Webster's Community Pharmacy in Altadena wants holiday shoppers to stay local
The Altadena community is hoping to get the word out to shop local for the holidays, to help the fire-torn area in its recovery from January's wildfire.
One legacy business in Altadena, which survived the Eaton Fire, turned its survivor's guilt into motivation to uplift their community. Michael Miller and his wife, Meredith, own Webster's Community Pharmacy and have expanded it to include an Altadena section – offering customers local wares.
Webster's first opened in 1926 as a general store selling medicines, holiday cards, and even liquor. It survived several wars, COVID, and most recently the Eaton Fire.
When the Millers took over the business in 2015, they significantly downsized, focusing mostly on the pharmacy. But after the fire, they felt the need to live up to their legacy.
"We saw the need for people to come to a place where they feel comfortable with, but they have some kind of feeling of belonging and normalcy, and that was at Webster's pharmacy," Michael said.
Six weeks after the wildfire, Webster's was back open as a general store again, selling hardware, and resurrecting their post office. The front of the store is now dedicated to local creatives, featuring their works of clothing, hats, bags, candles, signs, and art.
Local artist Keni "Arts" Davis was able to grab one thing from his home of 38 years before it burned down – his portable paint set. He's been using it to paint the story of Altadena's aftermath.
His collection, Beauty for Ashes, features Altadena's legacy businesses before and after the wildfire, and they are for sale at Webster's.
"Citizens of Altadena, Pasadena, people that don't go in the galleries necessarily, but now they can come into a pharmacy and see art… and so that's exciting," Davis said.
With the help of many local creatives, the Millers launched an ad campaign, showcasing the resilience of surviving businesses.
The message – be a part of Altadena's recovery and legacy by shopping local this holiday season.
