Jordin and Lorin Martin said when they opened Bear’s Compounding Pharmacy on the Georgetown Square, they realized their dream of owning their own business and serving their hometown.

Compounding is what pharmacists did before big wholesalers, Lorin said. Pharmacists are chemists who mix raw powders from scratch to make different medications.

Jordin and Lorin met in fifth grade. They instantly became best friends and later dated, went to college together and got married in 2013.

After going to pharmacy school and working as a pharmacist at a large retail chain, Lorin said Jordan encouraged her to open her own pharmacy. Bear’s opened in November 2021.

“Our full intent was to move back home and give back to our community,” Lorin said. “My husband and I were born and raised here, and the community has given so much to us and we want to pay it forward.”

The pharmacy’s name comes from a nickname Jordin gave Lorin, bear. In 2018, Jordin got a tattoo on his left forearm of a bear standing in a forest, which represented Lorin. Now, that tattoo is the business’s logo.

“All my life, my husband has given me nicknames,” Lorin said. “About 10 years ago, he started calling me ‘bear.’ It just stuck.”

Bear’s offers treatment for medical conditions and wounds as well as dermatology care, pain management and hormone replacement therapy, among others. Bear’s also provides commercial medications. Over 90% of the generic medications Bear’s offers cost patients no more than $20.

The business does not take insurance, but customers can submit their medication from Bear’s to their insurance. Lorin said in doing this, she cut out the middle man.

“If anyone has issues with affording their medications, they can give us a call, and we will see if there’s anything we can do,” Lorin said. “Health care is not a want but a need, so I don’t think people should go without it.”

Understanding compounding

Unlike chain pharmacies, compounding pharmacies can customize medications, making them allergen free, for example.

Here is the process:

• The doctor sends over the prescription.
• The pharmacist weights out the medication in its rawest powder form.
• The pharmacist uses a mortar and pestle or machine to combine the medication, adding glycerin to make creams.
• The pharmacist packages medication in a tube for creams or capsules and bottles for pills.
• The patient is able to pick up the prescription.

Bear's Compounding Pharmacy

109 W. 7th St., Ste. 115, Georgetown.

512-807-0622

www.bearscompoundingpharmacy.com

Hours: Mon-Fri. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sat.-Sun. noon-4 p.m.