Family Pharmacy
By Robert Beck
“April 16, 1944,” she shouted across the prescription counter. It took everyone at that end of the store by surprise, including the employee at the register, who was on the phone. The old woman inside the large wool coat tapped her cane on the floor. “Nineteen forty-four,” she said again, this time with less of an edge, nodding her head with pride. “I’ll be right with you,” the counterperson said.
A minute later, the young lady hung up and with a smile asked the woman how she could help her. “April 16, 1944,” the pale face in the mound of heavy fabric announced again, back in force and ready to show she knew the protocol.
There were plenty of senior citizens in Joseph Pharmacy (between Amsterdam and West End on 72nd) this very cold Saturday before Christmas. All of them were in big coats. I was set up near the heating pad display, and it seemed that every other customer bought one.
Joseph carries a large selection of products. The wall at the far end of the counter that I was facing had slippers and socks. My corner of the store had bathroom hand-holds and other geriatric helper devices, and I had to be mindful of the more unsteady visitors making their way around my easel. Customers were padding down the narrow aisles, taking up more space than usual in their winter garb, employees were helping them find items and read directions, delivery people were coming and going, and one worker was dispatched to the other store to retrieve a medicine—a few minutes away—because they found it was out of stock at this location. The customer waited. It didn’t take long. Nowhere will you find more evidence of what you surrender for the privilege of the major pharmacy chain experience.
Joseph is a place that welcomes small dogs, little children, and first names. One very young girl complimented me on my work. I asked if she was a painter. “Yes,” she said, as she twirled her fingers against her legs, “watercolor.” “Would you like to help me?” I asked. She smiled and nodded.
I mixed a color onto my brush, handed it to her, and pointed to four spots at the bottom of my panel. “Can you put this color in these places for me?” Blip, blip, blip, blip, she did just that, then went off to talk with someone in cosmetics.
The girl was the only customer who paid much attention to me. People would arrive at the counter, do a quick scan of that end of the room, pause when they caught sight of me, and mouth the word “Painting,” as if it were the answer to today’s secret question. But they didn’t come over to see what I was doing.
The pharmacy is a visually busy subject, and there were other challenges. The store music was set to a station playing holiday carols, and my location didn’t allow me to stand back from my easel far enough for comfort. It was like writing with a short pencil stub, while Dean Martin reminded us for the umpteenth time that he’ll be home for Christmas.
* * *
See more of Robert Beck’s work and visit his UWS studio at www.robertbeck.net. Let him know if you have a connection to an archetypical UWS place or event that would make a good West Side Canvas subject. Thank you!
Listen to an interview with Robert Beck on Rag Radio — Here.
Note: Before Robert Beck started West Side Canvas, his essays and paintings were featured in Weekend Column. See Robert Beck’s earlier columns here and here.
Subscribe to West Side Rag’s FREE email newsletter here. And you can Support the Rag here.
Joseph’s Pharmacy is the best in the country. It is truly a community pharmacy….wonderful personal service, caring employees and owner, and an intimacy rare in drug stores.
I love going there, be it for vaccinations, prescriptions, personal care products, food and vitamins. They have it all. Thanks Sharif for making this a special place.
Thank you for this reference. Another small independent pharmacy with excellent service is New Amsterdam Drug Mart on Amsterdam Avenue. They deliver reliably and are quite responsive. I prefer to support non-chain businesses where possible. https://www.newamsterdamdrugmart.com/
Typical customer post regarding this pharmacy: “Some things never change…and in the case of the New Amsterdam Drug Mart, that’s a good thing. Since my first post about them a year ago, they have consistently provided the following
Prompt prescription refills by phone or in person
Reminder calls when prescriptions are due
Accurate filling of prescriptions
But it’s really the people that make New Amsterdam Drug Mart such a 5-star spot in my book. Everyone who comes in is treated with great warm and kindness and in more than one language when necessary!
I feel lucky indeed that I have such a fabulous local resource.
You need to experience it to know what I’m talking about. Take your next prescription there and you’ll see what I mean.”
Another wonderful pharmacy is park West Pharmacy on the corner of Columbus and 82nd street . The pharmacist Claude provides exceptional personal services and is the nicest guy in the world !
Great piece on a wonderful local business (who also own the equally wonderful Wellness Pharmacy on W. 72nd between Amsterdam & Columbus) but the address is slightly wrong — Joseph is located between Broadway and WEA. My family switched from the big chain pharmacies to our local businesses since 2020 or so, as the big chains take forever to fill prescriptions and are inept in so many ways. It’s a far more pleasurable shopping experience to shop locally and receive the excellent friendly personal attention provided by businesses like Joseph, Wellness (and Apthorp).
Thank you for another reminder of what community means on the UWS. It says something about the neighborhood that independent stores like Joseph’s can continue to serve customers in spite of competition from the hulking everything-locked-up drug marts. Here’s a shout-out to my personal favorite, Broadway Chemists, a small neat shop with great service and owners who know you by name.
i LOVE broadway chemists. always a real person and no answering machines.
Robert Beck’s paintings of the neighborhood make me love places I have known but perhaps have taken for granted.
I love Sharif and his father before him. My first visit was the day they opened the store. I do not enjoy having to yell out my birthdate. I may not consider myself old but why advertise i am almost 90 when I see myself as 68.
Was a long-time customer at Joseph Pharmacy until I left the UWS. I absolutely miss their helpful staff and personal service. Thanks for your lovely painting and the reminder about this wonderful business.
My usual pharmacy is CVS, mostly because my drug insurance has no copay there while it does have a copay at Joseph’s. A year ago I was ill and needed a prescription filled for it. CVS was out of stock at my location and wouldn’t help me find another pharmacy that might have it. I walked over to Joseph’s and they had it in stock. They took my order and said they would call me when it was ready. They called soon after to advise me that the drug wasn’t covered by my insurance and that it would cost me $20 (it was for a cough). I happily paid the $20 and was glad to get the medicine that CVS would not/could not sell me.
CVS pharmacy is not helpful or friendly. I could go on, but it’d put me in a funk–each one, a nasty individual. Ugh.
That said, the other workers are usually pretty good, except for that time when one helped me while I over-heard two others behind the counter, gossiping about the worker for helping me choose a product– if it would make them look bad for never actually helping a customer.
Don’t forget Apthorp! Wonderful people and service.
When did Joseph Pharmacy move in there?
I recall when the same site was home to Uncleʼs Stereo / Uncle Steve, which was there in 1988, possibly earlier, and evidently closed in 2000. The only problem is that Joseph has supposedly been there since 1992, and somehow I doubt they co-existed at the same location for ~nine years!
Robert Beck’s work is amazing, as is Joseph’s pharmacy. My mom (born in 1930!) and our whole family have been customers there, and they have always treated us like family. We got our vaccinations there and they even accommodated Mom when she was in her wheelchair, coming out to make it more comfortable for her. We love Joseph’s!
Mr. Beck you are exceptional painting. There are ones by the sea that remind me of Winslow Homer. Wonderful that you did this interesting painting at Joseph’s—a wonderful painting at a wonder pharmacy. where friendly staff is always available.
Such a lovely store — it’s true neighborhood treasure! And thank you, Mr. Beck, for the wonderful painting and write-up!
We are so fortunate to have several wonderful independent pharmacies in our neighborhood- thank you for profiling (and painting!) Joseph Pharmacy here. I’d also strongly encourage folks to visit Danny’s Pharmacy II on West End between 64th and 65th. Everyone there- including Danny (who often answers the phone himself), the other pharmacists, and all other staff members- is truly fantastic. It’s clear Danny’s Pharmacy II cares very much about everyone who visits- and it shows.