Glenbuchat Heritage

9 Charles Michie and Aberdeen Shop 1932

Introduction to Michie Collection

Charles Michie Pharmacy

Text from Charles Michie Chemists – web site

BEGINNINGS
Charles Michies Pharmacy, affectionately known as ‘Michies’, was founded by Charles Alexander Michie. Charles qualified as a pharmacist prior to World War I, having served his apprenticeship at A P Wallace, Victoria Road in Torry and studying at night school. After qualifying, Charles went to Glasgow and from there enlisted and served in the Medical Corps during the war. On return to Aberdeen, he set up business at 123 Crown Street and in 1935, he bought premises at 231 Union Street. In the years between 1940 and 1950, Charles added shops at 471 Union Street, 39 Justice Street, 57 Park Street and 23 King Street.

At the time of his death in 1963, Charles still had the establishments at Union Street and Park Street, the running of which was taken over by his sons John and Charles. Still young students at the time, they were only 23 and 21 respectively. John was studying accountancy and Charles originally aspired to be a veterinary surgeon.

Their father had not actually wanted either of his sons to go into pharmacy. He had seen first-hand during the war the distinction between pharmacists and doctors and felt that when the health service was established, pharmacists would be second-class within the medical profession. When he died however, John and Charles were faced with the decision whether to continue with the family business.

Someone had to produce income to support the family and the decision was made to carry on with pharmacy. The unexpected nature of having to make this decision so soon meant that at only 21 years old, Charles was running a pharmacy before he was actually a qualified pharmacist himself.

GROWTH
Having taken over the family business upon their father’s death in 1963, John and Charles were soon expanding. They opened a third pharmacy at 28 Powis Terrace, Aberdeen in 1968, followed closely in 1970 by one at 287 Rosemount Place, Aberdeen and another at 24 Market Square, Stonehaven. Their remit would eventually come to include seven pharmacies throughout Aberdeen City and Shire, including Laurencekirk, Inverbervie, Portlethen and Banchory. In 1982, the branch at 231 Union Street moved to the site of the old Chivas Whisky Headquarters at 391 Union Street.

Much of their success they credit to being in the right place at the right time. The pharmacy in Stonehaven was established as the result of a walk around the town one lunchtime! John was working on an accountancy job and had planned a visit to the outdoor pool. The weather was so bad however that he sought shelter in the nearby shops instead. Seeing that the current pharmacy was up for sale, a deal was done there and then and the next branch of Michies was acquired.

Most of the credit however is given to the staff who have played such a significant role in the growth of the business over the years. Pharmacy is by its very nature a caring profession, onemwhere working hard to help people is the cornerstone commitment. These values are writ large across every department and branch of Michies, where members of staff continue to go above and beyond in providing the very best service to the communities they support.

CONTINUITY & CHANGE
The landscape of pharmacy has changed hugely since Charles Michie Snr opened his first shop in 1921. Pharmacies used to be known as the ‘chemist shop’, because of the role chemists traditionally played in preparing and dispensing medicines. In a world before the National Health Service, the chemist was a lifeline for many people who could not afford a doctor. The growth of urban areas during the Industrial Revolution meant that more and more chemist shops appeared on the high street. They didn’t just provide medicines but catered for the needs of an expanding population by selling food, candles, cosmetics, perfume, poisons, alcohol and even cigarettes!

The Union Street branch of Michies is one of the few outlets left that resembles the traditional chemist shop (minus the cigarettes and alcohol of course!), reflecting an enduring commitment to meeting the wider needs of their customers. This is true not only for the branches located in the city, but for the ones throughout Aberdeenshire as well, where pharmacies are critical hubs of support in remote places that might be isolated for various reasons.

The role of the pharmacist has expanded significantly over the past few decades to include more patient-facing responsibilities, including carrying out consultations and prescribing medication for more common clinical conditions. Care services provided by pharmacists can improve patient care by reducing costs and increasing accessibility. The personal touch is critical to patient-facing care – something which has remained a constant benchmark of Michies service for the last 100 years.

CHARLES MICHIE
“I had initially been interested in becoming a veterinary surgeon, but after father died, someone had to produce the income to support the family. My brother John and I made the decision to continue the family business. It was very unusual, an unqualified pharmacist effectively running a pharmacy, albeit I had a pharmacist working for me. Even more so when you consider I was only 21. But having got one under our belts so to speak, we were in the market and ended up with 7. Which is about as many as one person can cope with!”

"Things have changed enormously. We used to make up prescriptions with mortar and pestle and nowadays the only time you see a mortar and pestle is on a cookery programme grinding spices! When I was a trainee pharmacist, we were shown how to make medicines, mixtures, powders, all sorts of things. A lady from Shetland used to write to us once a year with a recipe for making her own curry powder. This was before there would have been an Indian restaurant in Aberdeen and it contained at least half a dozen different herbs and spices. I used to make this thing up and it filled the entire shop with a smell that was completely new to all of us because we just didn’t eat curries at that time! Some of the herbs and spices were quite difficult to find and we had to source them for her - she probably didn’t realise the effort we had to go to!”

"We were absolutely the last generation of pharmacists to do that. As the next generations came through, we made up fewer and fewer medications and bought in more and more branded and generic products. The biggest change I have seen is the proportion of prescriptions that go to various age groups. It used to be that you went to a pharmacy because you had a problem of some sort - pain, constipation or something. Most of our customers now are on regular medication issued on a regular cycle. People are living longer, 100 years old is not the same novelty as it used to be”.

JOHN MICHIE
“We were enormously advantaged by being a family business. Our Mother/ Granny Michie was our linchpin. She lived to 103 and her principles and morals have always been at the fore. Charles and I had our first jobs working in the photo lab on Saturdays and then when we took over the business, the wider pharmacy community gave us so much support. They saw two young people running it and a lot of retired pharmacists volunteered their time and would come in to help. They came from the pharmacy breed of caring and knew they could help us understand the ground rules”.

“I think our growth was serendipitous - that’s our watch word. We have been about at the right time when the opportunity arose and we were well placed to act on it. Most importantly, our staff are unbelievably good. All the branches are run by experienced, caring people, who share the highs and lows of life with the customers. In our pharmacies in rural areas, the staff know virtually all the customers by name. It’s about the personal touch and the confidence people have in them".

"I said I would retire when I couldn't unlock the door downstairs. I have shrunk from 5ft 8 and a half, to 5ft 7 and a half, so I am heading towards retirement!"