Dan's Papers - July 18, 2008 - Hampton Tradition XLVI: White's Pharmacy

There has been a pharmacy at 81 Main Street in East Hampton since 1873. Back then, villagers would get on their horses or load up their buggies for a trip into town and get their medicines. Perhaps they talked about President Ulysses S. Grant, who was just starting his second term, or about the western Indian wars as they waited for W.F. Muchmore to fill their prescriptions. In fact, in White's of East Hampton, the business that occupies 81 Main Street now, the old prescription book from those very early times remains on the premises.

Brad Marmon, a former part-time pharmacist in Bay Shore, used to be the fill-in pharmacist at White's in the early 1950s. In 1954, he purchased White's from Richard White with almost no money down. "He offered an attractive deal and I took action on it," recalled Marmon. "I started paying him in January, and finished paying him in October. I had no money, but we worked out a plan. Doing it was a very smart decision...it was actually wonderful and terrific." Eight years ago, Marmon sold the business - but not the building - to Vinnie Alibrandi, who has kept Marmon's daughter, Elise, on hand to manage things. Alibrandi said customer service is so important, and "Elise has known our customers her whole life."

When she was a young girl, Elise enjoyed sampling the makeup tester kits, and helping herself to some tasty Barton's chocolates - not to mention the wonderful meals and ice cream she had at the marble soda fountain that was still in White's back in the 1960s. (Of course, back then the other White's Pharmacy, the original one, was in Montauk and owned by Marmon's good friend, Allen Rattiner, Dan Rattiner's dad. They played golf together and fished on Marmon's boat, named "Therapy." The two stayed life-long best friends.)

Elise confessed that everybody has come in for something eventually. That includes Marilyn Monroe, who spent two years married to and living with playwright Arthur Miller on Hamlin Lane in Amagansett, and First Lady Jackie Kennedy. It is store policy not to mention those who shop there presently, but it is quite a list.

White's has always carried the best skin care lines, including Clinique, Estee Lauder (also a former customer), Yves St. Laurent, Bobbi Brown, Clarins and Shiseido. All of these products are spaciously displayed and marketed in the 3,000-square-foot historic ground floor.. Of course they carry almost everything you need from batteries, candy, eyeglass kits - you name it. But the essence of a pharmacy is also getting your prescriptions filled. Since most prescriptions are now priced by the drug care plans of insurance companies, the only advantage for shopping at one place over another is for the service, and Alibrandi understands that. He proudly said, "I enjoy working in a place with so much history. It's an honor to own this historic business in this historic town with such amazing loyal customers. I understand my job is to make their needs my responsibility, and I take that responsibility seriously."

So whether one comes through the front door or the old back door, entering White's is a bit of an old tradition in the Hamptons. Alibrandi is continuing the best attention-to-detail service that Brad Marmon was known for, and the 135-year-old pharmacy's commitment to community-friendly personal service.

White's is open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, visit www.whiteseasthampton.com, or call 631-324-0082.