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Joseph Hsu doesn't operate a typical pharmacy

School did not prepare Joseph Hsu for working in the Beaches. The University of Toronto educated pharmacist and owner of Hoopers Pharmacy at 2124 Queen Street East has found that Beaches residents are a health-conscious lot. "Everybody in the Beaches looks after themselves and knows what they're looking for", says Hsu. As a result, Joe also carry natural health product such as supplements and homeopathic and herbal remedies. Although his formal academic training focused on more conventional pharmacy services, his pharmacy has adapted beyond the traditional services of dispensing prescriptions in order to meet the needs of the community.

The Ottawa native, who moved to Toronto in 1990 to attend university, also appreciates the sense of community he has found in the Beaches. "In the Beaches you get to know everybody. It's a self-contained community", he adds, saying that he found it more impersonal when he worked downtown.

Hsu has owned the Hoopers franchise in the Beaches since 1997. He purchased it after working for a few years at a downtown Hoopers pharmacy following his graduation in 1994. He even lived across the street from his Queen Street shop for a number of years until moving to the Mortimer and Coxwell area two years ago.

When not at work, Hsu lives an active and healthy lifestyle like many of his customers - he plays in a basketball league and has a black belt in the martial art of wing chun kung fu. He also supports the athletic endeavors of others in the neighborhood through his company's sponsorship of a team in the Beaches Community Soccer League.

By Arnold Ceballos

Arnold Ceballos is a freelance writer and lawyer whose practice focuses on intellectual property law and litigation. He can be reached at arnold@ceballoslaw.com.

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