Huntington's closed Rite Aid will become a bigger home for Value Drugs pharmacy

A mom-and-pop pharmacy will soon take over the former Rite Aid location in Huntington.

Value Drugs, a New York-based operation with five locations on Long Island and in Westchester County, will move from its Huntington store at 349 New York Ave. to the shuttered Rite Aid at 391 W. Main St.

“It’s a spectacular spot for us,” said managing partner Peter Pastorelli, who said his father, also named Peter, opened Value Drugs in 1971. “We're going to take the best of what's here, and some sections will become larger."

The new Value Drugs is scheduled to open around Halloween, and at about 12,000 square feet, will be significantly larger than the current one,  Pastorelli said.

“I'm coming from a very awkward, long, narrow store,” he said, noting that the new space is more appropriately sized and structured, fitting his vision of a “mini Target.” He said the current location has limited parking; the new store will have an adjacent parking lot.

In May, Rite Aid announced it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, its second bankruptcy filing since 2023, and planned to sell off its assets, including all its stores. Various other businesses have taken over shuttered Rite Aid stores on Long Island.

Rite Aid’s closure has been a boon for Value Drugs, Pastorelli said. He declined to provide specific sales figures but said business has increased about 25% since the Huntington Rite Aid closed.

"That Rite Aid was a very busy store," Pastorelli said. "We believe we got one of the better locations."

Several other former Rite Aid locations are listed for lease on real estate sites, including in Lindenhurst, Hampton Bays, Middle Island, Mount Sinai, Selden and North Bellmore.

Pastorelli said he has no plans to expand to other Rite Aid stores.

Real estate adviser Rudy Milian, of New Jersey-based Woodcliff Realty Advisors LLC, said he anticipates the properties will be picked up quickly, but not necessarily by other pharmacies like Value Drugs.

"Nassau and Suffolk are highly sought-after markets for retailers and restaurants of all kinds," Milian said in an email to Newsday. "All Rite Aid stores planned for closures will likely be replaced within a year or two of closure but more than likely by other non-pharmacy uses."