Nordlunds, Pitkins have thrived as Whitehall staple for 125

August 19, 2007
By Eric Gaertner
Chronicle Staff Writer

When Don Nordlund started working as a 15-year-old stock clerk at C.G. Pitkin & Company in 1953, he had no plans of making the then 71-year-old Whitehall business part of his life's work.

His plans obviously changed over the next 54 years, a span that saw his job responsibilities increase from stoker of the coal stove to pharmacist to owner.

Nordlund and his family celebrated the 125th anniversary of the downtown pharmacy this week on the sidewalks in front of their landmark business at 101 W. Colby, a highly visible location at the city's main intersection.

"I probably wouldn't be here now if my family wasn't involved," Nordlund said.

Family involvement has always been the foundation of the business, starting with the Pitkin family and continuing with the Nordlund family.

Three Pitkins -- C.G. Pitkin, Clarence E. Pitkin and Norman Pitkin -- owned the store during a 74-year stretch until 1964, while six Nordlunds -- Don and Becky Nordlund, their daughters Deidre Briegel, Stacey Uganski and Amy Nordlund-Megna, and son-in-law Ryan Briegel -- are stockholders in the store now.

The two families are not related, although that is still a common misconception held by some in the community. Don and Becky Nordlund even refer to their employees as their "Pitkin family." Ruth Pitkin, Norman's widow, also owns the building adjacent to Pitkin Drug & Gift Shoppe.

The Pitkin family and name continue to play roles in the business.

Don Nordlund said the business embraces the motto of "customer service first" that he learned from the Pitkins for whom he previously worked. The Pitkin name also remains on the business, because of the history it represents, Don Nordlund said.

Over its 125 years, the business has provided its customers with many different services, ranging from a soda fountain to a wooden boat dealership, but the pharmacy always has been a major part. Today, the pharmacy and ever-expanding line of clothing and gifts are the main focuses of the business.

The Pitkin store "family" has consisted of more than 430 employees over the 125 years, according to store records reviewed by Becky Nordlund. Those employees have included pharmacists, clerks, gift shop workers, operators of the soda fountain and cooks.

Don and Becky Nordlund's daughters all went to pharmacy school and became store employees.

Amy Nordlund-Megna, who now serves as gift manager, said it was a natural transition for the daughters to join their parents and work at the store.

"We were brought up in that family atmosphere at the store," Nordlund-Megna said.

Stacey Uganski, who along with her sister, Deidre Briegel, are pharmacists at the store, said she knew she wanted to be a pharmacist at a young age despite not realizing that her father was one.

"I thought my dad just owned the corner store," said Uganski, who wrote a paragraph about wanting to be a pharmacist in second grade.

In addition to developing the work schedule for the 18 employees at the store, Don Nordlund continues to serve as a part-time pharmacist. He fills in behind the pharmacy counter when others take vacations.

Don Nordlund's daughters said longtime pharmacy customers, some who have been going to Pitkin Drug for as many as 50 years, still ask about their father.

It's that personal contact with customers that the Nordlunds are relying on in their business competition with national chains and other drug stores. The White Lake area will have six pharmacies when national chain Walgreen's opens soon in Whitehall Township.

"Customer service is the first thing we teach our employees," Becky Nordlund said. "Our customers are No. 1."

"I think people like to see the same person all the time behind the counter," said Ryan Briegel, who serves as business manager. "If you treat your customers right, they become loyal."

The business has survived competition in the past. At times, transformation of the pharmacy's side ventures have helped maintain the bottom line.

In the late 1890s, for example, C.G. Pitkin opened a soda fountain to offset a reduction in prescriptions. According to C.G. Pitkin's journal, local doctors started to dispense their own medicine because of a rivalry among them.

In more modern times, the Nordlunds expanded into the clothing and gift markets because small local retailers closed in the 1980s and '90s.

"We just tried to keep up with what the town needed," Don Nordlund said. "When someone closed, we filled in."

The ability to transform and its family atmosphere have helped the business thrive in downtown Whitehall for 125 years. That family atmosphere is destined to continue for years to come.

A third generation of the Nordlund family recently began employment at the business. Kelsi Briegel, 15, one of Don and Becky Nordlund's seven grandchildren, started working as a front register clerk in June.