Under New Ownership
Couple from Guilderland new owners of Menges & Curtis Apothecary
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. >> Longtime local business Menges & Curtis Apothecary is now under new ownership.
Jennifer and Scott Lamb of Guilderland are the new owners of Menges & Curtis Apothecary, which is located at 472 Broadway, in the corner storefront of the Ainsworth Building in downtown Saratoga Springs.
The business offers old-fashioned medicine in a historical setting.
Originally established in 1860 at a nearby Broadway site, Menges & Curtis moved in 1871 to its current location, where it shares a prominent downtown corner with City Hall, the post office and the bank.
Though more than 150 years have passed since the business’ inception, a few things like its iconic stained glass sign, antique wooden furniture, and its pharmaceutical practices are still the same as the early days.
Menges & Curtis Apothecary is an independent compounding pharmacy, where medications are made from scratch from raw ingredients. “Almost like a bakery,” explained pharmacist Jennifer Lamb.
“With compounding, nothing is pre-made,” she continued. “A compounding pharmacist is somebody who actually custom makes and handmakes medicine from scratch for a particular specialized need that a patient may have when a medicine is not commercially available.”
Menges & Curtis Apothecary is one of only a few compounding pharmacies in the greater Capital Region.
Lamb was approached by former owner Michael Lenz, a fellow compounding pharmacist, about purchasing the Spa City business and she and her husband were eager to take on their first entrepreneurial endeavor.
The couple started operating the pharmacy in the spring, then recently held a grand opening celebration and ribbon cutting ceremony with the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce.
Along with the opportunity to practice pharmacy compounding at her own business, Lamb fell in love with the space, which can feel a little bit like stepping back in time, and she is excited to carry on its tradition.
“I love the history. I love the store. I love preserving everything about it,” she said. “Its 158 years of amazing Saratoga history and its a stewardship that goes along with this business ownership as well.”
The Lambs are now the fifth owners of Menges & Curtis Apothecary. For the most part, they’re keeping the business the way it is. “We’ve kept the business model exactly the same. It has been working well for the community,” the pharmacist said. “We have a good customer base for the compounding medications. Of course, we are always looking to grow and will continue to try to grow that side of the business.”
In addition to compound medications, Menges & Curtis Apothecary carries nutritional and supplement products as well as with a variety of items in the front of the shop such as essential oils, small gifts, locally made goods, and pet products.
Looking ahead, Lamb said her goal for the future is to make Menges & Curtis Apothecary a place where people can learn and understand more about how they can really tailor their health needs to themselves, and to make the store into a living museum as they keep discovering more and more artifacts from throughout the history of pharmacy within the space.
More information about Menges & Curtis Apothecary is available online at www.facebook.com/mengesandcurtis or by calling (518) 306-5343.