A staple in Milford that has been open for more than a century has suddenly closed its doors.

Howes Drug & Medical opened in 1911, moving to its current location on the Milford green in the 1950s. Now, the city's last independently owned pharmacy has closed for good.

"It's a neighborhood family-type pharmacy where you walked in, you knew everyone who worked there and they knew you," say Rep. Kim Rose (D-Milford).

A sign on the door announced the unexpected closing, letting customers know prescriptions have been transferred to CVS. Even part-time employee Iris Marte learned the news that way.

"So today I arrived expecting to cover somebody else's shift and I saw the sign," said Marte. "I was so shocked to find that. I had no idea that was even up in the air of discussion."

Howes' website is still up and has no mention of the closing.

"I can only assume COVID maybe affected their business," said Rose. "Certainly big box pharmacies have done a number on the local pharmacies, so Howes was one of the holdouts."

Howes was remodeled in 2015 shortly after new owners took over. And though the downtown institution evolved over the years, it held on to what made it special from the beginning.