10With: What's With the Merz Apothecary? (Pt 1)

By Karl Klockars in News on Sep 7, 2010 3:00PM

Last week, Chuck brought us the news that the Merz Apothecary, the century-plus-old stalwart of the Chicago apothecary scene, was pulling out of it's space at Macy's and moving a couple blocks south towards the Palmer House Hilton. So...why would you do that? After 135 years in business (at their North Side locations over the years), you'd think things would be humming along nicely at this point.

Plus, any place that can last that long selling straight razors, soap and herbal remedies is worth noting, and so today we do just that. Anthony Qaiyum, current owner of Merz, joined us on the Chicagoist Podcast Series to spend 10 minutes (today) talking about how they've managed to keep the doors open for so long.

To listen, just press play: Anthony Qaiyum, Merz Apothecary

You can find Part Two here.

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