“You could sort of sum it up as a boutique pharmacy,” said Gloria Shkolnik, owner of The Apothecary, a new store opening soon in Depot Square in Peterborough. 

Shkolnik is a trained and licensed pharmacist, and she specializes in compounding. She explained that compounding is a method of mixing or customizing drugs to individualize a prescription for a patient, and said sometimes it may reduce the number of drugs someone has to take or she can work around an allergy. 

Shkolnik has been a pharmacist for more than 20 years and has been compounding for almost as long. She said learning to compound “opened a whole new perspective” for her and she could see that it was helping people. She was able to provide customers with a medicine designed specifically for them, taking the whole, individual body into consideration. 

“I thought, ‘Wow, this is amazing,’” she said. “Pharmacy has become robotic. You don’t build relationships. People are on their own to figure out supplements. A lot of drugs deplete nutrients that your body needs.”

Shkolnik’s approach is to “make sure the customer is well overall. The body functions as a whole.”

But it’s not just for people; Shkolnik can also compound medication for pets. She can infuse flavor to make it tastier or create a tab form that starts melting in the animal’s mouth.

“There are so many animals that need medicine that doesn’t taste good, so it’s hard to give it to them,” she said.

Shkolnik often works with a mortar and pestle to combine medications. A tool that’s been around since the Stone Age, it has been used in apothecaries to combine and grind medicines and herbs for a long time. And also like old-time apothecaries, Shkolnik hopes to build real relationships with her customers. She wants her pharmacy to feel welcoming and personal.

A teal sign with gold, cursive letters is hung above the front door of The Apothecary. The shop is located in what was the lower section of the old Sharon Arts Gallery building at the heart of downtown. The store will be split in two sections, a pharmacy-related and a shop with skin care, candles and gifts. There is also a children’s section along the windows looking out onto the square. 

With big-name chain pharmacies so commonplace, compounding is left to specialists, and Shkolnik will offer a new service to Peterborough and the surrounding areas.

“It’s a craft,” she said. “People need that customization.”

Doctors and vets in the area will be able to prescribe compounded medications to their patients to be picked up at The Apothecary. Shkolnik looks forward to working with local practitioners and offering more options to the community.

“My goal is to practice wellness, develop relationships with people like old-school pharmacies and provide products not available elsewhere,” she said.

The Apothecary is located at 20 Depot St., Unit 40, in downtown Peterborough. Shkolnik hopes to open within the next couple weeks, and will keep the community updated at theapothecarynh.com.

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