For those of you who drive along Ballina Road regularly, you may have noticed some building and painting activity at The Quickstop block of shops just before the Dawson Street roundabout.

Zambrero has been the only operating business at the Quickstop since the 2022 big flood. That is, until Tuesday, February 17, when Brands Lismore Pharmacy will open its doors for the first time in its new location.

Brands Pharmacy has been part of the Molesworth Street shops for 111 years; however, in two weeks' time, the local pharmacy will change focus to a large-format discount pharmacy, giving it an opportunity to be part of Lismore's CBD for another 100 years.

"It's a shame to be taking away the heritage from the Molesworth Street site," Managing Partner Dan Troy told the Lismore App. "It's had a lot of loyal customers, and it is sad to leave behind that type of legacy. However, when we saw this opportunity at the current site, we couldn't say no to it. It will offer a lot more than what we can currently at the Molesworth Street premises."

The size of the Molesworth Street building was an issue for Dan and Kyle Wood, another Managing Partner. With all local pharmacies offering similar services and products, they looked at the Quickstop site and, in particular, the building that used to be home to Domino's and Subway on the left-hand side.

The vision was to knock down walls and open up the entire building to launch a large-format discount pharmacy that will increase its product range and offer competitive pricing. The building size will make it arguably the biggest in the Northern Rivers, with around 500 square metres of retail and another 200 for storage, which will also form part of their flood plan.

"We can really have a fresh slate and offer not only a dozen car parks directly out the front, but easy access to a whole range of different services as well," Dan added. "All off one of Lismore's main arterial roads."

"Our main focus for this pharmacy is to offer really sharp competitive pricing for everyone in and around Lismore, very competitive pricing by comparison to not only the pharmacies in our local area, but very competitive, by comparison to all of the Northern Rivers, essentially.

The extended range of items on the shelf includes all PBS-listed medications, a large selection of fitness and protein supplements and vitamins, a natural line of bamboo clothing from Boody, a wide selection of food, drinks, and confectionery, plus much more. And all delivered with competitive pricing.

"The way our pricing works is that we'll be offering everyday low pricing from the outset. But not only that, we will be offering promo pricing. So, two weeks of every month, we'll be putting a lot of effort into facing gondolas and putting signage up specifically to promote new sales.

Another benefit of a larger Brands Lismore Pharmacy is the creation of more local jobs. In fact, Dan is hiring right now, looking for juniors to join the team.

"We're looking for about a dozen workers, especially as we grow. We'll probably start with maybe six to eight, and then that will likely grow to a dozen or more jobs. It'll be great to be able to provide opportunities, especially for young people living in and around Lismore, where perhaps there haven't been as many opportunities of late.

"We're hiring now, primarily for junior positions, in terms of a large volume for after-school work and weekend work. People can apply by emailing lismorebrands@aatinternetsolutions.com.au."

When you enter the new Brands Lismore Pharmacy, you will notice the epoxy concrete floor, a norm for most CBD businesses since the flood. All stock is on a number of gondolas that can be wheeled upstairs to the mezzanine level or on trucks for any future flood that will reach that part of Ballina Road.

(The pharmacist's counter looking at the epoxy concrete floor and a large number of gondolas that need to be stocked over the next two weeks)

The result is another local business that can be reopened in less than a week.

"Of course, there will always be damage after a flood, but a lot of our bench stops will be flood-resistant. We can spray it down, reinstall the electrical equipment, and have it open realistically within a week post-flood. Whereas, typically, if we had to put all this in boxes, it would be weeks and weeks till we could reopen."

There will be a lot more activity in and around the new building over the next two weeks. More painting, including the awnings being painted blue, and the Lismore Brands Pharmacy signage to be erected.

On the inside, the new stock arrives this week, so there will be a massive task to get it ticketed and on the shelves ready for 8am Tuesday, February 17.