How To Erase A 75-Year-Old Drug Store From Existence

Got some bad news. Last year I wrote about Mishkin’s, a classic New York City drug store at 145th Street and Amsterdam.

Not only does Mishkin’s have one the all-time greatest neon signs in the city…

Stepping inside was literally like taking a trip to the 1940s…

…with wood-paneled walls and shelves…

…ancient drawers behind the counter…

…ladders to get to the highest shelves…

…a tin ceiling…

…and a beautiful tile floor:

There were even a pair of old phone booths at the front:

Er, not anymore:

The whole thing has been completely gutted:

Well, not completely gutted…

They haven’t gotten around to ripping out the last bit of tiling:

It never ceases to amaze me how someone would go and destroy something so unique and historic, and then replace it with the most generic and boring version imaginable. I asked someone working at the counter about the changes, but she just shrugged and said “It’s the 21st century.”

But most depressing of all? The neon sign hasn’t been lit up in some time.

I asked if they were going to bother turning it on, but no one seemed to know.

This store had something once that made it incredibly special, something that money couldn’t buy. Now, there’s not a single thing that differentiates it from the hundreds of similar drug stores throughout the city. I guess that is the 21st century.

You can read the original post here.

-SCOUT

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