Grand reopening: Seward Pharmacy transformed after damage from riots, looting

After a long road, it was a grand reopening Thursday for Seward Pharmacy on Lake Street in Minneapolis. The store was badly damaged during the riots and looting last summer.

Now, city leaders are celebrating the pharmacy’s transformation.

"This is not just about getting back to a semblance of normal, we’ve got to blow by the old normal," Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said.

Seward Pharmacy is now revitalized.

Pharmacy owner Dr. Elias Usso showed Frey the transformation.

"Our community proved to us that we are not only an institution but a place where we can all call it home," Dr. Usso said.

It’s a pharmacy that’s offered free delivery and pharmacist visits to patients’ homes.

"They weren’t thinking here at the Seward Pharmacy about their business model, they weren’t thinking about income, they weren’t thinking selfishly about themselves, they had this deep and most paramount concern for their patients," Frey said.

However, those rare services were hampered after Seward Pharmacy was damaged and looted.

"If we think back now to over a year ago, our city was reeling," Frey said.

But "community" has been helping Seward Pharmacy pick up the broken pieces. Some people were cleaning and others have been transferring their prescriptions there.

"From the ashes of chaos emerged a strong community," Dr. Usso said.

Now, it’s fully back. Recovery funding has made way for TeleHealth, triple the pharmacy work stations and tailored services for patients who depend on compounded prescriptions.

"This community has reassured me that everything will be OK," Dr. Usso added.

It’s finding new ways to serve neighbors.

"Seward Pharmacy is such a prime indication of that transformation," Frey said.