Our Apothecary, Our Legacy
Nestled in the tiny neighborhood of Greenwich Village in New York City, C.O. Bigelow is the oldest apothecary in America.
For nearly two centuries we have served some of the country’s most predominant personalities and have remained true to our traditions, transporting customers back to a time and place of personalized attention, customized formulas and healing therapeutic natural preparations.
Vermont Physician Dr. Galen Hunter founded C.O. Bigelow, originally called The Village Apothecary Shoppe, located a few steps away from our current location at 102 Sixth Avenue.
That same year, Rose Wonder Cold Cream was formulated by Dr. Hunter as a cleanser, makeup remover, and moisturizer.
An employee named George Hooper, who purchased the store from Dr. Hunter 15 years prior, formulated our Lemon Body Cream – it’s still a customer favorite today.
Part of our unique legacy has been the passing of ownership from employer to employee. Clarence Otis Bigelow, who worked alongside Dr. Hunter for years, purchased the store and renamed it C.O. Bigelow.
Legend has it that Thomas Edison soothed his burnt fingers with Bigelow’s balm whilst testing an early prototype of his light bulb.
Major General Daniel Sickles (also known as “Devil Dan”) an American politician, soldier, and diplomat frequently shopped at the store.
“Two or three afternoons a week a little man with a large head a heavy shock of silver white hair, smoking a meerschaum pipe, would quietly walk into the store, register a package and then stroll over to one of the other counters, buy a package of merchandise and stroll out. He was Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain).”
Source: American Druggist & Pharmaceutical Record
The lunch counter and soda fountain were installed and notable for roasting a fresh turkey every day, and squeezing an estimated fifty thousand oranges every year. The "chicken salad" was a hit and, funny enough, it was made with the daily roasted turkey.
In the Fifties and Sixties, the soda fountain would become a prominent social hub for the many New York creatives including actors, writers, poets and musicians.
William B. Ginsberg, first generation proprietor purchases the store from the pharmacist Bluestone. William came to NYC as an immigrant from Eastern Europe and studied by candlelight to become a pharmacist.
Eleanor Roosevelt was a regular customer when she stayed at a friend’s apartment at 20 East 11th Street, her “hiding house” away from the White House between 1933 and 1942. She wrote a letter on White House stationery, thanking Clarence O. Bigelow for sending her “a set of toilet articles.”
Source: Gotham Magazine
C.O. Bigelow has a long history of creating eye-catching window displays. During World War II, we designed the very first Penicillin window display in the United States, which stayed lit during the WWII blackout drills.
Jerry Ginsberg takes over from his father William. A devoted jazz sax and clarinet player, Jerry would have preferred a career in music. But he relented and kept Bigelow going through the decades when chain drugstores were swallowing up independents left and right.
Source: New York Times
The 1965 blackout left most of New York City without electricity for up to 13 hours. Thanks to the original gas lamps on-site, C.O. Bigelow was one of the only pharmacies between Ontario and New York City to remain open.
It wasn’t uncommon to see the New York Dolls, the Belushis and the rest of the SNL cast, Ed Koch, John Waters, William Kunstler, Ramsey Clark and other artists, writers, and entertainers sitting side by side at the fountain talking politics throughout the years. Some even had their own stool. The last meal was served in 1984.
After graduating from The Pharmacy College of Long Island University in 1985, Ian Ginsberg joins the business full time becoming the third generation to work at the family apothecary.
Mr. Bigelow, the cat who ‘wouldn’t eat a mouse unless it was prepared at Balducci’s’, died after developing a tumor. He was the store's resident cat for more than 15 years. While he never achieved the celebrity success of Garfield, he garnered a respectable position in the world of books, inspiring a short story, “Asking Mr. Bigelow” by Susan Schwartz, and his picture graced the book “Cats at Work” (Abbeville Press, 1991). Mr. Bigelow was so renowned he received a New York Times obituary.
Ian acquires the store from his father and, through his instinctive vision, he was able to bring C.O. Bigelow to a whole new level while maintaining the store’s old world charm. Year after year, Ian scours the globe to orchestrate a supreme collection of beauty, fragrance and personal care imports from around the world.
Source: Crain's June 10-16, 1996; photo by Buck Ennis
Buried in the archives of hundreds of prescription books Ian discovered three very old formulary books. These hand-written treasures link us back in time to old world New York and the hundreds of formulas that were developed in the C.O. Bigelow apothecary for customers. All Bigelow products are inspired and many re-created from these books of tried and true recipes.
In 2008 Bigelow launched The Experience C.O. Bigelow Tour, a cross-country journey in an Airstream trailer. The tour stopped in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Dallas and Atlanta giving fans the opportunity to learn more about Bigelow and sample products.
During Hurricane Sandy, C.O. Bigelow remained open with the help of a generator trucked in from St. Louis, MO. We stayed operational the entire time, running carpools to bring staff in and ensuring the community had access to essential care.
It took us three years after Instagram launched, we were too busy making formulas from our archives.
In 1924, William Ginsberg received his Doctorate in Pharmacy. Alec Wade Ginsberg, the fourth generation of Ginsberg pharmacists received his Doctorate in Pharmacy from UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy in 2016 keeping the tradition alive. This was a proud day at our shop.
We created a tin especially for the legendary Paris shop colette in celebration of their 20th Anniversary.
We launched our premium Iconic Collection in four timeless fragrances, inspired by apothecary recipes like our long-lost Aqua Mellis (Honey Water) formula from a century ago!
During the pandemic, we remained open every single day despite citywide shutdowns. We pivoted to provide our community with the care needed to safely navigate our "new normal." Production shifted to manufacture hand sanitizer, couriers worked tirelessly to deliver medication, and our staff remained committed to caring for our community.
Our chemists continue to dig through our archives to unlock apothecary formulas and improve existing recipes using the best of today’s modern technology.
