To: Mr. William Hunter, Regional Director of Real Estate, CVS Health

Dear Mr. Hunter,

We were saddened to learn that the CVS at 777 Main Street in downtown Hartford is slated for closure later this year. This neighborhood destination and the people who work there hold a special place in our community. Their loss would deal a serious blow. We have dependably supported CVS as it has expanded downtown, and we ask that you consider maintaining a location in this neighborhood.

Eight years ago, when the downtown CVS quadrupled its space, we were among those who responded by expanding our spending at what was fast becoming a community anchor. When the store’s hours lengthened on both weeknights and weekends, we took it as another sign of robust demand and welcomed your responsiveness to our healthcare and household needs. We have seen from the significant and growing foot traffic at the downtown CVS that we are part of a much larger group of community members who shop at this store. Alongside longtime residents, more recent arrivals moving into the many new apartment buildings have bolstered downtown’s demand profile significantly as the population has roughly tripled in 15 years. This is a recipe for increasing revenues and repeat business.

While office employment downtown has faced the same headwinds present nationally, more than 25,000 people work within walking distance of 777 Main Street. One of the most successful office towers, One Financial Plaza, which has signed major leases with Sun Financial, Fuss & O’Neill, and LAZ in recent months, is just steps from the downtown CVS. It’s important to note that, for both residential and office shoppers, proximity matters. Many of their trips are limited by time pressure and convenience to within a geographic compass of a quarter-mile at most. For them, the downtown location fits the bill. 

Moreover, the downtown CVS benefits from its location at the center of the capital region’s transit network. This expands healthcare access to shoppers from throughout the region who reply upon this network. Transit also plays a role in bringing to Hartford the many convention-goers and other visitors whose incidental purchases add to those made by regular customers.

We would be remiss to neglect mentioning a key ingredient of what makes the downtown CVS a vital place: its people. We have seen many of the same dedicated team members working diligently at this location for years. They have greeted us enthusiastically, helped us locate merchandise, and answered our questions with professionalism. Building a tight-knit and highly functional team like this takes time, resources, and leadership. Disbanding this group, whether through attrition or placement at other locations, would sever a host of connections, made organically with fellow teammates and shoppers, built over time, and of immense value.

For all of the reasons mentioned previously, we ask that you consider keeping CVS open for downtown shoppers. We expect that an announcement to this effect would be met with a groundswell of appreciation, good publicity, and redoubled patronage from a loyal crowd of supporters. We understand that cyclical changes in the pharmacy and retail business might require a "right-sizing" of your space, either in the same building or another available space. If you occupied a smaller portion of your current footprint, but enough to provide the essentials upon which we have come to rely, we would understand and support your business with equal enthusiasm. City leaders with whom we have been in contact are supportive of preserving a downtown CVS in whichever form makes the most sense for your business priorities and residents’ needs. The important thing is to have a CVS downtown, as there has been for decades.

Thank you for your consideration. You have it within your power to sustain a vibrant and successful pharmacy and an important community resource in the heart of Hartford.

Sincerely,

Downtown Hartford Residents, Businesses, and Supporters