SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – When Doug Mundy unexpectedly passed away in March 2025, many lost the only pharmacist they’d ever known in South Lake Tahoe. Mundy owned and operated Tahoe Valley Pharmacy for over 40 years, and now the pharmacy has a new owner and a new future.
The new owner is Christian Markt who is no stranger to the South Shore. Markt had been the pharmacy manager at Raley’s at the Y before moving with his family to Hawaii in 2022. Markt said he and his wife, Kylese, were planning on staying in Hawaii and raising their two children there until Mundy called him to come back as he was going to sell his business. The Markt family picked up and returned to South Lake Tahoe. The plan was for Doug and Christian to work together as the pharmacy transitioned to the new owner, but Doug’s untimely passing changed those plans.
Markt took over in June 2025, leading to months of getting the property relicensed as a pharmacy and obtaining the contracts necessary from the insurance companies, finally becoming operational and opening on November 20, 2025.
Due to the delay in opening, many of the customers loyal to Doug had to get their prescriptions at other pharmacies, and Christian is now able to welcome them back. Reopened as Summit Pharmacy Solutions, customers can expect the same small, non-corporate pharmacy they had with the former owner.
“I am happy to be back,” said Markt. “This is a great community.”
His local roots go back further than Raley’s, as he was an all-sport athlete at Whittell High School before graduating in 2000. After graduation, he joined the Navy, serving until 2006. Markt earned his bachelor’s degree at New Mexico State and graduated with his pharmacy degree from the University of New Mexico in 2014 before moving back to Lake Tahoe as a pharmacist.
His wife, Kylese Zaiger Markt, has also returned home with the move. She is a South Tahoe High graduate, a former competitive ski racer, and is currently coaching the ski team at Kirkwood.
“My goal is to provide the same services as Doug did,” said Markt. Besides filling prescriptions quickly, he offers wheelchair rentals and sales of walkers and other equipment and supplies. Being independent, Markt said that he can get other items quickly and not wait for corporate approval.
After the months-long process of getting the pharmacy licensed, Summit Pharmacy can fill most prescriptions. They are unable to distribute Schedule II (C-II) drugs such as Fentanyl, Oxycodone, Morphine, and Hydrocodone.
“Doug created the old-school pharmacy atmosphere,” said Markt, and he hopes to continue it. There are some small remodeling plans in the future, but customers can always expect quick and personal service. Still in the corner is the old booth from the Sahara Tahoe, and some gift items remain that are currently priced at 50 percent off.
“I have lots of plans for the future,” said Markt, though the atmosphere isn’t one of the changes.
The pharmacy can quickly switch prescriptions over from other pharmacies, and local patients can ask their doctors to send prescriptions to Summit. They take all insurances, including Medicare, Medi-Cal, and Covered California.
In the pharmacy, many may also recognize Chelsey Roqueza, who came over from the pharmacy at Raley’s.
They are open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. – closed on major holidays and weekends. Summit Pharmacy Solutions is at 2074 Lake Tahoe Blvd., Suite 1, in the same complex as Barton Quick Care and Borges Chiropractic. Contact them at 530.541.0870, or visit their website at https://summitpharmacyrx.com/.
And if you’re wondering who Christian is rooting for in the Super Bowl, take a look at his shirt. As a longtime Seattle fan, he’s hoping his Seahawks are victorious.
