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First Posted: 10/7/2013 WILKES-BARRE &#8212; A new location with more space and a dog named Sugar seemed to be just the prescription for a neighborhood that always welcomed Harrold&#8217;s Pharmacy but worried that a shuttered bakery would become an eyesore.
Bruce Lefkowitz, the 49-year-old third-generation of Harrold&#8217;s &#8212; an iconic business in South Wilkes-Barre for 65 years &#8212; opened its new automatic doors Monday at the former Old River Road Bakery, and the faithful patrons raved about the facility.
Included in the early arrivals was a pre-school class of 3- and 4-year-olds from the Head Start school, located just down Beekman Street from Harrold&#8217;s. The kids carried a sign that read &#8220;Welcome to the Neighborhood,&#8221; and therapy dog Sugar was at the ready to allow excessive petting and ear-to-ear smiles.
A state-of the art pharmacy that offers everything from prescriptions to delivery service to remedies for pets, Harrold&#8217;s success can be traced to its welcoming atmosphere of a decades-old neighborhood pharmacy.
&#8220;Harrold&#8217;s is the best,&#8221; said Dorene Durland, 45, of Hanover Township. &#8220;Everyone is so nice and when I can&#8217;t get a ride here, they deliver always on time.&#8221;
Property&#8217;s history
Before Lefkowitz purchased the building, for years controversy surrounded the property at Old River Road and Beekman Street. Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton initially intended to sell the building, which had been vacant for 13 years, for $38,000 to Leo A. Glodzik, owner of LAG Towing.
Glodzik held the city&#8217;s towing contract until earlier this year. The deal to sell the former bakery to Glodzik was terminated after citizen complaints and a lawsuit.
After a state police and FBI investigation, Glodzik, 42, of Duryea, is facing two counts of theft alleging he took $2,100 in &#8220;bait&#8221; money. District Judge Paul Roberts recently sent the charges to county court after a preliminary hearing.
Glodzik now faces a formal arraignment in Luzerne County Court on Nov. 1.
When Lefkowitz was considering looking for a new location to get out of the cramped nearby space at 179 Old River Road, he had considered leaving Wilkes-Barre.
Customers such as 69-year-old Harry Messersmith, who has been coming to Harrold&#8217;s for 45 years, are glad Lefkowitz decide to stay in the neighborhood.
&#8220;Harrold&#8217;s Pharmacy is Old River Road,&#8221; Messersmith said. &#8220;I knew Bruce&#8217;s grandfather and father. This place has always been friendly. Heck, where can you walk into a business and they know you by name?&#8221;
If you have ever wondered why Harrold&#8217;s is spelled with two &#8220;R&#8217;s,&#8221; Lefkowitz said his grandfather &#8212; Harold &#8212; added the extra &#8220;R&#8221; and registered it as a trademark so it couldn&#8217;t be copied.
&#8220;It&#8217;s one of the things that makes us unique, I guess,&#8221; Lefkowitz said. &#8220;We think our level of service is unmatched.&#8221;
45 employees
There are 45 employees at Harrold&#8217;s, like Brianne Mosca, 33, the front end co-manager.
Mosca said everyone entering the new store was impressed and had favorable comments.
&#8220;We have so much more space here,&#8221; she said. &#8220;And many more products.&#8221;
A plant arrangement arrived from long-time customers Lynn and Leonard Gonchar with a card of well wishes attached.
&#8220;Leonard was my father&#8217;s best friend,&#8221; Lefkowitz said.
A grand opening ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held in early November, Lefkowitz said. The former location is for sale or lease, but the Harrold&#8217;s tradition continues with many improvements.
Diane Vishnefski and Carolyn Reino work in the finance office that was formerly housed in the window-less basement at the old location.
&#8220;We were extremely cramped and it was always dark and damp,&#8221; Vishnefski said.
Charles Perry, 57, of Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s North End, is a 20-year customer of Harrold&#8217;s.
&#8220;They&#8217;ve always treated me very kindly,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I started with Harrold&#8217;s and I&#8217;ll always stay with Harrold&#8217;s.&#8221;

New era for Harrold’s Pharmacy