A small town pharmacist doesn’t work just to get to the next person in line. Good conversation matters a great deal.

According to Sonny Sharman, it’s why he prefers a place like Maplesville, where he has time to talk with people about their medicine and their lives.

For 18 years, he served as manager of the local drug store, greeting residents and offering any extra insight into the details of their prescriptions. Once he got the call to work for larger pharmacy chains, such as Rite Aid and CVS, Sharman left Maplesville for 16 years to serve other communities that needed him.

But he’s back in the place he loved to call home for so many years.

While proud of the work he did for the chain pharmacies, one of which was the CVS in Clanton, Sharman would rather run a locally owned store. The relationships he develops across his counter mean the world to him.

“What I prefer is being able to stop and talk with the customer,” he said. “To talk about their medicine and their lives. With a chain, you didn’t have time to stop. You did the very least that you could in order to keep up. I like this a lot better. It’s back to pharmacy service as it should be.”

A Thorsby native and Auburn University graduate, Sharman says he is loving every minute of working at Maplesville Pharmacy.

Every day, he’s glad to see his old (and new) friends and those he missed during his near two-decade absence.

Last December, the owners of Brown Drug Company in Selma set their sights on Sharman and invited him back to Maplesville to run the pharmacy they purchased. Needless to say, he agreed.

So far, he said the community seems to be happy about his return.

“Business is gradually picking up every day,” he said.

Mayor Kurt Wallace even announced Sharman’s return at a town council meeting to help spread the word and encourage the town to visit the business.

According to Wallace, Sharman’s presence means more to Maplesville than just a man who mixes and packages folks’ medicine.

Like anybody would, Sharman simply feels more comfortable at home.

“I wanted to get out of the rat race of the chains,” he said. “I wanted to get back home where I lived for 19 years and practiced pharmacy.”

And if it’s left up to him, he’s here to stay.

“I’ll be here until I retire,” Sharman said. “I don’t know when, but I hope it’s not any time soon. I hope I’ve got another 10 years.”