Hell's Kitchen Duane Reade Closure Must Be Stopped, Pols Say

HELL'S KITCHEN, NY — Duane Reade pharmacies hardly inspire affection in most corners of New York, but the looming closure of one of the drugstore's branches in Hell's Kitchen has inspired local lawmakers to attempt to save it.

The Duane Reade on Ninth Avenue between West 43rd and 44th streets will close in November, according to W42ST magazine, which broke the news last week. Customers there will be forced to get their prescriptions elsewhere, while the pharmacists will be relocated to an Eighth Avenue location, the magazine reported.

Just two months ago, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer had recognized the branch's head pharmacist, Steve Kaufman, for serving the neighborhood during the COVID-19 pandemic and at Manhattan Plaza during the AIDS crisis—a sign of their community impact, W42ST reported. But that may matter little to Walgreens, Duane Reade's parent company, which has shuttered hundreds of stores nationwide in recent years.

On Saturday, four local officials penned a letter to Walgreens HQ, asking leaders to either find a way to stay in the same storefront or delay the closure by one month to give customers the chance to transfer their prescriptions.

Local elected officials are joining forces to call on @Walgreens to save a local pharmacy that’s served the #ManhattanPlaza community for nearly 40 years 💊👨‍⚕️ pic.twitter.com/CK6tBGVqTg
— Senator Brad Hoylman (@bradhoylman) October 16, 2021

"This Duane Reade location is the primary pharmacy for many of the 3,500 tenants who live at Manhattan Plaza, some of whom ahve utilized a pharmacy at this location since 1984," read the letter, which was co-signed by Brewer, State Sen. Brad Hoylman, Assemblymember Richard Gottfried and U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler.

"We share our constituents' concerns about the suddenness of this decision and the adequacy of plans to handle the transfer of prescriptions and notification to customers."

Walgreens has been in talks with the local officials but has not formally responded to the letter, a spokesperson for Hoylman said Monday.