Hollands Pharmacy
By Jason Zasky
Holland’s Pharmacy
A Fixture in Maury County Since 1979
"People are called to do a lot of different things, and this is what I was called to do,” begins Walter Holland, owner of Holland’s Pharmacy on Hatcher Lane in Columbia. Indeed, Holland has spent his entire adult life in the pharmacy business, ever since he graduated from pharmacy school at the University of Kentucky.
“My dad was a pharmacist and I grew up in his drugstore, so it was a natural thing for me to do,” explains Holland, a native of Bowling Green, Kentucky, who purchased his first drugstore in Lawrenceburg in 1964 before adding the location in Columbia in early 1979.
According to Holland, some of his current customers have been with him since the 1980s.
“The biggest thing is the personal relationships we have with our customers. We work very hard to get to know our customers and service them at the very highest level. For example, when you come to us, you are very seldom going to have to wait more than five or ten minutes to get your prescription filled,” he says, before going on to note that he and his employees answer all calls personally.
"It would be a lot cheaper for me to use an answering machine, but we want to keep that personal touch, so any time you call us, the phone is answered by one of our staff members,” he adds. That perhaps helps explain why Holland’s Pharmacy won the Main Street Award for Best Pharmacy in Maury County in 2024.
“Prescriptions are our bread and butter. That’s where we make our living. We’re not trying to sell you cosmetics or household cleaning supplies,” relates Holland, who has five full-time employees and one part-time staffer working alongside him. “We do sell other products out front, though. We have a nice selection of medical supplies and vitamins and related things, but mainly we fill prescriptions. And if you need your records for insurance and taxes, we can give you your records almost instantaneously,” he adds.
After all these years, Holland says he still derives tremendous satisfaction from helping his customers stay healthy.
"I like the people (in Maury County). They are good, friendly people, and I enjoy getting to know them,” he says, before adding that “getting to know and love your customers,” is a big part of being successful in business.
Notably, Holland doesn't dwell on his successes, though, arguing that "getting wrapped up" in past achievements can be detrimental to one's future prospects.
"If you just try to do what the Lord wants you to do and serve your people the way He tells you, then you don’t dwell on successes and what you’ve done. I am trying to do the best I can with what I have been called to do,” he adds.
As for how long he plans to continue working, Holland says that remains to be seen.
“I told my wife many years ago—60 years ago, when we were dating—that I intended to work as long as the good Lord gave me enough mind and enough health to work. So, when the Lord tells me to hang it up, I will. That's not much of an answer, but that is the absolute truth,” quips Holland, a Murfreesboro resident who still works 43 hours a week and spends three nights a week at the house he owns in Columbia.
Meanwhile, he says his job is as rewarding as ever, thanks in part to the people who surround him at the store.
“We have a really great staff here,” he concludes. “They are all very special people and all share the same outlook on life: taking care of our customers the best way we know how.
CONTACT:
Holland's Pharmacy
1608 Hatcher Lane
Columbia, TN 38401
Phone: 931-388-4233
