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NEWARK — Upon entering the new Arensberg Pharmacy and Wellness Center — located in the old Sam Alban Co. furniture store, 57 W. Main St. — you will probably be greeted by Steve Harris.

As pharmacy manager, Harris was quick to give out handshakes to everyone walking through the door Monday.

It was the first day for this version of Arensberg Pharmacy, which was located at 30 N. Park Place for the past five months while renovation work was completed to change the building into a modern pharmacy.

Yet there are many reminders of the historical aspect of the building and of Newark itself, as vintage black-and-white photos grace the walls.

Harris now offers smoking cessation classes in the same building that once was home to the Newark Cigar Factory. Wide moldings, reminiscent of a bygone era, complement the bright and airy feeling of the 5,000-square-foot store. An oil painting of the original building was recently brought in by Reece Alban, current owner of the building and former Sam Alban furniture store owner.

Harris stressed that this store is more than just a pharmacy — it is also a wellness center.

"We want to get away from just emphasizing the treatment of diseases and focus on wellness, for the betterment of the customer," Harris said. "For our grand opening on April 15, we will have free diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol screening, as well as a smoking cessation class."

The new building has a conference and counseling area for these purposes. There is also a large drive-up window on the side of the building.

"In my pharmacy, we will never have a machine where you can check blood pressure. We are very hands-on here. We want to be very personable," Harris said. "We are all about service, service, and more service."

Harris is the pharmacist for the store, along with Venu Talasila. The duo also has five certified technicians and, together, they can all operate the new Script-Pro. The automated prescription dispensing machine holds up to 200 medications that it assembles and packages. A compound room in the back is where unique dosage products, not commercially available, can be mixed under the watchful eyes of the pharmacists.