A store is closing and customers are coming by — sad and saying their last goodbyes — that has been the scene for the last couple weeks at Rite-Aid on Glenn Drive. Imagine serving Folsom residents and doctors from the same corners for 32 years.
Recall what Folsom was like in 1993 — population 35,000, the library was in a strip mall and the County had just closed it due to budget cuts, Willie Nelson held a concert at the Rodeo Arena, Bob Holderness was the Mayor, Intel was growing with only 2,500 employees, K-Mart was still here, we were in the midst of a recession, mortgage rates were about 7%, and Empire Ranch was still an idea — we were a much smaller community. 1993 was the year that “Pharmacist Randy,” Randy Felkel, started at Model Pharmacy (now home to the Big 5 store). The 32-year era came to an end on Tuesday when the Rite Aid Pharmacy closed, a victim of bankruptcy.
We have seen Folsom change over the years and many debate the merits, but one thing is true: certain people make impacts on the community without fanfare and in many unspoken ways. When I read the news stories about the Rite-Aid store closing at Bidwell and Glenn Drive, I knew that Folsom was losing an important community asset — Pharmacist Randy. Randy has been an institution in the Folsom community for over three decades. He has been a quiet force, a welcome smile, a trusted person. In many ways, Randy has been a throwback to simpler times, to me an anchor to the smaller, close-knit community that once was.
When Randy joined Model Pharmacy, it was family owned and was a hub with a Hallmark store, a post office, a bill payment counter and a big safe that was opened when the pharmacist needed to access the “controlled meds.” Customers had “charge accounts” where they signed for purchases and everyone always paid. Everyone came to Model Pharmacy and it was the choice of most of the doctors in Folsom — much of that was because of Pharmacist Randy.
Bill Cowley joined the team at Model when it was acquired by Rite-Aid, and he and Randy ran the pharmacy together for nearly 30 years and opened the Rite Aid store across the street in 1998. Bill called Randy “a legend” and commented, “Randy is a people person and people have come here for years because of him.”
COVID challenged everyone and Randy used his personal touch to help us all navigate the vaccine landscape. Things have changed in the pharmacy world as paperwork and insurance have made things more challenging. One thing that hasn’t changed is Randy and the team. Kim Church helped open Rite-Aid over 20 years ago as a cashier but had the opportunity to go to school and train in the pharmacy under Bill and Randy. Kim, visibly sad on Tuesday as they counted down the final hours, said Randy was the best pharmacist and caring person she has ever had the pleasure to be around.
Customers like Doolee Kim came by to say thanks to Randy because “he is such a kind man and always took good care of us.” Doug Scalzi commented that Randy has been a “great pillar of community and will be greatly missed.” Personally, Randy has always been there for as long as I was in Folsom, raising our kids and being such a great presence.
It is a great thing to have made an impact on your community and even greater when that force is silently ever present. Many thanks to Randy for the positive impact he has made in Folsom and upon all of us whose lives he touched for so many years. Randy and all of his team will surely be missed, and it feels like a bit of small-town Folsom left us on Tuesday.
Author Bruce Cline is a longtime Folsom resident as well as a longtime customer of Model Pharmacy, Rite-Aid and “Pharmacist Randy.”
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