Welcome to Duane Reade

Remember I told you a few weeks ago that I was selected as one of Duane Reade's brand new VIP bloggers? As a NYC blogger, this is a great honor and I'm thrilled to tell you about my first meeting last week with Duane Reade and my fellow bloggers.

We met for breakfast at Duane Reade's midtown headquarters and got a lot of inside information about how the company is re-branding (perhaps you've seen many of its stores undergoing renovations) as well as expanding its social media presence on Twitter and Facebook. Soon they'll be on Pinterest, too (and in the meantime I've started my own Pinterest board highlighting my favorite Duane Reade goodies):


My NYC readers have probably seen their neighborhood Duane Reade branches undergoing remarkable transformations into sparkling new stores with exclusive products, better signage, and fancy new cosmetics and beauty sections called "Look Boutiques." The most impressive example of Duane Reade's new image is its flagship store at 40 Wall Street. Honestly, I have never seen a Duane Reade (or any other pharmacy/drugstore, for that matter) like this in my 17 years of living in New York City. It seems approrpiate that the store is located across the street from Tiffany & Co. This Duane reade boasts vaulted ceilings, marble archways, and gleaming surfaces. When our group of VIP bloggers visited this location last Friday, our jaws literally dropped (and remember, we are all jaded New Yorkers):





Actually, the flagship store at 40 Wall St. still has all the basics you'd expect (a pharmacy, greeting cards, toiletries, etc.), but along with the essentials, there are exceptional mini-boutiques featuring fine cosmetics and fragrances:





And--get this--the store also has nail and hair salons, a juice bar, and--wait for it--a sushi chef (I had to run to an early school pick-up at noon so I didn't get to take advantage of this for lunch, but I'll be back!). Really, this Duane Reade is a destination unto itself. And while not every local Duane Reade will look this fab, obviously, I can promise you that major changes are on their way in each store.

So, what exactly will I be doing for Duane Reade? Well, I'll be reporting on in-store events, new products, and even a cool new interactive e-commerce site that's in development. I'll attend more corporate meetings so I'll be "in the know" about what's brewing. And, yes, I'm assuming I'll have some goodies to pass along to some lucky readers as well. Stay tuned for more, and follow my new Pinterest board about Duane Reade, too.

p.s. Want to see a pic of the Duane Reade VIP blogger group? Visit Duane Reade's Facebook Page for it. I'm the 3rd from the right.

I was not compensated for this post, and all views expressed are entirely my own.