Vancouver women now have a place to call their own when it comes to
intimate health matters with yesterday’s opening of a women-only
pharmacy — Lu’s: A Pharmacy For Women.
Nestled on West Hastings Street between two iconic Vancouver businesses
— Army & Navy and Save On Meats — the warm, modern space consists
of a fully equipped pharmacy, multimedia resource centre and lounge
space for seminars.
An examination room will be completed by September, when a nurse will be on site part time.
“It’s exciting to be open and see the trickle of people coming in,”
said Caryn Duncan, executive director of the Vancouver Women’s Health
Collective and the force behind the pharmacy.
She said the shop was designed by architecture students from the
University of B.C., and most of the supplies and labour were donated.
The countertops and cabinets are made from a warm oak-coloured wood,
and chandeliers made from recycled plastic bottles and old test tubes
hang from the ceiling.
The walls in the back rooms alternate between hot pink and exposed red brick.
“The whole tone is about safety, beauty and (femininity),” said Duncan.
Victorine Ssozi, a pharmacist at Lu’s, said the feedback from the community has been positive.
“One woman had been living here for 25 years and said she’d never think she’d see something like this,” Ssozi said.
