If you’ve never visited, then you wouldn’t know that Amityville Apothecary’s headquarters is rife with history. Although the building was build in the late 1800s, it has only had five different businesses within its walls. The first owner, Morris Gutowitz, was a Russian immigrant, likely coming to America to escape the Pogrom.
Morris and his family lived on the second floor, while their business was located on the first (many late 19th/early 20th century shop-keepers lived above their work). The shop sold jewelry from 1890 until approximately the 1950s. Morris’ sons Louis, Benjamin, and Herman took over the shop in 1923. In 1950, Louis and Benjamin opened a large, modern shop on Fulton Street in Hempstead which catered to fine jewelry, fine china, and bridal registries. Likely they closed the Amityville location some time in the early 1950s, at which time it became Fazio’s Shoe Store.
In a 1950s article Louis states, “we are more interested in customers than in sales, and have built our business on this.” We couldn’t agree more.
So, with such a rich history, what tales does 174 Park Avenue hold? We’ll share our “Tales from the Counter” with you; stories of spirit, haunts and coincidence. In the meantime, pay us a visit.. maybe you’ll see some “orbs” of Morris, who continues making his presence known.