New Pembroke Pines pharmacy blends modern care with old-fashioned family feel
It doesn’t take much for healthcare professionals to turn a cookie-cutter pharmacy into a community hub.
According to the JJ Apothecary team, sometimes all it takes is an old-fashioned soda float.
“We seek to bring back that corner pharmacy family feeling,” said Dr. Lazara Jardines, the owner of the newest drugstore in Pembroke Pines, which celebrated its grand opening on July 7.
“We seek to be a part of and serve the community as a whole. Not only in medication services and wellness.”
JJ Apothecary is Jardines’ “mom and pop” take on traditional, corporation-owned pharmacies such as Walgreens, where she worked for over two decades after graduating from Florida A&M University with her doctor of pharmacy degree.
At the drugstore, which first teased its opening at 18463 Pines Blvd. in October, you’ll find everything a retail alternative stocks on its shelves: prescription drugs, over-the-counter medication and medical supplies.
Compounding services, which tailor doctor-prescribed medications to a patient’s specific needs as alternatives to mass-produced drugs, are also available.
What sets JJ Apothecary apart from its counterparts is that its team members aim to know their customers as more than just names on a prescription label, Jardines said.
“JJ Apothecary seeks to change the trend of being treated like a number and actually getting to know our patients and community,” Jardines told the Pembroke Pines News.
“We want to know our patients and their families and provide a familiar space that the community can know and trust.”
To achieve that, the drugstore is stocking local brands such as Miami-based haircare line Rooté and selling soda floats — a former pharmacy staple dating back to the 1800s — for families to enjoy while shopping.
On its menu are four floats: strawberry cream, orange cream, chocolate and ginger ale.
The pharmacy also weaves “family” into the fabric of the shop, with Jardines’ kids, Julian and Jacob, serving as inspiration for the drugstore’s name.
“We are bridging the past and present of wellness one personalized remedy at a time,” the pharmacy owner said.
JJ Apothecary is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m to 5:30 p.m.
For more information, visit the drugstore’s Instagram.
