When Brooklyn Farmacy opened its doors in the Spring of 2010, it was clear that we hadn't opened a new place, we had opened an old place. Almost a century after the fountain's glory days, it appeared then, as it is today, that people remain thirsty for countertop classics- the sundae, the soda and the ice cream float. Welcome!

Brooklyn Farmacy and Soda Fountain is housed in a 1920s apothecary store in Brooklyn, New York. Once a thriving neighborhood pharmacy, Longo’s Drugs . It is a family owned-and operated business with a sibling duo behind the soda fountain helm.

In 2010, however, while externally 513 Henry  was an eyesore, the interior was frozen in time, filled with drugstore ephemera and original architectural detail. Amidst the dust and decades of clutter, it was clear as day that this old pharmacy needed a revival —and we believed, as a modern day soda fountain.

There was no shortage of  passion for this idea: before even signing a lease, nine red twirling stools had been purchased on eBay, we had drawn up menus, and bought a Bastian Blessing soda fountain from deep in Pennsylvania. But quickly enough, we understood that the structural repair on the old pharmacy's floor would cost more than a little soda fountain could afford to bear. After months of talking up the neighborhood about a soda fountain revival, it seemed our project was over before it began.

But it wasn't.  On a spring morning , a car pulled up outside. Inside was a lady asking  for directions. This lady, unknown to us, was the casting director a Discovery Channel reality TV series entitled, Construction Intervention. It was her day off and yet she was frantically searching for their finale for season one. (She told us a few years later that she had actually shouted back at the producer, “businesses don’t just fall from the sky!”

But it seems we had. After asking a few questions that had little to do with the direction she was originally headed, she stepped into our store and changed the course of soda fountain history.

In just under five days, a production crew of sixty undertook the restoration and renovation of the old pharmacy, The pharmacy was the only 'restoration' project of the Discovery series, and the majority of the crew, from electricians to the woodworkers, were born in Brooklyn. Rumor has it the  Construction Intervention crew was not above getting misty eyed over the opportunity to restore original tin ceilings and penny tile floors—or about recreating a soda fountain in Brooklyn.

This was, everyone agreed, a very special project. 

On May 6, 2010, thanks to the soda fountain angels, Longo's Pharmacy at 513 Henry came back to life as Brooklyn Farmacy — a little soda fountain whose time had come.  Our mission was to bring the egg cream back to the top of the menu. Our mission was to create a space where sweet memories are made. Our mission was to create a spot where everyone, and every age is welcome Our mission was to be first jobs for teenagers, and a place our employees could call home. We hope you stop by for a visit, and feel the magic!