It was where Charles Lindbergh went for egg creams while waiting for the weather to clear before his history-making solo flight to Paris.

Sadly, however, harsh business realities have forced Barley's Pharmacy, a landmark in Westbury, to shut its doors.

The move came abruptly on Wednesday of last week, a sign in the window of the pharmacy - as close to a beloved business in town as any - announcing that its prescriptions had been transferred to the CVS pharmacy up the block.

In the end, those close to the situation said on Friday, it was high insurance rates and an inadequate return on how much the pharmacy was grossing per square foot, that brought on its demise.

Though Barley's is the second pharmacy closure on Post Avenue in three weeks, Joe Mendez, of the Westbury Pharmacy, further north on Post, said the trend will now likely end.

"Earlier this week we had a lot of people stop in because they had no idea Barley's was closing and they needed to get their prescriptions filled," Mendez said.

"As in the case with Midville, for most people, notification of the closure of Barley's came by virtue of a sign in their window," he continued. "The thing is, though I hate to say it and quite to our surprise, these closures - along with the arrival of Rite Aid - have actually been a blessing for us.

"A lot of people just happen to want to go to a small, Mom and Pop-style pharmacy. We really didn't expect to see this kind of increase in our business, but I have to say, we really have been fortunate."

Unlike Barley's and Midville, Mendez said the Westbury Pharmacy will likely survive even if the boom in business it is now experiencing subsides.

"Thankfully, we also supply pharmaceuticals to local nursing homes, so we do have a guaranteed business. Like I said, what we never expected was to now also be experiencing such an increase in our retail business.

"It's a good thing," Mendez said finally.

"You know, Westbury is a really good community. It's a nice place to come to and transact business."