8 THE QUEENS COURIER • JANUARY 25, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Surviving & Thriving Small businesses in Queens
Bayside pharmacy keeps it local and friendly to draw customers in
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com / @smont76
Aft er operating businesses in diff erent
locations throughout the city, northeast
Queens resident Chris Tsatsaronis decided
to bring his work home.
Sterling Pharmacy, located at 38-01
Bell Blvd. in Bayside, has been in operation
Photos by Suzanne Monteverdi/QNS
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for about fi ve years, according to
the owner and pharmacist. Beginning his
career working for some of the chains,
like since-defunct Genovese, Tsatsaronis
later opened up a small business in
Manhattan. Unfortunately, he had to
shutter the business due to the city’s
major Second Avenue re-construction
project.
“Aft er that, I’ve managed and run a
couple of other independent pharmacies
before I ventured going into business
with my current partner,” the business
owner said.
With over 20 years experience in the
pharmaceutical industry, Tsatsaronis
opened Sterling Pharmacy in April 2013.
What drew Tsatsaronis most to the
Bayside storefront, which is located along
the neighborhood’s dense commercial
venue, Bell Boulevard, was parking and
corner situation. Sitting on the northeast
corner of 38th Avenue and Bell
Boulevard, the pharmacy is one of a few
businesses along the venue that has a free
parking lot around the back for customer
use.
While Bell Boulevard storefronts generally
have a higher turnover rate, Sterling
is one business that has survived the test
of modern times.
“Overall, we’re very happy with all of
our clientele,” the owner said. “I can honestly
say I feel all our clients are happy
with us and our services thus far.”
A “friendly atmosphere” is what sets
Sterling apart from the big chain pharmacies,
according to Tsatsaronis. Staff
and clients get to know each other on a
more personal level.
“Given the fact we’re a small operation,
it’s not as diffi cult as if you worked
for one of the bigger chains, where you’re
focused on volume as opposed to focuses
on service and individual needs,” he said.
Competitive pricing is another draw,
Tsatsaronis noted.
“We tend to beat anybody’s price for
non-insured patients,” he said. “And
believe it or not, a lot of our products
over-the-counter are priced less than
what you might fi nd at Rite Aid. I like to
say there isn’t a price we can’t beat. No
one leaves dissatisfi ed.”
Tsatsaronis hasn’t instituted
many changes since
Sterling’s opening in 2013.
However, about six months
ago, the pharmacy rolled out
of full-time delivery service
aft er delivering only parttime.
Th e move has been a
huge success.
“We see that it’s defi nitely
a necessity, especially for the
elderly,” he said.
The biggest day-to-day
challenge the business
faces is name recognition,
Tsatsaronis said.
“Our hardest challenge so far has been
— almost at the fi ve year point — we
still have numerous people in the immediate
community that still don’t realize
that we’re open yet,” he said. “By default,
they’re still going to the Rite Aids, CVS’s
and what-not … But once we get them in
the door, I would say about 100 percent
are repeat customers because the level of
service is that diff erent.”
What’s worked best to combat this is
word of mouth, Tsatsaronis noted. New
customers who come in are oft en referred
by family, neighbors and friends. Th e
business also maintains a presence on
social media sites, like Facebook, and in
local newspapers. Sterling was also the
people’s choice for “Best Pharmacy” in
the 2018 Best of the Boro competition.
A different challenge came in
November, when Sterling was one of
several businesses hit in an early morning
string of commercial burglaries. Th e
perpetrators walked away with around
$2,000 in cash and some prescription
medications before authorities arrived,
alerted to the crime by the business’s
alarm system: a “necessity.”
“In our case, we were lucky. Damage
was negligible in comparison to what
damage could have been,” he said. “But
if it was the reverse, then it would have
been a big number to try and make up.”
As for the future of Sterling, Tsatsaronis
hopes for further growth.
“We’d like to keep growing, gain more
customers,” he said. “And if business gets
to the point where we want it to, we’d like
to expand, if possible, in nearby communities.”
In the meantime, Sterling Pharmacy
will continue to serve Bayside for the
foreseeable future.
“I grew up going to Bell Boulevard as a
teenager,” he said. “I love the neighborhood.
Th e neighbors are great, the people
are great. I don’t see a reason for us to
have to leave.”
Beginning this week, the Queens Courier
and QNS is beginning an open-ended
series of stories on small businesses across
Queens. Th e goal is to highlight mom-andpop
shops and their history, as well as their
successes despite facing competition from
bigger, well-known retailers; and the challenges
they face in the current economic
environment. If you’re a Queens small
business owner and interested in speaking
with our editorial staff about your successes
and challenges, call 718-224-5863, ext.
204, or email rpozarycki@qns.com.