Walgreens Celebrates their Grand Opening in Union Square, NYC #WAGUnionSq #CollectiveBias

By Nancy Johnson Horn, Editor —

Last week I attended the Grand Opening of Walgreens in Union Square, New York City. This store offers Upmarket’s fresh food offerings, a state-of-the-art pharmacy with ordering ahead capabilities, a photo lab, and a Look Boutique for beauty and skin care needs – as well as baby and toddler supplies, cleaning supplies, a yoga gear section and much more.

I got to see the official ribbon cutting. This is Walgreens 24/7 Flagship store in NYC.

But first let me tell you about the fresh sushi!

Made right on the premises, it was delicious!

When you first walk in, you’ll see the Upmarket open refrigerator case full of cut-up fresh fruit, and counter filled with fresh rolled sushi (they make it right there), then a coffee and pasty case, a juice bar area and then another open refrigerator case of sandwiches (which they will heat up for you).

I loved that they offered a coffee bar where you could get a latte or cappuccino. Or even a cup of coffee with soy milk (which is really good for someone like me who is lactose intolerant). The price of the coffee was reasonable (just try getting the same prices at the normal coffeehouse chains).

You could pair it with a tasty pastry. Check out the case below. Everything looked fresh and mouthwatering.

Since I love green smoothies, I had to check out the juice/smoothie bar that was right there. The prices were very reasonable and the Central Park Smoothie I had was so delicious. If you go to your local juice place, you’ll get charged more for the same size juices and smoothies.

There was also a custom flavor Coke Machine and a huge selection of snacks on the first floor. I loved all the healthy offerings I saw.

Next, I got a chance to check out the Look Boutique upstairs. Anything that you need for beauty or skin care was there. Plus there was a knowledgeable staff that was able to assist me and find me the perfect products.

I am a big fan of the British drugstore chain Boots. Walgreens carries their No. 7 and Botanical lines. The Botanical Line offers most products UNDER $10 (sets are around $15- $19.99. Everything is sourced ethically and smelled amazing.

But I needed some skin care help. I spoke to Reylisha, one of the beauty consultants, about some problems I’ve been having. She helped me find No. 7 Intense Serum (which is amazing), which will smooth the tiny lines I’ve been getting (hey, I need to be proactive now).

Next. we checked out the prescription area, which was large. There’s a private room to the left of the counter where customers can have a private consultation with a pharmacist (or get an flu vaccine) and self service kiosks on the far right side, where you can skip the lines (by ordering ahead).