New owner for Salisbury Pharmacy

SALISBURY — Peter D’Aprile, owner of Kent Station Pharmacy, has expanded his business with the recent purchase of the Salisbury Pharmacy and General Store on Main Street in Salisbury. 

D’Aprile went in on the purchase of this business with his brother-in-law, Frank Randazzo, a retired Sprint executive. The two also co-own Lang’s Pharmacy in Wilton, Conn., and Randazzo owns Lang’s Pharmacy in Weston, Conn. 

“The ultimate goal is to combine all four stores under one umbrella LLC that we jointly own,” explained D’Aprile.

D’Aprile purchased the Salisbury location from Elaine LaRoche, who owned several pharmacies in area, including the former Canaan Apothecary. She has been slowly selling them off. 

A pharmacist, D’Aprile became acquainted with LaRoche when he began working for her in the early 2000s, managing her stores in Kent and Salisbury. He purchased the Kent location from her in 2008. When the opportunity to purchase the Salisbury location came about, he felt he couldn’t pass it up.

While each location varies slightly in the items carried, all have the same boutique, high-end gift shop feel. In addition to carrying the typical personal care products, over-the-counter medications and operating a full-service pharmacy, each location also stocks locally crafted goods, souvenirs and gift items. 

“Many people also do not realize that our pharmacies are part of the Health Mart network,” D’Aprile said. “There are more than 4,800 independently owned Health Mart pharmacies across the nation, so we have the same buying power as the large chain stores. People think that because we are locally owned our prices will be more expensive, but that is not the case. In many instances, our prices are comparable, if not cheaper, than at CVS, Walgreens or Rite Aid.”

D’Aprile is open to comments and suggestions from customers of the Salisbury location. He can be contacted by email at peter@thesalisburypharmacy.com.