Vanity Fair | It Takes a Village Apothecary
When I was a little kid, I used to eat grilled cheese sandwiches at the soda fountain in the basement of Clancy's pharmacy, in downtown Edina, Minnesota. Then Clancy's shut down, and a Walgreens popped up around the corner.
The same thing happened all across the country, as a flotilla of CVSs, Duane Reades, and Targets replaced independently owned pharmacies. That's why New York City's C.O. Bigelow, the oldest apothecary in America, is such a gem.