A Place Where Clients Are Friends - Hallettsville Native Opens New Pharmacy In Her Hometown
HALLETTSVILLE -- Taking note of the old saying that
when one door closes another opens, Paula Grahmann
is doing just that in her hometown by opening a new
pharmacy.
After serving several years as a manager with Center
Pharmacy, that business was bought out by the Brookshire
Brothers grocery chain. After the sale was finalized,
Grahmann said she talked things over with her family
and decided that she was tired of working for other
people.
"I'd developed a taste for management after
five years at Center," she said. "I wanted
a situation where I would be making my own decisions.
I also wanted to be in a place where my children could
come after school to work on homework if they needed
to; a place where I had the flexibility to take the
time and get to know the customers, people who are
my friends and neighbors."
She is fulfilling her dream with the opening of Hallettsville
Pharmacy, at 204 N. Texana St. The doors opened on
Dec. 1 but the grand opening is scheduled for Saturday.
While the normal business hours are from 8 a.m. to
5:30 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays,
the business will remain open until 2 p.m. for Saturday's
activities.
"We're going to have Texas Thunder radio here
doing live broadcasts," Grahmann said. "There
will be door prizes and tours of the building. We'll
also be serving food during the day."
Grahmann feels she has several things going for her,
not the least of which is name recognition. She was
the Hallettsville High School valedictorian and Miss
Hallettsville during her senior year in 1991.
"I still know a lot of people," she said.
"Both my husband (Michael Grahmann) and I are
from here and we're proud to live here. We've lived
in bigger cities but we wanted to raise our children
(Dalton, age 5; Elizabeth, 2; and Elena, 10 months)
in a small town like we grew up in and so we thought
why not go home. A lot of people think that you have
to make sacrifices to live in a smaller community
but we haven't had to make sacrifices. We're here
to get more out of our lives, not less."
Grahmann, who has a doctor of pharmacy degree from
the University of Texas, said she had the opportunity
to settle for a bachelor's degree but opted instead
to continue her education.
"When I was in college, students could make
the choice between a bachelor's or a doctor of pharmacy
degree," she said. "I decided to get the
higher degree. Now all pharmacists are required to
get a doctor of pharmacy degree before starting."
She also brings experience and talent to her profession
that aren't usually found outside big cities.
