Lakeside Pharmacy Closes Its Doors Monday

After nearly 50 years on Lake Anne Plaza, Lakeside Pharmacy will close its doors for good on Monday at 5 p.m.

The old-time pharmacy — complete with a soda fountain, post office and friendly pharmacist — was the last remaining original store at Reston’s first village center.

Pharmacist Larry Cohn has owned the store for 44 years. He sold it last spring to an investor. Cohn, who has been making the daily commute from Culpeper for years, wants to retire.

The new owners had hoped to have an independent pharmacist take over the store so there would be no disruption in service, but one could not be found in time.

Prescriptions on file at Lakeside Pharmacy will be transferred to the CVS at Plaza America, Cohn said.

While patrons gave Cohn gave Cohn and staff a goodbye party last spring, another gathering is being planned for patrons who want to remember their store and take a few photos.

Patrons will be meeting Saturday at 4 p.m. in front of Kalypso’s restaurant before heading over to the pharmacy.

The pharmacy’s closure caps a run of recent changes at Lake Anne Plaza.

Cafe Lakeside, the breakfast and lunch counter located in the pharmacy, closed in February. Owners Alfredo and Rocio Melendez, who had operated the space since 2011, said they wanted to retire since the future of the space was unknown.

The lunch counter space is being marketed for sale or lease separately, so a prospective tenant would not necessarily have to run the business inside another business.

The waterfront space that houses Lakeside Pharmacy is not slated for redevelopment as part of Lake Anne Development Partners’ (Republic Development) plan for the area.

Because the pharmacy is in the historic part of Lake Anne, the building cannot undergo major changes.

Nearby areas, such as the current parking lot at Lake Anne Plaza, a grove of trees owned by Reston Association and Crescent Apartments are included in the redevelopment plan, which includes 60,000 square feet of new retail space, up to 82,500 square feet of office space, and 1,037 residential units.

Meanwhile, other Lake Anne businesses are changing hands or have recently closed. Jasmine Cafe, a locally owned restaurant on the plaza, closed in April. The Lake Anne Coffee House is for sale. The Cupcake Ladi and New Family Naturals also recently closed.