A historic pharmacy in Union Point was bought by a pharmacist that grew up in Greene County and still lives on the 150-acre farm in Greensboro she was raised on.
Liddy Cronan, who attended both middle school and high school in Greensboro and later went on to Mercer University, has made a name for herself as the sole proprietor of the historic Union Pharmacy in Union Point. Her roots are in Greene County, and her early days saw her with a keen interest in science and medicine while in school.
Graduating as the salutatorian in 2014 from Greene County High School, Cronan originally enrolled as a mass communications major at Georgia College and State (GCSU) in Milledgeville but later changed to a pharmacy and chemistry major at her father’s urging. Her earlier interest was gained through a high school internship with event marketing for the city, namely the annual Southland Jubilee. Science was her ultimate choice, though, and she graduated with a Doctor in Pharmacy just last year in 2021.
“I lost my grandmother to her old-time belief that coumadin has rat poison in it,” she said. “She died because of it, and it reinforced my belief that, if she had had a one-on-one relationship with a trusted pharmacist, she would have taken the medicine. Those relationships are so important.”
Cronan credits her academic drive to her teachers throughout school, namely Kati Mize at Greene County High School. While there, she became president of the Future Business Leaders of America, which helped develop skillsets in applying for scholarships and obtaining leadership opportunities throughout college. One such opportunity came about in pharmacy school at Mercer, where she was the president of the National Community of Pharmacists. It was this involvement that set her sights on becoming an independent pharmacist.
“As an independent pharmacist, I can establish close working relationships with my patients,” she said. “I can counsel on their medication management and it means practicing at the top of my license with care, compassion and the time needed. You don’t really have that in corporate settings.”
When Cronan was later awarded the student Pharmacist of the Year award by the Georgia Pharmacy Association meeting in Atlanta, a chance meeting with two fellow pharmacists opened the door to exploring properties suited to opening a drug store of her own.
The two managing partners, one with a pharmacy in Athens and the other in Hartwell, looked for a location that would be central to Greensboro. They found it in a historic 1906 building in Union Point on the Historic Register. Formerly known as the Kimbrough Drug Company and later, Union Pharmacy, it served a bustling population when a hosiery mill was operated and later faced closure when the mill left town.
Cronan saw an opportunity to serve members of a community who, despite losing a big employment base, were still living in the area and needed a pharmacy local to their homes. Both Crawfordville and Taliaferro County have no pharmacies serving the area. It was the right mix at the right time. Cronan reopened Union Pharmacy, keeping the same name to resounding success.
“This area is home,” she said. “I enjoy working with my patients, making deliveries when needed and really getting to know everyone. It is especially nice when someone asks me to check up on their grandma as well knowing I am going out. They didn’t teach you that in school.”
Union Pharmacy has become a “Mayberry” of pharmacies of sorts, a winning combination of hometown charm, friendly townspeople and skilled professionals who have been meeting the needs of a small town.
Sheriff Taylor and Aunt Bee would be very comfortable here.