When Ray’s Food Place in Bend closed its pharmacy in the fall, it left only one pharmacy on the city’s west side.

But it also created an opportunity for Kristen Godfrey, who plans on Tuesday to open Westside Pharmacy on Southwest Century Drive.

“It started to be a pressing concern that needed to be addressed,” Godfrey said, referring to the loss of the pharmacy at Ray’s. “And I finally thought, I can figure this out. Why don’t I do it?”

Bend has about 10 typical retail pharmacies, but nearly all of them are located east of the Bend Parkway. Walgreens expects to open two new pharmacies in the near future, but they will also be on the east side, although one is being built at Northeast Third Street and Northeast Franklin Avenue.

In recent years, the number of independent pharmacies in the nation has held fairly steady, while chains have had some growth, said Kevin Schweers, vice president of public affairs for the National Community Pharmacists Association. According to the association’s most recent data, the country had 23,029 independent community pharmacies and 21,107 chain pharmacies in 2012.

Owen BonDurant, president of Ohio-based Independent RX Consulting, said the number of prescriptions written continues to increase as the population grows and baby boomers get older.

“We think that an independent pharmacy is really a good place to be right now,” BonDurant said. “Unlike other industries where small business is going away, I’d say it’s going the opposite direction.”

Godfrey believes a community pharmacy like Westside serves a different niche than other types of pharmacies, she said.

“A community pharmacy is different because we have the opportunity to create a small local business that really is about community and caring relationships,” she said.

“Every single person that I brought onto our team genuinely cares about people’s health and they authentically connect with people.”

For customers using an insurance plan, she said, the cost of prescriptions will be the same at her store as other pharmacies in town.

In addition to medications, Westside Pharmacy will offer vitamins and supplements, sports-injury and homeopathy supplies, immunizations and over-the-counter medications.

Westside Pharmacy plans to begin adding customers’ prescription information next week and expects to begin delivery of current prescriptions June 2, according to Godfrey.

— Reporter: 541-617-7818,

rrees@bendbulletin.com