Business Spotlight: Minh Pharmacy

Jonathan Chao of Minh Pharmacy

Minh Pharmacy
207 Grand St.
(212) 343-1252

Welcome to Chinatown spoke with Longevity Fund grantee Jonathan Chao of Minh Pharmacy. For nearly 30 years, this family-owned pharmacy has been dedicated to helping the Chinatown community. They have been approved to administer the vaccine and will start offering the vaccine soon. There is a waiting list, so please contact the pharmacy for details.

Tell us about your business. 

I came here from Vietnam in 1975. My whole life has been Canal Street, Mott Street, and Grand Street. We’re the longest-standing business on the block. I come from a family of pharmacists, including my wife, two brothers, and a sister. My daughter is currently a pharmacy intern.

Chinatown has changed so much this past year. Most of our patients and customers have been around for a long time, a few have been with us since we opened. We watched their children grow up. The pharmacy has been open since 1993. Our other pharmacy, where I’ve been working since I was 11, has been open since 1984. Covid affected everything, just to watch Chinatown change like this has been very heartbreaking.

How has COVID affected your business?

This past year has changed everything. Gradual decline. The number of prescriptions is about the same, but product sales have slowly decreased. There’s a huge reduction in traffic.

We’ve been hit hard in 2021. We were doing okay staying above water — we closed early to save on payroll, but I noticed a huge reduction starting in January. Reimbursement from insurance companies has dropped so much, it’s starting to impact us more than I expected. It’s hard to see so many stores still closed, so many restaurants my staff and I used to go to in the area still haven’t reopened. I feel really bad for them. One thing about being in the community, you get to know a lot of the owners and workers.

Most of my patients are from Brooklyn. They don’t come to Manhattan anymore because of COVID. They decided not to take public transportation and stay closer to home. That’s one of the biggest impacts.

“There’s a huge reduction in traffic. It’s hard to see so many stores still closed.”

How has the Chinatown community been impacted?

I noticed people getting assaulted. We try to help when we can, call the police or try to stop it. Recently, an old man was assaulted just because he was Chinese. The police tell us they see an increase in Anti-Asian violence, but it’s underreported. Older people are being assaulted. Many people don’t say anything or report an incident because they don’t want to cause trouble. Seniors are afraid to come out. We try to deliver as much as we can. Unfortunately, we‘ve lost some customers to COVID. It’s hard for everyone.

What have you done to adapt? 

We tried limiting the number of people in the store — social distancing. Everyone has to wear a mask. If you can’t wear a mask, we’ll bring your order or prescription to the door. If we suspect someone of being ill, we disinfect the store as soon as they leave. Luckily none of our workers have gotten sick. We’ve done a good job keeping everything as clean as possible.

“We’ve been approved to administer the vaccine. As soon as the shipment comes in, we will offer the vaccine to the community….”

Can people get the vaccine at your pharmacy?

We’ve been approved to administer the vaccine. I got certified to provide immunizations. As soon as the shipment comes in, we will offer the vaccine to the community for free – everything is covered by the government. There is a waiting list already. We have all the equipment and are ready. Anyone who wants the vaccine can come to our pharmacy and get vaccinated.

The worst is behind us. There are better things to come. I got both my doses already. My wife got it, my daughter got it. I trust the science – there’s so much research put into this. 

What do you want people in the community to know?

If you know someone who has been hard hit, I’ll do whatever I can to help. If a senior has trouble getting their medication, please come to my pharmacy and we’ll work something out.

Chinatown small businesses like Minh Pharmacy are what makes the spirit of our neighborhood. We need your support to keep that spirit alive. Please consider donating to The Longevity Fund, our small business relief fund, or help us spread the word of what’s at stake. Together, we can preserve Chinatown businesses and help keep Chinatown open for business. 

Photo Credit: Fuxuan Xin