Jackson Jambalaya

Metro Jackson residents will have a brand-new option for personalized pharmacy care when District Drugs & Mercantile opens in The District at Eastover on Monday, Feb. 3. Promising to reinvent the pharmacy experience, pharmacist and owner Whitney Harris will offer a full range of pharmacy services alongside retail gift shopping. District Drugs & Mercantile will be the only independently owned pharmacy in Jackson.

“People shouldn’t dread visiting the pharmacy,” said Harris. “They shouldn’t have to wait in long lines or feel as though they aren’t being heard. We want our patients—especially those who are sick—to leave the pharmacy feeling better than when they walked through the door and confident that they are receiving the best treatment.”



Harris, previously of Beemon Drugs, had long dreamed of putting her years of experience into an independent pharmacy of her own. She envisioned a beautifully designed, family-friendly space where customers actually looked forward to picking up their prescriptions and could also shop for gift items.

Last June, Jackson residents were left with only chain pharmacy alternatives when Beemon Drugs closed. Harris knew then that it was time to make her dream a reality so she could continue caring for her patients. She chose a convenient location in The District and collaborated with Wier Boerner Allin Architecture to design an open, modern, space. Harris hand-selected items for the mercantile that include candles, fashion accessories, and art, many of them made in Mississippi.

Patient satisfaction is Harris’ top priority. “When you call our pharmacy, an actual person will answer the phone,” she said. “You won’t have to ‘press one’ to speak with a pharmacist or employee.” Services will include curbside pickup so patients can stay in the comfort of their vehicles; free delivery to patients in Hinds, Madison, and Rankin counties; and a 24/7 emergency line. Contrary to common perception, prescriptions filled at independent pharmacies are typically more affordable than those filled at chain pharmacies.

Harris, who has three young children, says that she and her team treat their patients like family. “We know their medications, but we also know their names—we see them in the grocery store checkout line, our kids play sports together, we go to church together. Those things are important.”

District Drugs & Mercantile is located in the District at Eastover at 1200 Eastover Drive, #175, near Cultivation Food Hall and facing Sophomore Spanish Club. It opens to the public on Monday, Feb. 3 with hours Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. - 6 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., and a 24/7 emergency line at 601-500-0443. Patients can visit the website at districtdrugsjackson.com to transfer prescriptions and subscribe to the email list. Follow District Drugs & Mercantile on Facebook and Instagram.



Whitney Harris grew up in New Albany, Mississippi and graduated from the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy. She completed a Community Pharmacy residency upon graduation from pharmacy school at the University of Tennessee in Memphis. Dr. Harris worked as a Clinical Specialist for Kroger’s Delta Division, serving the unique healthcare needs of Memphis and Northeast Mississippi. She went on to become a Clinical Instructor at the University of Mississippi Medical Center for the School of Pharmacy, where she conducted community-based care research with a focus on diabetes and telehealth medicine before spending over four years as a pharmacist at Beemon Drugs in Jackson. Harris lives in Jackson with her three children.