A brand-new Walgreens celebrated its grand opening on Saturday on Fulton Street, the location of the old Carver Bank, to a packed crowd of Bed-Stuy residents eager to sample the store’s latest offerings.
Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz was on hand with store managers to take part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony, along with a crowd of about 100 people who milled around the store, sampling free products, while taking advantage of free blood pressure screenings and other service and product offerings.
The new retail giant, located at 1281 Fulton Street, originally premiered on April 6, after signing a 20-year lease on the 6,600-square-foot space.
According to the store’s District Manager, Hien Nguyen, they had been looking for a new store location in Central Brooklyn for a while before they settled on the Bed-Stuy location. And, he added, so far, Walgreens has been happy with the decision.
“We’ve been looking for a location like this for many years,” said Nguyen. “We’re still building relationships, getting into the neighborhood more than anything else. And it’s been pretty good so far, because the people here embrace us.”
The store has made a big push to carry some locally made products, particularly products manufactured by Bed-Stuy residents. Featured at the grand opening were Made in Brooklyn, LimeGreen, Brooklyn Baby Cakes and others.
“We wanted a lot of pieces of Brooklyn here,” said Nguyen. “This is at the infancy stage, and we do want to reach out to the local businesses and work with them in any capacity for awareness.
“There’s going to be a lot of opportunities in the surrounding area to build relationships.”
The new store is open Monday through Sunday, from 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
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