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WILKES-BARRE — Even if you’re visiting Bedwick’s Pharmacy & Gifts primarily to have pharmacist George Bedwick fill a prescription, his wife’s part of the store is likely to capture your attention.
While George provides all health care services, co-owner Chris Bedwick handles the business and gifts half of the venture. She has filled several compact aisles with items as diverse as a scarlet piggy bank for Valentine’s Day, Celtic knot pins for St. Patrick’s Day, and owl salt-and-pepper shakers for year-round whimsy.
“Owls are huge right now,” she said, chuckling over how many items she’s managed to display in the Hazle Street store, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.
“When I first started out, I’d have six or seven items on a shelf. Now it’s more like 25 or 30,” she said, glancing over an array of flamingo and dolphin figurines along with playful mice, birthstone angels, mischievous leprechauns and even a high-kicking scarecrow from “The Wizard of Oz.”
“I want this to be the kind of place where someone can come in and be able to find a little gift for someone’s birthday,” she said. “Or if someone’s not feeling well, maybe a little crystal flower will help them feel better.”
Chris stocks toys, too, from classic games to Barbie dolls and Matchbox cars. And mugs, with messages like “Flirty at 30” or “Fabulous at 40.”
There are activity books for children to color and plenty of Little Golden Books for them to read. “We almost sold out of Little Golden Books (before Christmas),” Chris said. “I still love them.”
Then there are the religious items, ranging from rosaries, medals and First Communion gift sets to hundreds of saint figurines.
Most people have seen statues of Jesus or the Blessed Mother or St. Francis of Assisi, perhaps holding a bird to show his love for animals. You’ll find those favorites here, along with St. Teresa of Calcutta in her distinctive white habit, St. Peter holding the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and St. Ann interacting with her daughter, the Virgin Mary.
“St. Peregrine is very comforting for people who have cancer,” Chris said, picking up a statue of a 13th-century saint with a sore on his leg. An attached card explained that the night before Peregrine was to have his leg amputated, he prayed for healing and was miraculously cured.
“St. Joseph home-selling kits are very popular,” she said, explaining some people believe it is helpful to bury a small statue of St. Joseph and invoke his help when trying to sell a home.
“We have ‘sleeping St. Joseph,’ too,” she said, pointing out a reclining figure that honors the biblical account of St. Joseph receiving divine messages during a dream. Pope Francis reportedly mentioned during a 2015 trip to the Philippines that he keeps a similar image on a table.
‘Not just a number’
“I’ve always been a shopper,” Chris admitted. “What’s better for a shopper than to have your own gift shop?”
She enjoys stocking the religious items because they’re the kind of presents she liked to buy for her mom when she was a little girl, growing up across the street from the former Holy Trinity Elementary School.
Chris attended Holy Trinity, while George attended the former St. Boniface Elementary, and they met later as high school students at GAR.
It’s not surprising the couple can count classmates from all of those schools among their customers, because while they live in Plains Township, they opened their business in the Wilkes-Barre neighborhood where George had grown up.
They found their ideal spot on the corner of Hazle and Forrest streets. The site was the former Stanton Pharmacy, a place where George had run errands and bought candy as a youth.
Today, new generations of kids stop in for candy at Bedwick’s Pharmacy & Gifts, while their parents and grandparents, or great-grandparents, come for prescriptions.
“They walk through the door and I know them by name,” George said. “I think they find it reassuring to be recognized as a person and not just a number.”
Some customers might also get a kick out of admiring George’s collection of not-for-sale sports figures that represent his favorite teams.
“The Cardinals, the Celtics and the Colts,” he said. “My brothers and I were raised on those three teams.”
The pharmacist tries to make life easier for some of his older customers, at times calling a doctor’s office or insurance company to resolve a problem on their behalf.
“Then, they don’t have to spend half an hour on hold,” Chris said, “because he does.”
‘Part of the community’
If you visit the pharmacy during one of its semi-annual sales, you’ll find many of their customers know the Bedwicks, not just as business owners, but as friends from many different facets of their lives.
Some remember Chris from her work at King’s College, where she arranged internships as director of experiential learning. And some know her because she serves on the boards of Catholic Social Services, Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Child Development Council and Junior Achievement.
They might recognize the Bedwicks as sponsors of a bazaar booth or Little League team, or remember George as a basketball coach whose son, Brian, played in the St. Nick’s League. That was years before Brian Bedwick, now 27, earned a doctor of pharmacy degree from Wilkes University and accepted a position as a pharmacy specialist at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife, Meagan, who is also a pharmacist.
Other customers may have found the pharmacy when they bowled at nearby Stanton Lanes, ate at Angelo’s Pizza or maybe looked for an engagement ring at Dunay Jewelers, dropped off their tax information at Decker Accounting or left services at one of the many churches in the vicinity.
Whenever one of those churches sponsors a blood drive or spaghetti dinner, an advertising poster for that event is most likely prominently displayed in the pharmacy’s window.
“We enjoy being part of the community,” Chris said.
