After months of speculation by community residents, Walgreens has confirmed that it is closing its Hampden branch permanently.“After careful consideration, we have decided to close your local Walgreens at 3700 Falls Road on Tuesday, November 12, 2024,” the company said in a letter sent recently to customers.Signs posted outside the store carry a similar message.With the announcement, Walgreens becomes the latest of several stores to cease operations in Hampden in recent years, and the first chain store. Others include Hunting Ground, Caravanserai, Sprout, Trohv and Hampden Junque.A sign on the door of Walgreens’s Hampden location notifies customers that the store will close permanently Nov. 12, 2024. Photo by Ed Gunts.The announcement means that one of Hampden’s largest stores will be vacant in five weeks. But some merchants and residents say it was just a matter of time, because the neighborhood has other drug stores and convenience stores nearby. Some noticed that the building has been listed on loopnet.com as being available for lease since early 2022.“Maybe three large corporate pharmacies within a few blocks of each other never made any sense,” said one commenter on the Hampden Neighbors page of Facebook.A member of the Hampden Community Council suggested it would be a good location for the Hampden Family Center, a non-profit organization that works to address homelessness, drug dependency and crime in the neighborhood.According to the loopnet listing, the Walgreens building dates from 1950, contains 10,000 square feet of space at street level and 2,500 square foot in its basement, and has 21 parking spaces on its corner lot. The listing says the building is zoned for commercial use and can be subdivided.“Corner Property at Traffic light in Prime Hampden Neighborhood,” it states. “Next to ‘The Avenue.’ “The letter to customers noted that another Walgreens with a pharmacy is several blocks away, in the Green Spring Tower Square shopping center at 1030 W. 41st St., and that customer prescription records at one Walgreens are available at all Walgreens branches.“We’re committed to providing the same care and convenience you’ve come to enjoy at your current pharmacy,” the letter said. “We look forward to serving you at 1030 W. 41st St.”