Caravaggio IDA celebrates 10 years in the community

October 24, 2024 · 0 Comments

Written By BRIAN LOCKHART

The name Caravaggio IDA has a long history in Shelburne and is a well-known place in town with its easily visible sign and entranceway on Main Street.

The pharmacy recently celebrated 10 years of new management and a successful decade of serving the community.

Pharmacy owner Margerit Bebawy along with other family members took over the pharmacy 10 years ago and decided to keep the Caravaggio name as it was already well established in the community.

“We’re a family-owned business,” Margerit explained. “It’s me, my sister, and my brother who own the store, and I’m the pharmacy manager. My parents are pharmacists, the whole family are pharmacists.”

While the pharmacy offers all the services you would expect, Margerit has worked hard to bring extra and specialized services to the community that weren’t available before.

“When we started here, this was a small town pharmacy despite being a big store,” Margerit explained. “There were a lot of things offered in the city that weren’t being serviced here. I brought in compounding. We customize medication rather than just being prescribed something that’s already in the market, that may not necessarily be the right choice for you. For example, children that were being discharged from SickKids, they all need medication in liquid form which is rarely available in the market, because they are children or infants who can’t swallow pills or have feeding tubes or something like that. People would have to drive to other centres where they have compounding.”

They also provide many options like a topical medicine, which can be just as effective, but avoid the typical side-effects from taking a drug orally.

It is this innovative and forward thinking that has turned Caravaggio IDA into a modern, well respected pharmacy serving Shelburne and the surrounding region. The staff are always upgrading their skills through different courses to stay current with home health care.

Seven of the pharmacy staff are celebrating 10 years at the store, which means Caravaggio IDA is treating their staff well, and they enjoy their job and meeting with customers.

The pharmacy is engaged with the community supporting local sports teams, Shelburne’s Food Bank and hosting an annual ladies night with the proceeds going to a local charity.

The pharmacy recently held an anniversary party with more than 200 local residents attending.

“I want to say thank you to the community,” Margerit said. “Everyone was so welcoming from day one. We appreciate their support. For our staff here, their job is more than just being a pharmacy assistant, this is them serving their family and friends and community.”