Bedford's New Duane Reade Wins Over The Neighborhood With Beer

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Back when Williamburg's new Duane Reade was just a young pile of building scraps, everyone lost their mind over the corporate chain bringing its obnoxiously bright florescent lights and corporate sleekness to Bedford Avenue. There was the boycott-promoting Facebook group, Kings Pharmacy's friendly protest sign and commonly held "support the locals" mentality among the neighbors.

But now that the 24-hour drugstore is actually open, those feelings seem to be changing. Duane Reade has quickly begun winning over its Bedford clientele with the same method you used to get into cool parties in high school: beer. Beer! The ultimate problem-solver.

With a refrigerated beer room and a wall of refillable growlers, the fluorescent-lit toiletry wonderland knows what it takes to draw in even Williamsburg's most corporate-despising hipster clientele. One person amusingly likened the new location to a giant spaceship that sells a ton of beer, and even local artist Noah Kalina found it to be "amazing".

If there's one thing that the arty community cares about more than local business, it's having a good ol' booze-swigging time. But while beer is plenty accessible in Williamsburg, affordable health care is much harder to come by. Good thing that's no problem, either!

The drug store offered complimentary flu shots yesterday, and through tomorrow, generic prescriptions are free. You heard that right—free. We'd ask ourselves if that's really all it takes, but with a Chase bank ATM, fresh produce, free medicine and a jug of beer, the force of this place is just going to get harder to deny. At this point, we wouldn't be surprised if they just started handing out free puppies. Fingers crossed we get a dachshund!
· Bedford Avenue Pharmacy War Puts Condoms in the Crosshairs [Curbed NY]