Dan's Papers - January 11, 2008 - Hampton Tradition XIX

The beautiful Sag Harbor Main Street winds its way down to the harbor, with many historic buildings from the mid to late 1800s lining the street. One of these historic buildings is located at 120 Main Street, where over a hundred years ago W.R. Reimann opened up a pharmacy. The Sag Harbor Pharmacy now marches into the 21st century still serving the local populace with warm, hometown service the way W.R. Reimann did when he aided retired Civil War veterans in the late 19th century with prescriptions to ease the pain of their war wounds.

Today, Barry Markus and Stan White run the traditional and historic pharmacy. Longtime Sag Harbor resident and employee Ann Yardley said she remembers stopping in the pharmacy as a kid when it had an ice cream soda fountain. Ann, who loves everything about Sag Harbor, is proud of the job the new owners are doing with continuing the tradition of great personal service to everybody. With the possibility of a CVS Pharmacy opening in Sag Harbor, Ann believes that the traditional customers will continue to use the Sag Harbor Pharmacy for their prescriptions for two good reasons. The first being since the prices for most prescriptions is now established by the healthcare insurance providers people use, there will be no financial incentive for long-time customers to abandon the traditional Sag Harbor Pharmacy. The second reason is the longtime, experienced staff that knows the clientele and their families, and appreciates the traditions of the town, while providing attentive and knowledgeable service.

When entering the long, narrow Sag Harbor Pharmacy, the feel and smell of a traditional pharmacy radiates. The greeting cards are to the left, along with various small gifts such as picture frames and stuffed animals. The walls are lined with cosmetics, dental needs, skincare products, hair care, first aid needs, vitamins and many other products, which lead to the back of the store where the prescription counter is located.

Ann remembers back in the fifties when youngsters would stop in after school for a scoop of ice cream or malt. The ice cream soda fountain is gone, but the sound and spirit still permeates. There still is a classic pay phone booth made from luxurious wood, and one has to wonder how many dates where booked in that phone booth. Also, located in the front of the store is a "pay for your weight" machine made from sturdy steel. I remember the days when I cheered gaining weight, but now I avoid paying a quarter to find out my weight.

Near the front counter are two artifacts pertaining to the history and tradition of the pharmacy. One is a photo dated pre-1900 of founder W.R. Reimann standing in front of the pharmacy with several Sag Harbor locals, and the other is a huge order book where W.R. Reimann recorded everything his customers purchased in great detail. CVS might be coming, but the Sag Harbor Pharmacy has been here for over 100 years, attending to the needs of the community and it is a wonderful tradition.

The Sag Harbor Pharmacy is open Monday through Saturday until the spring when it will be open seven days a week, from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. during the week and to 6 p.m. on weekends. Call 631 725- 0041 for a prescription or more information.