SHEEPSHEAD BAY'S ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS BLOG

Photo by BrooklynQ

Looks like our prediction about Walgreens and Duane Reade closings around Southern Brooklyn is coming true even faster than we thought it would. A Kings Highway Duane Reade store closed just two weeks ago, and a reader then told us that the Duane Reade location on Avenue J and East 16th Street also closed.

Now word is coming in from tipster extraordinaire BrooklynQ that the Walgreens at 1721 Avenue U (between East 17th Street and East 18th Street) is closed for business.

The closing shows that the chain is not at all timid in shuttering newly-constructed facilities. This particular location was previously the last bastion of our beloved local chain Morris Discount, which Walgreens purchased in June 2008. Since it took up the property, it seems work on it has been never-ending, with a storefront expansion a year ago, and finally a reconstructed facade just finished within the last few months.

And now… it’s closed. For good. A whole lot of work for nothing, and a storefront not so easily adjusted for non-Walgreens uses. What will happen to the newly-completed Bragg Street Walgreens, which sits in spitting distance from the high-traffic Duane Reade Nostrand Avenue location? We don’t know, but if they shut it down it means an entire new construction goes to waste…

But back to 1721 Avenue U – be advised that pharmacy records have been transferred to the Duane Reade at 1417 Avenue U.

Photo and tip by Arthur Borko

When Walgreens bought up the New York City-based Duane Reade chain in February, the growing corporate giant said there were no immediate plans to close any of the branches. But we knew better, and publicly worried that the number of stores that competed with their new sister branches would cause the company to shutter locations.

Well, six months later and that fear is becoming a reality. The corporate overlords are starting to cut back on redundant services. The Kings Highway Walgreens branch near Coney Island Avenue is now shuttered. Presumably because it competes with two other pharmacies with the same ownership – one across the street and the other on Kings Highway and East 14th Street.

Continue Reading »

More than a month and a half after an SUV ripped through the front wall and counter of the CVS Drugstore on Sheepshead Bay Road, repairs are finally being made to the storefront.

A worker on the scene said the windows and wall should be completed by the end of the day.

On June 12, the driver of a black Mercedes SUV rammed through the wall. News reports of the incident said the driver was attempting to navigate out of a parking spot when his tire got stuck between a telephone pole and a bike chained to it. He then reversed too quickly, lost control and caused the accident.

No one in the store was hurt.

We reported on Saturday about the black Mercedes SUV that smashed through Sheepshead Bay Road’s CVS storefront, injuring nine. Surprisingly, no one was seriously hurt, but many were left puzzled about how a car could’ve ended up perpendicular, backing up into the store’s wall.

Well, some of the news reports indicate the driver was an elderly man attempting to navigate out of a parking spot. According to WPIX News (Channel 11), his tire got stuck between a telephone pole and a bike chained to it. He put the car in reverse and “lost control,” and plowed through the CVS. News 12 said he hit the telephone pole, “ricocheted” off a bike (?!), and landed in the CVS.

Now we get an employee’s account (and photos!). On the AccuWeather.com forums, an employee who was not working that day wrapped up pretty much everything we already know. But he added some inside information: employees were told the elderly driver went into diabetic shock. Now it starts to make more sense.

As for the store – they cleaned up and went back to business that evening. They have wooden boards up over the hole, and we’re predicting corporate will have it lookin’ brand new in two weeks or less. Anyone else want to hazard a guess?

View more photos of the accident

UPDATE (3:28 p.m.): We just heard a little more from the reader. Here’s what he wrote:

I do not think anybody got hurt, not sure what happened to the driver, and initially I thought it was an explosion. It sounded like a bomb going off. There were a couple of cashiers in front but no serious injury, one cashier had a scratch on his arm but nothing major and ambulance was still checking him out. People did not scream but everyone was freaked out, saw a bunch of women in tears, people panicked, ran from the front to the back.

Original story:

Apparently the driver of a black Mercedes SUV felt the CVS Drugstore at Sheepshead Bay Road and East 14th street needed a drive through. At around 2:00 p.m. today, the car crashed through the wall facing Sheepshead Bay Road, landing right where the registers are. A reader who was shopping inside at the time sent in these photos. We don’t know if anyone was hurt, and we sincerely hope no one was. We’ll update with more information as we receive it.

We told you about Chila Lati’s case earlier this month, in which she stood accused of attacking a traffic agent. Lati claimed she was at her local Yeshiva at the time, and that the charges were for another Chila Lati. Turns out, her case came together pretty well – Lati was cleared of all charges yesterday. Meanwhile, prosecutors have a mouthful of feet, as they try to figure out how they went forward with a case that made no sense to begin with. Also, we’re pretty sure the traffic agent will be awarded a medal for superior competence since, well, that’s how it works with traffic agents, isn’t it?

Courtesy of Daily News

Ever wished you had a twin you could blame your evil deeds on? Chila Lati’s got the next best thing. According to the local mom, it wasn’t she who ran over a traffic agent’s foot outside of a Sheepshead Bay pharmacy back in January, it was a relative with the same name.

Lati’s attempts to clear her name were foiled on Thursday, when prosecutors asked that her trial be postponed until June. “I’m so disappointed,” Lati told the Daily News. “I thought they would just drop the case. Now we have to come back again.”

After wrapping up at an Avenue U drug store, prosecutors say Lati attacked a traffic agent. The agent picked her out of a lineup after detectives tracked her down through the pharmacy. But photos taken in a yeshiva in a different neighborhood 18 minutes before the “assault” prove she’s innocent, according to Lati’s lawyers. Not to mention the prescription is for another Chila Lati, a relative with the same, you know, really common name.

Courtesy of GerritsenBeach.net

Walgreens location #10064, also known as Bragg Street Walgreens (on Avenue U), is finally prepping to open their doors to clients.

Management told us back in February that they were set for a March opening. But after weeks of setbacks due to construction and specific retail permits, management delayed. And delayed. And delays… until now.

The store is slated to open the week of May 9, right after the Mother’s Day rush.

According to a Walgreens representative, the store should be receiving their merchandise and expense some time next week. The Bragg Street location has parking for 27 cars.

When Walgreens opened its 7,000th storefront right here in Sheepshead Bay, many residents were elated to see the national chain making a push into our area. Similar anticipation surrounds the opening of their Bragg Street and Avenue U location, slated for March.

But few would’ve guessed that just months later a business deal might lead to the closing of several area locations of pharmacy chains.

It was announced this morning that Walgreens purchased the New York City-based Duane Reade franchise for $1.1 billion.

For Sheepshead Bay, the deal means a handful of redundant locations may be closed. The turn of events could leave dozens of Sheepshead Bay residents unemployed, and will leave several large commercial lots empty during an economic recession.

The map below shows the current locations of Walgreens and Duane Reade storefronts in the Sheepshead Bay/Brighton Beach/Marine Park/Midwood area. Walgreens has nine locations (including the unopened Bragg Street store) marked in blue. Duane Reade has ten locations marked in green.

View Sheepshead Bay Walgreens & Duane Reades in a larger map

While the Brighton Beach and southern portion of Sheepshead Bay appear to be clear of duplicity, areas to the north have quite a few overlapping spots – including the newly-built Bragg Street Walgreens.

On Kings Highway, Duane Reade faces off with Walgreens on opposite corners of the same intersection, and there are two more Duane Reades just blocks away. On Avenue J, they’re also placed across the street from each other.

On Avenue U, Walgreens competes with Duane Reade near the Q train station, as well as between Nostrand Avenue and Gerritsen Avenue, and again near Kings Plaza.

Walgreens has not said whether they’ll be closing redundant locations, but it’s safe to assume that at least some will close.

Courtesy of MarineParker.net

We’ve been getting a lot of e-mails asking if we knew when the planned Walgreens on Avenue U and Bragg Street will open up, so we contacted management to ask. They’ve finally answered us and the plan is to open doors in the middle of March.

As MarineParker.net points out, the Bragg Street location will have a parking lot for 27 cars and landscaping, much like the Coney Island Avenue and Avenue W store. Unlike that store, which was the 7,000th Walgreens in the nation, there is no special grand opening planned. It’ll be a humdrum day with a few managers from the district office to welcome customers.