Model Pharmacy owner Jack Lerner is preparing to retire after owning and operating the shop for 34 years. Lerner worked to establish Model Pharmacy in the mold of New York City pharmacies by offering curated imported goods alongside other drugstore items. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Journal)
Copyright © 2020 Albuquerque Journal
Old-school pharmacies with soda fountains and pharmacists who hand out their personal phone numbers to customers are few and far between.
And now Albuquerque will have one fewer. Model Pharmacy is preparing to close its doors after more than 70 years in business.
“It’s (been) a good run, and I’ve enjoyed 99.9% of the time,” owner Jack Lerner said.
While the pandemic has shut many stores prematurely, Lerner had been toying for a while with the idea of retiring. When the store was forced to close temporarily in March, he decided it was the perfect time to retire.
“It’s going to be interesting not having to get up and go to work,” he said.
Model Pharmacy, 3636 Monte Vista NE, is preparing to close after more than 70 years in business. The popular neighborhood spot offers luxury beauty items and serves diner classics such as malts. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Journal)
Lerner has been at the helm of the iconic institution on Carlisle and Monte Vista since he took it over in 1986 from the original owner, Del Swindle.
And in those nearly 35 years, he has helped cement Model Pharmacy as a beloved local shop that is more than just a place to fill prescriptions. In fact, the shop ended the pharmacy side of its business five years ago.
“We haven’t filled prescriptions in a while, but when we did all of my customers had my home phone number, and if they needed a prescription I’d come up and take care of them,” he said.
Even without pills being counted behind the counter, the shop remained popular with both neighbors and tourists.
For decades, the Nob Hill hub was home to a bustling lunch counter and soda fountain reminiscent of the pharmacies of the 1950s, complete with classics such as malts and fruit cobblers.
Lerner said he still remembers “when people were lined up waiting to come in and have lunch.”
It was the store’s gift shop that allowed Lerner to bring the international to the 505.
Lerner made purchasing trips abroad to source unique fragrances from Europe. The building’s neon sign hints at the selection: “We Have No Common Scents.”
Lerner’s desire to bring big city products to Albuquerque came from childhood visits to New York City, where he saw pharmacies with merchandise stretching beyond Tylenol.
“I would go into these drugstores in New York and see all of these wonderful products, and I always knew that’s the kind of pharmacy I wanted to have,” Lerner said. “And it worked out.”
Besides being one of the few places a Burqueño could track down a French perfume, the shelves and glass cases at Model Pharmacy held everything from luxury shaving cream to silk headbands.
“People really liked the different things that we had,” he said.
The shop also allowed Lerner to form the types of lasting bonds with customers that are increasingly rare.
“Most of my favorite memories were the people I met. … I really look forward to coming to work to see my friends who are also my customers,” he said.
He hopes that the extra free time will give him the opportunity to travel to visit friends and family and maybe even do some open-water swimming in Croatia.
Model Pharmacy will stay open for the next few weeks while the remaining merchandise is sold off, but the building won’t remain empty for long.
It has already been purchased by another local business, which has plans to keep the soda fountain and cafe intact.
While the closure is somewhat bittersweet, Lerner said the time is right.
“It’s time for a new adventure. I’m looking forward to it.”
"time" - Google News
July 27, 2020 at 10:56AM
https://ift.tt/2EpfL1t
‘Time for a new adventure’ - Albuquerque Journal
"time" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3f5iuuC
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "‘Time for a new adventure’ - Albuquerque Journal"
Post a Comment