“He was one of the top 100 drugstores in 1988 in the USA,” said his son, Allen Farst, a Dayton-area documentary filmmaker. “He has a lot of interesting stories to tell about that business.”
Pharmacy owner Farst has said the pharmacy is being sold to the Rite Aid chain.
“He’s one of the last guys still going after 50 years,” his son said. “His story of starting out is really cool.”
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The elder Farst came from Ohio Northern to Dayton to work at Beerman’s pharmacy. After a year or two, he bought Owl Drug’s, which then became his namesake business, Ken’s Pharmacy.
“He worked seven days a week, 12 hours a day for a long time,” Allen Farst said. “He created a buying group that grew to 28 to 30 stores.”
In about 1982, he moved from his 2000-square-foot home in a shopping center to a much larger space offering nearly 14,000 square feet.
It was a premier store at the time, his son recalled. In 1988, he was recognized as one of the top 100 independent stores in the country.
“He has been a beacon in the Vandalia community who people have trusted,” Allen Farst said.
All prescription files will be transferred to the Rite Aid Pharmacy, 10 W. National Road in Vandalia.
The pharmacy’s hours are 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday and 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, its final day.
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