Venerable pharmacy closes shop for good
By GERRY SHIH Special to the Daily Press
SUNSET PARK At 68, Robert Sakamoto has been reminded that it can be a dog-eat-dog world, revealing he had no choice but to finally close Airport Pharmacy today after nearly 70 years in business.
Claiming his landlord would not grant him a lease extension to operate the venerable Pico Boulevard pharmacy, Sakamoto had no choice but to close shop and move on.
The pharmacy is one of three small, independent businesses located in a building at the corner of Pico and 33rd Street that, according to sources, will likely be demolished within the next few years in order to make way for an expansion of Trader Joe’s market, which currently shares the rear parking lot with the businesses.
The expected closure of the three stores — the pharmacy, Make Believe Inc. and Teddie Tillett’s — highlights a recent pattern of local businesses moving from the Pico Boulevard commercial corridor, and some locals have become increasingly wary of the inevitable encroachment of bigger businesses with more financial leverage and political influence.
The pharmacy initially opened in 1938, with Sakamoto taking the reins 20 years later. He said he accumulated tens of thousands of patients over the decades, and he still maintains about 5,000 regulars customers.
Sakamoto believes his landlord, Jim Spear, did not agree to an extended lease because he plans to eventually give the master lease to Trader Joe’s. Owners from the two other businesses in the building — Ruth Talley at Make Believe Inc., a costume shop, and Teddie Tillett, of the eponymous women’s boutique — said they expect Trader Joe’s to expand its operation in the wake of their departure.
Make Believe will relocate after its lease expires in February 2009, and Teddie Tillett’s lease is set to end in August 2008. Sakamoto claims Spear offered to extend his lease to August 2008, but no later, so he decided to call it quits.
When contacted by the Daily Press, Spear said it was untrue that Trader Joe’s had already been given the master lease, but remained vague about his future plans for the site, declining to rule out the possibility that he might demolish the buildings.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Spear said. “One empty store doesn’t help Trader Joe’s and it doesn’t help me any.”
Trader Joe’s branch manager declined to comment to the Daily Press and multiple messages left on Monday to Trader Joe’s public relations department were not returned.
Sakamoto and his assistants have been frantically preparing for today’s closure in recent days. He recently mailed more than 700 letters to notify his most recent customers of his decision to close, and in the past several days, there has been a whirlwind of activity behind the counter as the pharmacists prepare capsules and creams for clients looking to get one last refill of their prescription and a chance to say good-bye.
Still, Sakamoto and his technician of 30 years, Donna Walden, occasionally paused for hugs and longer nostalgic chats last week with patients who can’t seem to let go.
“It’s the friendships that I’ll miss,” Sakamoto said.“A lot of people walk in here, all sorts of demographics, and we give them service, not just a prescription number.”
As he walked behind the counter, he addressed two patients waiting in line by name. An assistant at the cash register asked one familiar face:“The regular again for you, sir?”
Sakamoto said that he hopes to continue serving his patient base by joining the pharmacy chain Rite Aid’s branch down the street, which will absorb some of his inventory. As for the customers who depended on him to prepare compound medications such as hormonal creams, capsules, and specialized gels for muscle aches, they will have to visit a separate clinic run by his daughter at the St. John’s Medical Plaza on 22nd Street.
Although Sakamoto insisted that Trader Joe’s presence, in fact, helped his business, and he had “no hard feelings,” many among his considerable client base feel uneasy that the relative corporate giant might have played a hand in the Airport Pharmacy’s departure.
“It’s a shame that most of the little stores are either nonexistent or getting pushed out by big companies,” Weber said. “I guess the city must get more taxes from the stores with more revenue. The city doesn’t care that our neighborhood’s little stores are going.
“If they did, they’d do something about it.” Mazurki, who said Sakamoto once delivered medications to her home because she was sick, said she’s going to follow him to Rite-Aid, but she was pessimistic about Sakamoto’s ability to maintain such a high level of personal service after the move.
“This is what’s happening to the little guys in America,” said Mazurki, visibly unsettled. “Trader Joe’s plays the community card, but it’s not. It’s turning into another Wal-mart.”
Trader Joe’s, owned by German supermarket mogul billionaire Theo Albrecht, has 280 stores in the U.S. and enjoyed $5 billion worth of sales in 2006, according to industry publications. Well known for its gourmet, organic and “alternative” inventory, the remarkably successful chain has positioned itself as a non-corporate, community-oriented boutique grocer with the slogan “Your Neighborhood Grocery Store.”
In recent years, the success of Trader Joe’s has made parking an enormous headache at the Pico Boulevard branch, which some sources have indicated is the second-highest grossing such store in the country. The three local business owners said that Trader Joe’s hoped to expand and increase its storage space, but did not think the city would permit the plan because of the cramped dimensions of the lot.
As a result, the three independent businesses approached Trader Joe’s and offered a buyout, according to Tillett. The initial reception was warm, but eventually fizzled when it was discovered that the advanced age of the building created complications involving insurance liability.
If Spear cleared out the building and handed the Trader Joe’s the master lease to the block, the supermarket would be able to transform the block to its liking. Spear said that Trader Joe’s had roughly eight years remaining on its current lease.
“I don’t blame (Spear),” Tillett said of Spear. “He is doing what a smart businessman would do”
As of now, a City Hall employee in Building and Safety said that Trader Joe’s has not yet officially applied for any expansions, although there is a chance that informal talks could be underway without her knowledge.
“Lately, I’ve seen all these small local shops move out of this part of Pico,” Fletcher said, rattling off the names of several restaurants, record stores and clothing boutiques that have closed or left. “It makes you wonder if it’s healthy.”
Pamela Cook, who stood at the cash register Friday waiting to pay for the last time in Airport Pharmacy, joined in the spontaneous discussion that was largely nostalgic, somewhat bitter.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 28, 2007. Read the original PDF.