Situated within the bustling retail village, Silverstream Kaiapoi Pharmacy is an integral part of Silverstream’s health hub. We sat down with co-owner, Elena, to discover the story behind this local gem.
When did you start Silverstream Kaiapoi Pharmacy and why?
So back in 2017, Karen and Phil were introduced to the Silverstream Developers and they just fell in love with the idea and vision of what Silverstream would become and they sort of brought myself and Georgia on board. We were young pharmacists at the time and we sort of had the same vision of patient-centred care and community.
What is special about this place?
There’s so many things that are special about Silverstream but one of the biggest things is the fact that we’re a part of a health hub so we work with doctors, we work with physiotherapists, dentists, the endodontist as well so it just allows us to sort of take care of the patient from the start until the finish.
Why did you choose to open in Silverstream?
Silverstream was really appealing to us because it’s so close to Christchurch. The ability to come in and out from both Christchurch and North Canterbury just made it like a dream place. We love the fact that our customers can see the doctor, pick up their prescription, go and have a coffee next door all in the same place and they don’t have to worry too much about it at all.
What is your favourite part about working in Silverstream?
Definitely has to be the people. And our locals, some from across the bridge and here in Silverstream and definitely the other business owners as well. They’re just such a great bunch of people who want to see Silverstream really flourish and that was probably the biggest thing we got out of Covid and the lockdown – was knowing how much our community cared for us and how much we cared back for them.
Are you excited about the future of Silverstream? Why?
Oh absolutely, I mean we see Silverstream going from strength to strength. Being here for 2 1/2 years, that it has been now, we’ve already seen it grow and we just can’t wait to see it get bigger and better. The new aged care facility that’s going in [The Sterling, Kaiapoi], we’re really excited about because that’s again going along the lines of our continual care. We’re right on the doorstep to be able to help, we can liaise with the doctors and the dentist easily, and kind of encompass the health aspect of it all. There’s no better place. You’ve got young families, the older population and everyone in between – so I’m definitely looking forward to the future.
