SHAW’S PHARMACY & Gifts is now operating under new ownership, as of Monday, June 25, with Mark and Blair Pancheck (right) taking over for original proprietors Tim and Kathy Shaw. The two couples can be seen standing outside the pharmacy on June 25.
(Independent Photo/Graham Sturgeon)
by Graham Sturgeon, co-editor
Ownership of Shaw’s Pharmacy & Gifts in Durand changed hands on Monday, June 25, as longtime owners Tim and Kathy Shaw handed the keys to their successful business over to Durand residents Mark and Blair (Dingman) Pancheck. Tim and Kathy opened Shaw’s in 1998 at the corner of N. Saginaw and E. Genesee streets in downtown Durand, and the couple spent the ensuing 20 years building their business into one of the county’s most popular family-operated establishments.
Mark (1993) and Blair (1995) both graduated from Durand High School, where their children, Mackenzie and Mason, will go to school in the fall, Mackenzie as a sophomore and Mason as an 8th-grader. Blair is also a member of the Durand Area Schools Board of Education, having been appointed in the summer of 2014 and re-elected the following November. She is employed by the Great Lakes Bay Health Center, but has scaled back her work schedule to take a more active role in operating Shaw’s.
Mark joined the Shaw’s team as a pharmacist in November of 2014, taking over for longtime pharmacist Tom Schinzel. Mark previously held a similar position with Walgreens for 15 years, and he is a graduate of Ferris State University.
Since Tim and Kathy opened Shaw’s in 1998, the popular pharmacy and renowned gift shop has been known for its family atmosphere, customer service and unique gift items. Their children’s play area has become a favorite of the younger crowd, and their delivery service has helped the pharmacy become a favorite among medical care facilities throughout the greater Durand area.
Mark and Blair, a medical professional herself, plan to use the Shaws’ existing business model to continue the tradition established by Tim and Kathy. The Shaws look forward to enjoying retirement by spending more time with their grandchildren and traveling, but the couple will stay on at Shaw’s to assist in the transition of ownership.
Tim and Kathy were Durand transplants when they opened their business in 1998, but they wasted no time in becoming important members of the community. Tim is a longtime member of the Durand DDA and Rotary, and as of Sunday, July 1, he will be the president of the Durand Rotary. They have been instrumental in organizing the city’s Wednesday Night Live concert series and annual light parade, and the couple has consistently donated to the Durand Area Schools and many local civic organizations. Shaw’s has been honored as the Pharmacy of the Year by the Good Neighbors Pharmacy, they are recipients of the Durand Area Schools’ School Bell Award and the couple recently shared the Greater Durand Chamber of Commerce’s 2018 Businessperson of the Year Award.
Mark and Blair are also very involved in the Durand community. In addition to Blair’s service on the board of education, the couple co-coaches girls basketball, they are members of the Operation Freedom Committee and Mark is a member of the Durand Educational Foundation Board of Directors.
The couple will continue to provide the family atmosphere and small town charm Shaw’s is known for, and they are excited to continue all the community services Tim and Kathy have provided to Shiawassee County over the years.
