STAFF R EPORT Cuero’s Reuss Pharmacy — first opened in town in 1872 — permanently closed its doors at day’s end Wednesday, Aug. 27, according to a statement issued by Brookshire Brothers Pharmacy.
The grocery company’s pharmacy began serving customers the next day with full access to Reuss’ prescription files,” said Laura Edmundson, vice president of pharmacy operations.
Reuss Pharmacy personnel declined to comment on the closing, and a message left seeking comment from an authorized spokesperson was not returned.
Cuero Chamber of Commerce, Agriculture and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Angie Cuellar said the closing was a surprise to the community and a sad one.
”I only learned of Reuss Pharmacy closing just a few days before it happened, and not directly from the pharmacy but through an email from Brookshire Brothers,” Cuellar said. “The news came as a bit of a shock, and I couldn’t help but wonder if customers were given any advance notice. It is always disheartening to see a long-standing business with such deep roots in our community close its doors.”
Cuellar said chamber officials extend their best wishes to the old owners and “look forward with hope to the new opportunities and growth that like ahead for Cuero.”
Edmundson said the grocery company plans to continue the same quality of service the store has delivered for more than a century.
“We know how much trust customers place in their local pharmacist,” Edmundson said. “Our goal is to make this tran- sition seamless while continuing the same level of friendly, reliable care that Reuss Pharmacy customers have come to know and depend on.”
Brookshire Brothers spokeswoman Melissa Crager said employment offers to current Reuss Pharmacy employees have been made.
“The pharmacists and technicians have been offered employment with Brookshire Brothers, and we look forward to having them join the Brookshire Brothers team,” Crager said.
Reuss Pharmacy was the oldest operating drugstore in Texas, according to the Pharmacy and Medical Museum of Texas.
The first Reuss drugstore was opened by a German immigrant in Indianola in 1845 by Dr. Joseph Martin Reuss. Descendants of his opened a branch in Cuero in 1872, and other family members continued the operation, including Joe Reuss, who built the current store location on North Esplanade Street in 1971. In 1991, Reuss sold to the store to longtime employees David Polasek and Gerald Zengerle. Lifecare Pharmacy headquartered in San Antonio acquired the store in 2015.
