SC Independent Pharmacies Keep Closing Each Year

Families who rely on neighborhood pharmacies face fewer local options as roughly 40 close statewide annually.

Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Local Shops

Photograph of a dark, empty one-story storefront with bare shelves visible through the window under flat overcast daylight, with pine trees at the edge of the frame. — Two South Carolina family pharmacies closed in 2025, part of a trend that has left about 280 independent pharmacies statewide as roughly 40 shut down each year. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Independent pharmacies across South Carolina are struggling financially, with about 40 closing each year and only 280 remaining open statewide. Two local family-owned pharmacies have recently shut their doors, a trend affecting residents who rely on neighborhood prescription service.

Why it matters

Rising operating costs combined with low insurance reimbursements have pushed independent pharmacies in South Carolina into sustained losses, and families who depend on a nearby pharmacy for routine prescriptions face fewer local options as these businesses disappear.

About 40 independent pharmacies close in South Carolina each year, leaving only 280 still open statewide. The Georgetown Prescription Shoppe owner lost between $5,000 and $10,000 a month before closing in December 2025.

The players

Kelley Johnson

Former owner of the Prescription Shoppe in Georgetown, a community pharmacy operating since the 1980s that closed in December 2025.

Stuart Johnson

Owner, with his wife, of a family pharmacy in Aiken County that closed in June 2025 and who now operates one remaining pharmacy location.

The details

Kelley Johnson closed the Prescription Shoppe in Georgetown in December 2025 after losing between $5,000 and $10,000 a month, while carrying a loan payment of $20,000 a month. She used nearly all of her 30-year retirement savings to keep the business running and to pay employees. In Aiken County, Stuart Johnson and his wife closed their family pharmacy in June 2025 after operating in the red for four straight years because of low reimbursements. The couple now runs one pharmacy location.

June 2025: The Johnsons closed their family pharmacy in Aiken County.
December 2025: Kelley Johnson closed the Prescription Shoppe in Georgetown.

The Home Front

South Carolina loses about 40 independent pharmacies a year, leaving 280 still operating across the state. The closures in Georgetown and Aiken County show how that yearly attrition plays out in individual communities.

If your household depends on a neighborhood pharmacy, consider confirming which pharmacies nearby are still open and whether your prescriptions can transfer easily. Keeping a current medication list and your pharmacist's contact information on hand makes any future transfer faster.

The takeaway

Independent pharmacies are a shrinking part of everyday neighborhood life in South Carolina, and the closures in Georgetown and Aiken County show the strain behind them. Keep your prescription records organized so you can move quickly if your local pharmacy changes hands or closes.