The Market Report

We're going to take a look at some (almost all) of the independent grocers in the southeastern part of Worcester -- we'll be starting in the Green Island/Canal District area, then Union Hill, Franklin Plantation, Vernon Hill, and finally way out to Grafton Hill. There's a lot of little grocery stores here, ranging from ethnic markets to convenience stores to produce markets, so let's check them out! A note on historical sources:  To get "past stores" in each location, I've consulted Worcester city directories going back to the 1910s. Here in the city, I'm drawing from  1916, 1922, 1927, 1931, 1937, 1943, 1959, 1952, 1957, 1962, 1969, 1973, 1979, 1985, 1991, 2000, 2009, and 2017.  Also of note: this is far from an exhaustive listing of all grocery stores that have been in this area, although I'll probably eventually post the full thing, this is just what I've been able to photograph. Reading the captions:  A caption such as the following...     ...

Original Grocery Tenant: Fairway Beef Address: 48 Grafton St, Green Island, Worcester, MA Opened:  1946 Closed:  2021 Later Tenants:  none Photographed:  November 4, 2018 and October 11, 2021 It's quite the feat that two brothers, George and Jack Siegel, ran this butcher shop/grocery store for decades after their father started the business in 1946. The store finally closed in 2021 after running essentially the same for most of its life. That article also indicates that this area was once Worcester's meatpacking and sale district, but Fairway Beef was the last remaining business. Also in this neighborhood was the original home of C&S Wholesale Grocers, which eventually moved to the north to Brattleboro, VT and later their current home of Keene, NH. The store was around 6500 square feet and eventually is set to be redeveloped . The old-school sale sign facing Grafton Street outlived the store, actually. It remained up (barely) even well after the store closed. ...

  Moving to the east of downtown, we're going to pass through Green Island and the Canal District to then cross route 290 and head up into the hilly parts of the city -- Union Hill, Vernon Hill, and Grafton Hill between downtown and Shrewsbury to the east. There aren't a whole lot of supermarkets in this area -- and an incredibly short-lived Shaw's was demolished right next to route 290 after only two years. But the various Hills have lots of former grocery stores and there are a few chain stores out by the Shrewsbury border that we'll be taking a look at. On Monday, we're starting with a former grocer right outside of downtown! And here's another last-minute post on a closing Stop & Shop location on Long Island!