Center Island Pharmacy In Hampton Bays To Close After Four Decades

July 4: East Quogue resident Isabella Phillips and Frank Silecchia, the owner of Center Island Pharmacy in Hampton Bays, reminisce about days past last week. The pharmacy closed its doors after 40 years. STORY: Those walking around the Center Island Pharmacy in Hampton Bays will come upon empty aisles, partially stocked shelves and entire sections of the store in various stages of disassembly. They’ll also find longtime customers wiping away tears as they comb through the remaining merchandise, employees young and old swapping stories with shoppers, and the store’s owner, 79-year-old Frank Silecchia, strolling the aisles collecting handshakes, hugs, condolences and congratulations in between making sales. For many customers, the fourdecades-old institution at 254 West Montauk Highway was more than just the place they went to fill their prescriptions. It was where they went for advice, for help and for just about everything else. July 4: East Quogue resident Isabella Phillips and Frank Silecchia, the owner of Center Island Pharmacy in Hampton Bays, reminisce about days past last week. The pharmacy closed its doors after 40 years. STORY: Those walking around the Center Island Pharmacy in Hampton Bays will come upon empty aisles, partially stocked shelves and entire sections of the store in various stages of disassembly. They’ll also find longtime customers wiping away tears as they comb through the remaining merchandise, employees young and old swapping stories with shoppers, and the store’s owner, 79-year-old Frank Silecchia, strolling the aisles collecting handshakes, hugs, condolences and congratulations in between making sales. For many customers, the fourdecades-old institution at 254 West Montauk Highway was more than just the place they went to fill their prescriptions. It was where they went for advice, for help and for just about everything else.

Bare shelves inside Center Island Pharmacy during its final weeks of business this past summer. KYLE CAMPBELL

Third House Nature Center hosted their first bobwhite quail release of the year in partnership with Montauk School's science lab that helped THNC hatch and rear the quail this spring. KYRIL BROMLEY