We spoke to shoppers at the nearly 70-year-old Upper East Side pharmacy–slash–department store.
Where are you coming from?
I’m here every Thursday after my standing 11:30 at Serge Normant. It’s a very well-known salon.
What are you buying today?
Chanel eyeliner and a bottle of Opium by YSL, which has been my fragrance for 30 years. The second floor has a wonderful array of greeting cards. I’m a Papyrus woman — do you know what Papyrus is?
Yes.
Well, they have Papyrus here but also have even-higher-end makes. Zitomer is stocked by a woman of taste; that’s why it’s still going strong, unlike Barneys, which is on the block. She is a woman of taste, and the women who shop here are women of taste. Some more than others, of course.
Are you a regular here?
Yes. I’m very loyal. I’ve been with my dentist for 40 years, my Korean hairdresser, Suki, for 26. When I like something, I like something.
What did you buy?
Gifts for my granddaughter, who is at camp. She sent me a note wondering how her parents were doing without her. They’re doing just fine.
What else did you do today?
Well, on the walk over from my apartment, I stopped to take a peek at Jeffrey Epstein’s mansion. It’s shockingly large.
Who is the Zitomer customer?
A certain type of lady of a certain age. I once ran into Lee Radziwill here. I told her she looked beautiful.
*This article appears in the August 19, 2019, issue of New York Magazine. Subscribe Now!