In the early 1900’s, the City of Victoria was a bustling city of port on the south western coast of Canada. With the largest Chinatown in the country and a hospitable atmosphere, Victoria attracted a steady flow of immigrants from many nations around the world. As usual, quality healthcare was a concern among the public and, with a rapidly rising population, the need for a new Pharmacy became evident to Mr. Bert Aaronson. In the year 1910, the same year Victoria acquired it’s famed light posts and hanging flower baskets, Bert Aaronson, or Doc, as his friends would call him, established the third Pharmacy in town; Aaronson’s Pharmacy.

Like many still do today, Mr. Aaronson discovered a rewarding potential in compounding medications for the community as a pharmacist or, as a “Dispensing Chemist” as they used to call them. In the early years, Doc’s free delivery service was exercised by hired hands on bicycles but customers who chose to pick their medications up in person often entered the store to see him joyfully approaching them, mortar and pestle in hand. It had been said that Doc always wanted his customers to see him working…

Several years after opening, Mr. Aaronson passed his business on to his son, who later, after his own lengthy ownership, sold the business to the equally passionate Thorn family. In 1980, Mr. Larry Thorne opened a second Aaronson’s Pharmacy location and offered employment to Mr. Raymond Formosa who began his career managing the second store, slowly purchasing into the business. In 1998, Mr. Formosa bought out the Aaronson’s Pharmacy store from Mr. Thorne and began his profitable start towards a broader and more holistic style Pharmacy, specializing in several high demand services such as Compounding and Homeopathy, bringing the Aaronson’s tradition back to the present. Shortly afterward, the other Aaronson’s store took on a new name. Mr. Formosa took pride in the heritage of Aaronson’s Pharmacy and has continued using the name to this day. As every owner has in its past, Mr. Formosa employs his sons also, keeping the Pharmacy a family operated and family oriented business.

As the only remaining pharmacy of the original first three to be opened in Victoria, Aaronson’s is the oldest Pharmacy in Victoria, and the greatest testament to a good old fashioned dependable service. Our longstanding dedication to our customers; providing them with quick quality service and a reliable source of information will keep us open for another hundred years, we’re certain! We feel that 100 years of honest business is certainly something to be proud of and we wish to share our heritage with anyone who comes walking through our doors. The Aaronson’s Pharmacy history is long and colorful, but that certainly isn’t all it has going for it! Aaronson’s Pharmacy has soul.