Conveniently placed on the north-east corner of a highly-populated intersection, the Strand Pharmacy stays true to its goal of keeping an intimate neighborhood feel.  On Broadway, at the light for Crescent Street, owner and pharmacist, Paul Mastrogiannis, who has an extensive background and personal experience in owning a business, says he chose the location because, “It became available and because of the number of people who live per square block here. If you have a large number of people living per square block, you can support a lot of different businesses.”

The pharmacy has a comfortable vibe, with its mere three aisles and one counter for items to be rung up. In the middle of one of the aisles is a cozy setup of three folding chairs, where Paul was sitting for the interview.  Visits on different days found customers seated in the chairs, chatting, catching up, or simply taking a needed rest while waiting for their prescriptions.  Specifically Diana Polopoalous, a resident of the neighborhood who lives four blocks away, finds trips to the pharmacy convenient, as well as enjoyable.

“It’s a great place.  I actually come here and drop off my prescriptions, and sit around talking to Paul, or Mike, or whoever’s here while I wait for them,” she says. “For the most part they know what I need already, and it’s just all around a much more pleasant experience than going to CVS or Rite Aid.”

Mastrogiannis finds getting to know his customers on a first-name and individual basis to be an important aspect of his business.  Engaging in small-talk and sometimes deeper conversations, Mastrogiannis and his staff often befriend some of the customers and learn details about their lives.

“I’m a social person. I like to find out where people are going on vacation. So I start a lot of different discussions, you know.  I know everybody by first name.”

The pharmacy business is one of the very few that, fortunately for Strand Pharmacy, is fairly recession proof.  People will always need medications, and will always frequent a pharmacy to get them. “I haven’t noticed much of a change in business. It’s a pharmacy.  It’s steady. I have the same people coming in all the time.  You know even if you lose one customer another one will come in. You start talking to them and the people that move to the neighborhood want to come to a small pharmacy.”

But what about the competition from large-scale chain pharmacies such as Walgreens and Duane Reade? Mastrogiannis launches into a passionately fueled response, but interrupts to help a customer.  “They won’t do you a favor, you know.  They won’t go out of their way to take care of a person, and I like to know everyone who comes to my store.”

Again, his response is quickly interrupted by a “Hey, how are you,” directed to an entering patron.  His friendly nature is evident in his willingness to answer the questions, and the atmosphere of the pharmacy is proved to be a welcoming one.

So what is the real difference between going to a local chain pharmacy and a local small business?  A concept that seems outdated in today’s world, but nonetheless an important one.  Mastrogiannis sums it up in a phrase: “We deliver.”

For many elderly or disabled people, it is extremely difficult to pick-up prescriptions, especially in a neighborhood in which the primary means of transportation is walking.  Strand Pharmacy will deliver through rain, sleet, or snow to anywhere in town.

Owning a small pharmacy also allows the privilege of having more control over the abuse of prescription drugs.  In contrast, chain pharmacies are at a large risk for distributing drugs that aren’t needed because of the impersonal element they possess.

The other advantage of being a privately owned pharmacy is the ability to control price. This principle also works to the benefit of the consumer, because prices at chain pharmacies are often a good deal higher, according to Mastrogiannis.

Mastrogiannis recalls an instance taking place earlier that morning.  “Some lady came in for a cream, and I told her it costs $45.  And you know, I make something on it.  They went to Walgreens and asked the price and it was $95 there for the same cream, more than double.”

As far as the demographics of their customers, they vary from teenagers and young adults, to the business’ logically dominant group of senior citizens. Employee demographics vary as well.

“I have one guy that works for me who is like 45 years old.  I have younger guys who were in their 20’s,” Mastrogiannis says. “Anyone that needs a job, who’s friendly and comes from the neighborhood, I’ll try to help ‘em out, you know.”

Conveniently placed on the north-east corner of a highly-populated intersection, the location of the Strand Pharmacy stays true to its goal of an intimate neighborhood feel.  On Broadway, at the light for Crescent Street, owner and pharmacist, Paul Mastrogiannis, who has an extensive background and personal experience in owning a business, states he chose the location because “it became available and because of the amount of people that live per square block here, so if you have a large amount of people living per square block you can support a lot of different businesses.”

The pharmacy has a comfortable vibe, with its mere three aisles and one counter for items to be rung up, and in the middle of one of the aisles is a cozy setup of three folding chairs, where Paul was sitting upon the beginning of the interview.  Visits on different days found customers seated in the chairs, chatting, catching up, or simply taking a needed rest while waiting for their prescriptions.  Specifically Diana Polopoalous, a resident of the neighborhood who lives four blocks away, finds trips to the pharmacy convenient, as well as enjoyable.

“It’s a great place.  I actually come here and drop off my prescriptions, and sit around talking to Paul, or Mike, or whoever’s here while I wait for them,” she states.  “For the most part they know what I need already, and it’s just all around a much more pleasant experience than going to CVS or Rite Aid.”

Mastrogiannis finds getting to know his customers on a first-name and individual basis to be an important aspect of his business.  Engaging in small-talk and sometimes deeper conversations, Mastrogiannis and his staff often befriend some of the customers and learn details about their lives.

“I’m a socialite.  My biggest thing that I like to do every day is find out where people are going on vacation. So I start a lot of different discussions, you know.  I know everybody by first name.”

The pharmacy business is one of the very few that, fortunately for Strand Pharmacy, is fairly recession proof.  People will always need medication, and will always frequent a pharmacy to get it. “I haven’t noticed much of a change in business, it’s a pharmacy it’s steady, I have the same people coming in all the time.  You know even if you lose one customer another one will come in. You start talking to them and the people that move to the neighborhood want to come to a small pharmacy.”

When questioned about the inevitable difficulties encountered by the competition found in large-scale chain pharmacies such as Walgreens and Duane Reade, Mastrogiannis prepares to launch into a passionately fueled response, but interrupts to help a customer.  “They won’t do you a favor, you know.  They won’t go out of their way to take care of a person, and I like to know everyone who comes to my store.”

Again, his response is quickly interjected by a “Hey, how are you,” directed to an entering patron.  His friendly nature is evident in his willingness to answer the questions, and the atmosphere of the pharmacy is proved to be a welcoming one.

So is the real difference between going to a local chain pharmacy and a local small business?  A concept that seems outdated in today’s world, but nonetheless an important one.  Mastrogiannis sums it up in a phrase: “We deliver.”

For many elderly or disabled people it is extremely difficult to pick-up prescriptions, especially in a neighborhood in which the primary means of transportation is walking.  Strand Pharmacy will deliver through rain, sleet, or snow to anywhere in town.

Owning a small pharmacy also allows the privilege of having more control over the abuse of prescription drugs.  In contrast, chain pharmacies are at a large risk for distributing drugs that aren’t needed because of the impersonal element they possess.

The other advantage of being a privately owned pharmacy is the ability to control price. This principle also works to the benefit of the consumer, because prices at chain pharmacies are often a good deal higher.

Mastrogiannis recalls an instance taking place earlier that morning.  “Some lady came in for a cream, and I told her it costs 45 dollars.  And you know, I make something on it.  They went to Walgreens and asked the price and it was 95 dollars there for the same cream, more than double.”

As far as the demographics of the customers, it varies from teenagers and young adults, to the business’ logically dominant group of senior citizens. Employee demographics vary as well.

“I have one guy that works for me who is like 45 years old.  I have younger guys who were in their 20’s,” Mastrogiannis states. “Anyone that needs a job, who’s friendly and comes from the neighborhood, I’ll try to help ‘em out, you know?”

Honestly this is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time.  Actually, it’s more like a feature article series.  But I think Joseph Mitchell does an amazing job at telling the story of Joe Gould.  His talent for description and imagery really conjured an image of Joe Gould for me, and I almost felt like I knew him as the story unfolded.

The twist of the story was not something I anticipated until Mitchell intended the reader to.  Often when I read a story of this nature, I feel like I almost already know where the author is going to go before hand.  Not with Joe Mitchell.  This article is a perfect example of what a profile should be, because it gives all of the angles and sides to the character.  We see Joe Gould as a sad, desperate, delusional liar and then we also see him as a guy who wanted a lot for himself but couldn’t quite motivate himself enough to make it happen.  We also experience changing emotions regarding Gould at the same time Joe Mitchell does.

Overall, an exhilarating and extremely well-written profile.  I am interested in reading some of Joe Mitchell’s other work after this book.

Jennifer Ingrao
10/3/12
Feature Article Writing
Professor Bernstein

Neighborhood Faces Story: Final Draft
A Gem of Astoria

The smile that beamed from Anne Ramodhar’s face as she opens the door to Bakeway Café on 31st Street in Astoria, and squeezes her petite body through a space barely big enough for a small child, did its part to light up the small café.  She apologizes for being seven minutes late, for one of her twice weekly church sessions at the Times Square Church on 51st Street ran late.

For Ms. Ramodhar, church is not only a way of life, but a hobby, passion, and a social group.   She wastes no time in jumping into her background with an ear to ear grin that possesses the air of someone excited to recap her story.  She speaks rapidly with a slight stutter that may not be obvious in a casual conversation.  Being a practicing Lutheran, she expresses the importance of Church teachings throughout the interview and provides captivating examples of what she refers to as ‘God’s hand in things.’’

“I came here from South America, a little over 26 years ago.  I was looking for a job, and after six months I went to an agency for a job to take care of elderly people, and they sent me to Astoria.  That’s I how I came to Astoria, and I fell in love with Astoria after I came to work here and I have stayed in this neighborhood ever since.”

The love is mutual between Ms. Ramodhar and Astoria, as she is an important staple in society.  An  homeowner, landlord, and member of the town who often organizes social and church gatherings, Ramodhar is an important and highly admired member of the Astoria township.  As a landlord, Ms. Ramodhar makes sure to keep the rent affordable for her tenants, as well as try to make their living experience as pleasant as possible.

“Anne has been a wonderful landlord.  And she has been very responsive to our needs.  Unlike other landlords in the neighborhood, she is not trying to take advantage of us financially. She looks out for us, like  our mothers would.  One day she even came to meet me late at night from her daughters house to give me a stamp so I could put something important in the mail, because I couldn’t get to the post office. We live in a very beautiful, safe neighborhood, but living under Anne is even more comforting,” commented Pamela Hesch, a tenant of Anne’s for almost two years.

Ms. Ramodhar was a struggling foreigner who came to New York City to make a life for herself, and that she has accomplished.  Being a single mother of two children Laura and Trevor, she worked her way from nothing to a nursing degree and a prominent position as a nurse for the corporate office of Citibank, which cares for over 10,000 employees. In her spare time Anne enjoys the fine arts in a variety of aspects.  “I would go to a Broadway show over watch a movie any day of the week,” she says.  She also loves to attend her Church, sometimes staying for three services in a row, if she is inspired enough.

She has earned a respected reputation in the city of Astoria, due to her hardworking nature and friendly personality. But there are some residents who weren’t so welcoming. “Some of the Greeks were very racist and, when I first moved in here my neighbors, they didn’t even want me to have the house.”

She goes on to describe a difficult situation when her neighbors did not want her to join their neighborhood as a homeowner, strictly because of her background.  She also discusses another difficult moment when she rented to an African American tenant, and certain neighbors were not happy about it.  She has made every effort not to allow that to diminish her happiness in Astoria.

Ms. Ramodhar describes her connection to Astoria as all encompassing.  Safety being one of the primary concerns, she also highlights the convenience of its location in proximity to Manhattan, as well as it’s shopping and restaurant locations.

She states that she has seen a huge change in Astoria that  comes back to one word: “Gentrification”.  In the last five or six years she can identify a change in the average Astoria resident, now citing young working professionals as a presence in the town, as well as a changing dominant racial demographic.

“When I first came here it was a very Greek and Italian neighborhood.  Now there are many young people, Caucasian and African American, as well as more Arabic and Asian citizens.”

Still, she embraces the change all the same and confirms her dedication to the neighborhood.  “It’s lively here, and always changing.  That’s what I love about this city.”

The neighborhood I chose to focus on is Gramercy Park.  Attending Baruch and working at a local restaurant/bar, I am in the neighborhood almost more than my own.  I know a lot of different people who live, work, and own businesses in the area so I don’t see myself having too much trouble finding a story. 

The stereotype of Gramercy Park and surrounding neighborhoods is that it has a very young population.  This is confirmed by the nyc.gov website where it’s listed that 44 percent of the population is between the ages of 25 and 44. It is also seen as a fairly well-educated area, with almost three-quarters of residents being college graduates, which is a higher percentage than Manhattan residents overall.

The neighborhood also has an extremely low crime rate, accounting for one murder per year in the last six.  There is however, a very high rate of alcohol abuse among residents in Gramercy Park. 

Working in the neighborhood I frequent a number of small businesses, and also know the landlord that owns my restauraunt’s building, so I think I will be able to get some good ideas.