No lotto, just great service at 'Becker's'
LINCOLN SQUARE | 65 years at same spot: 'Becker's is an integral part of the neighborhood because they've been a constant here'
Becker Professional Pharmacy isn't for everyone. "No one comes here to find out what's new in barbecue," says owner Alvin Klein. "People come here because they're sick or someone at home is sick. You'll find very few impulse buys here. No one walks in and says, 'Ooh, I want one of those.' It's more like 'nobody wants one of those.' "
But the Lincoln Square shop has survived 65 years at the same spot on Western Avenue without selling stuff you might expect at a neighborhood drugstore.
(Chris Sweda/Sun-Times)
No candy aisle or cooler of pop. Ladies won't find lipstick and fake eyelashes. And Becker's has managed to stay in business without selling smokes, any naughty magazines or lottery tickets.
"We succeed because we're unique," Klein says. "We can't afford huge advertising, so we send out monthly mailings to doctors and even other pharmacies. They know we're here, and we carry a lot of items they don't carry. Maybe you don't believe in word of mouth, but that's what works."
So if you need a new colostomy bag, crutches, compression stockings, prosthetic device, portable commode or a snake-bite kit, you can find it at Becker's. It has two fitting rooms and even an oven Klein uses to heat up and custom-fit shoe inserts for diabetics.
"Our customer service is the best," Klein says. "We've got three people up front to take care of you. Five phone lines, a fax machine, and we're even online. We didn't fall asleep in the face of technology."
Klein bought the place in 1972 from the original owner, Bernard Becker, who opened the store at 4744 N. Western in 1943. They cut a deal that included having Becker continue to work at the pharmacy for a year. "He was 70 and nearing retirement age, but he wound up staying on with us for three years," Klein says. "People always ask me why I didn't change the name. Well, Becker's had a good reputation, and everyone knew the place as Becker's. So it didn't make sense to change it."
Becker's is one of a few local spots -- like Chicago Brauhaus and Merz Apothecary -- that's weathered Lincoln Square's evolution from working-class to fancy-pants.
"Becker's is an integral part of the neighborhood because they've been a constant here," says Melissa Flynn, executive director of the Lincoln Square Chamber of Commerce. "They have a personal touch there. Whole families have [been] taken care of by that pharmacy for years and years and years."
And will be for many years more, says Klein.
"My favorite thing is coming in every morning and turning the lights on so I know that we're still here," he says. "When I finally probably go to heaven, we'll try to find someone interested in taking it over as it is. It's got quite a reputation and a character to it. To try to change it would kind of be an insult. We need someone who enjoys doing what I do as much as I do."
