For more than four decades, Columbia Discount Drugs has served the residents of Marion County with friendly service and reasonable prices.
Columbia Discount Drugs, Incorporated was built in 1977. The current owner, Darren Higgs, worked part time for Richie Yawn there in 1997. In May 2014, Higgs decided to buy the store because he thought it would give him more time to do his own thing, spend time with his son, Weston, and his wife, Angela, and a way to retire.
Higgs said it has not really gone that way yet. Higgs has a pharmacy degree from the University of Mississippi, but he serves as the owner, manager, janitor, IT specialist, electrician and everything else at the store.
"My days are shorter, but I don't have as much time off," he said. "I hope to get there one day when I can hire more help and get the big notes paid off."
Columbia Discount Drugs employs nine others, including pharmacy technicians Sandy Weatherford, Kim Carter and Susan Robertson, full-time clerks Deadra Scarborough and Mary Bennett and part-time employees Merenda Hill, Rece Dillon, Corie Lawrence and Maddi Ratliff.
Columbia Discount is a full-service pharmacy. It delivers to elderly customers, nursing homes and other patients in need and provides Medsync and vaccines, such as Covid, shingles, flu, tetanus and hepatitis. Higgs said it did sell balloons and gifts at one time, but they were not profitable. It still has a few of those items but is phasing them out.
They also sell a full line of beekeeping supplies and made-to-order cornhole sets, as those are Higgs' hobbies outside of work. He started a cornhole league recently and makes boards to sell.
Higgs has about 20 of his own hives and sells the honey from them at the store. He said spring is the best time to start a beekeeping operation, and the store will have some beekeeping workshops before then. A basic full setup costs $325 at this time. Higgs said it can run more depending on the accessories and the current price of lumber.
Higgs said he approaches his business the same way he approaches life.
"I am not a man of many words," Higgs said. "I try to treat people like I want to be treated. I don't want to ripped off, lied to or cheated, so I don't do that to others. I was taught that way growing up."
Columbia Discount Drugs is located at 1201 Mississippi 13 North. Its hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. It can be reached at (601) 736-1514.
