POUGHKEEPSIE – The Smith Street Pharmacy at the intersection of Smith and Mansion Streets is abruptly closing on Tuesday, August 11. The secretive closing has drawn the ire of local elected officials.
City Councilwoman Yvonne Flowers said, “It is disgraceful and a disrespect to the residents they serve to close the business and not inform their customers that it was happening.”
A person at the pharmacy said that when customers call for prescriptions the calls will be forwarded to Rite Aid on Main Street. The employees were only recently informed that the business would be closing.
The corner drug store has been a fixture in the neighborhood for more than 40 years. A few years ago, new owners took the business over and now sold it. “This is what happens when people come into our neighborhoods to conduct business and have no real interest in this community,” said Flowers.
Tara Whalen, associate director of Dutchess Outreach said that the closing is disappointing. “Many of the clients we serve rely on the Smith Street Pharmacy because of their convenient location right in the neighborhood.” Whalen said that Dutchess Outreach has been working with the pharmacy for decades and have always found them to be very accommodating for the clients.
