At one time, it felt like there was a chain pharmacy on every corner. Whichever way you drove, you were bound to see a Rite-Aid, CVS, Walgreens, or, for the old heads, Eckerd. They were nice, if unglamorous, places to grab a pop or pick up a prescription refill.
However, issues with our notoriously complicated healthcare system have impacted pharmacies’ revenue streams. As a consequence, Rite-Aid, CVS, and other pharmacies have been squeezed and, as a result, shuttered local locations. Unfortunately, this has also forced some family-owned pharmacies to close. Pittsburgh’s aging population has thus lost ready access to prescription medicine even as more and more retail moves online, making a comeback less likely.
One of Pittsburgh’s strengths is our abundance of mom-and-pops. When it comes to pharmacies, there are still family-owned providers both old and new who play an essential role in the city’s retail landscape. Here are a few of the places where you can keep your dollars local while staying healthy in the Steel City.
4101 Penn Ave., Lawrenceville. wilsonspharmacy.org
Wilson’s Pharmacy, aka Wilson Drugs, is a place out of time at the heart of the Penn Ave. business district between Bloomfield and Central Lawrenceville. Its unmistakable façade hearkens back to a time of trolleys and industry. Fronted by a small convenience store and located a quick walk from UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, this pharmacy forms part of a complete, walkable part of town where it’s possible to obtain groceries, drinks, cheese, fine dining, and art within a square mile of dense rowhomes and businesses.
804 N. Negley Ave., Highland Park. facebook.com/StantonNegleyDrug
This narrow storefront at the meeting point of Highland Park and East Liberty contains a surprisingly large convenience store and a cozy pharmacy with medical staples. The pharmacy sits across the street from the Union Project and Mount Ararat community center and just a few blocks away from the Bryant St. business district. This is a great place to catch up on neighborhood gossip while you run a quick errand.
1759 Smallman St., Strip District. hiebers.com
Wherever you fall on the debate over the new architecture or housing costs in the Strip District, it’s inarguable at this point that the renovated Terminal and surrounding developments have been a commercial success, forming a neighborhood where you can shop for everything you need, go out, and pick up the riverfront trail without entering a car. Hieber’s, which won plaudits in CP’s 2023 Best Of Readers’ Poll, is an important piece of that increasingly tightly woven neighborhood fabric — beyond their spacious home in the Terminal, Hieber’s is a woman-owned business that also does compounding and testing in addition to the usual prescription services.
1018 West View Park Dr., West View. blueberrypharmacy.com
This West View pharmacy is remarkable for conducting their business in a way few other local businesses do. Run by a pharmacist who had an early job at a Somerset, Pa. mom-and-pop pharmacy, Blueberry offers transparently priced generic drugs without requiring insurance. This unique business model is supplemented by a membership program that the pharmacy says further boosts savings. Beyond all of this, Blueberry is among the most kid-friendly pharmacies on this list, offering a full selection of toys and games in addition to medicine.
2717 Brownsville Rd., Carrick. carrickpharmacy.com
Located right in the middle of Carrick, this local pharmacy completes a neighborhood fabric that includes groceries, recreation, and dining. Carrick Pharmacy combines a convenience shop with prescription and vaccine services, as well as providing health tips on their website. With enthusiastic reviews, this pharmacy forms a key node along the growing Brownsville Ave. corridor.
4727 Liberty Ave., Bloomfield. bloomfielddrugstore.com
Bloomfield Drug Store sits a stone’s throw from West Penn Hospital in the center of the booming Liberty Ave. business corridor. This 30-year-old drugstore’s touch of je-ne-sais-quoi is the racks of Pittsburgh ephemera and seasonal decor sold alongside cough drops and other staple items, forming a useful stop near some of the city’s best bookstores and restaurants.
1435 Spring Garden Ave., Spring Garden. waltmirepharmacy.com
Tucked into a tiny strip mall in the city’s skinniest neighborhood, Waltmire Pharmacy has been serving the near North Hills for over 30 years and sits between Threadbare Cider and the Hog’s Head pub. Though no longer in the Waltmire family, this institution remains locally owned and is convenient to locals living in the woody North Hills suburbs or out for a glass of crisp hard cider and a slice of pizza.