Simone WilsonWe always kind of associated Walgreens with crummy carpets and leftover Halloween candy on super-sale. (No offense, Walgreens. If it makes you feel any better, Rite Aid's worse.)
But not the new 23,500-square-foot Walgreens slated to replace the shuttered Borders at Sunset and Vine!
Apparently unaware that Hollywood is actually a skyscraper ghetto with rapidly diminishing foot traffic…
… Walgreens has proposed a 24-hour “high end” drug store for the old Borders shell.
According to reports, it will much resemble similar locations in busy parts of New York (on Wall Street) and Chicago (on State Street). The company seems to believe that the corner spot on Sunset and Vine is some kind of gem in the “heart of Hollywood,” a posh stop on any A-lister's shopping route.
The beloved old Borders at Sunset and Vine.; Credit: Greg Aragon
Oh, well. Their loss, our gain — because this will be the most amazing drug store Los Angeles has ever known.
For one, it will sell a vast array of alcohol from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily.
Matt Dzurec, a land-use attorney for Walgreens, lets Hollywood Patch in on a few more of its fancy new features:
Store features would include a nail salon, a beauty center with makeup artists, and sushi prepared onsite, Dzurec said. Customers could pick up groceries, including fresh fruits and vegetables, coffee, fine cheese, some meat items and higher-end alcohol. A frozen yogurt station is also in the plans. As part of the new concept, customers would have a chance to interact and have one-on-one consultations with pharmacists who will not be required to stand behind a counter as they do at typical drugstores.
Hot damn. And if this location is a carbon copy of the high-end Walgreens in New York — a joint venture with drug store Duane Reade — things could get even glammer from there. A piece of the presser for that opening, in summer 2011:
An expanded beauty department will feature the award-winning LOOK Boutique offering before/after virtual makeovers, skin analysis from Philips Crystalize, and an automatic fragrance sampler that will allow customers to try more than 40 different scents on their wrist. A nail salon will feature manicures, gels, the latest colors from OPI and essie, and a hair salon by Phyto Universe with services like hair/scalp analysis, blowouts and styling from a certified hair care professional. High-end, salon grade skin/hair products and accessories will be available from Nuxe and other trusted brands.
The Chicago version also boasts “barista-prepared, fresh-brewed premium coffee” and “a Coca-Cola Freestyle machine that dispenses 130 varieties of Coca Cola fountain drinks.”
Although the regular crew of pessimistic Hollywood citywatchers are usually quick to rip apart any development proposal of this size, we haven't heard a peep — so it seems even the gadflies might be a little stoked, deep down.
Here is the city's Environmental Impact Report, which does concede that the Walgreens might create more waste/emissions than the Borders, and that its 24/7 status could be a security concern.
Welcome to Hollywood at 4 a.m., Walgreens — don't say we didn't warn you when all the bums/hookers start stopping in for pedicures.
[@simone_electra / swilson@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]
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