Three generations. Seven decades.

And counting.

That’s how long Shafer’s Pharmacy in Tamaqua has been serving the community.

Last month, Schuylkill County Commissioner Gary Hess was on site to honor the multigenerational family-owned businesses for its 75th anniversary.

“You treat everyone not as a patron, but as a person,” said Hess, as he presented the award to Ben and Lee Shafer.

“That’s a unique thing, and that’s why I think you lasted 75 years. It’s that one-on-one touch, the family thing to help out. We need more of that.”

“It’s been a long road,” said Lee Shafer, whose father, Edward, purchased the pharmacy in 1946.

“I can remember when we first started billing insurances for prescriptions. I was the first pharmacy in Schuylkill County to have a computer because I got tired of handwriting all of the forms. You bought a computer that was gigantic, but it wasn’t as powerful as your telephone right now and you backed it up on 8-inch floppy disks.”

Every Saturday afternoon, in the 1980s, Lee would print off forms at the pharmacy, which he said saved an “amazing” amount of time.

And every once in a while, he caught his father playing the popular 1970s video game “Space Invaders” on the state-of-the-art computer.

“He had trouble running the computer program, but he found a way to get ‘Space Invaders’ working,” Lee said with a laugh.

Lee’s son, Ben, now handles most of the day-to-day operations of the pharmacy. Ben spent a lot of time inside of the pharmacy walls while growing up.

“It was kind of always in my head from when I was younger,” Ben said. “My dad took over the pharmacy business and that I probably would do the same thing. It was never pushed on me, but it was always kind of there as an option.”

Shafer’s Pharmacy is truly a hidden gem nestled right here in Schuylkill County. A family-owned businesses in the industry is a rarity, as Ben and Lee have the constant uphill battle of competing with corporate pharmacies.

“CVS owns insurance companies, so then people get that insurance, and it’s not just CVS - it’s all the chains,” Ben said. “The money is going into their own pocket, rather than coming here. It’s hard, but we make it work.”

Communication and relationships are critical keys to the Shafers’ success.

“I know some people probably don’t have that strength, you see some family businesses fighting among each other,” Ben added.

“It’s good that we have a good support system with our employees, but also our wholesaler, who we buy our drugs from, too. They have a system in place for small, independent pharmacies.”

Ben also said that small businesses supporting each other is important. His pharmacy carries many local products.

“Small ways like that we are able to give back to others,” Ben said. “There are things you can’t get locally, but if you have the choice to go to a local hardware store, or a chain, you can make that choice.”

Hess labeled Shafer’s as the community pharmacy. And it’s those very people within it that keeps the Shafers and their small staff going.

“It’s helping people and seeing the faces that come in and to know that we are there for them,” Ben added.