You’ve seen the stunning re-vamp of Thrive Pharmacy at The Quarry Centre but have you met the new owner, Kim Germiquet?It would be surprising if you answered ‘no’, because Kim has lived in Hilton since 1994, moving here just before Nelson Mandela was voted President of South Africa. Kim even remembers taking water and juice to all the people waiting in the queue to vote at the municipality, a short distance from where she lived. Schooled in Pietermaritzburg, Kim’s two boys now go to Hilton Pre-Primary; you can’t get more local than that!
Pharmacy has always been Kim’s calling and, as high school student, she spent her holidays working in different pharmacies in Hilton and Howick. At 15 years old, Kim did her first stint of work experience at the then Hilton Pharmacy with previous owner, Trish. She recalls an argument with her mom on her first day of work about the length of her skirt. Defying her mom with all her teenage spirit, she arrived at work only to be given her marching orders by Trish for indecent skirt length! “It makes me smile to this day,” says Kim, adding: “when I see the teenagers walking around in their little shorts in the middle of winter I have to think to myself, the more things change the more they stay the same.”
Kim has had a varied career in pharmacy, being lucky enough to work in range of different fields but did you know that Kim has a very creative side too and has a wedding flower and décor business with her family, called the Flower Shed?
For Kim, owning her own pharmacy is a dream come true and buying into the Thrive brand, a no-brainer. It is the ethos, purpose and aesthetic of the Thrive brand that appealed to Kim: “What I love most about Thrive is that in everything that they do, they strive for honest excellence. Thrive focuses on customer loyalty, happy staff, product quality and ethical sourcing of merchandise for all stores. They practice what they preach, and I so appreciate the passion behind the brand,” she says.
“I feel like Thrive Hilton has arrived at just the right time to grow with Hilton – focusing on our growing community’s needs, nurturing the young and the golden oldies, as well as providing a holistic health space to enable every friendly face to be ‘Better Than Well’,” she says, quoting the Thrive slogan.
Living and working in the same place can be challenging for some but for Kim, she wouldn’t have it any other way. “I have lived in many places across the world but I still find Hilton one of the most beautiful,” she says. “I love the community spirit in this place, and how neighbours help each other. It is a beautiful, safe space to raise my children - and raise resilient human beings.”
It is the “beauty and convenience” of The Quarry Centre itself that Kim loves: “My family have been shopping at the Quarry for 20 years and it has always been so beautiful and homely. The views are stunning, the local produce available delicious and there is almost everything one could need under one roof.”
Kim concludes: “It is hard to say what I love most about Hilton - but I would have to say I love it most because it is home.”
Supplied.