Medly Pharmacy in Brooklyn by Sergio Mannino Studio.

Retailers have begun to understand the necessity of transforming businesses into omnichannel retail platforms, where online and physical stores work as one, not needing to compete with each other. Pharmacies, in particular, are beginning to take advantage of this, with Medly being among the first in New York to embrace the merits of both online and physical. Medly has designed a free complementary app that saves customers the hassle of having to leave the house when sick, let alone having to wait in line for hours just to get prescriptions. But a successful online business needs a physical counterpart and Sergio Mannino Studio’s design for Medly has been created with this in mind.

In a city of more than 8.5 million people, it’s no surprise that the simple act of visiting a pharmacy is often an impersonal experience. Because there’s one on every corner, it is incredibly convenient – but chances are, you won’t know who’s serving you. In a society of such high import and export, you’re also spoilt for choice when it comes to which brand, which flavour and even which size of product to buy. Medly pharmacy aims to remedy this through a slightly different approach.

“Being the first location in a series of pharmacies, we knew that the space needed to look beautiful. The design is both playful and elegant; a buffed custom-made cement counter with clean geometric tiles as part of a light aqua colour scheme,” explains Sergio Mannino.

The pharmacy consists of two rooms; a cosy waiting room where customers collect prescriptions, and a much larger space out the back, where the administration and prescription work are done. The waiting room is comfortably-sized and provides an escape from the busy city streets outside. The four-seater chairs, in green leather and chrome, are a tribute to Shiro Kuramata, one of Japan’s most important designers of the eighties.

“As community is a key value of Medly pharmacy, we ensured our design was tailored to include this. The nature of the small space means that customers will instinctively connect with each other and with the staff, unlike larger pharmacies that inadvertently separate people through high aisles and sheer size,” says Mannino.

With ten other pharmacies under their belt, the owners of Medly have ample experience with what makes these often-clinical places feel warmer, more comfortable and more community-focused for customers and staff alike.

“We’re happy to have been able to design this space to suit the values that we believe in too,” concludes Mannino.

[Images courtesy of Sergio Mannino Studio. Photography by Charlie Shuck.]