After years of providing prescription medication and over-the-counter treatments to residents of Montclair and surrounding towns, CVS Pharmacy, at 514 Bloomfield Avenue, is closing on September 24th.
Amy Thibault, CVS senior corporate communications manager, said all prescriptions from the location will be transferred to CVS at 49 Claremont Avenue. Customers are also able to switch prescriptions to other pharmacies for the sake of convenience.
One pharmacy gaining traction from the news is Serket Pharmacy, located at 8 Church Street, steps from the Bloomfield Avenue CVS. Due to the proximity, it’s been a relatively popular pick for those who wish to transfer prescriptions.
“We’re getting a lot of movement,” said Jacob, an employee of Serket. He said the pharmacy had seen between 20 and 25 customers switch from the Bloomfield Avenue CVS to Serket within the week after the closure was announced.
CVS did not announce specific reasons for the closure. In 2021, the chain announced plans to close 900 stores across the country over the next few years.
Increased Competition
Thibault said some of the criteria used to make the “difficult decision” to close certain stores has to do with the amount of stores existing in a community that could fill people’s needs, as well as the makeup of the local market and population changes.
Sarit Roy is a Montclair resident and the founder and president of OnPoint Pharmacy. According to Roy, a “major issue for pharmacies like CVS is increased competition in their retail business from the likes of Amazon and other e-commerce players.”
Customers who needs to switch prescriptions can use CVS stores in Montclair (49 Claremont Avenue and 565 Valley Road). CVS also offers home delivery of prescription medications through their website or their app.
Other local pharmacies in Montclair include Grove Pharmacy (123 Grove Street) and Montclair Pharmacy (732 Valley Road).
A History of Drug Stores
The CVS is located at 514 Bloomfield Avenue, but this stretch of Bloomfield avenue has been home to a drug store for years. In this Montclair History Center Collection photo, Mack Drugs, which opened in the late 1930s, was located at 520 Bloomfield. It was next door to Kresge & Co., a department store.
CVS took over the former Mack Drugs location in 1978. In 1984, the store moved to 514 Bloomfield. It took over what had been a Karl’s appliance store, in order to expand its space.
Grove Pharmacy was started by my uncle Irving Hollander who was later joined by my father Manny Lorber and then by my cousin Larry Hollander. It’s been in Montclair since 1926. A lot has changed in Montclair since 1926, but one thing has remained the same.
I spoke with an employee because I had an educated guess about why CVS may be closing: high rent. According to the employee I was right: the lease was up and it was deemed too expensive to renew. Now, some of the other factors mentioned in the story could also be at play, but the abundant number of vacant retail storefronts on Bloomfield Avenue tells an undeniable story: It is very/too expensive to make a go of it in retail. Support your local businesses folks.
My guess is high rent and Bloomfield Ave is beginning to remind me of the Bowery of the late 70’s early 80’s. Maybe CBGB’s can make a comeback.
They are my “go to” CVS because of the excellent and polite customer service. This store is outstanding for that. Corporate should know of the quality of service when deciding to close underperforming stores.
This CVS store itself is obsolete, it does not fit the companies strategic plan to justify further investment, and our downtown’s growth strategy and its customer base is increasingly from visitors along with our strategy to move on-street parking to decks. Visitors in any meaningful numbers will not utilize CVS’s expanding healthcare offerings and bricks & mortar prescription services.
High property taxes = high rents = fewer businesses = fewer jobs
Anyone who tells you that looking at financial costs is not necessary is doing a disservice to everyone else in this town.
I have been saying for years, do what Milburn and some others did, make it diagonal, head-in parking, reconfigure the two lanes to favor the parking/slow drive-by option. Bloomfield Avenue itself is the death of the Bloomfield Avenue shopping district. I will never go there and be forced to park in a garage, pay the fare, and walk. Ever.