Ivan Pharmacy

The best! Been around forever and the people are all tremendous. They are like family to us.

This is the best drug store in New York City. Ivan, the owner/​pharmacist, used to work as a pharmacist at Martley’s, its predecessor, a one-​of-​a-​kind independent drugstore on the corner of 96^th St and Columbus. I went to Martley’s throughout my childhood and all the faces behind the counter were familiar (as my face was familiar to them). Then one day the Era of Martley’s ended. I can’t express my delight and relief when Ivan opened up his own drugstore after Martley’s closed. He is continuing the tradition of the genuine drug store as a place of community that nurtures and values its relationship with its customers.

I’ve just been traumatized by — a pharmacist?! Never had an experience quite like this in my long years. I rarely use prescriptions, so I didn’t have a regular pharmacy. My doc needed to phone in a prescription for me, and I told her to send it to Ivan Pharmacy just a couple of blocks from my apartment. I’d only been in there once, but they had seemed nice enough, and I always like to give the little guy the business instead of the big chains when possible. Big mistake!
When I hobbled up to the pharmacy counter (I’m on a cane due to a knee injury), no one came out for a long while, but finally the pharmacist came out and began to «assist» a woman next to me who was trying to find just the right massage oil in just the right fragrance. (I’m not sure why this required a pharmacist, particularly when there were two other employees available in this very small store.) This went on for a very long time, with him ignoring me throughout, although they was standing about two feet from me. I was patient, still mellow from a recent vacation. When he came to the counter I told him I believed my doctor had phoned in a prescription for me, and gave him my name. He said, «Yes, it’s here. This is going to take a long time because you’re new [looking at me disapprovingly and speaking in an accusing tone] & I’m going to need some information.» Then he again «helped» the woman in choosing her massage oil for a while. Finally, he came back to the counter & asked for my insurance card. I gave him my Medicaid card & my insurance card. He made a face, & said, «I don’t take that,» shoving the Medicaid back at me & taking the insurance card.
From there it went downhill quickly. He said with a very LOUD & CONDESCENDING tone, «This is going to take at least 20 minutes because I have to put in all your information!» & turned to go into the back. I said, «Wow, that long? Where am I going to sit?» Again, I was on a cane, & standing for 20 minutes was not an option. He began SCREAMING at me, «THAT IS A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME!!!» At which point I said, «I don’t like your attitude. I don’t know why you’re being hostile to me.» «I DON’T LIKE YOUR ATTITUDE! I’VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR 32 YEARS & HAVE NEVER HAD A PROBLEM BEFORE. WE’RE NOT GOING TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP!» said the pharmacist. He thrust the insurance card & the paper prescription back at me, indicating I should go. I was shocked & couldn’t move, finally turned & started to leave the store. He was STILL SCREAMING at me as I walked out. I was shaking as I left the store & broke down after I was on the street.
I took the paper prescription he gave me to Duane Reade, & they said they couldn’t fill it because it had Ivan’s name on it. I took this as a sign that I shouldn’t take the drug, something I was dubious about to begin with. But if it had been something critical to my health, I would be without my medicine. Is it ethical for a pharmacist to refuse to fill a prescription because they don’t like someone?
I do believe that Ivan does not like or respect people who use Medicaid, & that is why he treated me with dripping condescension, rudeness & aggression. He wasn’t particularly polite initially (ignoring me while he waited on a non-​drug customer for a very long time), but once he saw that Medicaid card, his behavior changed completely. I just checked online, & he does NOT take Medicaid. Although I also gave him an insurance card which would have paid, I imagine he thought I would not come back to a pharmacy that doesn’t take Medicaid when Duane Reade across the street from him does. So I guess if he assumes someone is not going to be a customer in the future (which would have been false, by the way), he will abuse them if it pleases him. For the record, I did get a prescription filled at a Duane Reade a while back, one where I had never had a prescription filled, & it took them less than 10 minutes to do it. They were polite & pleasant the entire time, and there was a chair there.
First, it is never alright to scream at a customer or be rude to them for any reason. Second, it is not alright to TRAUMATIZE a customer, even if she is a small female on a cane whom you assume to have no clout because she is on Medicaid. Third, it really is not alright for a pharmacist to be abusive to someone because they have a Medicaid card or because you simply don’t like them for some other reason. And fourth, I don’t believe a pharmacist should ever refuse to fill a prescription because of interpersonal issues; that seems really unethical to me. This is one case in which I hope a small business closes, as Duane Reade across the street gives much better service. I really don’t believe they would allow a pharmacist to scream at a customer or refuse to fill their prescription for any reason.

Best in the city — featuring the best Pharmacist and staff.
A treasured neighborhood fixture! Take that, corporatization!

I prefer to support local businesses over big chains whenever possible, but after transferring my prescriptions to Ivan’s I had to transfer them back to Duane Reade (which I really hate because they now overcharge for EVERYTHING else besides thr prescriptions.)
My issue with Ivan’s is that they never seem to open on time. I have had to wait for up to 30 minutes, with the nice employee waiting outside as well in the mornings– many times. This is a problem when you need to go to work.
If he were to give the keys to his employee so that he can at least allow pick-​up of prescriptions filled the day before it would make life so much easier and I would probably switch back.
Another issue is that they close earlier than other pharmacies in the neighborhood.

As the other reviews reflect, Ivan and his staff are wonderful. Ivan is both friendly and knowledgeable. He and his staff will order items not in stock. Prices are competitive. I am so happy to have him in the neighborhood.

Ivan’s Pharmacy is fantastic! They have a really good selection and if they don’t have what you need, they will try to get it for you. What makes it such an asset to the community are the people who work there. They are so caring and knowledgable and go out of their way to help. My mother went here for many, many years. They all know who she is by name, and now that she is too sick to go there, they make deliveries which helps enormously. An excellent neighborhood drugstore! I can’t recommend it more highly!

It’s so nice to have a local pharmacy in my backyard. Ivan is kind, patient and really knows his stuff. I proudly support this gem of a locally owned business. The customer service blows the Duane Reade across the street out of the water.

Ivan is a jewel and his staff are too! He gives solid advice on prescriptions – side effects, drug interactions, etc. The employees are wonderful, courteous, polite, helpful, etc. Where does he find them? The delivery service is reliable and if you just miss the service, they send a person out again. CVS and Duane Reed are not even worth a thought. Call Ivan.

I used to live right around the corner when the pharmacy was between 95^th and 96^th street, and Ivan was only the pharmacist. I loved going to the drugstore because the employees were so friendly, helpful and kind, and knew all the customers by name. I had many illnesses as a child, and many opportunities to get prescriptions. I will never forget how kind Ivan was to me as a child, 35 years ago.
I remember when 10 years later, Duane Reade opened across the street and threatened to put them out of business. And I remember when Ivan was able to take over the pharmacy.
How delighted I am to find that they are still in business (I moved to the West Coast about 10 years ago). Although I cannot personally shop here since I live in Oregon, I cannot recommend this place highly enough, and would do all my drug store purchases here if I lived in NYC again.
Thank you so much for all your dedication Ivan!

You have to like these people. I do, anyway. It’s great to see a smaller store that really is better.

The nicest people you could ever meet — we have been working with Ivan for over 20 years and he has always been supportive, informative and patient. I cannot say how grateful we have been over the years for his advise. I have trusted his word over my doctor, and only wish that this country followed the same practice as Europe where the pharmacy can prescribe — I would sleep better. A pox on the health care companies that only work with the big guys. Life would be better AND safer if left to Ivan and his staff.

This is a REAL pharmacy, not an add on to a chain store. I have had Ivan refuse to fill a Rx because the prescribing Dr. was prescribing two meds for my eye that should not be used together! They really know their pharmaceutical business here. Omar knows all the right vitamins, over the counter products, the best prices, in fact the WHOLE staff is just terrific! This is a gem! Kudos to everyone at Ivans.

Ivan Pharmacy is a West Side gem that is worth traveling to! Not only is the store lovely, clean, well-​lit and well-​stocked, but the staff is friendly and knowledgable. The pharmacists are intelligent and caring and always double-​check information. I hate to share how great this place is, since I don’t want to overwhelm the place, but it is too great to keep to myself.

Family business which is well run and cares about their clients and the neighborhood. Highly recommend.