The new and long-awaited Walgreens at Madison and Oak Park has opened. They did a nice job. The store is quite well laid out, but maintains a traditional look by preserving the north and east façade. Along the Madison side of the parking lot is a nice brick wall with built-in benches. Since there are sandwiches, salads and fruit for sale, one can go to Walgreens for lunch alfresco and enjoy a view of Madison Street; or as the pharmacy manager lady said, “You can watch Oak Park go by,” (or did she mean go buy?).
This reminded me that many of the same great people are working here, including the mentioned pharmacy manager (I never could figure out how she remembers her customers’ names; maybe she has facial-recognition software in the security camera?), and the senior cashier lady who has been there “forever.” There were suited “corporation types” all over the place, but soon they will be gone to wherever they go to.
In the real “good ol’ days,” Walgreens had lunch counters/soda fountains. There is some continuing construction in a walled-off north-east corner of the store. Could it possibly be for that purpose?
Walgreens did a great job, and Sears Pharmacy is still up the street (west of Home Avenue), so if you prefer a small independent, it survives. We have the best of both worlds along Madison now.
Brent Borgerson
Oak Park
