Note: I was invited to the opening of the Walgreens store opening by Collective Bias®. I was compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias ™ and Walgreens #CBias #SocialFabric. All opinions are my own.
I miss city living. I miss being able to walk to the store for a gallon of milk or getting Indian food or vegetarian sushi or falafels whenever I want. I miss the hustle and bustle, the sound of honking cars and wailing sirens and public transportation. That’s why Dr. G. and I try to bring the kids into Boston as often as we can; we need to get our urban fix and we also want the kiddos to experience life beyond our sleepy suburb. When we go into Boston, we always park in the underground garage near the Boston Common, about as central of a location as you can get in the city.
But here’s what usually happens: we’ll get everyone into their strollers and set our on our adventures and realize, We only have one diaper! Or Buddy will complain, I’m hungry! Or Mimi will trip and scrape her knee and I’ll launch a futile ten minute search for Band-Aids only to come up empty-handed.
So when I was invited to the opening of the new flagship Walgreens store in Downtown Crossing on the corner of School and Washington Streets, just a few minutes away from where we usually begin our Boston family adventures, I was excited, thinking of all those times when I’ve needed that diaper or Band-Aid and had to go traipsing around the city for a drugstore, two whiny kids in tow.
When I arrived at the new store location, I realized I’m going to spend a lot of time here.
Yep, I’ll admit it: I was kind of blown away.
I began my tour in the back of the store in the LOOK Boutique. But this was no regular, drugstore chain beauty department. Yes, they had a huge section dedicated to all the usual brands like Maybelline and L’Oreal, but the rest of it looked like a department store with exclusive cosmetic, skincare and hair care brands like Boots No. 7 , Gosh and a whole entire Demeter fragrance bar … not to mention specially-trained beauty advisers, consultation services and a virtual makeover kiosk! This beauty junkie was in heaven.
And if that wasn’t enough, they also have in-house brown shaping services at the Ramy Eyebrow Bar and $12 manis at the Essie and O.P.I. Nail Bar, which was designed with the existing (and historic) architecture in mind and resembles an old bank.
After I got my beauty fix (and made a mental wish list of all the products I want to buy), it was time to move on to Walgreen’s enhanced, state-of-the-art pharmacy. They have a unique approach: bring the pharmacist out from behind the counter so they can provide more counseling and advice, answer questions and offer clinical services, like vaccinations. In addition to the “Ask Your Pharmacist” desk, there are consultation rooms for those wishing to have a more private discussion and (my favorite) an Express Rx kiosk for a fast checkout – perfect for when you’re just picking up a refill. The pharmacy area also includes all the typical products you’d expect to find at a neighborhood drugstore, like aspirin and tissues and cough drops and (yes) Band-aids for Mimi’s scraped knees.
Our tour continued downstairs to the Up Market. Sure, there are all the usual drugstore and pharmacy food and pantry staples, like boxes of cereal and paper towels and bottles of water.
But there are also juices and smoothies (I recommend the “Wicked Good (For You)”). And freshly-made sushi. And a barista for those needing a caffeine fix. And a bakery selling yummy sweets and treats from local shops. And a Fro-Yo station where the frozen yogurt (and all the yummy toppings) are sold at set prices, not by the pound (hurrah!). And one of those new Coca-Cola Freestyle machines that can dispenses 130 varieties of Coke fountain drinks (my favorite is half Cherry Coke, half Diet Coke).
And then there’s the prepared food section. No day-old ham sandwiches here. I wore my “vegetarian mom” hat and found a ton of food items I could grab for me and the kids, like fresh grapes (Mimi’s current obsession) and hummus and kale salad. How convenient!
Directly above the Up Market on the mezzanine level was another find: beer, wine and spirits. Yup, you read that right. And seriously, they had a better selection here than we have in the liquor stores in our town.
I had a great time exploring the new Walgreens Boston flagship store. (Want to see more? I have a ton more photos in my Google + album). There really isn’t anything like it in the Downtown Crossing/Park Street area and it’s going to be so convenient for the people who live or work nearby who need to quickly grab bread or a bottle of wine or mascara on their way home. Gotta love one-stop shopping. I wish we had one of these in the ‘burbs!
Sharon - MomGenerations.com says
I like them apples. AND the local brews. AND everything else! (Did I reveal my vices?) What an amazing Walgreens Store. When is this wicked goodness coming to RI, I wonder? Great post!
candice says
I loved watching all the photos on Instagram while you were there. I wonder if they will put a store like this in NYC?!
Sheri says
The wall art is the best. Wicked awesome!
Heather @ Housewife Heather says
This is a big upgrade over my local Walgreens! I love all of the extra fun stuff & services it has! I will have to check it out next time I’m in Boston!
Kelly @ Texas Type A Mom says
I love that the pharmacist comes and chats with you to make it a more personal experience.
Kristin Wheeler (Mama Luvs Books) says
This Walgreens truly has EVERYTHING!!!!