Pharmacy Set to Return to Pleasantville Sometime Next Year
News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Pleasantville will have an independent pharmacy return to the village, likely by the latter part of next year.
Mayor Peter Scherer disclosed last week that a pharmacy that has gone by the name of White’s Apothecary or City Chemist depending on the location will move into the empty storefront at 39 Washington Ave. in roughly six to nine months. It will be located in the space between the Chase Bank and King’s Crown Wines & Spirits.
A lease has been signed and an interior design is being worked on in anticipation of an opening, hopefully by the third quarter in 2024, Scherer said.
The mayor called it “fabulous news,” made possible by the fact that White’s Apothecary/City Chemist has gravitated to newer construction in its seven other locations in the metropolitan area. The mixed-use project, developed by Vito Errico, has apartments upstairs and retail, including the bank and liquor store, on the ground floor.
“The reason why we’re getting a pharmacy here is that we have a new, modern storefront that’s suited to it, and that landlord was picky about who would make sense to go into that space,” Scherer said. “He’s thinking not only about his self-interest, to get the right tenant, but also I can tell you from many conversations, wanting to do something that felt like it had good synergy with the village.”
Three of the company’s seven other pharmacy locations are in Suffolk County – East Hampton, Southampton and Sag Harbor – with three more in Brooklyn and another in Long Island City, Queens, according to the company’s website.
In addition to the typical name brand and generic drugs and over-the-counter medication, White’s Apothecary/City Chemist also has a variety of other merchandise available to shoppers, including high-end products, Scherer noted.
Next year’s arrival of the pharmacy is welcome news to the village, which lost its longtime independent operation, Pleasantville Pharmacy on Wheeler Avenue, in the summer of 2021. The closure saddened many residents at the time, in large part because it had been a fixture in the community for more than 50 years. Having it go out of business seemed to be part of a disturbing trend of losing certain types of stores for good.
Pleasantville Chamber of Commerce President William Flooks said the arrival of the new pharmacy will be a boon for the village. The company has a good reputation on Long Island, and if that holds true in Pleasantville, it should attract visitors and residents from neighboring communities, he said.
“I think foot traffic to Pleasantville and the other stores, owners will reap the benefits of having that pharmacy open up here in Pleasantville,” Flooks said.
Filling storefronts with new businesses has been something of a trend lately for the village, Scherer said. There aren’t many vacant storefronts in the downtown, as the business community has been buoyed by the recent arrival of King’s Scribe and Crawdaddy’s on Wheeler Avenue. Crawdaddy’s is a restaurant with Cajun and Creole cuisine.
Scherer also reported recently seeing Con Edison crews inside the storefront that has been expecting to be home to Fleetwood Bakery, also on Wheeler Avenue. A deli is also supposed to be moving into the old Florsheim shoe store on Pleasantville Road.
He said the village is close to filling its empty storefronts, especially if the spaces that have commitments from businesses actually move in. Once 70 Memorial Plaza opens, the new retail space will be one of the few places in Pleasantville that will have vacancies downtown.
“It’s great stuff,” Scherer said. “There’s always more challenges to try and figure out how to manage it, but I’m really happy about these new developments.”
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
