Western Oregon Journal

Issue date: 10/5/05 Section: Headlines

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The big boy is coming to town.

No sports fans, not 7-foot-5 Yao Ming, but the pharmacy mega-store Walgreens.

Part of the deal: a Dutch Bros. Coffee kiosk.

The 14,800-square-foot complex will begin construction in January 2006, on a lot in the middle of Main and Jackson Street in Monmouth.

The Walgreens plan originated in February 2004, when Dallas Dutch Bros. owner Joe Lawless bought three building lots in Monmouth, two of which faced Highway 99W.

The plan was to build a Dutch Bros. Coffee stand, but it quickly grew as Lawless dealt a portion of his property to Benson Sainsbury of BPS Development Group in Pasadena, Calif. Sainsbury then went on to buy two homes on the east side of the block, which will be cleared out for the new store.

Construction of the $3.2 million complex is expected to last six months.

The 1.47 acre property will include 77 parking spaces, and entrances and exits along Highway 99W, Jackson and High Streets. A possible entrance to the complex may also be included on Main Street. The Monmouth Walgreens will, in addition, include a single pharmacy drive-through, allowing store patrons to pick up their medications without leaving their automobile.

A Beaverton-based architect will construct Walgreens, while a separate builder will work on the Dutch Bros. Coffee stand.

Nationwide, Walgreens has 4,953 stores, throughout 45 states and Puerto Rico. Currently, Oregon has 37 stores. Each Walgreens, on average, employs 25-30 people.

Western students have had mixed emotions about the conglomerate coming to town.

Maria Anfilofieff would appreciate the store coming into the area, she said. "They have excellent customer service. I use them as my pharmacist in South Salem. They are all very helpful," she said.

Viri Pozos felt that, "Walgreens would be cool to be in the area." Not many good stores are around this town, Pozos said, and as a student Walgreens would be very convenient.

Brandy Goldberg was not only thinking of herself, but of her boyfriend, when she said, "Walgreens would be great. My boyfriend is a Pharmaceutical Assistant and this would give him an opportunity to work around here."

Another student Sarah Eddie disagrees from the majority, stating she prefers local stores. "I would rather support the stores around here than Corporate America," she said.

Sainsbury, who grew up in the Salem area and worked for a glass company in Dallas, is very excited to do business with the city of Monmouth and Western.

"I would feel it to be an honor to do more business with Monmouth," he said.

Sainsbury added, "I agreed to donate a large sum of money to have a bronze statue built of a student walking toward Western Oregon University."

The statue will be placed in its resting stop about the time school ends in 2006, before summer.

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