Harmon Discount to leave Rockville Centre

Village residents looking for sample size beauty and a range of other health and cosmetic items will have to travel a lot farther by the end of this month, when the Harmon Discount Health & Beauty shop at 300 Merrick Road closes after apparently failing to reach an agreement on the renewal of its lease, which expires on Dec. 31.

A mainstay of Rockville Centre’s downtown business district, in its location for 42 years, the store, formerly known as Harmon Drugs, was acquired by the Bed Bath and Beyond chain about 10 years ago.

“We are constantly looking at all of our locations to determine if it should be maintained once we consider occupancy costs, closeness to other locations, etc.,” said Bari Fagin, a spokeswoman for the company.

“After doing so for this store, it was determined we would close the unit,” she said, adding that other Harmon stores are located in Mineola on Jericho Turnpike at Herricks Road and in Carle Place, on Old County Road opposite the entrance to Roosevelt Field.

Fagin did not say whether the Rockville Centre store’s closing had been in the planning for a while or if it is a recent development. She also did not say whether store employees were being offered jobs at other stores in the chain.

“I am very concerned about the future of this popular store,” said Mayor Fran Murray. “I have calls in to the landlord and to Harmon’s corporate headquarters to find out if there is anything we in village government can do to help keep Harmon in Rockville Centre.”

Village Comptroller Michael Schussheim expressed the dismay undoubtedly shared by fellow Harmon shoppers. “I’m very despondent over this news,” he said. “For nearly 25 years I’ve shopped there and found the prices to be reasonable, their staff to be especially friendly and helpful and their selection to be quite vast. Their impending departure from the village is a significant loss.”

Margarita Fox, the president of the Rockville Centre Chamber of Commerce echoed his thoughts. “This is a terrible loss for the village, so many people depend on them, especially our elderly who can least afford to go somewhere else,” Fox said, adding that the store had never joined the local chamber chapter.