DeKALB – The Illinois Retail Merchants Association will honor Tim and Ann Lehan, pharmacists and owners of Lehan Drugs in DeKalb, as its 2012 Illinois Retailers of the Year Sept. 19. The annual award is given to a retailer not only successful in business, but committed to community and civic affairs and respected in the industry.

The two-store pharmacy is family-owned and operated, spanning four generations of Lehans since its founding in 1946. Tim Lehan follows the model set by his grandfather, Jim Lehan Sr., great-uncle, Emory Lehan, and father, Jim Lehan Jr., all of whom instilled a sense of community at the pharmacy.

In the 1950s, Lehan Drugs became one of the first self-serve pharmacies in the country and fed more than 2,000 people daily at its restaurant and soda fountain. Today, the focus is on pharmacy, immunizations, home medical equipment and women’s health. Lehans opened a Women’s Health Boutique to serve women suffering from breast cancer and related illnesses.