Business

Barth’s Pharmacy coming to Jamesport this spring

Barths Pharmacy Jamesport

A Barth’s Pharmacy, complete with a drive-up window, is headed for the former Capital One property in Jamesport.

The Main Road site was recently purchased by Louis Cassara, owner of the Barth’s Pharmacy in Westhampton, who confirmed that he has targeted May as an opening date if not sooner. 

“I was taking a drive with my family, cruising the North Fork when I saw the building there,” said Mr. Cassara, 50, of Westhampton Beach. “It’s such a beautiful spot.”

Capital One closed its Jamesport branch last April.

Mr. Cassara is also the owner of Barth’s Pharmacy locations in East Moriches and East Quogue, which he opened after purchasing the Westhampton location and the Barth’s Pharmacy name from Barry Barth in 2004.  He is not the owner of the Barth’s Drug Store in Riverhead, which was taken over this month by Bhaskar “Bobby” Gunjupali of Manorville following the retirement of Mr. Barth.

For the first time in 98 years, none of the Barth’s locations are owned by a member of the Barth family.

Owning pharmacies is a “competitive business” Mr. Cassara described as a “labor of love.” But like the Barths, it’s also becoming the family business for the Cassaras as his son attends pharmacy school.

“It’s kind of like if your dad owned a bowling alley and there’s not that many bowling alleys around anymore,” he joked. “We’re a dying breed but, hey, we’ve found something we’re good at.”

With a drive-up window and no other drug stores in an eight-mile radius, Mr. Cassara believes the Jamesport property is an ideal location to expand his operations.

“Having that drive-through is definitely appealing,” he said.

Mr. Cassara added that he’s trying to keep some of the bank features in place for the pharmacy to give it a unique feel.

Since the property is already zoned for a bank or pharmacy, much of the approvals he needs from Riverhead Town relate to signage and renovations, including modifying the bathrooms to make them ADA compliant and installing fixtures. He’ll also need a license from the state to operate the pharmacy in that location.

“We definitely have some things to do before opening, but we’re looking forward to it,” Mr. Cassara said.

Photo caption: The future site of Barth’s Pharmacy in Jamesport. (Credit: Barbaraellen Koch)

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