Thanks for sticking with your local pharmacy. It matters more than you probably realize.

- ❤️ Kevin Allen

03/19/2026

Steve behind the pharmacy counter in the summer of ‘69.

03/04/2026

🚨🤖 THE CONTEST RESULTS ARE IN!!! 🤖🚨

After reviewing your incredibly creative, slightly concerning, and occasionally HR-questionable name suggestions…

We are proud to announce the official name of our new robot coworker:

🥁 FILLBERT 🥁

Yes.
Fillbert.

Because he fills prescriptions.
It kinda sounds like Gilbert (Who we all miss dearly).
He’s a robot.
And, apparently, he also now has a personality.

We received a ton of great suggestions, but Fillbert captured the perfect balance of pharmacy pun, pharmacy founder, and friendly robot energy.

From now on, when you hear strange mechanical noises coming from the pharmacy… don’t worry.

That’s just Fillbert working hard so our human staff can spend more time helping you.

Please welcome him to the Allen’s Pharmacy team!
(He’s still learning how to smile.)

Now, to get down to business, there were a few people who suggested this name. So, the first to suggest it in the comments is our winner… Congratulations, Krista Henderson Efaw!🏆 You have won eternal bragging rights, and a lifetime spot on our Robot Naming Committee. But, hopefully we won’t require your services for that too many more times. Honorable mention goes to Ritch McCoy. While we absolutely love the name Pilly Bob Sortin’, it’s just too much of a mouthful to yell at a robot who is underperforming. But, he may still get called that from time to time.

🤖💊

Fillbert approves this message. But, don’t worry, he still doesn’t have arms or legs. So, he won’t be overthrowing anything anytime soon, or taking any human jobs.

02/25/2026

🚨🤖 WE NEED YOUR HELP, CHILLICOTHE 🤖🚨

Our new friendployee (robot🤖) has been here for a few weeks now… and it’s been working hard-ish.

But, there’s one problem…

It doesn’t have a name yet. 😱

We can’t just keep calling it “The Robot.” That feels rude, and slightly intimidating. And, these derogatory names we keep calling it are really not good for its morale.

So, we’re turning to YOU!

Help us name our newest team member — the metal marvel, the capsule-slinging sidekick, the prescription-processing powerhouse. 💊⚙️

Drop your best name ideas in the comments.👇

And, for our social media-less fam, we’ll have a good old fashioned suggestion box in the pharmacy. 🥰

Show us what you’ve got…

Funny?
Pharmacy pun?
Slightly dramatic superhero vibe?
Questionable but creative?
We want to hear it all.

If we pick your suggestion, you’ll earn:
🏆 Eternal bragging rights
🤖 Official “Robot Naming Committee” status
(And, maybe a little surprise from us…😉)

🏆Winner will be announced on March 4th.🏆

Let the naming begin!

02/12/2026

Hi, Everyone!👋

So… it has come to our attention that our last couple of social media posts about our new robot have given folks the impression that we were adding some sort of animatronic robot pharmacist to our arsenal.

As cool and as scary as that sounds, that is not what happened here. The new robot that we got is much like the old robot that we had. You know that thing with the big googly eyes that sat in the back? Essentially, it’s a metal box, with robotic arms (on the inside) that counts, and puts pills into bottles for us. It will not be replacing Joe, or giving medical advice, or taking over the pharmacy, or the world. It doesn’t actually even have external arms, legs, or a head.

You see, we thought it would be humorous to make an Ai photo of the robot just casually strolling into the pharmacy for work one day. So, that’s exactly what we did. But, in reality, it was not nearly that easy. It was actually quite the project to get the new robot where it needed to go as the way the old robot came in was no longer an option. Because of that, the pharmacy counter had to be removed, and part of the wall above the pharmacy had to be taken out in order to gain enough clearance for the new machine.

The team at Garman Construction and Concrete were absolutely instrumental in making this project go as smooth as possible, with as little impact on what we do as possible. They got everything torn apart, and out of the way quickly. Then, they got everything back together in record time with almost no trace of them even being there. They even helped with moving the robot, which was definitely not in their scope of work on this project. But, may not have happened successfully without them. We cannot thank you guys enough for all of your help, hard work, and minimal backsass (looking at you, Cale).

In closing, this thing is a lot like the last thing. Hopefully better. It’s not replacing anyone. It’s not changing us, or what we do. We are still here for you. To listen to you. To advise you. To help in any way that we can. As only we humans can. We thank you all for supporting this little family business that Gib started almost 85 years ago. And, we apologize for any confusion that our cheeky posts may have caused. Take care, everyone!✌️😘

02/03/2026

Friendly reminder that we are not opening until 2pm today.🦾🤖

02/01/2026

🚨🤖 BIG NEWS FROM ALLEN’S PHARMACY 🤖🚨

We’re getting a new friendployee.

Yes. You read that right.

This Tuesday (2/3), a very large, very fancy, very expensive robot will be moving in to help us dispense prescriptions and judge us silently with its superior efficiency.

Before our new metal coworker arrives to take over (er… assist), here’s what you need to know:

🗓 Monday 2/2 — Open Normal Hours
BUT… parts of the pharmacy will look like a robot is about to move in. Because it is.
➡️ Limited areas and services inside the store
🥤 The soda fountain will be closed (it’s not robot-proof yet)

🗓 Tuesday 2/3 — Opening Late at 2PM
That’s installation day!
We may still have limited space and services while we get our new friendployee settled into its new home and teach it who’s boss.

We appreciate your patience while we prepare for the future of the pharmacy… which apparently has wires and weighs more than a pickup truck.

Stay tuned for robot selfies. 📸