Walgreens, a pharmacy and retail business, opened the doors to its first Gloucester area store on Jan. 28 on Route 17, Hayes. The pharmacy employs 15 people.

Store manager Mike Zajac said the Hayes store is only the second Walgreens in this region to feature customer-friendly lower shelves to display its many products offered for sale. In all, the store sells more than 20,000 items, Zajac said, ranging from nonprescription drugs to groceries and cosmetics. Soon, the store will sell beer and wine.

A main focus is the pharmacy, which is headed by pharmacy manager Jessica D’Aurora of Newport News. D’Aurora earned a doctoral degree in pharmacy at Duquesne University and has worked for Walgreens for several years.

Zajac, who resides in Newport News, has worked for Walgreens for 3½ years, most recently at its store in Franklin. A graduate of Virginia Tech, he previously worked in merchandising for Busch Gardens, Williamsburg, for five years.

Walgreens is headqua...