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...
| 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!
Green Island/Canal District
Binh An Market
Owner: Hiep N. Ho
Opened: 2008
Location: 64 Green St, Green Island, Worcester, MA
Photographed: March 19, 2019
Past Stores: Han Ten Market (2000)
This Vietnamese market is about 5,000 square feet, and is one of the very few grocery stores of any kind in and around downtown Worcester. We're just across the railroad tracks from true downtown Worcester, at the top of Green Street, one of the business strips quickly developing a new restaurant and nightlife scene.
Golemo's Market
Owner: Dariusz Golemo
Opened: unknown
Location: 43 Millbury St, Green Island, Worcester, MA
Photographed: October 6, 2019 and November 6, 2021
Past Stores: Bresnahan Co (1922-1927) > Buehler Markets (1957-1969)
Just across the Canal District from Binh An is a store representing a very different part of the world -- a Polish market and deli called Golemo's.
Union Hill
No Name Grocery II
Owner: Victor Lara
Opened: unknown
Location: 49 Vernon St, Union Hill, Worcester, MA
Photographed: January 19, 2019 and April 1, 2022
Past Stores: A Dong Market (1979)
As we move up Union Hill, we see No Name Grocery. The store is just a couple thousand square feet and clearly tacked on to the front of this house on a sloped part of Vernon Street. There is another No Name Grocery in Worcester, which we'll be seeing shortly. Reminds me of the Canadian No Name products.
The Store
Owner: Nguyen and Dung Kim Do
Opened: 2000 under current ownership
Location: 88 Providence St, Union Hill, Worcester, MA
Photographed: January 19, 2019 and April 1, 2022
Past Stores: Billy Troy's Market (1943-1952) > Academy Market (1957-1962) > Providence St Mini Mart (1985-1991)
Once presumably named for the Worcester Academy, a large private school across the street, this tiny grocer with just two aisles inside is now simply The Store.
Big W Variety Store
Owner: unknown
Opened: between 2019 and 2023
Location: 59 Providence St, Union Hill, Worcester, MA
Photographed: March 17, 2023
Past Stores: Goldie Pemstein (1916) > Benjamin Mason (1922) > People's Market (1985-ca. 2022)
The People's Market recently became the Big W Variety Store, but its roots as a grocery store go back over 100 years. The tiny interior is piled with groceries of all kinds, but there's no deli, produce, or meat. Just the basics.
Red Light Market
Owner: unknown
Opened: 2022
Location: 78-80 Waverly St, Union Hill, Worcester, MA
Photographed: April 1, 2022
Past Stores: Silvester Sinkiewicz (1922) > Samuel Rosen (1931-1937) > Louis Cramer (1943-1952) > Louis Leger (1957)
These days, the grocer at the bottom of this apartment building is an African market. It's been repainted since I was there.
No Name Grocery
Owner: Victor Lara
Opened: 2003
Location: 270 Grafton St, Union Hill, Worcester, MA
Photographed: October 26, 2019
Past Stores: Grafton Street Market (1991) > Moises Grocery (2000)
The other No Name Market in Worcester is about half a mile northeast. This appears to have been the original.
Franklin Plantation
John & Sons Market
Owner: unknown
Opened: 2019 under current ownership; ca. mid-1930s previously
Location: 71 Suffolk St, Franklin Plantation, Worcester, MA
Photographed: April 1, 2022 and March 17, 2023
Past Stores: Philip Bolduc (1916-1931) > John Pascarelli (1937-1943)
This grocer is remarkable in that it's been continuously in operation since at least 1916. John Pascarelli took over from Philip Bolduc around the mid-1930s, and by the following decade, he had renamed it John & Sons -- a name it retains to this day (almost; the second S in Sons has fallen off). Inside, the store doesn't have a lot, and it may not be around for much longer. But it still makes homemade Italian sausages, sub sandwiches, and the like, and they're still open (albeit with very limited hours) six days a week. The interior picture was taken through the front window at a time when they were closed.
Vernon Hill
ABC Mini Market
Owner: unknown
Opened: unknown
Location: 41 Granite St, Vernon Hill, Worcester, MA
Photographed: August 21, 2021
Past Stores: M Winer & Co (1937-1943)
Two small grocery stores remain at one intersection on Vernon Hill. On the north side of Granite Street, the ABC Mini Mart; on the south side, Sunrise Mini Mart.
Sunrise Mini Mart
Owner: Lan Nguyen
Opened: unknown
Location: 48 Granite St, Vernon Hill, Worcester, MA
Photographed: August 28, 2021
Past Stores: Granite Spa (1985)
At various times, there have been around a half-dozen grocery stores at this intersection. In local parlance, by the way, "spa" is an old-fashioned word for small grocery store. The Granite Spa moved from 50 Granite St, probably some point in the 1960s.
Vernon Hill
S&A Mini Mart
Owner: unknown
Opened: ca. 2000
Location: 99 Ward St, Vernon Hill, Worcester, MA
Photographed: April 1, 2022
Past Stores: John Dvareckas (1931-1952) > Cho's Market (1985) > Nami Mini Store (1991)
Easy to spot this old-school grocery store! This is exactly the type that you see dotting the corners of Worcester -- although of course many are long gone.
Jack's Variety
Owner: Kevin Khu
Opened: 2001
Location: 140 Vernon St, Vernon Hill, Worcester, MA
Photographed: May 18, 2022
Past Stores: none
Jack's Variety is really a convenience store, and not a particularly old one, so I don't find it that exciting. But just up the street...
Jimmy's Variety
Owner: unknown
Opened: ca. 1990
Location: 1 Upsala St, Vernon Hill, Worcester, MA
Photographed: August 28, 2021 and May 18, 2022
Past Stores: Charles Anderson (1916-1922) > Taofil Wondolowski (1927-1957) > Eklund Square Market (1962-1985)
...Jimmy's Variety has been around for decades, as were several other grocers before it in this small space! The grocer is just about 1000 square feet, so it's quite small. Check out that ceiling!
Grafton Hill
Boston Fresh Produce
Owner: unknown
Open: 2018-2019
Location: 1059 Grafton St, Grafton Hill, Worcester, MA
Photographed: January 19, 2019
Past Stores: A&R Fruit Co > The Farm Stand > Red Radish Produce
One final stop way out east by the Shrewsbury border. The AP Fish Company and A&R Fruit Company once shared this building, but the produce market seemed to be troubled. It later became The Farm Stand, Red Radish Produce, and then Boston Fresh Produce, which we see here. It was closed by 2019, at which point the seafood market expanded into the produce market's space.
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