WHITEWATER REGION (Beachburg) — Jim Labow is no longer a business owner, having recently sold Beach-West Pharmacy to Matthew Conway.
Mr. Labow opened Beach-West Pharmacy in 1997 and with retirement looming in the near future, Mr. Labow decided it was time to slow down. He expects to work two days a week at the business with Matthew Conway working three days a week and Karen Edgar, who has been working each Wednesday, continuing on that day.
“The store is going to carry on the same as before,” he said.
He noted about a year ago, Mr. Conway approached him about selling the business.
“We’ve been talking back and forth since then,” he said. “It’s a good fit for the community. He understands small town.”
Mr. Conway is the son of pharmacist Joe Conway, who owns Conway Pharmacy in Cobden and Barry’s Bay.
“I’m Joe Conway’s son,” Matthew said with a laugh. “I’m trying to get started in the area. He’s mentoring me.
“I’ve been a pharmacist for three years, but, have been working in the pharmacy for about 20 years.”
Mr. Conway said he was “testing the waters” when he approached Mr. Labow about purchasing the business. The pharmacy is in the area and the business has a good footing, Mr. Conway noted.
“It’s a natural fit and we just thought we could continue on a good business legacy,” he said.
Mr. Conway grew up in Eganville, graduating from St. James Catholic school and Opeongo High School before going to Dalhousie in Halifax, Nova Scotia and then Australia. He then did a few years of internships and training.
While this is out of “our realm to do this,” he is “getting settled in and meeting people.”
He and partner Holly Afelskie purchased a home in Pembroke, but, he admits, if he had known he was going to be buying a business in Beachburg, that Pembroke home may not have been a reality.
When not working, which isn’t much when you are starting a business, Mr. Conway said he enjoys spending time outdoors.
Mr. Labow is expecting to relax and spend more time at the cottage, especially since he knows wife Marilyn, who retired from the Whitewater Region Public Library at the end of 2017, is enjoying retirement, which just happens to include more time at the cottage.
