New lighting gives historic Davenport pharmacy fresh energy

An unexpected discovery in the basement of the Davenport Good Neighborhood Pharmacy reflects the Eastern Washington town's rich history.

Tucked away in a crawl space, store owner Chris McCowan discovered copper piping, glass containers and other equipment, likely leftover from a prohibition-era alcohol distillery.

"That was quite an interesting find," said Chris. "We left most of it down there but pulled out a few bottles and displayed them in the Pharmacy. There are so many stories hidden in these old buildings."

The small business has been part of the Davenport community for over 100 years.

"Independent drugstores are almost like dinosaurs, slowly dying out," said Chris. "I think what keeps our business strong is our customers. When somebody walks through the door, we know them by name."

The Davenport Good Neighborhood Pharmacy has served the rural Davenport farming community for generations. Opening in 1898, the Pharmacy weathered the Spanish flu pandemic, the Great Depression, two world wars and the COVID-19 pandemic. In the 1940s, it moved across the street from its original building to its current location.

Tony Hein, whose family has deep roots in the community, first knew the business as Rexall Drug. He worked there from 1971 to 1979 while attending high school and part-time in college.

"When I worked there, I pretty much knew everybody in town," said Tony. "I enjoyed working there and helping people."

In the 1980s, the store transitioned from Rexall Drug to Good Neighbor Pharmacy, giving the independent retailer added buying power for medications and products.

As the store grew, three nearby buildings were added to the drugstore's footprint. In the early 90s, the 7,000-square-foot store went through an extensive renovation.

Country Touch Floral and Uncorked Country joined the store in 2008.

"We're a one-stop-shop for people," said Chris. "We have an extensive sales floor with gifts, office and school supplies, toys, cards, clothing and some of the best homemade fudge."

Chris and his wife, Colleen, purchased the store in 2013 after working for more than a year with the previous owners, Gerald and Judith Van Pevenage, who owned it for over 45 years.

In 2022, Chris and Colleen purchased an adjacent building and remodeled it into office and warehouse space. It also houses the floral department.

"As the business grows bigger, you need a larger size of jeans, so to speak," laughs Chris.

Last year, Arctic Lighting & Electric approached Chris about upgrading his lighting and encouraged him to apply for Avista's small business direct-install lighting program. The building's old lighting qualified for the program and Avista covered the entire $21,408 project cost. Inefficient fluorescent lighting was replaced with energy-saving LED lights and fixtures.

"Some of the fixtures had been there for at least 30 years, and the lighting was inconsistent," said Chris. "We got to choose what type of light we wanted. I chose to mimic sunlight as much as possible. Now, the consistency of our lighting is great, and it's brighter in here."

Washington and Idaho Avista small business customers can easily qualify for lighting upgrades like this. Better still, Avista typically covers 100% of the project costs.