The people of Oak Bluffs have spoken: they wanted a pharmacy, and now they have one. Conroy’s Apothecary has been welcoming new customers for a little over two weeks, and hopes to be there for generations to come.
“Everyone’s been very welcoming, the town, and all the people,” owner Stan Hersh said at his new store earlier this week. “We’re very excited.”
A modern-day pharmacy in a 19th century building, Conroys has everything from medicine and refreshments to books, cards and Vineyard gift items. It looks as if it’s always been there; you almost expect to walk in and be able to sit at a counter and order a pop.
Mr. Hersh and his wife, Tami Conroy, own the Conroy’s in West Tisbury as well, and Mr. Hersh has been making the commute between the two stores every day.
“There’s better air conditioning here,” he joked of the difference between the two stores. “But there’s definitely more foot traffic.”
The pharmacy is located on the corner of Circuit and Pennacock avenues in the historic Noyes Building, which has played host to many different establishments over its 120 years.
“It’s off Circuit avenue, and we might not get all the walk-in trade, but the fact is that there’s a little more parking available down here, and the visibility’s great,” Mr. Hersh said. “I think it’s a great spot . . . there’s a little more parking in the residential area, where a lot of our year-round customers will be.”
The building was fully restored by the Haynes Group and The Resource Inc., and will now have three affordable housing apartments as well. Mr. Hersh said the only challenge about moving into the space was getting things up and running in time for summer.
“We really had to put our thinking caps on for a such a small space,” he said of the building’s layout. “But [the designer] did a great job. We have just about everything one could possibly need in a small space; it’s a little tight, but it’s really fine. It has everything that a pharmacy should have.”
The planning has taken a little over a year for Conroy’s, which outbid three other applicants when the space became available. The town voted overwhelmingly in support of the pharmacy, and awarded money directly from the Community Preservation Act to the project. “We’ve always wanted to open one in Oak Bluffs for years,” Mr. Hersh said. “We’ve been looking for quite a few years and this is perfect.”
Mr. Hersh said after people found out Conroy’s would be moving into the space, four or five other retailers called him to offer spaces in their buildings in Oak Bluffs. “So here we are looking for years to try and find a space and then everybody wanted us to come into their space,” he said smiling. “The town has been very good to us and I’m a loyal type of person. It’s just ironic that all of the sudden spaces popped up.”
And as fresh coats of paint were being applied earlier this week, Mr. Hersh said the pharmacy is 95 per cent complete. “It takes a long time but everyone’s been very cooperative and no one has ever said no,” he said. “We’ve had a remarkable response.”
“Everyone comes in and says, ‘Do you know how long it’s been since there’s been a pharmacy in Oak Bluffs?’” Paula Caron, store manager and pharmacist, said. “I tell them, ‘22 years from what I understand.’ They’ve been very excited to have us. They all go, ‘Oh finally there’s a pharmacy here, we’ve been waiting forever.’ ”
She added: “It’s smaller but it’s very efficient compared to the other store. It’s great.”
“I’m only as good as my employees — I give them more credit than I give myself,” Mr. Hersh said. “I’m nothing without them.”
There are currently around 10 people working with Ms. Caron, and Mr. Hersh said he is happy to have half the summer to establish the business. “You just don’t open up a store and have all new customers overnight,” he said. “It’s a steady stream that will occur. I think we’re going to be fine — it’s going to be a busy little store in not too long a time.”
One concern he had with the location was parking, but so far he said the concerns have been unfounded. “It’s the busiest time of the year, construction is still going on and there’s still room to park,” he said. “They thought parking was going to be an issue because when the old library was here there weren’t a lot of spaces — because they were going to spend an hour or more reading.”
He continued: “People come in here for 10 minutes, get their prescription and they’re out. There’s a constant turnover of spaces. So that fear of no place to park is really not valid.”
And is there a store number three in Conroy’s future? “I still have to recuperate from this opening,” Mr. Hersh said laughing. An Island high school student was working behind the counter, and Ms. Caron went back to helping a customer, explaining in detail the differences between one medication and another, treating her like a dear friend.
“We get what they need before they walk in,” she explained. “We give them their usual, hand them their papers. We know which ones they want.”
“We hope it becomes what West Tisbury has become; we know everybody by first name,” Mr. Hersh said. “They become part of the family.”
Conroy’s Apothecary is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and is located at 82 Penacook avenue on the corner of Circuit avenue.
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