Residents in the village of Pinckney, Michigan, were left with very few options for a nearby pharmacy after Rite Aid closed all of its Michigan stores, including in Pinckney, in 2024. However, that is no longer the case with the opening of a new locally-owned pharmacy in town.

Heritage Pharmacy, located at 130 Marion Street, celebrated its grand opening on Sept. 12. 

In 2023, Rite Aid filed for bankruptcy and closed its Michigan stores. The pharmacy giant transferred its customers to Walgreens, which did not have a location in Pinckney. The closest store is located in Brighton, which is roughly 13 miles from Pinckney, posing a problem for residents without easy access to transportation. 

"When the local Rite Aid closed, our residents had no place to go for their medications that was nearby," said Katie Parrish, the owner of Heritage Pharmacy. "They're all traveling far distances to different surrounding towns ... For a lot of our residents, it can be difficult to get over there."

CBS News Detroit reached out to Walgreens and CVS on Monday to learn if either company has any plans to step into the gap after Rite Aid closed. A spokesperson with Walgreens declined to comment, and CBS News Detroit is waiting to hear back from CVS.

Parrish said the community has been very welcoming. 

"It's been a wonderful response, everyone's very happy to have a hometown pharmacy. We're independently owned and operated, so everyone is very excited to be able to support," she said. 

Parrish said Heritage Pharmacy will be offering flu and COVID shots this fall, but they are currently waiting for a shipment of updated COVID shots.

After years of working at a large chain pharmacy, Parrish said the hometown feel is already fun.

"We're starting to recognize people by name already," she said.