After 54 years in the pharmacy business, Daniel Murphy, owner of the Chelsea, Manchester, Grass Lake and Stockbridge pharmacies, will put away his mortar and pestle for good.

Murphy, 67, said it simply feels like the right time to retire.

He has sold his businesses to Newaygo-based Hometown Pharmacy, saying he settled on Hometown because its owners are from a small town and more likely to continue Chelsea Pharmacy’s long-standing tradition of great customer service.

Hometown owners, brothers Fred and Tim Grice, promised Murphy that neither employees nor customers would notice the transition.

The change will take place once the transference of liquor licenses at the Manchester and Grass Lake pharmacies are approved by the state, probably before the end of the month, Murphy said.

Murphy’s roots run deep in the community. He moved to Chelsea from Dexter when he was in sixth grade and attended St. Mary’s Catholic School on Congdon Street through eighth grade. Murphy graduated from Chelsea High School in 1953.

During his high school years, Murphy began his relationship with the Chelsea Drug Store on the corner of Main and West Middle streets, working for 35 cents an hour.

He continued to work there during breaks from Ferris State College, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy.

It seemed only natural to remain at the Chelsea Drug Store after graduation and then-owner Charles Lancaster was happy to hire him.

"He was like a second father to me," Murphy said. "He taught me everything I know."

Lancaster took on Murphy as a full-fledged partner in 1970.

Over the next 10 years, David Bust, Dave Perkins and Dale Schumann joined as partners.

Only Bust, whose parents owned Chelsea Hardware, has stayed the course.

Murphy was elected to four successive terms as Sylvan Township’s clerk before business responsibilities prevented him from running again.

His relationship with the community went through a rough patch in May 1989, when the Chelsea Pharmacy opened in the Chelsea Shopping Center. Murphy’s loyal customers knew it was only be a matter of time before the downtown drug store shut its doors, which it did in January 1990.

"The community ostracized me for that," Murphy said. "Some never forgave me."

Murphy said no one wanted to stay downtown more than he did, but that parking had become a problem.

"We never would have survived if we had stayed there," he said

Murphy said he has no regrets over the move and that the new location has worked out well. However, his heart will always remain with the downtown location.

"Those were the good old days," he said. "That was when the drug store was a drug store and not a ‘pharmacy.’"

One of his fondest memories is the downtown location’s soda fountain, serving handmade shakes, malts and sodas, cherry and vanilla Cokes and cold sandwiches.

"We didn’t have a gril,l and hardly anyone knew what a microwave was," Murphy said. "But Rose Abel would sometimes cook a meatloaf in a crock-pot. It was the best meatloaf I’ve ever had, and I still have the recipe."

The soda fountain closed in 1980.

Another of Murphy’s memories is the store’s basement, with its vast assortment of bottled elixirs and ointments that had been out of production for years.

"Dave Perkins took it all to the dump," Murphy said. "The stuff would be worth a fortune today."

Murphy recaptured some of that lost era by purchasing the Stockbridge Pharmacy about 20 years ago, the Manchester Pharmacy 12 years ago and the Grass Lake Pharmacy seven years ago — all structures older than the Chelsea Pharmacy.

The Manchester Pharmacy is the longest-running store of its type in Michigan, operating in the same location for its entire existence, Murphy said.

The local businessman is pleased his expansions were the result of them approaching him, and not vice versa. Murphy said this was a result of area pharmacists being a close-knit fraternity, looking out for each other’s best interests.

It worked the other way when Murphy bought Baile’s Pharmacy on Ecorse Road in Ypsilanti about 15 years ago.

"It turned out to be a whole different ballgame," Murphy said. "It was busy, but not a small-town environment."

After five years, Murphy sold it to Fred Schmid, owner of the Dexter Pharmacy.

Murphy said the pharmacy industry has changed over the years and not necessarily for the better.

"People would come in for their prescription and we used to collect the money," he said. "Now we have to deal with Blue Cross and wait two months before we’re paid. The mail-order approach for auto industry workers will be a new thorn in the side."

Murphy, who plans to spend half the year as a snowbird in his house near Tampa, Fla., and the other six months in Chelsea, said he will miss his old customers and longtime employees.

Jill Seitz has worked for Murphy for four decades, making her the employee with the longest standing.

"Dan is a great boss to work for and a good friend," she said.

"He was always there for us when we needed him."

Michael Rybka is a freelance writer. He can be reached at Mhrybka@aol.com.