After completing a remodel that added about 4,500 square feet of retail space, Len’s Pharmacy held its grand opening Friday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony by John Day Mayor Ron Lundbom.

Employees greeted customers and passed out hot dogs and soda to celebrate the year-long endeavor.

The remodel came from a 2019 Main Street Revitalization Grant from the Oregon Main Street Network, according to information on the city of John Day’s website.

The total budget for the project was $646,000. In addition, the city of John Day, through the Oregon Main Street Network, provided $200,000 in matching funds for the project. Through Great & Marvelous Property Holding, LLC, Len’s contributed $446,000 in cash and in-kind services.

According to the city’s plan, the renovation also aligns the Main Street view of the building to return to a more original format. The building was rebuilt in the 1940s after a fire.

According to the city, the project’s goal was to bring the building back to this design with updated energy-efficient windows, lights and insulated walls, as well as bringing the building more in line with the buildings on the south side of Main Street.

According to the city’s revitalization plan, the project expands the pharmacy to ensure the use of technology and provides a more conducive workflow to increase accuracy and service speed.

According to the city’s plan, the additional space provides more of an extensive list of items and room to shop.

Lundbom said that Len’s always has “done justice” for the other businesses on Main Street.

Len’s Pharmacy owner and pharmacist Greg Armstrong said he wanted to pay his respects to early Grant County pharmacists Len Nelson, Wally Muzzy and Mark Murray, who were the first to open drug stores in the county.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the misspelling Wally Muzzy’s name.