The Independent Edition: Main South

Now it's time to see some of the smaller grocers in the Webster Square and Main South area.

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...

        |  John Smith (1926-1937) > Joe Jones (1955-1982)

...means that John Smith appears in the directories in 1926 and 1937, and Joe Jones appears in all directories I consulted between 1955 and 1982. That doesn't mean that John Smith opened up shop in 1926 and closed in 1937, he might have started in 1920 and closed in 1941 but since I don't have those records, I don't know for sure. Any questions (or corrections), feel free to drop a note in the comments and I'll look into it!

Webster Square

Accra Supermarket

Owner: Vasco Oburoni

Opened: 2019

Location: 26 Cambridge St, Webster Square, Worcester, MA

Photographed: September 7, 2018 and August 27, 2019

We saw one Accra Supermarket in Quinsigamond Village, and their second location (it appears the two stores are related) is just off of Webster Square, almost immediately next door to the Price Chopper at Main and Cambridge. In fact, to the far left in the above image, you can see the Price Chopper monument sign. (The white building is Christo's Pizza, a source for wonderful and cheap New England Greek style pizza.) The above picture was taken in 2018, just before the store opened in what appears to be a former industrial building, and below, after they did open in 2019. Inside, the store feels like a warehouse with rows of Ghanaian foods, mostly shelf-stable packaged imported items.

Past Stores: It doesn't look like any grocery store was here before Accra Supermarket.

Main South

Main South Market

Owner: unknown

Open: 2019-2023

Location: 1025 Main St, Main South, Worcester, MA

Photographed: March 26, 2022

Past Stores: 

Ellen Clark (1916) > Walter Clark (1922-1937)

We're just a couple blocks south of Clark University. Were these Clarks related to Jonas Clark, after whom the university was named? Probably not, but it's possible.

Latin Meats

Owner: unknown

Opened: 2014

Location: 891 Main St, Main South, Worcester, MA

Photographed: April 1, 2022

Past Stores: 

Thomas Remnicks & Co (1916) > Arsen Yakjian (1937)

Latin Meats has been here since 2014. Previously, this space and the storefront next door that's now Main Tacos was a florist. Ha Tien is directly across the street. The purple building next door was also a grocery store, more on that tomorrow.

Pennywise Market

Owner: Michael Maranda

Opened: 1967

Location: 3 May St, Main South, Worcester, MA

Photographed: April 22, 2018 and September 3, 2021

Directly across May Street from AFB is Pennywise Market, a longtime grocery/convenience/liquor store. At 7,000 square feet, Pennywise is almost double the size of AFB, but much less of a supermarket (there's no meat, produce, or deli here, although there are some basic groceries).

I assume this wonderful sign in the back-right of the store was once on the outside of the building. As you see, there's a lot of space dedicated to convenience store-type selections, with plenty of beer and wine but nothing you might be able to make dinner with. Check cashing and bottle returns also seem to be a big draw here.

Past Stores: 

A&P (1943-1969)

It looks like Pennywise moved in right after A&P closed, and it also looks like there was a slight delay in the city directories. Public records show that the Pennywise company was incorporated two years before the city directories say A&P closed here, so it's likely A&P closed in 1966 or 1967 rather than after 1969, unless Pennywise was elsewhere for a couple years -- although there's no evidence of that in the city directories. Listings do, however, show a second Pennywise at Brittan Square from 1973-1985. We'll be checking out that store in a little bit, too.