Archived Topics
Shopping way back when...
Posted By: William Brainard <p020188b@pb.seflin.org>
Date: Wednesday, 22 August 2001, at 8:42 a.m.
We usually went to First National where Royal Buffet now is; Barkers and sometimes W. T. Grant and Woolworth on Main Street. The A&P on Valley Street had good values on fruits and vegetables. It also had the A&P Package Store which as a little kid I had to wait in the car. For certain things we went to Manchester to the parkade which had the big Sears store and Shady Glen. And there was always G. Fox in downtown Hartford which was always a special treat. I remember going there on my birthday after JFK was killed and it being close to Christmas, it was cheering to see things decked out in holiday spirit after weeks of gloom and sadness. I remember the day a G. Fox truck brought a new Arvin lawnmower to our home in Coventry. For big ticket items like appliances, my folks went to the Sears in Springfield as the sales tax was much lower than Ct.
Posted By: Shemp Daigneault
Date: Wednesday, 22 August 2001, at 10:03 p.m.
In Response To: Shopping way back when... (William Brainard)
Mr. Brainard:
I enjoy reading your remarks in TC.com here. You have a great memory...better than a ole bird like me.!
But, I can tell you this about the shopping in Willimantic back then.
We always went done to Noheimers Market on Church St next to the Chroncile office. They had a great meat department. Their fruits and vegetables were often purchased from area farmers. My pop used to pay 60 cents for 12 'ears' of yellow CT corn. Can you imagine that??
Earlier, one of the best bakeries in town few I am sure recall?? It was Mandels and it was down on that little street off Ash st. that has Henry's Pastries now on the end of it. Mandel's was a main bakery goods supplier -- donuts, rolls, cakes, piees, etc. -- to area grocery stores like Santa Lucia's that was later called Remy's on Main and Bridge (next to Dunkin Donuts, now closed for years...the little store in the step down cellar).
Mandels sold about the best honey dipped donuts you could find anywhere around there. And they wer 5 cents each!!
Later one of his sons went on to run Sweeney's Stationary Store on Main St in town.
Posted By: rd <lancva@crosslink.net>
Date: Friday, 24 August 2001, at 4:10 p.m.
In Response To: Re: Shopping way back when... (Shemp Daigneault)
Shemp--I agree with you about Noheimers--it was the best meat market in town. However, we always liked Bruennen's bakery on North st just up from the original Clark House. They had the best danish and doughnut--including honey-dip!! Speaking of doughnuts I just heard on the radio (the little box with no picture) that Krispy Kreme just posted gains--10 cents pershare and expects to open 90+ new stores!! Go DONUTS!!!
Posted By: Ada Kerachsky Albright <aa19@cornell.edu>
Date: Friday, 24 August 2001, at 4:58 p.m.
In Response To: Re: Shopping way back when... (rd)
If you were already on Church Street for Noheimers, what about about Beauchamp's Bakery just about four doors down? It was next door to my father's store's first location. I loved the "poppy-seed rolls" for two cents each. My mother loved the chocolate eclairs!
Posted By: rd <lancva@crosslink.net>
Date: Monday, 27 August 2001, at 10:07 a.m.
In Response To: Re: Shopping way back when... (Ada Kerachsky Albright)
I am trying to remember that part of Church St. I remember the Boston store, the Chronicle, there was a record store, a church?, VFW, art/frame shop, package store--this was on the left from Main to Valley. On the right there was Barnes men's store, a small grocer that made great potato chips, barber shop, Dineen's photo, Parker-Elliot Coal, Willimantic Lumber & Coal. Where was your father's store--and what did he sell. PS I don't recall Beauchamps bakery on Church St.
Posted By: Virginia Bradford Darrow <vadaro@cs.com>
Date: Monday, 27 August 2001, at 10:13 p.m.
In Response To: Re: Shopping way back when... (rd)
I thought Parker-Elliot Coal Co. was on Valley St beyond Avery-Van Zandt Funeral Home. There was also a flea bag hotel in that block. Can't remember the name of it. I remember a bakery being on North Street, can't remember the name of it. On the left or west side of Church Street was the Department Store (a mini G.Fox with lovely merchandise), the Chronicle, Noheimer's, a dry cleaner, the Old Stone Church (First Methodist, now in Mansfield), Dainton Electric and Lamp Shop, Potter's Gift Shop, then the brick building with Chappell's grocery store on the street level and the VFW on the second floor, and then the package store. On the east side or right side of the street after Church Reed Men's Store (owned by Dick Barnes and his father before him) was Spellman's Fish Market which was across from Noheimer's.
Posted By: rd <lancva@crosslink.net>
Date: Tuesday, 28 August 2001, at 9:13 a.m.
In Response To: Re: Shopping way back when... (Virginia Bradford Darrow)
You may be right about Parker-Elliot but I remember they shared a store front and they had display in their window of blue flame--which I think was some kind of trademark. The flea bag hotel on Valley St you referred to was the Park Central. It was a favorite eating/drinking spot for UConn students. They had great spaghetti and meatballs. The bakery on North St was Brunnen's. The other store on lower North was Bergeron's shoe repair. The Bergerons were neighbors when I was growing up on Oak St.
Posted By: Shemp Daigneault
Date: Saturday, 1 September 2001, at 9:58 p.m.
In Response To: Re: Shopping way back when... (Virginia Bradford Darrow)
Virginia:
The 'flea bag hotel' you refer to on Valley Street was probably The Park Central Hotel. It had a great simple and delicious Italian resturant in there that that many local folks would visit...they had best spaghetti and meatballs anywhere around. It was run by the Mastrangelo family.
I guess there were week to week residents that lived there since I do not recall anyone ever saying they always "stay at the Park Central" when in Willimantic!!!
Posted By: Ada Kerachsky Albright <aa19@cornell.edu>
Date: Monday, 27 August 2001, at 11:13 a.m.
In Response To: Re: Shopping way back when... (rd)
I'm not sure that I can name all the businesses along that first block of Church St.(although I should be able to!), but on the left, after the Chronicle, the church, the market, I believe that there were another one or two before Beauchamps Bakery, a beautiful, old building, then an alley between Beauchamps and my father's store (a brick building--perhaps number 56?), then named Willimantic Glass, then the VFW with the cannon out in front of it. On the right side, I remember Church-Reed men's clothing, and several very small shops, including the barber shop which you mentioned. There was Dr. Spector's medical office, then Dineen's (almost directly across from my father's store) and the lumber yard on the corner of Valley St. It was ca. 1946 when my father moved his store to 20-24 Union St. and it became a hardware store, still selling paint, wallpaper and glass in addition to hardware and some housewares.
Posted By: Scorpio <Scorpio@ThreadCity.com>
Date: Saturday, 1 September 2001, at 12:44 a.m.
In Response To: Re: Shopping way back when... (Ada Kerachsky Albright)
Beauchamp's Bakery was owned and operated by Mr. & Mrs. Paulhus. Son, Bobby, graduated from Windham High in 1956, I believe. When the lights came on in the darkened theater at intermission I found that Bobby was sitting next to me through the first movie and I didn't know it! That in itself is not too strange...but we were sitting in a theater in the middle of Labrador. Neither of us knew that the other was even in the same part of the world!
By the way, everyone has forgotten the Plumbing and Tinsmith business owned by Mayor Florimond J. Bergeron that was on the corner of Church and Valley Streets. Even though it had dirt floors, it still counts. Mr. Mayor was my first boss in Willimantic.
Posted By: Jules Corn <pjcorn@capecod.net>
Date: Friday, 14 September 2001, at 6:44 p.m.
In Response To: Re: Shopping way back when... (Scorpio)
Bobby Paulhus now lives on Cape Cod in the town next to me and has been in Willy helping his son Mike run in the democratic primary in town. Bob's nickname was Bob Bo, the Bo from Beauchamp. Did anyone shop at my Granfather's store, M. Rabinowitz and Son's in Sodom? I understand no one calls it Sodom anymore, I wonder why?
Grocery Stores in Wmtc. and surrounding towns
Posted By: William Brainard <wbrainard@juno.com>
Date: Wednesday, 17 October 2001, at 12:21 p.m.
In going through the first year issues of the "Coventry Broadcaster" in 1954, I noticed that Coventry had several grocery stores and a fish market. Pete's Market was on Daley Rd. and Rt. 31 by the lake. It was later Zollo's which moved to Meadowbrook Plaza on Rt. 44 in the 1970s. Yeoman's Store was where Bea's Kitchen is today on Main St. Leo Tremblay opened his supermarket in 1954; a modern first for Coventry. In 1961, Leonard and Alice Giglio opened Allen's Market near the Bolton Line. It was later Fowler's Market and today is home of Weston's Auctions. In the 1970s Zollo's Market burned in Meadowbrook Plaza and Highland Park Market found a home in the rebuilt supermarket. Tremblay's became Guido's Coventry Market in 1968 and remained a Coventry institution till 1986 when it was destroyed by a mysterious fire. The cellarhole remains to this day. Walt Noheimer of the famed Willimantic meat market was head butcher at Guido's for years. Today one can hear Guido on WTIC as spokesman for Highland Park Market; he's manager of the Manchester store. Now, Coventry has but one supermarket, Highland. Various convenience stores dot the town.
Posted By: marj <dandmarj@stargate.net>
Date: Saturday, 20 October 2001, at 11:47 p.m.
In Response To: Grocery Stores in Wmtc. and surrounding towns (William Brainard)
it's interesting to me to here how things have changed. i left CT a long time ago and i still miss it. so i enjoy hearing about my old home town.
Posted By: William Brainard <wbrainard@juno.com>
Date: Sunday, 21 October 2001, at 11:16 a.m.
In Response To: Re: Grocery Stores in Wmtc. and surrounding towns (marj)
Much changed in Willimantic from the time I left in Jan 1994 till I returned to the area in July 1999. When I left Shop Rite had deserted Wmtc. Plaza and Big Wheel was where Shaws is. No BJ's Club and CVS was where Royal Buffet is.
Posted By: Robert Thompson <THOMPSON.ROBERT@TUCSON.VA.GOV>
Date: Tuesday, 27 November 2001, at 2:47 p.m.
In Response To: Re: Grocery Stores in Wmtc. and surrounding towns (William Brainard)
Least we should forget the mom & pop stores in Willie back in the good old days. One that I will always remember was on the coner of Jackson & Valley. Run by a nice jewish family. In my early years we didn't have much money & I was the one who had to go do the grocery shopping because we had a running account with this store. Finally in late 46 my mom was able to pay the whole bill,which was quite a bit. AlSO of course,there was the AP & on Main St the First National,that is where I got busted by the manager,thanks to my grandmother. It wa only a stick of gum.
Posted By: Ada Kerachsky Albright <aa19@cornell.edu>
Date: Tuesday, 27 November 2001, at 2:59 p.m.
In Response To: Re: Grocery Stores in Wmtc. and surrounding towns (Robert Thompson)
The store on the corner of Jackson and Valley Streets was run by Mr. and Mrs. Borodach (sp?).
Posted By: rd <artattic@crosslink.net>
Date: Saturday, 15 December 2001, at 4:07 p.m.
In Response To: Re: Grocery Stores in Wmtc. and surrounding towns (rd)
I remembered a couple more neighborhood grocery stores. One was Swansons and was located one block up from Oak & Summit sts it paralled Summit St but I can't think of the name of that street; another was the Red & White store across the street from Natchaug school; and Adams on Valley street across from Park Central or that area.
Posted By: Jules Corn <pjcorn@capecod.net>
Date: Friday, 30 November 2001, at 8:21 p.m.
In Response To: Re: Grocery Stores in Wmtc. and surrounding towns (Ada Kerachsky Albright)
Borodach is spelled correctly, I looked it up in my WHS year book. Does anyone remember the OLD First National located just above the Thread Museum at the junction of Main and RT. 32? There were three aisles , two cash registers, a manager( Mr. Paulhus ?) an Asst. Mngr. and an after school part timer (me), who all got transfered to the "new" store around 1952.
Posted By: a
Date: Friday, 7 December 2001, at 8:46 a.m.
In Response To: Re: Grocery Stores in Wmtc. and surrounding towns (Jules Corn)
THERE WAS A GROCERY STORE ON WHAT WAS UNION STREET AND WHAT WAS THE STORE BETWEEN IT AND LINDY'S?
Posted By: Ada Kerachsky Albright <aa19@cornell.edu>
Date: Friday, 7 December 2001, at 1:06 p.m.
In Response To: Re: Grocery Stores in Wmtc. and surrounding towns (a)
For a relatively short time there was a "co-op" grocery store on the corner of Union and Broad Streets. It was half a block down from my grandmother's tiny store (later Flaum's). I believe that there was a men's clothing store between the corner store and Lindy's. I can't remember the name of the owner at the moment, but I believe that the name started with an M.
Posted By: rd <artattic@crosslink.net>
Date: Saturday, 8 December 2001, at 4:01 p.m.
In Response To: Re: Grocery Stores in Wmtc. and surrounding towns (Ada Kerachsky Albright)
Wasn't there a drug store at the end of the street on the corner at Jackson st. Was it Hickey's? I seem to remember it was painted a beige or light yellow??
Posted By: Lenny <harvey2000@cfl.rr.com>
Date: Saturday, 8 December 2001, at 10:58 p.m.
In Response To: Re: Grocery Stores in Wmtc. and surrounding towns (rd)
Yes the Drug store, (On the corner of Jackson) was Hickeys. I remeber it very well. Thats where my family did business. That was way befor re-development stole Willimantic's charm and character.
Lenny
Posted By: Robert Thompson <THOMPSON.ROBERT@TUCSON.VA.GOV>
Date: Friday, 14 December 2001, at 4:15 p.m.
In Response To: Re: Grocery Stores in Wmtc. and surrounding towns (Lenny)
I remember the store on the corner of Union & Broad St very well. I stood in line many a day there during the war with the family rations stamps. The clothing store between the store & lindy's, I beleive the name of it was Rosen's. Hickey's also I remember quite well as I lived over the store from the time I was 5 and left there when I was 19. How about the little store next to Hickey's,it was Pappas's(?).
Posted By: Ada Kerachsky Albright <aa19@cornell.edu>
Date: Monday, 17 December 2001, at 9:36 a.m.
In Response To: Re: Grocery Stores in Wmtc. and surrounding towns (Robert Thompson)
I don't remember Rosen's having a clothing store on Union St. They did have a store that sold some clothing on Main St. a couple of doors down from the Willimantic Trust Co. and Jordan Hardware. There was an older man who had the clothing store near Lindy's. Yes, the corner store in the Hickey's building was Pappas ice cream store. Of course Hickey's also had a soda fountain.
Posted By: LtCol. Dick Phaneuf, USMC(Ret.) <Chukup@earthlink.net>
Date: Wednesday, 13 February 2002, at 8:51 p.m.
In Response To: Re: Grocery Stores in Wmtc. and surrounding towns (Ada Kerachsky Albright)
I'll bet none of you "Young Whippersnappers" remember Brettcheneider's Store at the corner of Elm and Chapman streets!! She was a lovely, old Jewish lady who sold us kids penny candies and sweets and, no doubt, put up with much rowdyness. My family's main grocery store was Bergeron's Store then located on Cardinal Square next door to Buster's Tavern, a barber shop who'se name I can't remember and. of course, Leonard's. Bergeron's store later became LaBranche's and later moved out to Chaplin. Rabinowitz's grocery store was also on the square along with a Sunoco station and Sprague's Shell station.
Very early memories of Bergeron's grocery store include the cone of "store string" on the counter with the string running up to a ring in the ceiling and then down to the counter. Groceries in those days were wrapped in wax paper and tied with the string. On the morning after the 1938 hurricane, I remember standing on Bergeron's front steps at the water which reached the rotary in the square from the swollen river. Everything down Bricktop road including both playing fields at Recreation Park were under water.
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