Wagoner's Owl Drug Store Reopens In New Location

The Owl Drug Store in Wagoner reopened Tuesday after a fire destroyed the building they'd been in for more than a century.

It's been just eight days since a fire ripped through downtown Wagoner and destroyed Owl Drug Store. They're back open today, but not in the same building they've been in since the early 1900s.

"I believe we were there before Oklahoma was a state," said Owl Drug Store Owner Matthew Villandry. 

Matthew Villandry says everything has been a blur since his family's company caught fire on July 30th.

8/8/2017 Related Story: Wagoner Drug Store Destroyed In Fire, To Re-Open In New Location

"Yeah there's really no way to prepare for it," he said. 

"The reality of it hasn't set in as much as it probably will in the weeks to come."

He said as the store continued to burn, he immediately got on the phone to make arrangements for a new location.

"This new storefront doesn't hold the same sentimental value but they say they're hoping to create new memories here," he said. 

Villandry said they'll be at this location for at least a year, maybe longer.

But what matters most is that they can continue to serve the community.

8/5/2017 Related Story: Downtown Wagoner Businesses Struggle After Fire

"Our pharmacy is very important. We treat our customers like they are family," said Owl Drug Store employee Lauren Powell. "That's how close we are to the community and that's how our customers feel about us."

Powell has worked for the Villandrys since she was 17.

"It didn't really hit me emotionally until a few days later that a store I've worked for for years, I'll never be able to walk in there again," she said. 

It's tough starting from scratch, but she said she's just thankful they're able to keep the doors open.

"We can kind of put this behind us and start fresh," Powell said.