Womp: The First Store in That Giant Astor Place Building Will Be CVS

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After downing five shots at Continental and stuffing your face at Papaya King, grab some Aspirin and Pepto-Bismol at the busy East Village intersection's newest tenant: CVS. The Real Deal reports that that the pharmacy has signed a lease for 11,500 square feet at 51 Astor Place, that giant black spaceship-y looking building that sits between Starbucks and the entrance to St. Mark's Place.

The ground floor of this address has sat vacant since it hit the market two years ago, though big names like 1stdibs and IBM have claimed the office space above. We weren't expecting something revolutionary to come in here, but considering that there's a Walgreen's just a stone's throw away, this CVS doesn't seem super necessary. But how does this newcomer have a leg up over its competition? They stopped selling cigarettes last year.