The Beginning
In 1875, Peter Merz, a Chicago pharmacist, opened Merz Apothecary on the city's North Side. However, there was a major difference between Merz Apothecary and a typical drugstore. The clientele at his shop consisted mainly of European immigrants from the surrounding neighborhood. For that reason, and because Merz was of Swiss descent, he decided to call the store an "Apothecary" in the European tradition. Like his overseas counterparts, he focused heavily on herbal medicines and traditional formulas, which were already popular and familiar to his international customers.

Despite the success of the business, in 1972 Ralph Merz was ready to retire without a successor. The store, which had been in the family for three generations, was about to close permanently. One month before the scheduled closing, a 26-year-old pharmacist named Abdul Qaiyum walked into Merz Apothecary after hearing about it from his German in-laws. He immediately fell in love with the store. As a recent pharmacy school graduate, Qaiyum had quickly become disenchanted with his job at a large drugstore chain and was ready to leave the field altogether. But Merz Apothecary, with its focus on traditional natural remedies, reminded him of his family's business and the healing traditions in his homeland of Pakistan. He purchased it a few days later.

The Transformation
Over the next few years the extinction of the independent pharmacy continued, yet Qaiyum managed to expand Merz Apothecary's business dramatically, developing a significant mail order business across the country. He also noticed that more and more American customers were seeking out the store because they needed a quality source of natural products and information. So in 1982, he moved Merz Apothecary to its current, larger location, only a few miles from the original one. The new store was custom-built to replicate a turn-of-the-century European Apothecary, complete with a hand-carved wooden exterior, leaded glass windows, parquet floors, tin ceilings, and solid oak cabinets. The store's original antique pharmacy jars and herb containers (which were still in use) now had a fitting home.

Despite the growth and attention, the store has not lost its focus on the original Apothecary concept. The staff hails from around the world and collectively speaks seven languages. Although international customers no longer make up the majority of the Apothecary clientele, their numbers continue to grow and now draw from all around the world. Customers seek out the well-trained staff for the 134 years of health and product knowledge it has inherited. The location and people have changed over the years, but the Apothecary's goal has remained the same: providing superior and personal service for each customer's total well-being.

Two Great Locations to serve Chicago!
Original Location
Merz Apothecary
4716 N. Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
773.989.0900

Downtown Chicago
Merz Apothecary - State Street
Macy's, First Floor
111 N. State Street
Chicago, IL 60602
312.781.4000