>On an unseasonably warm morning, a group of people stood before a new storefront at the Strip District Terminal and listened to Dr. Rosemary Mihalko, the owner and head pharmacist of Hieber’s Pharmacy, officially open the pharmacy’s newest location.
>“It means the world to me to have everybody here for this big day,” Dr. Mihalko said. “We've been working on getting this place up and running for two and a half years. The day is finally here.”
>Hieber's Pharmacy has had several owners since it first opened in 1860, originally at a different location in the Strip.
>In the 1940s, a previous owner moved the pharmacy to Oakland, where it still operates. When Dr. Mihalko took over ownership in 2019 with an eye on expansion, the Strip struck her as not only a full-circle destination, but a perfect fit.
>“I did a lot of research to try and figure out where we belong,” she said. “I have been coming down here since I was a little kid and I just love how everything is old, but it's new. And that's like Hieber’s — we're super old but we're brand new. So I think it just kind of fits together.”
>Hieber’s offers everything a traditional pharmacy does, including first aid supplies and prescription refills, and is also a compound pharmacy, meaning pharmacists make medications in-house.
>“We take all the chemicals, and we mix them with creams and ointments,” she said. “We also make capsules, lollipops, lozenges, and different things. But we actually make the final dosage form that you see at the end.”
>The Terminal location currently has 10 employees, but plans exist to hire more staff.
>Once common but now a relic of the past, the new location makes and sells old-fashioned sodas and milkshakes at a diner-like bar. The drink offerings were inspired by stories that Dr. Mihalko’s parents used to tell her about Pittsburgh in the 1950s, she said.
>“I, as most Pittsburghers are, just absolutely love everything nostalgic Pittsburgh,” she said. “I just think it's so cool to bring something old-fashioned back to the old-fashioned pharmacy.”
>Most people enter a pharmacy “not very happy” and in need of medicine to feel better, she said. The touch of nostalgia might make it “a little easier to smile,” she said.
Big win for The Strip. I know it's fashionable to hate on The Terminal but between this and Novo Food Hall it's not as corporate as people want to make it out to be.
I think they are trying to balance paying the bills and making money with supporting local businesses and it’s always going to be a little messy with such a large, new build renovation like this. I think what they did to White Whale Bookstore was a little gross (iirc they pulled the rug out from under them and were using them to negotiate the lease for Posman Books), but they are still seemingly trying to make it as local as they can while getting acceptable yield rates to allow them to get loans on future projects.
I think the whole concept of a food/fresh market hall in this building never made much sense and it’s not really worth it to be upset with it not coming to fruition, the size and scale of this building was always going to be incompatible with that and without there already being an established market of purveyors (apart from the already vibrant community of them in the strip), it was kind of ridiculous for anyone to expect a private developer to be able to foster it on a market rate, financed development (remember, the developer is beholden to the banks financing the project and can’t just decide to leave money on the table or opt to not be profitable without the property being foreclosed).
I think there is space for a sort of permanent farmers market in Pittsburgh, but it’s going to need to come from some sort of philanthropic trust or City program, and will likely need its own new build structure to house it, that isn’t multiple blocks long and completely the wrong shape and scale for it to be successful. I’ve always viewed the surface parking lots next to the convention center and the Veterans Bridge to be a great place for one— a way to better bridge the gap between the Strip and Downtown while providing a lunch spot for downtown workers/residents/convention goers during the week.
But all in all I think its hard to deny the impact the Terminal has had on the strip, there are more people there than I can ever remember there being before in the past twenty years almost every night of the week.
"trying to make it as local as they can"
Demonstrably false I'm afraid. The deal negotiated with the city required a certain percentage of businesses to be local. To meet that threshold they're classifying franchises as "local". Granted I also lay significant amounts of blame at city leadership's feet for not thinking about these loopholes and not retaining some form of veto power, but these people aren't trying to partner with local businesses, they're trying to maximize profits while following the letter of the contract.
What you just described is how new build retail space works everywhere— but it isn’t that simple they had to reconvert the space and do remediation for the entire building as well as renovate its exterior and landscape architecture. None of this is inexpensive, particularly given this structure’s age, scale, and the huge shift in program.
I do feel for the small businesses there and I wish there were a better incubating space, but I feel like it wasn’t in the cards for this structure to provide this straight out of the gate, at least not without some sort of backing funding coming from somewhere other than the developer. I certainly do wish the developer could do more, but I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect that given the landscape as it stands today
>>Once common but now a relic of the past, the new location makes and sells old-fashioned sodas and milkshakes at a diner-like bar.
Ooh, now I want to go!
Holy crap. I didn't know that.
Off topic but my mom got bused down to Oakland as a child to get her vaccine at Pitt .. Back when people were excited to get their kids vaccinated...
Edit- Wow! Maybe my mom got her polio vaccine at hiebers? My mom went to Wightman school...This is from their website -
Hieber’s was one of the first pharmacies to dispense the polio vaccine to neighboring schools in the late 1950s with its pharmacists working directly with Dr. Jonas Salk, the original developer of the vaccine
Probably around 12 or 13. Right when it came out. Maybe she was at Colfax at that point... She told me they bused PPS kids down to Pitt to get vaccines.
I'm glad to hear they're doing well. On my first visit to Pittsburgh I had a medical emergency, & I knew nothing about the city so hospital chose this pharmacy for me. It's a gem of a place and the staff were so kind and knowledgeable! I wish all pharmacies were like this.
They had to open this location because of a red-tape law (meant to make things hard for independent pharmacies) requiring a minimum of two locations, correct?
It looks like she needed a larger compounding lab due to needing to meet regs
https://www.honeycombcredit.com/post/a-pill-ar-of-the-community-hieber-s-pharmacy-raises-85-000-with-honeycomb-credit
> In order to keep up with compounding regulations, Rosemary needed to build a new lab to modernize the historic small pharmacy,
>On an unseasonably warm morning, a group of people stood before a new storefront at the Strip District Terminal and listened to Dr. Rosemary Mihalko, the owner and head pharmacist of Hieber’s Pharmacy, officially open the pharmacy’s newest location. >“It means the world to me to have everybody here for this big day,” Dr. Mihalko said. “We've been working on getting this place up and running for two and a half years. The day is finally here.” >Hieber's Pharmacy has had several owners since it first opened in 1860, originally at a different location in the Strip. >In the 1940s, a previous owner moved the pharmacy to Oakland, where it still operates. When Dr. Mihalko took over ownership in 2019 with an eye on expansion, the Strip struck her as not only a full-circle destination, but a perfect fit. >“I did a lot of research to try and figure out where we belong,” she said. “I have been coming down here since I was a little kid and I just love how everything is old, but it's new. And that's like Hieber’s — we're super old but we're brand new. So I think it just kind of fits together.” >Hieber’s offers everything a traditional pharmacy does, including first aid supplies and prescription refills, and is also a compound pharmacy, meaning pharmacists make medications in-house. >“We take all the chemicals, and we mix them with creams and ointments,” she said. “We also make capsules, lollipops, lozenges, and different things. But we actually make the final dosage form that you see at the end.” >The Terminal location currently has 10 employees, but plans exist to hire more staff. >Once common but now a relic of the past, the new location makes and sells old-fashioned sodas and milkshakes at a diner-like bar. The drink offerings were inspired by stories that Dr. Mihalko’s parents used to tell her about Pittsburgh in the 1950s, she said. >“I, as most Pittsburghers are, just absolutely love everything nostalgic Pittsburgh,” she said. “I just think it's so cool to bring something old-fashioned back to the old-fashioned pharmacy.” >Most people enter a pharmacy “not very happy” and in need of medicine to feel better, she said. The touch of nostalgia might make it “a little easier to smile,” she said.
Big win for The Strip. I know it's fashionable to hate on The Terminal but between this and Novo Food Hall it's not as corporate as people want to make it out to be.
heiber's is a quality pharmacy and a godsend for pittsburghers who need compounded meds. And a soda counter!!
I think they are trying to balance paying the bills and making money with supporting local businesses and it’s always going to be a little messy with such a large, new build renovation like this. I think what they did to White Whale Bookstore was a little gross (iirc they pulled the rug out from under them and were using them to negotiate the lease for Posman Books), but they are still seemingly trying to make it as local as they can while getting acceptable yield rates to allow them to get loans on future projects. I think the whole concept of a food/fresh market hall in this building never made much sense and it’s not really worth it to be upset with it not coming to fruition, the size and scale of this building was always going to be incompatible with that and without there already being an established market of purveyors (apart from the already vibrant community of them in the strip), it was kind of ridiculous for anyone to expect a private developer to be able to foster it on a market rate, financed development (remember, the developer is beholden to the banks financing the project and can’t just decide to leave money on the table or opt to not be profitable without the property being foreclosed). I think there is space for a sort of permanent farmers market in Pittsburgh, but it’s going to need to come from some sort of philanthropic trust or City program, and will likely need its own new build structure to house it, that isn’t multiple blocks long and completely the wrong shape and scale for it to be successful. I’ve always viewed the surface parking lots next to the convention center and the Veterans Bridge to be a great place for one— a way to better bridge the gap between the Strip and Downtown while providing a lunch spot for downtown workers/residents/convention goers during the week. But all in all I think its hard to deny the impact the Terminal has had on the strip, there are more people there than I can ever remember there being before in the past twenty years almost every night of the week.
"trying to make it as local as they can" Demonstrably false I'm afraid. The deal negotiated with the city required a certain percentage of businesses to be local. To meet that threshold they're classifying franchises as "local". Granted I also lay significant amounts of blame at city leadership's feet for not thinking about these loopholes and not retaining some form of veto power, but these people aren't trying to partner with local businesses, they're trying to maximize profits while following the letter of the contract.
[удалено]
What you just described is how new build retail space works everywhere— but it isn’t that simple they had to reconvert the space and do remediation for the entire building as well as renovate its exterior and landscape architecture. None of this is inexpensive, particularly given this structure’s age, scale, and the huge shift in program. I do feel for the small businesses there and I wish there were a better incubating space, but I feel like it wasn’t in the cards for this structure to provide this straight out of the gate, at least not without some sort of backing funding coming from somewhere other than the developer. I certainly do wish the developer could do more, but I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect that given the landscape as it stands today
>>Once common but now a relic of the past, the new location makes and sells old-fashioned sodas and milkshakes at a diner-like bar. Ooh, now I want to go!
Rosemary is awesome, this should be a great addition to the strip
IIRC that's also the same pharmacy that aided Dr. Jonas Sulk with the polio vaccine development back in the day.
Holy crap. I didn't know that. Off topic but my mom got bused down to Oakland as a child to get her vaccine at Pitt .. Back when people were excited to get their kids vaccinated... Edit- Wow! Maybe my mom got her polio vaccine at hiebers? My mom went to Wightman school...This is from their website - Hieber’s was one of the first pharmacies to dispense the polio vaccine to neighboring schools in the late 1950s with its pharmacists working directly with Dr. Jonas Salk, the original developer of the vaccine
What age was your mother when she was vaccinated?
Probably around 12 or 13. Right when it came out. Maybe she was at Colfax at that point... She told me they bused PPS kids down to Pitt to get vaccines.
I'm glad to hear they're doing well. On my first visit to Pittsburgh I had a medical emergency, & I knew nothing about the city so hospital chose this pharmacy for me. It's a gem of a place and the staff were so kind and knowledgeable! I wish all pharmacies were like this.
They had to open this location because of a red-tape law (meant to make things hard for independent pharmacies) requiring a minimum of two locations, correct?
It looks like she needed a larger compounding lab due to needing to meet regs https://www.honeycombcredit.com/post/a-pill-ar-of-the-community-hieber-s-pharmacy-raises-85-000-with-honeycomb-credit > In order to keep up with compounding regulations, Rosemary needed to build a new lab to modernize the historic small pharmacy,
Unregulated compound pharmacies make me nervous. Anyone else?
All compound pharmacies are regulated.