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Elephant Pharmacy Berkeley

BERKELEY, Calif. -- Just five months in operation, and already the drug store called Elephant has established firm roots in this anti-establishment community. Berkeley residents, who prize all things natural and embrace diversity, are a perfect fit for a pharmacy practicing a unique variety of wellness and health care philosophies.

Elephant's unique merchandising is apparent the moment a customer enters the store. At one end of the store there is an expansive yoga set, including mats and other props. At the other, there is an organic produce section, featuring locally grown fruits and vegetables. And to the immediate right of the middle entrance of the store is a chair massage station, where a certified massage therapist, courtesy of On the Spot Massage, is on hand to rub a customer's troubles away.

A walk through the store reveals other unconventional drug store experiences. At the center of the store lies a beauty island where an on-staff aesthetician is on hand to offer free beauty advice or a complementary makeover. There is a s in analysis device called a Derma View that exposes facial skin damage. And there is a host of beauty supplies sold exclusively through Elephant ant Pharmacy in the mass channel, like Jurliq ue, an Australian line typically sold in spas that the drugstore operation just picked up over Easter.

Elephant Pharmacy already has a host of private label offerings, in excess of 200, to complement the some 40,000 SKUs throughout the store. Most of the private label SKUs are in dietary supplements, but the drug store has its own bottled Water to offer, as well.

Along the back wall is the pharmacy counter where Elephant pharmacists counsel patients. About 30 feet from the pharmacy there is a full-service herbal counter staffed by licensed medical personnel experienced in both traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurvedic herbs (traditional Indian medical practice).

Separating the two medicinal fields of thought is a library, where customers can learn which health care mindset, East or West, works best for them. Usually walking through that library, or at least not very far away, are a host of other medical professionals who are readily available for consultations. In addition to herbalists and a naturopathic doctor, there also are nurse practitioners and registered dietitians on hand.

Hanging above the registers on the way out of the store are several banners featuring the store personnel that the customer may have just consulted, along with their area of expertise.

Elephant Pharmacy includes a number of the same offerings as a more traditional drug store. This 13,000-square-foot unit has a pharmacy, aisles of conventional over-the-counter remedies, a wide selection of greeting cards and a photo-finishing center.

The one idea that truly differentiates Elephant Pharmacy from its competition, and consequently has fostered extensive community participation in the store, is the chain's dedication to offering complementary health-related classes presented by health care professionals. Some accentuate the pharmacy's front-end offerings, like beginning yoga classes for example, others accentuate herb safety or aromatherapy. More traditional health care classes featuring bone density screenings, blood glucose monitoring or women's health, taught by licensed gynecologists, are featured as prominently. Classes average 30 people and can get as high as some 80 participants.

The classes are promoted both online (the chain recently upgraded its interactive Web site) and through Elephant's direct mailer, which readies 30,000 homes. An additional 10,000 circulars are distributed at the store.

The drug store operators have plans to expand their concept across the United States. If all things go as planned, Elephant Pharmacy will have laid roots in New York City by the end of 2004. If not New York City, the chain is looking across the Bay for locations in San Francisco and down the coast for spots in Los Angeles.

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COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group