Personal prescription at Lynn’s Crown Drug

LYNN – Edward “Ted” Ball is more than a pharmacist.When customers come through the door to Crown Drug at 232 Lewis St., they’re often in need of personal advice, counseling about insurance coverage and, of course, medication.The service-oriented drug store – which today celebrates its 25th anniversary under Ball’s stewardship – has been a landmark at the busy corner for decades, long before he purchased the business.Crown Drug was originally founded by brothers Albert and Leonard Jacobs, who hired Ball as a teenager to staff the store’s soda fountain.”I was 14 when they brought me on to work the soda fountain. A kid who used to hang out at my house had been contacted by the Jacobs brothers to work. That’s how I found out about the job,” said Ball.The 53 year old grew up in Lynn and has since moved to Swampscott.”The pharmacy was directly across the street (from where it is now) in those days,” Ball said.When the Jacobs brothers’ lease expired in 1973, they purchased the present storefront property, but didn’t bring along the soda fountain.Ball toiled at the pharmacy while attending English High School, where he graduated from in 1975, and continued as an employee while enrolled at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy in Boston.Five years later, when one of the Jacobs brothers died and the other signaled intentions of retiring, Ball bought Crown Drug.It was the start of a self-employed lifestyle that required working 80 hours a week but introduced Ball and his wife, Ilene, to countless customers who over the years have become more like family.Ilene Ball, whose father owned R.G. Len TV on the Lynnway for many years, serves as the pharmacy’s Jane-of-all-trades, carrying out a wide range of responsibilities.The couple log about 50 hours a week at the store, which is stocked with a variety of item from greeting cards to medical supplies to snacks and sunglasses.The Balls have a son, Jared, 27, a Bentley University graduate who lives in California and is employed as an accountant for Santa Rosa County.Their daughter, Caroline, 24, recently graduated from the University of Delaware with a bachelor of science degree in biology and is enrolled in the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, at the satellite campus in Manchester, N.H.Does she plan to work side-by-side with her pharmacist father?”I hope she’ll help out a little,” said Ball. “But when kids come out of pharmacy school these days, they tend to find more lucrative opportunities.”When not filling prescriptions or caring for his customers’ many needs, Ball relaxes by golfing, spending time outdoors and visiting with friends and family. He is also past president of Project Cope and president of the Greater Lynn YMCA Board of Directors.”A lot has changed in 25 years, especially the computer technology and the automation,” he said. “Most customers used to pay in cash. Now it’s all third-party with co-pays, and it’s all online. I remember when we had to mail in for each reimbursement.”Another major change stemmed from shifts in the insurance industry. “We almost have had to become insurance consultants. It’s part of the service we provide. People come in with insurance papers and questions and ask us to help find out if they are covered or what kind of insurance they should have,” Ball said.Small pharmacies tend to provide more personalized service, said Ball, noting that industry pressure is building as the mega-pharmacy chains like CVS push customers toward mail order and getting prescriptions filled online.”That isn’t service,” Ball said. “And service is where we excel. We serve a fuller purpose than just providing people with the medications they need. What you get here is much more personal versus calling a toll-free 800 number. When our customers come in the door, we know them by name. People want to be recognized.”