By Scott Etkin and Lisa Kava
The CVS pharmacy on Broadway at the corner of West 93rd Street, which has been there for more than a decade, plans to close on February 21st.
“All prescriptions will be transferred to the CVS Pharmacy at 743 Amsterdam Avenue [West 96-97] to ensure patients have uninterrupted access to pharmacy care,” a CVS spokesperson wrote to West Side Rag. “Patients can always choose to fill their prescriptions at any CVS Pharmacy, or the pharmacy of their choice, if another is more convenient. All employees are being offered comparable roles within the company.”
This closing continues the trend of drug stores vacating the neighborhood — in 2023, the last Rite Aid on the Upper West Side closed and a popular Duane Reade near Lincoln Center also closed in November. There are 60 remaining CVS Pharmacy locations in Manhattan, according to the spokesperson. (Thanks to Kate for the tip.)
Pekarna, the restaurant and cocktail bar at the corner of Amsterdam and 89th Street, has closed. The large, two-level space had live music, hosted private events, and served Slovenian-American inspired cuisine. It opened in 2020. According to tipster Elizabeth, the restaurant proprietor could not come to an agreement with the landlord about a rent increase. (Thanks to Jon and Elizabeth for the tip.)
Excellence Barber Shop has opened at 2487 Broadway between 92nd and 93rd streets. Excellence was founded in 2017 and it has two other salons on the Upper West Side in the West 80s. The new barber shop replaces European Cleaners & Tailors.
Just Salad, at 2056 Broadway between West 70th and 71st streets, has reopened after being closed temporarily in December for renovation. A new seating area has been added to the space, according to the tipster.
Seven Hills Mediterranean Grill & Bar, the Turkish restaurant at 158 West 72nd Street between Amsterdam and Columbus, closed at the end of 2023. “We are eternally grateful for your patronage and support throughout all these years. It has been a privilege and an honor to serve you,” the company posted on Instagram. Seven Hills has been at this location since 2018. At a Community Board 7 meeting in November, it was shared that a restaurant called Samui will be moving into the space. It is backed by Jeanine Royce, who also runs Chu Ros Thai on the Upper East Side. (Thanks to Caroline for the tip.)
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Sad to see that CVS leave.
Smaller mom and pop pharmacy still exists alongside Amsterdam ave near 7/11 shop at 100 street and another one near 101 Amsterdam Avenue more further up . Of course one can still go with online options such as Pahrmacy Amazon or Capsule delivery
CVS at 93rd & B’way was a decent alternative to the madhouse at CVS at 86th & Amsterdam, where the pharmacy line often stretches the full length of the store. With 93rd closed, I imagine the lines at 86th will start going out the door.
I’ve been picking up prescriptions at the 86th & Amsterdam CVS for years, and I’ve never seen the line any longer than “the end of the aisle where everyone lines up.” In order to go “the full length of the store,” it would need to triple in length from the busiest I’ve ever seen it. Which I suppose is possible once in a blue moon, but to say that it happens “often” seems pretty hyperbolic.
Me, too! That’s our go-to location. 96th isn’t far away, but it’s not as nice (despite originally being a beautiful bank, the interior feels very crowded and you have no visibility into the store from the street). The pharmacy staff is nice at 93rd, and our limited visits to 96th were not as pleasant. Plus, 93rd was always so busy and had a long wait for the phone for the pharmacy–I can’t imagine what will happen when they shift all those people over to 96th, probably more than doubling the pharmacy burden. We don’t go to DR so much because it is a bit chaotic as someone else said, plus our health insurance requires us to use CVS for recurring prescriptions.
That is an awful CVS pharmacy. Been there done that and I’m going to ask them to send me to the Target one instead.
IVAN phamacy on Columbus and 93 gives excellent service.
Ivan is a great pharmacist. Support him by taking your business to him.
Wish I could but he doesn’t do the diabetes stuff I need well. Distributor issue, can’t get my pen and I can’t use the generic. Pity he sounds like a nice guy…
I tried, but he told me he didn’t like accepting Oxford insurance because they don’t pay him promptly.
Do they let you use same GoodRx and other discounts? Never used anything but a chain pharmacy, where you have to work to get them to find the lowest prices but once they do…
Anyone here who uses and has “coupons”/ways that the drugs are discounted? I have several drugs not covered by my Medicare Rx and they are very expensive if you don’t find the right coupons/discounts.
Wonder how this works for CVS to transfer your information (I have multiple insurance and special ones that I can’t even remember!).
Thanks in advance for any insights you can provide from your experience.
You can choose “Other pharmacy” on GoodRx, and local pharmacies should accept that.
Sad to hear about Pekarna. They have only been open for a few years, was the lease up already? I always thought commercial leases were much longer. The landlord better have another tenant lined up that will pay a higher price to justify losing a recently occupied tenant.
I had high hopes for Pekarna when it opened. Went once and was very disappointed.. Very overpriced and from what I recall, I could not distinguish its so-called Slovenian cusine from American Continential.
Loved playing rock n roll in the event space basement
From their website it sounds like they were only open this long because they got a break on their lease during the pandemic. Otherwise they probably would have closed sooner:
“Our covid adjusted lease ended on the 31st of December 2023 and Pekarna was unable to meet the new rent requirements.
The venue will undergo renovations and will have a new operating group.”
So now I can expect to edit even longer to pick up my meds at the CVS on 96th St.
I started using Capsule last year. You sign up and confirm prescriptions your doctor submitted on their website. They deliver quickly and are attentive to service (done through text messages).
I have never seen the wait at the CVS on 96th be less than 8 people as it is. This is going to be a nightmare.
If you’re getting meds so often that the wait bothers you, you’d be better off using a mail-order pharmacy for 90-day supplies. There’s no need to go to a physical pharmacy for routine maintenance meds.
Not everything can be shipped unfortunately. I’ve tried to do that but the insulin thing is a deal breaker.
It’s terrible, do not get sick in NYC!
Right-even though the city has a large number of first-rate hospitals, urgent care centers and drugstores. Try Canada or England.
Try Florida:/
The only surprise about Pekarna is that it lasted as long as it did. It was a huge space and nobody was ever there. They dropped the original Slovenian menu for a basic American menu. I never saw any weddings, sweet sixteens or other events there except some weird Alice in Wonderland happy hours that they held monthly. That was a disaster from the start.
Yes, we visited when they first opened, and the owner showed us around. He was very nice, and we really wanted to give it a try based on how nice he was, but the menu made no sense to us an the space was very odd so we never went. It seemed like the ideas were big and had a lot of potential, but they didn’t nail the basics of food and décor that might have enabled them to realize their bigger goals.
Too bad I about Seven Hills restaurant but does anyone know when HMart will open?
Very sorry to hear about this CVS! Not the greatest store but the pharmacy provides a much needed service to the neighborhood. Did CVS offer any explanation about the closing of this location?
No, issue is not shoplifting. Retailers made a ” mistake” when they blamed half their losses on shoplifting. Oops!!! Counting is hard!!!
https://www.forbes.com/sites/markfaithfull/2023/12/08/national-retail-federation-retracts-stats-amid-theft-war-of-words/
Gee do you think rampant shoplifting has anything to do with the closing?
This CVS is actually pretty proactive with the locked cases and all and I’ve never seen anyone stealing unlike in the Duane Reades and Walgreens in the area where I’ve seen it a lot. I’ve been wondering if they were closing though because the merchandise in the pharmacy area and elsewhere has been unusually low on stock items at times recently. I ran a chain drug store years ago and if they start really short stocking a particular store that’s an indication that it might be on the way to closing because they want just enough stock to still run the store but not a lot of backstock because it makes it easier when it’s time to close.
Also, staffing issues. One day recently the pharmacy opened really late because the pharmacist called out and they had to get one from another store. Usually they have more than one and this pharmacy is just jammed most of the time so you’d think they would ? For now I am going to use Target CVS but I’m looking for a local pharmacy that can supply my Lantus. I really want to get away from the chains.
I wonder why so many pharmacies are closing ? Must be something going around.
Capsule delivery and Amazon Pharmacy play a role.
Capsule has a real pharmacy up in Harlem apparently and actually I just gave them my business because none of the six local pharmacies I called can fill one of my most important scripts. Plus they bring it, and I’m mobility disabled so that is a plus. CVS delivery is a joke. They’d never show. I think maybe it worked once and their app/website is always messing up my scripts besides. Walgreens/DR near me is supposed to be even worse so I’m going to try Capsule and see how it goes. It can’t be any worse and at least I’m not waiting in line forever…
Inability to hire pharmacists after massive post-covid retirement surge (they didn’t sign up to give vaccines)
I’d say the unchallenged shoplifting sprees are helping to aid the closings.
Fox News talking point
https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/18/business/retail-shoplifting-shrink-walgreens/index.html
Why is the assumption that Fox is lying but CNN is is being honest? Both have stats. It is probably a combo of things. But I stopped going to CVS and Duane Reade because almost everything I want is locked up.
So it is robberies, response of store to theft, and then customer response to how stores deal.
Not a talking point sir but the God’s honest truth? How long do you thing our stores can stay in business if they are being looted like this day in day out??
https://www.forbes.com/sites/markfaithfull/2023/12/08/national-retail-federation-retracts-stats-amid-theft-war-of-words/
Only a small part. Primarily is a huge change in consumer behavior. Online pharmacies even from CVS, are making the need to go to a physical pharmacy for routine medicine non-existent. Physical pharmacies like CVS need people walking in for medicines they need to they can browse around for things they don’t need. Then walk out with the bundle. With this change in where consumers shop for medicines, there isn’t a need for a pharmacy department store ever few blocks anymore.
CVS has underpaid and overworked their pharmacist to the point that they are the least service oriented one can find and they don’t do a thorough job of ensuring customers know about your medications nor if they conflict with anything you currently take (local pharma’s almost always do). They are often mean and suspicious without cause. They don’t tell you if they have run out of a medication you require refills for-you find out only when you need it and have no solutions or dates to rely on for access to the meds.
As recommended by many here-go to a local pharmacy. The one thing they DO NOT do, unlike the chain pharmacies, is sell your personal information. Read the privacy policies-they sell your data to 3rd party partners and they can make the data “anonymous” and sell it to others. That’s really a high price to fill a prescription-most people don’t know they are giving them permission and there is no way to opt out.
CVS also suffers from massive loss due to shoplifting. In turn, the experience of shopping here is atrocious. You either are watching someone steal or are made to wait for someone to unchain anything from a lotion to ice cream and then feel uncomfortable to look and compare with the store person standing over you. Who wants to shop like this?
The kicker? Their prices are often 2x what you will find online. That’s where the pedal really meets the road.
It’s no mystery why they are slowly closing up shop-their model has not progressed to meet today’s needs and environment.
You’re not totally correct. There is a need for local pharmacies for many folks. And given the poor delivery (late, lost, MIA) from the USPS, you really do need local pharmacies. Part of the issue is not so much shoplifters but overpriced items in the store itself. FYI: Amazon is NOT an acceptable alternative for medication filling. IMHO.
In free markets, there’s no such thing as ‘overpriced’ items. However, there are items that are priced higher than the same items elsewhere.
People aren’t regularly going to these types of stores for non-prescription products either because they don’t want to deal with everything being locked up.
And their prices are outrageous.
That is true as well. I remember last year going to the Rite Aid on 97th and Columbus and having to wait 15 mins for associate to open a case that had Vicks locked up. It was the last time I stepped foot in that store. I just ordered on Amazon or Target online after.
I do miss that Rite-Aid .. Prices were also great compared to the other big chains.. now , they have been gobbled up in corporate acquisition. And so it goes…
Good thing I read this here. NO information or posting currently at this CVS. This is my closest one and where ALL my prescriptions are, where we go when we run out of something we need ASAP…and a way to NOT have to deal with the very very crazy atmosphere at the Duane Reade/Walgreens up on 94th and BWY. (You can rarely get through to this CVS Pharmacy but when you do, they help. Always lines for pickups and shots. Major issues when we tried to use the DR pharmacy.)
Can’t understand how they decided to close this huge store and switch to 96th. Must have been a profitability thing?
Meanwhile, this causes major issues for us due to location (wheelchair has to go further and up 96th street…) can no longer just ask neighbor to “pop in” on way home to pick up when can’t get out.
I fear problems with prescriptions being changed and timing (Will the pharmacy inventory be absorbed into the 96th street location?) Not only in accuracy but availability.
Things closing is making the UWS more and more difficult to find what you need in the actual neighborhood.
Not a good thing.
Before COVID it was 24 hours . Since COVID it closes.at10.. so it was never a priority like 86th, which is still 24 hours.
And I think with COVID people who hasn’t been ordering online started to, and that process hasn’t reversed itself since the pandemic since it ended
So in other words, the neighborhood is returning to the existence of fewer pharmacies as it was before people started complaining about the proliferation of Duane Reades and other chain stores. Now they’re complaining that they’re closing?
Last week, I saw two men walk out of CVS on 93rd—each with a bag of stolen goods. It’s not surprising that stores are closing. Yet, we just keep letting happen.
And how do you know it was shoplifting?
Because I saw them put the items in a bag and walk out of the store without paying. aka shoplifting.
I saw a guy at the Duane Reade on Broadway & 94th(?) come back in the store with what I presume were shoplifted items and ask the guard for a bag! And they helped him put the items in the bag and he walked bag out the door. Bananas!
No sympathy for CVS. All of the small businesses they pushed out and the waste they put out in their trash every day. The Trash Walker outlined how awful their cruel pollution policy is.
Lots of talk about chain pharmacies. I used Duane Reade for forever and finally got fed up enough to leave. A few years ago I broke free and started using a local pharmacy on W 72nd St – Wellness Pharmacy. Never looked back. They are great.
Haven’t been in a Duane Reade in years. I encourage anyone who is able to switch to a local pharmacy to do so. Supporting great people and prices are comparable or lower. And if they were higher, fine. I’m happy to pay a bit more if I have to to support an important local business. Once again, I encourage anyone who is able to switch to a local pharmacy to do so.
Same here. Broadway Chemists, near 86th St, is a block from a CVS but light years away in service and civility. No, they don’t sell prepackaged salads or laundry detergent, but the two brothers who run it, George and Lukas, recognize your name when you call for a prescription refill, remind you of what meds you might soon run out of, deliver, and and carry a nicely curated selection of toiletries and OTC medicines. I also support switching to local businesspeople, including pharmacists — for the sake of the neighborhood as well as your own mental health.
Yes!!! After a very long wait for a medication for a sick child a few years back (which CVS then filled incorrectly), I said no more. Switched to Apthorp and simply could not be happier. They are wonderful and accept my insurance (Cigna).
Good riddance to Pekarna. I for one won’t miss the unruly latenight crowds falling out of the place or the unfriendly and unneighborly owner. He seems to have left quickly, with all the tables and chairs and other stuff still on the sidewalk and no sign in the window about being closed. I wonder if he remembered to pay his staff and other bills before he left.
Apthorp pharmacy on Broadway between 77-78th is my pharmacy after the Rite
Aid on 97th and Columbus closed. Apthorp answers the phone and texts and when you go to the store they are pleasant and informed. I’ll never go back to a chain pharmacy, always rude, never answer the phone. I know it is because there is not enough staff but maybe they could pay more and get more staff?
Now we don’t have Turkish restaurants in the neighborhood?
Aren’t Leyla and Bodrum Turkish?
We need some pharmacies on Upper Broadway.
I use Capsule.see if your insurance is taken by them. Free delivery and you can use good Rx there as well.
Apthorp: Your doctor sends them a prescription, they give you a phone call when it’s ready to be picked up. Any questions or problems, you call them and someone always answers their phone. Simple.
CVS is closing “dozens” of pharmacies located in Target stores as well.
https://nypost.com/2024/01/11/business/cvs-closing-pharmacies-in-target-in-latest-cost-cutting-move/
While mass looting (it really no longer can be called just shoplifting) maybe one issue behind this CVS closing, there are other forces in play as well.
CVS unlike Duane Reade, Rite Aid and Walgreens is not only a pharmacy but part of CVS Health. They offers insurance (they own Aetna), are a “pharmacy benefit manager”, and have expanded into other areas of healthcare via clinics and so forth.
Yes, like drug stores of old CVS stores have retail, but the model followed by Duane Reade, Walgreens and themselves no longer truly works.
Post 1990’s world with arrival and expansion of online means consumers have choices, and that competition has harmed CVS, Rite Aid, Duane Reade and rest.
All the major drug chain stores have announced closures in past several years, and more are likely in future. There just isn’t a need for these huge “drug stores” anymore. Least not where you have them on every other block in direct competition with each other.
The Amsterdam CVS is way sketchier than the Broadway CVS was. I wish we could get standalone pharmacies without the attached retail stores which just seem to be crime magnets.
Going back decades, early as 1920’s or before pharmacies (or drug stores if you want) always had some sort of retail.
By late 1800’s pharmacies at least often had “soda” fountains. https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/soda-fountains–their-pharmacist-inventors
Local neighborhood pharmacies/drug stores/apothecaries offered film development, gifts, greeting cards, “marital aids”, ice cream, health and beauty aids, stationary, cosmetics, toiletries, and whatever else owner thought he could sell to local community.
https://www.brooklynfarmacyandsodafountain.com/ourstory
Sorry to hear about the CVS on 93rd street, but it was just a matter of time before it closed. I was there one day for about 15 minutes, and witnessed two people within that short time span walk out with stolen merchandise. Workers could only yell and scream at them as they walked out. Only close subway station entrance made for a perfect getaway route. It’s unfortunate we have laws that protect the criminals and encourages them to keep doing what they do.
re: cvs pharmacy closing Theft is a major reason why CVS stores has been closing. Political climate in NY allows shoplifting to go unpunished.