Joining a long list of pharmacies, CVS Pharmacy will be moving
into Westwood Village in coming months ““ and local businesses
are upset.
Many Westwood Village tenants said another pharmacy is
unwelcome, “redundant retail” and would rather see more
unique storefronts that could spark commercial activity.
Other pharmacies in the area include Longs Drugs, Ralphs, Rite
Aid and an under-construction Sav-on Drugs one block south of
Wilshire.
“Like we need one more,” said Giselle Stronhendl,
designer and gemologist at Muriel Chastanet fine jewelry designs,
when she heard CVS Pharmacy will be moving to Westwood.
“I don’t know how that can be supported,” she
said. “We need nice boutiques, not more generic chain stores
that are on every corner, and especially not another pharmacy when
we already have Longs and Rite Aid.”
Chastanet said she wants to see “good times” return
to Westwood Village businesses, which would mean bringing character
and individuality back.
Some of the area’s pharmacists also said the market is
weak for another pharmacy.
“The West Los Angeles pharmacy business is already very
saturated,” said Nancy Li, a pharmacist at Longs Drugs.
“I do not think we need another retail pharmacy,
especially when lots of patients get their prescriptions filled at
local hospitals around UCLA,” she added.
Clinton Schudy of Oakley’s Barber Shop said he has
repeatedly heard that local businesses wish to diversify the types
of stores and services available.
Instead of another “totally redundant” pharmacy, he
said he would prefer to see more shopping retail and social places,
like bars and dance clubs, which would make Westwood a shopping
destination.
Joseph Melamed, owner of Gypsy Cafe, echoed these
sentiments.
“We need to keep our children in the Village,” he
said, suggesting that Westwood offer more late-night entertainment
facilities to entice students to stay near campus when looking for
fun and relaxation.
He expressed regret that Westwood Village has been beaten out by
venues like Universal City Walk, the Third Street Promenade and the
Grove.
“A pharmacy will be just another dark corner,”
Melamed said.
The CVS Pharmacy will occupy the basement and ground level
floors of the building formerly leased by Copeland Sports on the
southwest corner of Westwood Boulevard and Weyburn Avenue, said
Greg Luskin, site supervisor for Spectrum Construction, which is
currently working on the new CVS cite.
The UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute will remain in the upper
story above CVS.
“I believe it was CVS Pharmacy’s hope to be moved in
by the new year when they will be opening several other CVS stores
in the California area,” Luskin said, adding that
construction might take a few extra months.
Mike DeAngelis, CVS Corporate spokesman, said CVS had no
announcements regarding a store in Westwood at this time.
Nevertheless, plans are under way to remove a wall, put in a
stair case and elevator, and install steel beams and concrete
columns to prepare the brick structure for the new arrival.
Many business owners are skeptical of CVS Pharmacy’s
chance at making a profit.
Pharmacies in Westwood are already in competition, and there may
not be enough consumers to go around.
Ralphs and Longs, located in the same complex, already battle
for the same customers. Many opt for Ralphs, which has street
exposure and allows people to buy groceries while getting
prescriptions .
While many Westwood businesses are opposed to a new pharmacy,
some UCLA students are also wary of CVS Pharmacy’s place in
Westwood.
Marisol Aguilar, a fifth-year art history and classical
civilization student, said she chooses Longs because the store
offers two hours, as opposed to 20 minutes, of validated
parking.
“What perk will CVS Pharmacy offer me so that I will shop
there?” she asked.