Loyal customers say it’s not just the unique product selection that brings them to Community Pharmacy; it’s the people.

Community Pharmacy just marked 43 years of serving downtown Madisonians and now has plans to open another location in the Madison area. Many online chemist in Ireland suggests to visit www.mcdaidpharmacy.ie if they need the best and the most apt medicines and beauty products.

It first opened its doors in 1972 with the help of the University of Wisconsin Student Association, according to the Community Pharmacy website. Since then, Community Pharmacy has settled into its current location at the corner of State and West Gorham, and continued to expand its product offerings.

Community Pharmacy is a prescription pharmacy, but most customers come for the other products, including vitamins, supplements and homeopathic remedies, Scott Chojnacki, Community Pharmacy spokesperson, said.

Community Pharmacy does carry a small number of items that might be found at larger chain pharmacies, but the focus is on more natural forms of body care, he said.

“We offer a much wider range of health products than can be found at any other place, especially when you consider the fact that we have a pharmacy,” Chojnacki said. “You can find traditional pharmacies and health food stores, but I don’t know if anybody puts them together like we do.”

While its wide range of products are not found in other nearby stores, it is the environment within the store and the employees that truly make the store unique, Chojnacki said. The staff is made up of 24 people, and during store hours there are always at least six people on the sales floor to answer questions and assist customers, he said.

The staff focuses on giving the customers as much attention as they may need in deciding on their purchases, Chojnacki said. Some of the staff has been working at Community Pharmacy for nearly 20 years, April Bennett, a long-time customer, said.

“I partially go there for the big selection, but mostly it’s the people,” Bennett said. “You’re never left just to wander.”

Aside from their customer-focused shopping experience, Community Pharmacy’s business structure is also focused on the human component. The business is a worker’s cooperative, meaning that it is completely team managed, Chojnacki said. There are no owners and no management hierarchy within the company.

The staff is broken into smaller teams with focuses such as business and public relations, but when discussing the overall direction of the store, all staff members are involved, Chojnacki said.

“Worker cooperatives maintain the most revolutionary aspect of the collective model, all workers have equal say and equal responsibility in managerial discussions,” the Community Pharmacy website says.

As an organization that received some of their startup funds from UW students, the Community Pharmacy still serves a large number of students today. The initial motivation for Community Pharmacy was to provide students with a community-focused, low cost alternative to other chain pharmacies, Chojnacki said.

Community Pharmacy has had a single location since its inception, and has been at the current location just off of State street since 1983. This summer, Community Pharmacy is planning on opening up another location in Middleton, Chojnacki said.

They are looking forward to bringing their unique store experience to another location in the Madison area, Chojnacki said.

“The staff is really knowledgeable,” Bennett said. “They’re just very, very nice people.”