AdkAction is saddened by the news that the Keeseville Pharmacy will close on October 25, following the recent closure of Cornerstone Drug Store in Rouses Point. Both stores, owned by longtime AdkAction supporter Dan Bosley, have been important centers of care and community for years. Each also housed a “Farmacy,” an innovative partnership with AdkAction designed to improve access to healthy, local food in rural towns.
The first Farmacy opened in Keeseville in 2017, after the community lost its only grocery store. By adding a farm grocery section to the existing pharmacy, the project made it possible for residents to shop for local produce, meat, and dairy while picking up prescriptions. The idea quickly spread to Cornerstone Drug Store in Rouses Point. Both locations embodied the belief that “good health starts at the table,” and that access to nutritious food is essential to overall wellness.
The Farmacy helped bring fresh, local food from nearby farm stores and regional producers into the heart of Keeseville, where residents with limited transportation could easily access it. That same spirit lives on in the recently opened Keeseville Grocery, which continues to prioritize local products alongside traditional grocery items. While these developments have eased the community’s former food desert, the loss of Keeseville’s pharmacy now leaves a different kind of gap in community health. Pharmacies in our small Adirondack towns provide far more than prescriptions; they are often trusted sources of advice, support, and connection.
The Farmacy model continues to thrive at Mountain Weavers’ Farm Store in Port Henry, a partnership between AdkAction and Mountain Lake Services that combines local food access with meaningful employment opportunities for people with disabilities. This project continues to build on the Farmacy’s legacy and demonstrates how rural businesses can serve community needs in creative ways.
AdkAction is deeply grateful to Dan Bosley and his team for their years of service and for their pioneering work in launching the Farmacy concept. Their innovation has shaped how we approach food access and community health across the Adirondack region.
