414 Sixth Ave., 212-533-2700 or 800-793-5433, bigelowchemists.com 
You may already have a piece of C.O. Bigelow in your medicine chest: the 171-year-old apothecary sells its own brand of moderately priced skin-care, grooming and hygiene products at a variety of outposts, but there's no substitute for Bigelow's neon-festooned store in the West Village. It is an authentically New York space, matching the Corinthian columns and intricate chandeliers of a Grand Central with the endless shelves and vitrines of a sprawling department store. The merchandise occupies a different order altogether, blending the company's eponymous products with hard-to-find imports like Marvis toothpaste and Miller Harris fragrances. Bigelow pharmacists still man this store, too, lovingly expediting prescriptions for frenzied customers and adding flavorings to kids' and pets' liquid medications upon request. Pharmacists can blend children's dosages with cherry, strawberry or watermelon, among many other options, reserving the protein flavors for the furrier little ones.

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