06/11/2026
The store, which prides itself on being the oldest American apothecary, was founded as The Village Apothecary Shoppe by physician Galen Hunter in 1838 (its change in ownership to Clarence Bigelow in 1880, where it earned its current name). For a century, the company sold primarily medicine and remedies, including its still-existing Lemon Body Cream, but another shift in ownership to the Ginsberg family is what truly turned things around, eventually leading Carolyn right into its historic doors and straight to its accessories counter.
Ian Ginsberg, whose grandfather William and father Jerry also helmed C.O. Bigelow, revolutionized the store’s product inventory when he joined in 1985. As his son Alec Ginsberg, who is now chief operating officer of the pharmacy, recalls, he had to think big when he took over the business, so he flew to Europe to source new material that would help them compete with big-brand drugstores, while offering novelty products, like Charles Wahba Ivory Tokyo headbands, that New Yorkers, like Carolyn, would buy in a heartbeat.
“My father still remembers seeing [Carolyn] a lot, and we have a cosmetic associate, Cecelia, she’s been here 27 years and still remembers helping her back in the day,” Alec tells PEOPLE.
“He just remembered that she would come in and escape the paparazzi. They never chased her inside. You felt bad for her because she was being harassed everywhere, but then she would come in and almost be able to exhale and just be a normal person. We never treated her any differently. She was a really kind, nice, sweet person.”
While around for quite some time, Alec says the store noticed within the last two years an “influx” of customers visiting because of Carolyn’s known love for tortoiseshell headbands, which was immortalized in paparazzi photos from the ‘90s.” Via People
