Most Altadenans have a Webster’s story.
On April 25, more will be told when the iconic town business celebrates its 100th anniversary with a community-wide event from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, at 2333 Lake Ave., Altadena.
Webster’s Community Pharmacy was founded in 1926 and has remained an independently-owned business known for personalized care and deep local roots. Both its original site and current storefront survived the Eaton fire in 2025, and the anniversary celebration is designed not only to honor Webster’s centennial, but also to bring neighbors together to reaffirm the strength and resilience of Altadena, owners Meredith and Michael Miller said.
Set to help celebrate: Rep. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena; Nic Arnzen, chair of the Altadena Town Council; Judy Matthews, president of the Altadena Chamber of Commerce; Supervisor Kathryn Barger. Victoria Knapp, past town council president who grew up with the business, will emcee.
The Millers, who took over Webster’s in 2010, have long supported local artists, and among those set to appear at the anniversary party are Austin Scott, Colleen Boye, and the creators behind Altadena Candle Company, Manyana’s Body Butter, Heart & Sol, and A-Frame Pottery.
Other artists they support include Victor Ving of Greetings Tour, Keni Arts, Heather Morrow and author Mary Lea Carroll.
Musicians run lunch, Mo + Sully, and Rhythms of the Village will perform.
Pasadena Humane will bring their mobile adoption center too, joining Altadena Library’s Curiosity Connection, which brings hands-on activities for children.
Local Altadena favorites will also offer food and drinks for sale, including El Patron, Nancy’s Greek Café, Miya on Lake, Café de Leche, Grocery Outlet and Altadena Cookie Co.
The anniversary event is free and open to the public.
“This centennial celebration has turned into something much bigger more than a year after the Eaton fire,” Meredith Miller said. “It’s now our priority to not only celebrate the pharmacy’s legacy, but to bring the community joy and give Altadenans a reason to come together, since so many of us are still displaced.”
Through the years, Webster’s was the go-to department store in town, where many teens got their first jobs and families went to shop for school supplies. The Webster’s on Lake, where the store relocated in 2024, pays tribute to the block-wide Webster’s of old, that still sits several hundred feet away, by curating gifts and seasonal items, nostalgic candy, books, and greeting cards.
Miller calculates about three-quarters of her regular customers remain displaced, “but we are so touched when they make a special effort to come see us,” many on weekend trips to check on their lots.
The store, and its seven employees, have served as touchstones and emotional support after the fires. Days after Jan. 7, they scrambled to fulfill prescriptions at nearby pharmacies. The store reopened on Feb. 17, 16 days after full containment of the fire.
Since then, customers come in and update them on their lives, and share the gamut of their feelings about rebuilds and relocation. In turn, the Millers said they want to share one thing too: what has stayed the same about Webster’s and what will never change.
“Our love for the community, the exceptional level of care we provide and the commitment we have to doing whatever we can do to help make people’s lives easier,” Meredith Miller said.