10
QUEENS WEEKLY, OCTOBER 20, 2019
Health, wellness and beauty collide at a
boutique pharmacy in Long Island City
BY JENNA BAGCAL
Long Island City residents
looking for a health, wellness, and
beauty hub should look no further
than City Chemist.
Since November 2018, the company
has been a “one-stop-shop”
for the western Queens neighborhood.
According to general store
manager David Rodrigues, pharmacist
Peter LaFranca, and buyer
Maica De La Torres, the community’s
response to the store has
been the same: “thank God you’re
here.”
At the store’s location on 25-29
44th Drive, patrons can fill prescriptions,
wax their eyebrows,
and get a flu shot, which aligns
with the company’s message of
marrying beauty and wellness all
while catering to customer service
and deviating from the typical
chain store mentality.
“When a customer comes in
looking for a product, instead of
telling them which aisle it’s in, we
walk them to the aisle and show
them where it is,” De La Torres
said.
The group said that not only do
they try to remember every customer
who comes through their
doors, but also their significant
life events — and even their pets.
The “individualized and personalized”
attention to detail is what
sets them apart from pharmacy
chains.
“We always say that we see
them customers more often
than we see our own families, so
it’s a different atmosphere,” said
LaFranca.
Rockrose Development Corp.
approached City Chemist about
the opportunity to open the independent
pharmacy, citing the residents’
need for services all under
one roof. According to Rodrigues,
City Chemist pharmacies support
“underserved communities” that
typically have to travel outside
their neighborhoods for necessities.
“Now, people don’t have to
go into the city to get what they
need,” said Rodrigues.
The company also has outposts
in Brooklyn and on Long Island.
De La Torres said that City
Chemist’s slogan is “your destination
for beauty and wellness.”
The founders of the company had
long-established careers in the
pharmacy industry and decided
to expand into the beauty world
due to industry demand.
Customers can purchase name
brand and generic drug prescriptions
at City Chemist or get items
over $25 delivered to their homes
for free. Patrons can also find the
latest in high-end beauty like Tata
Harper, Dennis Gross, Laura Mercier
and Bobby Brown.
The store recently hosted
Laura Mercier and Bobby Brown
events that were “very successful
with the ladies in the neighborhood.”
If a customer requests products
that are not available at the
Long Island City store, the staff
can request for a product to be
transferred from one of their other
locations.
“‘We try to accommodate as
much as we can, ” LaFranca said.
“Clients say, ‘I’ve never seen a
pharmacy like this before.'”
City Chemist is open Monday
to Friday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and
weekends from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Visit their website to learn more.
Photo courtesy of City Chemist