Pharmacies crowd Kingsbridge

Kingsbridge residents have no shortage of options when it comes to where they pick up their prescriptions. In the blocks surrounding the West 231st Street subway stop, close to a dozen commercial and independent drug stores are open for business. Another — Friendly Pharmacy, located at 223 W. 231st St. — is expected to open later this year.

Signage indicates that it will be operated by Muhammad and Usama Javed. They could not be reached for this story and the date of the opening was not known.

Local pharmacy owners and employees did not voice any fear of working in a potentially oversaturated market.

“I don’t feel threatened,” said Rajiv Patel, the owner of United Pharmacy at 5539 Broadway. “I’m established and I have customers and I take care of them.”

Mr. Patel said chain stores such as nearby Walgreens and Rite Aid posed more of a threat, explaining that large drug stores sometimes receive preferential rates from insurance companies.

“Competition brings the best out of us,” he added. “Our competition is not among [independent pharmacies]; it’s these big guys.”

Sam Patel, a pharmacist at Kingsbridge Pharmacy, said, “It’s an open neighborhood. Anyone who wants to come in can come in.”

“It’s going to be difficult for him to compete,” he said of Friendly Pharmacy.

Katherine Broihier of the Kingsbridge Business Improvement District (BID) said there are no rules governing the number of pharmacies in the area, but was skeptical as to how much business Friendly Pharmacy will draw.

“I can’t imagine they’re making that much money [while] competing against the chains,” she said of the neighborhood’s existing pharmacies. “Outside of prescriptions, there’s only so many boxes of Band-Aids they can sell.”

No official opening date has been announced for Friendly Pharmacy.