Jericho Drugs & Surgical Supply Celebrates One-Year Anniversary

There is a sign inside Jericho Drug & Surgical Supply, located at 916 Jericho Turnpike, that you are not likely to find in a major brand-name drug store:  “Enter As Strangers Leave As Friends.”

Since Jericho Drug & Surgical Supply opened 13 months ago, converting an old laundromat into a brightly lit drug and surgical supply store, the proprietors have made quite a few friends and they hope to make many more.

It is not easy to survive, much less thrive, in today’s environment as an independent retailer, much less one in the pharmacy business that is now dominated by category killers like CVS and Walgreens.

Owner Lori Wolf wanted to change that dynamic and bring back the independent.

“Anyone who has walked in here never goes back to [CVS or Walgreens],” Wolf said. “We pride ourselves on customer service.”

That is not the only distinguishing attribute that Jericho Drug prides itself on. Wolf rattled off a list of differentiators. “It’s customer service, the fresh line of surgical products -- with knowledge - that the others don’t have, and free delivery,” Wolf said.

Wolf said the pharmacy delivers in Queens and all of Nassau.

A key for their business, as with other independent pharmacies that want to compete in today’s world, is they accept all insurances as well as worker’s compensation. 

Wolf, a pharmacy technician for six years, said customers could count on them for sound advice. The store does fittings for compression stockings and orthotics, both for local doctors as well as customers.

A Dream Come True

Wolf said she used to drive down Jericho Turnpike in New Hyde Park and think that the 916 address would be a great location for a business.

“I was like, ‘Wow, there is not another pharmacy around, no competition,” Wolf said.

When Wolf saw a rent sign on the property one day, she called business partner Deborah Murtha about the opportunity and before long, they decided to go for it.

 “I wanted it,” Wolf said. “At the time, it was just a shell. Within four months, we were open.”

Normally, she said it would take a year to open a store like hers given all the red tape involved with insurances as well as the extensive remodeling the store went through.

“The Village was very helpful and very happy that we were coming here,” she said, adding, “This was like a Lotto ticket, my dollar and a dream. It is hard work, it is not easy, but I am determined for it to succeed. I just want to make a dent.”

Jericho Drug & Surgical Supply is open Monday through Friday, 9 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For information, call 516-328-3784.