The local paper for the Upper East Side
WEEK OF JULY THE ESSENTIAL GIACOMETTI ◄ P.12
19-25 2018
IN THE CITY, BIG PHARMA’S GOT COMPETITION COMMERCE Independently owned apothecaries cater to clientele BY MICHAEL DESANTIS
Council Member Ben Kallos and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer joined local activists for a rally in advance of a July 17 appeal hearing on the Department of Buildings’ approval of a condo development at 180 East 88th Street. Photo: Michael Garofalo
UES TOWER DISPUTE HEADS TO APPEAL LAND USE Hearings begin in zoning battle over East 88th St luxury condo building BY MICHAEL GAROFALO
Opponents of a controversial Upper East Side condominium development rallied this week in advance of a key appeal hearing in their fight against the project. Critics claim that the development at 180 East 88th Street, if affirmed by the city, would create a roadmap for other builders to skirt the intent of the city’s zoning resolution. Construction is in progress on
These developers should be held to task by the City of New York. Their plans do not follow the law.” Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer the building in question, a planned 32-story, 523-foot-tall condominium tower near the southwest corner of Third Avenue and East 88th Street. Local land use groups Friends of the
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If you own an independent pharmacy in Manhattan, odds are you’ll be competing with a CVS, Walgreens or Rite Aid no more than a block or two away. That competition has contributed to the downfall of independently-owned pharmacies such as the Battery Park Pharmacy and University Chemists in downtown Manhattan, both of which closed this spring. Surviving independent pharmacies in the city have leaned on a mix of innovation, individuality and customer service to maintain their presence and overcome challenges posed by corporate giants. Multiple pharmacists have said they’re forced to overcome contracts between chain stores and insurance companies where consumers have to get service from a chain pharmacy unless they want to pay the full price of medication. “Which is not right,” Abby Fazio, the owner of New London Pharmacy, said. “We are trying to fight in New York State. Bottom line, the patient should go where they want to go and where they feel more comfortable. Because chains are so big and they have so much power versus a small independent pharmacy, it’s very hard and competitive.” Fazio isn’t afraid of the competition, however. She’s led New London Pharmacy, a Chelsea location on Eighth Avenue and 23rd Street, to hire ex-
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Abby Fazio, the owner of New London Pharmacy, on Eighth Avenue and 23rd Street, has hired specialists for each of the pharmacy’s several departments. Photo: Michael DeSantis perts to oversee each department the store offers: prescription, cosmetics, bath and body, surgical care, over-thecounter products, nutrition and website. Those specialists will then work together to ensure customers get what they need. Fazio used the relationship between her prescription and nutrition sections as an example. “The nutritionist helps the pharmacist in the sense that, ‘Yes, this patient has diabetes but let’s talk to him also about what he’s eating and his exercise and what to watch out for and how to inject himself and how to test himself,’” Fazio said. “This way, whoever comes in and has a question knows they can speak to that expert. That’s something I feel we offer that nobody else does.”
C.O. Bigelow Chemists, a Greenwich Village apothecary in business since 1838, also boasts a large storefront to complement its pharmacy. Alec Ginsberg, son of owner Ian Ginsberg, said having a significant retail business is a necessity for independently-owned pharmacies.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 Jewish women and girls light up the world by lighting the Shabbat candles every Friday evening 18 minutes before sunset. Friday, July 20 – 8:04 pm. For more information visit www.chabaduppereastside.com
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