Jenifer’s Journal: It’s complicated
Back in the 50’s — ‘simpler times,’ or so they seemed — on Friday evenings in summer, around 8:30 or so, when night finally overcame the stubborn remnants of daylight, my brothers and I would walk with our “nanny” from our house on N. Silver Beach Road to the Silver Beach flagpole to wait for our parents, arriving from our ‘real’ house up-island which — depending on Friday night traffic — was anywhere from two to four hours away. Standing there in the nighttime, thrilled each time headlights approached, even when they passed by. But then, finally, were those next oncoming headlights slowing down? Yes! And pulling over? Yes. Car doors would open, and we’d scramble onto laps of guests and parents, laughing and talking the whole two-minute way back to our house.
It was the next night of the weekend, however, Saturday, that brought the main event: Driving to the Heights, to the Shelter Island Pharmacy, bursting into that well-lit Mecca and heading first to the comic book rack. The comic books, what riches! Bugs Bunny, Donald Duck, Archie, Little Archie — and once or twice a summer we’d hit the mother lode — a giant, $.50 edition of one of them — Nirvana! In the mid-50’s, allowances for us ran about $.25 per week, so careful budgeting was necessary. We’d pay, solemnly counting out the number of quarters required, and then each of us would ascend to a round, red-plastic covered stool at the counter (back then the counter was to your right, running in front of where the bobby pins and make-up are hanging now), and we’d order up our double-dip — yes! — ice cream cones —‘sugar’ or ‘waffle,’ a crucial choice — while the adults pried out wads of napkins from the little metal dispensers on the counter. Flavors were limited, not that we knew it at the time — vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, coffee, maybe butter pecan, and, of course, the only one I cared about, vanilla fudge. Like comic books and vanilla fudge ice cream, the drugstore was a sure thing — it even had ear drops and band aids and Revlon nail polish and could fill an infrequent prescription from Dr. Currie should the need arise. It had been, in fact, a sure thing on this Island for 60 years by the time I had my first cone there — since horse-drawn carriages had clip-clopped down Grand Avenue.
And it’s continued to be stalwartly rooted right here, where we need it. So, like many of us, I was shocked and appalled to hear last week about its imminent closure. More than outraged, however, I was just so puzzled — how could such an illogical, wrong-headed decision be made by anyone? No small town can be without its drugstore — ask Fisher-Price! It’s not that complicated, is it? Or is it?
Per usual in an Island crisis, it’s been heart-warming to see so many community members stepping up, volunteering, suggesting alternative solutions, but the thing is, this is not just our island’s “isolated incidence,” we’re only another example of a scary trend that’s sweeping the nation: the consolidation of power without any concern for the greater good — mainly because the greatest good seems to redound to the wealthiest individuals and/or corporations (which now, remember, are considered “people,” too). In this past week I’ve heard from several sources that Mrs. Soloviev, a major player in this drama, is a well-intentioned mother of many children who is interested in the welfare of this island. But then, I read in a Sept. 30 article in New York Magazine by Christopher Bonanos entitled Solovievs Are Shutting Down Shelter Island’s Only Pharmacy that includes the following: “Stacey [Soloviev], who… helped run Soloviev’s North Fork empire — seemingly until their teen-aged son Hayden, one of the 11 children… could take over — assured locals at a 2022 town hall that she’d asked Soloviev to purchase the pharmacy to ‘save’ it. It came as a surprise, then, a little over three years later when the Soloviev Group, with 22-year-old son Hayden at the helm of its Shelter Island operation, abruptly announced that it would be shutting down the pharmacy on October 7…”
Is it really possible that any family — rich or poor — would think it wise to give the Shelter Island portion of their real estate empire to their college-student son to manage? As a what? A ‘learning opportunity?’ But then, “kingdoms” are forming daily — in real estate, media, industry. Following this trend to its logical conclusion, things won’t have to be “complicated” anymore — no more need for those pesky laws, protections, regulations for the common good. All those burdensome issues of class, race, gender and the tedious effort of voting will disappear like morning fog — and there’ll just be a ruling class —rich, white corporations, and then everybody else. How simple.
