Cinnaminson Business Of The Year Nominee: Rosvold's Pharmacy

CINNAMINSON, NJ — The coronavirus pandemic has presented challenges for most local businesses, but that hasn't stopped many from continuing to offer the products and services beloved by their regular customers.

One of those businesses is Rosvold Pharmacy, 2702 Route 130 North in Cinnaminson.

The business was nominated by Patch readers as a business of the year for managing to navigate the turbulence with steadfast determination and an unwavering commitment to the clients they serve.

“They know every customer by name,” Veronica DeFulgentis wrote about the business.

Being a small business connected to the community is important during a time of uncertainty, and even more so when it comes to prescribing medications.

“We’re a place people can go and know, ‘he knows my name and what medications I’m taking,’” said Tom Stehr, who purchased the pharmacy in 1995. “When you ask a simple question, we already know what medications you’re taking. We don’t need a computer to tell us.”

Rosvold has been a Cinnaminson fixture since 1962, when it was opened by Robert Rosvold. Stehr purchased the pharmacy a little more than 30 years later after looking at 30 other potential pharmacies. Stehr liked the mix of clientele, and thought Rosvold was a good representation of what the entire country looked like.

He is appreciative of that clientele that has helped Rosvold persevere through difficult times. He said small pharmacies have been under a lot of pressure due to the emergence of mail-order pharmacies, which tell patients exactly what they need to get and where they need to get it from.

“I’ve seen customers who have been coming here 25-30 years, and insurance companies are suddenly telling them they can’t come here anymore,” Stehr said. “A lot is rapidly changing.”

Those pressures were compounded by the outbreak of the coronavirus. Business dropped a little, which resulted in a reduction in staff by about one-third, Stehr said.

But the pharmacy persevered. It put up plexiglass to separate customers from the pharmacists almost as soon as the pandemic hit and instituted curbside pickup.

Stehr said many people don't think of pharmacies when they think of healthcare, but having a knowledge of infectious disease has helped during the pandemic, and the staff has been able to stay healty.

Customers who contract coronavirus can contact the pharmacy directly, and Rosvold’s will deliver the medication or make it available for pickup.

Rosvold’s is also one of the few pharmacies that engages in compound medications, which is when they mix medications from scratch.

In 2016, Rosvold’s became a PCAB-Accredited Compounding Pharmacy through the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC).

“PCAB-Accreditation shows our commitment to providing the highest quality compounded medications,” the pharmacy says on its website. “During the accreditation process, an extensive on-site survey is conducted by an independent expert, and our annual certification ensures continued compliance with the compounding process defined by USP <795>. We hold ourselves to the highest standards to best serve our patients.”

Stehr also offers guidance to people when it comes to nutrition, explaining what they can do and what supplements they can take. He teaches people how to stay healthy, so they don’t need medications.

“It’s not good for the bottom line, but it helps people, and they come back,” Stehr said. “We’re rewarded by their loyalty, and I appreciate that.”

Have a business you would like to see in a special spotlight?

As a Patch reader, you can nominate a Local Businesses of the Year.

Please tell us the name of the business, where it is located, why it deserves to be recognized and what specific actions have earned your allegiance. Please be as specific as possible, as your comments may be included in a Patch feature article about the local business.

Patch will feature nominated businesses in December.

Please submit your nomination by Dec. 10.