Drugstore closes due to lack of pharmacist

Bestcare Pharmacy in Tucumcari closed on Sept. 10 after the store could not find another pharmacist to replace one who recently moved from the area.

The closing leaves the city with one drugstore — the former Wellborn Pharmacy that recently moved from its longtime South Second Street location near downtown to a bigger building on South First Street. Wellborn also changed its name to Mesa Winds Healthmart Pharmacy.

Papers taped to the doors and windows of the Bestcare building at 511 S. Second St. stated: “We regret to inform you you the Bestcare Pharmacy will be closing” and listed the effective closing date of Sept. 10. “Thank you for your business. Sincerely, Bestcare Pharmacy.”

The notices also listed phone numbers to facilitate prescription transfers.

Ashok Pothula of Albuquerque owned the Bestcare business in Tucumcari and leased the building. Pothula also owns a Bestcare Highland pharmacy in Albuquerque. Both of the phone numbers listed on the closed Bestcare store in Tucumcari rang to the Bestcare Highland store.

Kathi McClelland of Tucumcari, who owns the building her family built in 1983 expressly as a drugstore, confirmed the store closed because “they couldn’t get a pharmacist to move in here.”

She said the building will be put on the market after Pothula removes his equipment.

“It’s depressing,” McClelland added. “I hate we’re a one-pharmacy town.”

A phone message left with Pothula was not returned.

In a social media post in late July, the previous Bestcare pharmacist, Tom Robinson, stated: “I want everyone to know Bestcare Pharmacy is NOT closing. The owner is scheduling temporary pharmacists at this time.”

Robinson was leaving to go back to his native New York and now works for a regional drugstore chain there.

He was a pharmacist at Bestcare for six years.

When informed Thursday about the Tucumcari’s store closing, Robinson stated in a text: “I guess the owner couldn’t find anyone to replace me.”

Bestcare Pharmacy previously was Bob’s Budget Pharmacy. It underwent a name change in late 2018 after Pothula purchased the business following the death of longtime pharmacist and co-owner Bob McClelland earlier that year.