IN PAIN? GO GET YOUR FIX AT RETAIL PHARMACY
Retail Pharmacy is quickly becoming one of New York City’s most unique shopping experiences. Founded by Sophia, the concept of this "pharmacy" is less about literal medicine and more about treating ‘patients’ to an eclectic mix of independent designers, vintage treasures, and artistic flair. What started as a small pop-up in 2021 evolved into a permanent store in 2023, and now Sophia's journey has taken her beyond NYC, with a recent pop-up in Japan. We sat down with Sophia to learn more about the evolution of Retail Pharmacy, her approach to sourcing and curation, and the vibrant community she's built around her vision.
GATA: To kick things off, could you introduce your shop to our readers? Give us a quick recap—when you moved back to NYC from LA, you started off doing pop-ups. How did that journey evolve into opening your own shop?
SOPHIA: I did the first Retail Pharmacy popup in August of 2021. My partner had gap in his gallery programming and I asked if I could use the spot. I then reached out to like 25 artists and designers for items. It went pretty well, but I was working another job at the time so I didn’t get to do the next popup until February 2022. That one went REALLY well, it kicked off with a small runway presentation by this brand shame and had about 60 different designerrs in it. After that one I did the popups every 6-8 weeks for the following year. In the beginning of 2023 I found the storefront while I was looking for a bigger office. That’s the funny thing, I actually hadn’t planned on opening a permanent shop yet, the opportunity just kind of presented itself and I took it. I opened the NYC shop in April of 2023 and had mostly just done events there until this popup in Japan.
GATA: The concept of 'Retail Pharmacy' is so cool. How did you come up with it? Did you have other names in mind before settling on this one? Are you a shopping addict?
SOPHIA: Hahahaha, I’m almost definitely a shopping addict. Growing up “retail therapy” was definitely a coping mechanism my mother used with me. When I was trying to name the shop I wanted it to be something catchy and fun, not too obscure, but not too on the nose. I’d always liked medical imagery and I live in Chinatown where there is a pharmacy on every block so when the name came to me it just felt right and I stopped trying to find others.
GATA: Retail Pharmacy feels more like a curation heaven than a typical shop. How do you approach sourcing?
SOPHIA: First off, thank you, I work hard to find pieces that all fit together but have their own identity. I am just constantly looking for new things that inspire me. I find inspiration in a lot of ways. Sometimes a piece inspires me because it is so unique and unlike anything I’ve seen before. Sometimes I’m inspired because something is so cute and simple that I can imagine myself wearing it in 10 different ways. I don’t know how to explain why I chose brands other than I look for stuff that speaks to me and makes me excited. How large a brand’s following is, or how long and impressive a designer’s CV is doesn’t matter to me, I’m just interested in what you are making and whether I think it is something my patients AKA customers will like too.
GATA: How do you develop the visual identity? Do you work with mood boards? What are movie or musical references you have?
SOPHIA: Since I decided to go with the Pharmacy theme it’s been easy to kind of build a visual identity around that. When you think of a pharmacy or anything medical I think peopele think of a sterile environment and that’s a great place to showcase the unique pieces I carry. I don’t really work with moodboards. RP is a super small team, it’s basically just me doing 10 people's jobs, and my friend who watches the shop for me when I’m away lol. The moodboards just live in my head because, frankly, I don’t have the time to really make them. I don’t know what musical references I would have for the shop, my taste is pretty wide when it comes to music. I think I get a lot of inspo from the color palette of Stanley Kubrick films, I love the scene where Leeloo is birthed in The Fifth Element, theres also this crazy movie called The Baby of Macon by Peter Greenaway that always stuck with me visually, there’s nothing medical about it lol, but it uses a lot of red and maybe that’s why I do too.
GATA: Tell us about some of your designers, like Romina Montserrat. Most of your designers seem to be smaller and independent. Is that a quality you intentionally look for?
SOPHIA: Yes and no. I don’t really seek out the smallest designers I can find but I do seek out really unique pieces by people who don’t have a lot of NY representation and they seem to go hand in hand. Romina is a great example of that. I was seeing some of her pieces on IG through reposts and then that same week I saw some of them at a popup in NYC and finally tracked down Romina herself. What spoke to me was the garments, I had no idea she had a small following, or was from Peru.
Screenshot of Retail Pharmacy Website
GATA: Your products seem to have stories behind them. Can you share one of your favorite stories about an item or designer?
SOPHIA: It’s really hard to pick a favourite. There have been so many amazing pieces and designers I’ve worked with over the years. For the runway I mentioned earlier with the brand shame, Ramona created these kombucha leather pieces. She made the kombucha leather herself in her apartment which she said made the whole place stink hahaha. I work with this other guy Nick, whose brand is called WWYRED, he finds really cool vintage pieces to then put new life into through alternative dye and printing processes. He will create dye baths using pieces of metal and will leave them to rust and patina and then transfer onto the garments, or he uses natural materials like eucalyptus and onion skins to create these really unique one of a kind hues. Hollywood Lowbrow is a designer I work with who makes one of a kind leather cuffs, chokers, belts, and other accessories and garments. Her name is Skye and she’s really cool and interesting. I don’t think she plans out any of the cuff designs, I think she just sits down, and vibes and makes the most amazing pieces. She also makes short films which I find really cool. There are too many others to list tbh.
GATA: You mentioned the strong community surrounding the shop. How did you build a community of people before even launching your shop? How do you involve your community in the store experience, both physically and digitally?
SOPHIA: I don’t think the community really grew until after the 1st popup. The initial event was really nice and it involved a lot of my friends but it was the 2nd popup when I really started to reach out to a lot of people who were in the young designer community in NYC, Chicago, and LA. I just looked for people who seemed to have similar design language and figured that they would get along and that their customers were. They say “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover” but sometimes you can get a lot of information on someone by their aesthetic. I noticed there were a lot of people who wore whatever style clothes I carry (please don’t ask me to define it I don’t even know what to call it lol) but there weren’t a lot of shops, or events that weren’t raves for us to attend. I wanted to create a space for these people and I’m just happy they were so receptive to it. Everything grew really organically, as I did more pop-ups, poetry readings, parties, etc., more people would show up through word of mouth or by finding the IG. One of the things I like the most about bringing people together is seeing them work together afterwards. If I’m being honest I never gave much thought to growing a digital community. I just used the IG as a way to post information about events and website updates and I guess people like the content because it’s done well. Retail Pharmacy only has IG, and a tumblr which I don’t post on, I don’t like to spend too much time focusing on creating content and social media. I would rather focus on finding new designers, or organizing events for the shop. I’m really grateful for the online community surrounding RP though, I know in 2024 it’s an indispensable business tool and I’m happy my low effort approach is well received lol.
GATA: What was your biggest challenge while launching Retail Pharmacy, and how did you overcome it?
SOPHIA: Just having enough time to do what I need to for the shop but still feeling like I have a fulfilling life outside of work too. Because the shop is relatively new and I don’t have any investor money I do the jobs of like 10 people; accountant, graphic designer, buyer, social media manager, sales person, etc. When I first started Retail Pharmacy and I was doing pop-ups I also had another job, so free time has always been limited for me. I have a never ending to do list and I often don’t have time for myself once I’ve finished everything, or I’m just too exhausted to enjoy what I might have had planned. I’m currently working on finding a better work life balance, but I think anyone who is starting a small business from the ground up knows how I feel. I haven’t quite overcome or mastered the imbalance I have yet but I’m working on it.
GATA: You’ve worked as both a stylist and in retail, merging the knowledge from both roles. What were the most random stunts you did back then? Bring us down memory lane.
SOPHIA: To be honest I never really pulled any stunts as a stylist, most of my work was commercial and rather boring. I am banned from uber because I put some charges on a company card that they later filed as chargebacks. It wasn’t even a lot (and I was authorized to charge it) but I haven’t paid the fee to get my account back in like 5 years out of principle hahaha.
GATA: You've mentioned how much you love New York. You work in the Lower East Side and live in Manhattan—what about living there do you love so much?
SOPHIA: I love that it feels like old New York a little, that there aren’t too many skyscrapers, a lot of the businesses are independently owned and operated, the community is diverse, the food is good, it’s a bit quieter than other parts of Manhattan but still as convenient as the rest of the burrow, the people dress better than almost anywhere in the world, there’s always something going on in the streets, there’s so many reasons.
GATA: Which places or experiences in NYC inspire the curation at Retail Pharmacy?
SOPHIA: I’m inspired by the city as a whole. It’s very freeing, you can do and wear whatever you want here. For better or worse. It inspires me to push the boundaries in my curation and to just follow my gut. I get inspired by going out and seeing the creativity that people put into their club/rave wear. I particularly like going out during NYFW because people really go all out with their party outfits. I just love seeing people put EFFORT into their looks, whether I really like the finished product or not. To me being fashionable isn’t about wearing what is most popular or on trend, it’s about embodying your personal style through your garments. I feel like people in NYC get that.
GATA: You're now in Japan for a pop-up at Domicile. How do you see the store evolving in the future?
SOPHIA: Being in Japan was such a cool experience. It was amazing to meet so many people who already knew about the shop and were excited about RP finally coming to them, and also to meet so many new people that I really clicked with. It makes me want to do more events in other cities so I can bring the shop to those who can’t come to NY. I also have plans on more events for my NY community this year but the popup was such a great experience that I’m already plotting out where I’ll be popping up next year, but I don’t want to give anything away yet. (But also, if you have a shop overseas and would like to host me please reach out lol.)
GATA: Your partner, Casey, is also a creative. Do you collaborate, and seek each other’s advice? We love to see creative couples thrive…
SOPHIA: I wouldn’t say we collaborate but we definitely bounce ideas off one another. I ask him for his advice on A LOT of things I do, sometimes I don’t take it which drives him crazy, but it’s really nice to have someone that I can get an honest opinion on things from, since I run Retail Pharmacy alone I don’t really have a colleague to do that with.
GATA: Lastly, is there anything else you want to say?
SOPHIA: Just a big thank you to you, and GATA, and all my patients who have supported the shop over the years. <3