Happy Monday! Let's check out the small independent grocers across the neighborhoods we've been visiting.
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!
Newton Square
Kalamos Greek & Mediterranean Market
Owner: Nia Niforos
Opened: 2014
Location: 118 June St, Newton Square, Worcester, MA
Photographed: May 13, 2022
You can probably gather that there's a fair amount of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean population here in this part of Worcester, and at Billings Square, Kalamos Greek & Mediterranean Market has a few aisles of Greek and Albanian products, mostly.
Past Stores: A&P (1922-1927) > Community Stores Co (1937-1952)
Tatnuck
Babylon Market
Owner: unknown
Open: ca. 2020-2022
Location: 1130 Pleasant St, Tatnuck, Worcester, MA
Photographed: March 20, 2021
This roughly 4500 square foot store has always been a bit of an odd duck to me. It's way out there, beyond Tatnuck Square towards West Tatnuck and just under a mile and a half from the Worcester city line. This part of Worcester is where the suburbs meet the countryside, just north of the tiny Worcester airport. The building has been several stores over the years, and is currently subdivided into a few small storefronts. Before that, it was the Babylon Market, shown here, which I believe took the entire building (I was only in it once a long time ago). It sold Middle Eastern foods.
Past Stores: Hilltop Farm Stores (1962-1979) > The Express Line (open by 2007, closed by 2018) > City Mart (open by 2018, closed by 2020)
Later Tenants: subdivided/Suleh Ethnic Mart (now closed)
Main Middle
Rabash International Market
Owner: unknown
Opened: between 2011 and 2017
Location: 438 Pleasant St, Main Middle, Worcester, MA
Photographed: September 3, 2021
We haven't seen a few of the smaller grocers along Pleasant Street between Park and Main. Rabash, an African food store, is one of them.
Past Stores: There were no grocery stores here before Rabash.
Baghdad Halal Market
Owner: unknown
Opened: 2018
Location: 322 Pleasant St, Main Middle, Worcester, MA
Photographed: September 24, 2022
.JPG)
Past Stores: There were no grocery stores here before Baghdad, but next door at 320 Pleasant (the blue awning to the left) Armenag Enflajian owned a grocery store in 1943.
Al Basrah Market
Owner: unknown
Opened: between 2019 and 2022
Location: 75 Russell St, Main Middle, Worcester, MA
Photographed: September 24, 2022
Al Basrah is just a couple blocks north from Pleasant Street, a block in from the south end of Elm Park.
Past Stores: Russell Street Market (1962-1985) > People's Tropical Market (open by 2007, closed around 2021)
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