News

Again, an end of an era

by Michele D.  Maniscalco
Wednesday Mar 8, 2017

Family owned Tremont Drug closes its doors

Snow shovels and fireplace logs stood by the front window of Tremont Drug, 610 Tremont Street, during a visit earlier this week, but perhaps more representative of Gary and Joyce Einsidler's family-owned, independent pharmacy, schoolchildren often stood inside the front window of the pharmacy, taking refuge from the cold as they waited for the bus on many winter mornings.

Above the cash register, trophies from local athletic teams the Einsidlers sponsored lined the wall, and over the pharmacy area was a row of plaques from AIDS Action, IBA and local youth programs honoring the Einsidlers for their support. Sadly, on Wednesday, March 8 at 6:00 PM, Tremont Drug became one of the most recent casualties in a dying breed. On Tuesday afternoon, customers streamed in to get the scoop on the closing while others called in to greet the family who helped them maintain their health for almost 20 years.

The widespread theory of what precipitated the closing is the soaring cost of rents in the South End, but Einsidler blamed his business's end on the escalating costs and decreasing returns he faced in filling prescriptions and dealing with third-party insurers. "It's sad to leave, but it's circumstances beyond my control. Rent did go up but that was only a contributing factor, not the main reason. Third party insurances are the main factor. Some insurances are charging me to fill scripts," Einsidler said with frustration in a telephone interview.

Last month, Einsidler sold his business, including prescriptions and inventory to CVS, and all prescriptions that were not transferred before closing will be on file at CVS at 285 Columbus Avenue, and upon Tremont Drug's closing, its phone number, (617) 262-3389, will ring at the CVS. Tremont Drug's space has not yet been rented.

Gary and Ellen Einsidler graduated from MCPHS in 1984, and Gary Einsidler went to work at Tremont Drug in 1985 under former owner, Ernest Wantman, eventually purchasing the business in 1998. "It was difficult. You had to fight your way through to learn the business. Since 1985, everything I do has gone up in price, but reimbursements have gone down," Einsidler observed.

While it has been a challenge, the Einsidlers look back happily at their years running Tremont Drug. "I was 23½ when I started working here and now I am in my 50s. I bought the store, I was able to buy a house, I've had 2 children. I've been here so long I've known teens who have grown up and now they are grandparents," he mused. "I really like working here with the people. It's an old mom and pop type pharmacy with a little bit of everything,"

Gary Einsidler said. Ellen Einsidler commented, "Pharmacy is good for raising a family, with a flexible schedule. Gary and I would switch off days off; he would have the kids one day, I'd have them the next." Last May, daughter Ellen Einsidler graduated from MCHPS with her Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm. D.) and joined the family business. In addition to the apothecary section, Tremont Drug was like a small, general store, with snacks and groceries including a sizable Goya section; home goods; winter hats and in a nod to the tradition of the old drugstore ice-cream fountain, Tremont Drug had about a dozen flavors of slush. Even in inventory, the Einsidlers offered a personal touch, going out of their way to obtain hard-to-find products that customers wanted.

"We tried to order specialty items that you couldn't get anywhere else over the years," Ellen Einsidler said.


When word spread on Facebook's South End Community Board of Tremont Drug's demise, individual customers and fellow business owners alike lamented the loss of the family business.
Patron Gustavo Pena recalled, "I started shopping there a decade ago after a car ran through their front door one Sunday morning. Started talking to them about it and became a customer. One thing that I loved was the fantastic way they treated everyone, and they had some doozies walk in the store. I've seen them help out junkies, treat drunks with respect, just be generally cool with all." Longtime customer Richard Kiley said, "I have been a patron for 15 years; they were always polite, helpful and good neighbors. You were not an anonymous number, you were a person. When stores like this close, the city loses part of its soul. These are people who cared about the neighborhood, delivered the scrips to your door, and they were always there; it was not like at CVS where every six months a new pharmacist is behind the counter. Also, for many people, like my parents, grandparents, and great grandparents a store was an economic means to middle class, you worked hard and long but you built a business that you passed along to your children."

Union Park Neighborhood Association president James Alan Fox also expressed his dismay at the loss of a long-time neighborhood institution.

"I am saddened by the closing of Tremont Drug, a fixture in this neighborhood for decades, and troubled that certain regulations and market conditions have made it nearly impossible for a local pharmacy to survive. Sure, I will miss the convenience that Tremont Drug offered. But, in this era of online purchasing and mega-chain stores, I will miss even more the personal connection that I enjoyed with owner Gary Einsidler and his staff," James Alan Fox, president of the Union Park Neighborhood Association, said via e-mail. Jennifer Effron, executive director of Washington Gateway Main Street (WGMS), said in a written statement, "We at Washington Gateway are always saddened to hear of a long standing locally owned business that closes. Small business is the heart and soul of the neighborhood and the owners always bring a personal touch to their customers. We will miss Tremont Drug in the South End."

Looking toward the future, Gary Einsidler anticipates taking a little time off before resuming work, while Ellen hopes to start working promptly. Gary reflected, "I don't want to go, but it's the best thing for my family to leave at this time. The thing I'll miss most is my customers. I won't miss the drive in to work, but I'll miss the people. I was the "piller" of the community," he quipped.