One of the more popular restaurants in Everett was the Waldorf Cafeteria. Waldorf was a national chain with locations everywhere. With the advent of fast food, places like Waldorf started losing their popularity. They closed the Everett location in July 1963.
United Farmers was a co-op of local dairy farmers. Their products were in stores all over New England. There were also stores bearing the United Farmers name. One of them was in Everett Square.
The Shore Side was an attempt to revive the old Parkway Club. Unfortunately that type of club was losing popularity and the Shore Side only lasted a few years. Later, someone tried to turn it into a rock club geared to teenagers. Problem was, the drinking age in Massachusetts was 21 at the time, and teenagers couldn't buy alcohol. So much for that idea.
Noyes Stationery was the place you bought your notebooks, pencil boxes, pens, and other school supplies. They were in Everett Square for five decades. and served several generations of students.
There were loads of donut shops in Everett at one time, and none of them had "Dunkin" in the name. The best of them all, of course, was Mike's, but they never advertised in the Everett papers, so we don't have an ad for them.
If you were looking for a brand new house in North Everett, Medford Real Estate had lots and new houses in "Beautiful Glendale Heights" on Lynn and Fuller Streets.
George Whittier founded the family business in 1860. He partnered with Daniel Dearborn for a few years, and brought his sons, George and Arthur, into the business. Arthur expanded the original grocery store, and had a new building erected in 1900. That building, which bears the family name, is still standing on Broadway in Everett Square.
Remember video stores? It was the video store that brought movies into the home for the first time. Everyone had a VCR, and small neighborhood movie theatres (including the Park in Everett) dropped like flies. Soon this ran its course, and was replaced with high definition streaming services you can order from home.
In the days before air conditioning, awnings were used to keep houses cool. An awning blocked the heat of the sun from entering the house. One could walk down the street years ago and see awnings on nearly every dwelling.
Thomas L. Goudey was one of the first undertakers to be based out of Everett. He passed away in 1913 and left the practice to his son James, who continued until his own death in 1946.
The Everett Town Directory lists William H. Chapman as the first undertaker to do business in Everett. Apparently it wasn't a full-time job, because he also owned a livery stable.
Star Market opened in Everett in 1970. About 15 years later they gave up on Everett. The building has since been occupied by four different chain drug stores.
It took a lot of guts for a woman to run a bar in the mid-1940s. Theresa Taddeo was apparently successful, because the Rendezvous Cafe was on Ferry St. for decades.
The Parkway club was a popular nightspot on Revere Beach Parkway. On the night of July 24, 1952, the interior was gutted in a fire causing $50,000 ($560,000 in 2023 dollars). The owner rebuilt and was back in business by New Years Eve.
Until the 1970s telephone numbers began with two letters. Everett was DU, for Dunkirk, Malden was DA, for Davenport, etc. This was eliminated when phone numbers became all numeric.
Everett Carriage Works was founded in 1840. Samuel Gould probably took over the business years later, because the 1880 U.S. Census says he was born in 1840 in Maine.
Salvatore Piantedosi started selling bread door-to-door in the years after World War I. Later he opened a small bakery, then a larger bakery. By about 1975 he opened a huge plant in Malden. Now you find Piantedosi's bread products everywhere in New England.
Kelly's Hamburgers was a McDonald's wannabe with several locations around the Boston area. By the early 1970s they were gone. Not to be confused with the Kelly's Roast Beef on Revere Beach.
John Visone briefly owned Johnny's Cafe on the corner of Chelsea and Ferry Streets. A few years later he bought the Shell station around the corner and ran that until he retired in the 1990s
In addition to repairing and selling electronics, Pat Parziale penned a comic strip in his ads. His wife Norma is still selling real estate as of 2023.
When a technology is new, people will endure a lot more than when it is established. People in 1949 thought nothing of buying a 10 inch TV (or smaller) for outrageous money, and waiting in line for the privilege. Olson's and George McCarthy's probably sold more home appliances than anyone in Everett.
I.T. Winchester ran a dry goods store in back of the Masonic Building. An interesting item is that he had a circulating library where he would rent books to customers. He also sold real estate and was active in town affairs.
Master Fuel was owned by Frank J. Mastrocola, local businessman and politician. He was active in many organizations, including St. Anthony's Church and the Everett Kiwanis. He even ran for Mayor in 1981 and 1983, losing to Edward G. Connolly both times.
Ingram's was just one of the many diners in Everett years ago. Just a few included Vargis on the Broadway hill near the High School, Stadium Diner on the corner of Chelsea and Cabot Streets, and Phyllis' Diner on lower Broadway down the Lynde, not to mention Sordillo's Lunch on the corner of Bow and Lynde St.
Records were still a novelty in 1920. Recording techniques were crude. A finished recording sounded like it was being played over the phone. What sticks out the most, however, is the price. 69 cents for a record doesn't seem like much, but when you adjust for inflation, it comes out to $30.22 for one record. $15.11 per song. The "low" prices in vintage advertisements can be deceiving.
The building which housed the Lido Cafe is still there. If you look around the front entrance, you can still see remnants of the facade from years ago.
Papa Gino's came to Everett in 1963 as "Piece o' Pizza", a new chain founded in East Boston a couple of years before. People of a certain age will remember the person standing in the front window tossing the dough up in the air.
In 1968 they changed their name to Papa Gino's and expanded all over the northeast. They left Everett in the early 2000s,
Mohawk Motors was also a Ford dealer in addition to being an auto repair shop. One of its locations, Second St. and Revere Beach Parkway, is still being used for auto repair.
George McKinnon moved into the old First National Stores space in 1958, after that store moved to Chelsea. He eventually sold the store to local businessman John "Jackie" Boyle. The store thrived until Star Market opened 2 blocks down the street. McKinnon's held on until the mid-1980s
There were two brothers, William and George McKinnon. William opened a store on the top of Broadway. George moved into the old First National Stores space in Everett Square. In the 1970s William sold his store to Eddie Penta, a former employee of George. The Penta family has since built McKinnon's On the Hill into a successful regional butcher shop with several stores north of Boston.
Years ago consumer goods were made much more sturdy. When something broke down, you had it fixed instead of throwing it out. Charlie Hopkins' Radio and TV store was on Broadway from the late 1940s until the 1970s.
Hope Millinery's locations were a bit off the beaten path. Marian Place, in particular, was an alley between 2 buildings facing Broadway. It disappeared when the buildings were razed to make room for a new Star Market in 1970.
The McLellan Brothers, Ernie and Dick, started out repairing cars on Bow Street in 1922. They eventually moved to Chelsea St. and expanded into servicing boats. They are now in their fourth generation, now known as McLellan Marine.
The Melanson Brothers eventually sold out to Coe Chevrolet. They were there until the 1960s, when a BMW dealership moved in. A Brazilian gracery store currently occupies the space.
The Melanson Brothers owned the first auto dealership at the corner of Chelsea and Cabot Streets. They knew the large plate glass windows facing the street would entice potential buyers to come in and look.
Coggan Hardware was located on Broadway in one of two buildings separated by an alley called Marion Place. Both buildings (and Marion Place) were demolished to make way for Star Market in 1970. Walgreens now occupies the building.
Walsh's Cafe started after World War II and featured Irish music. Eventually they were sold and changed their name to the Irish American Club. It met its demise in the School Street fire in April 1969, and was not rebuilt.
Industrial Bank and Trust was an attempt to set up a local bank in Everett. It was a miserable failure, and several of their officers were indicted for violation of Federal banking laws. Their assets were eventually purchased by the Coolidge Bank and Trust Co. of Watertown.
The original Ideal Market didn't last very long. They were out of business by 1924. A new owner eventually took over the business and it lasted through the Twenties
George R. McCarthy ran the Home Appliance Service on Main St. for 45 years. His other job was Mayor of Everett from 1968 until 1977, when he took a position with the Jimmy Carter administration.
Homer's Bakery opened in 1957. They were good. Elm St. opened about 25 years later in the same place. They were even better. On holidays the line goes down the street and around the corner.
Everett Music had several locations in Everett Square, ending up at 30 Norwood St., after a fire had destroyed their previous site in 1965. They remained there until the owner's retirement in 1999.
Everett Liquor Company started as Everett Malt Co. in 1934, and quickly changed their name. They were at the same location on Chelsea st. until the 1960s
Everett Savings Bank is one of the few local banks that haven't been bought by a larger institution. Now under the name of Eagle Bank, they have been in Everett since 1889.
The car wash on Revere Beach Parkway has been there since the late 1940s. It has had at least 4 different names. It started as Just-a-Minit, became Car Pool at one point, Simoniz, and Sparkling Image. If there are more we are still looking.
After Everett Ignition moved out, 111 Chelsea St. became Eddie's Cities Service. After a few years, it became Don's Cities Service, even though the oil company had changed its name to Citgo. Today the building houses an auto detailer.
Everett Ignition (also a Cities Service station) started out on Chelsea St., at the corner of Winter St., then moved down the street to Everett Ave., the present site of KFC.
Everett Furniture Outlet was founded in 1934, when William Cutler bought the old Outlet Furniture Company . They had a good run in Everett Square, lasting until the 1970s. The 16 inch TV advertised in 1950 for$289.95 adjusted for inflation is nearly $4000.00 in 2023 dollars !
The Enterprise Store in Everett Square had a "rear section" opening up to Norwood Street. They used this section as a "super market", a novel idea at the time.
The Everett Co-Operative bank was founded in 1890 and still exists under the name Everett Bank. Their early directors contained several of the most powerful business people from the early days of Everett
Central Hardware was on Ferry Street for more than 85 years. After they closed there was only one other independently owned hardware store left in Everett.
The Henry R. Grant Caterers had several locations in Everett, finally landing at 176 Chelsea St., the site of the old Everett Spring Bottling Company. They lasted more than 50 years.
The Henderson Brothers built an entire neighborhood in Everett ; originally called Hendersonville, then the Henderson Village, and finally "the Village". Most of their buildings are still standing.
Glad Tidings Tabernacle bought the old Capitol Theatre building after that business folded in 1957. They were there until the early 2000s. The building was purchased by a developer and converted to apartments and office space.
Duncan -Dahl Hardware did business in a time where "traveling over the hill" to Glendale Square was a big deal. This was before cars were plentiful, so most people either walked of took the streetcar.
This is one of the more bizarre stories involving businesses from Everett. Quality Donuts was a popular breakfast place in Everett Square for many years until the 1970's. It was owned by a married couple . The couple was involved in a nasty divorce sometime in the 70's. The end result was two donut shops right next door to each other on Broadway. One was "Joe Murray's Original Quality Donuts" the other was "Donut Villa". This arrangement lasted about a year, when Quality Donuts gave up. Donut Villa lasted about three decades in the Square before they gave way to Dempsey's, another breakfast place still standing to this day.
Jazz musician Champlin W. "Champ" Jones owned a funeral home on Broadway during the 1960s and 70s. He is, to date, the only person of African-American descent to own a funeral home in Everett.
Nearly every neighborhood once had a "corner store". They were usually mon-and-pop operations making enough money for one family to live on. No matter what the official name of the store was, the local kids always called it something else. The Everett Springs Market was known as "Tony's", as was the Elm St. market in Woodlawn, and Nemo's Variety on Clinton St. Who was Tony? Maybe it was a former owner. Maybe it was folklore. We will probably never know.
Jenney Oil was another local distributor who didn't survive the oil embargo of the 1970s. Harry "Buddy" Coholan was a founding member of the Everett Rotary and a long-time director of the Everett Chamber of Commerce.
The Everett Club Bottling Company delivered "tonic" door-to-door in Everett for more than 60 years. Their Pelco brand still has fans among bottle collectors. Items with the Pelco label are frequently sold at antique shows and online.
Everett Auto Station was an early Ford dealership located at the corner of Second St. and the present-day Revere Beach Parkway (known as the "Boulevard" in those days.)
The Friends company was known for their "Boston baked beans" (even though they were made in Malden). But they also had a food store in Everett Square which sold a large number of hot dishes as well as bakery goods.
Nowadays florists order their stock from a distributor, who ships it (usually frozen) to the store. Back when Everett had plenty of space, florists could grow their own in greenhouses. Walter Claggett had several greenhouses on the corner of Shute St. and Broadway. He ran the business until his death in 1936, when his widow Ethel took over until her death in 1958.
Quincy Oil was a local distributor of oil products and had several stations around the Boston area. Their location at the bottom of Chestnut St. lasted until the mid-1970s, when the Arab oil embargo put many small gas stations out of business.
The area where Chelsea and Ferry Streets meet used to have fresh water springs running underneath. A water bottling facility was erected and sold fresh spring water until the springs dried up in the 1920's
Charles Ro opened a hair salon on Ferry Street in 1955. It was successful, so he opened a couple more. Charles also had a hobby. He liked model trains. He started selling trains out of the back of his salon. Eventually the trains were more popular than the hair business. In 1972 he opened a train store in Malden. Eventually, the Charles Ro Supply Company became the largest model train store in the country, and the largest Lionel Train dealer in the world. Not too shabby!
Carroll Cut Rate was in a long, extremely narrow space on Broadway in Everett Square. Those walls were packed to the gills with just about every toiletry you could imagine. Just about everything you find in today's mega-drug stores could be found at Carroll Cut Rate.
During the years Bigwood's Sea Grill was on the top of the Broadway hill, the Catholic Church forbade eating meat on most Fridays. Seafood stands thrived. Furthermore, fish was cheap and plentiful. That all changed in 1966, when the rules were changed allowing Catholics to eat meat on Friday. That was the beginning of the end for places like Bigwood's
The Bond brothers started building sidewalks in 1907. They have been growing for more than a century and, as Bond Construction, are one of the largest contractors in the area.
The Cannell Brothers were some of the original builders of the Town and City of Everett. They were members of the town council, held several official positions, and ran a thriving insurance business. Cannell Place, off Ferry St. is named after them.
Gus Braun is a legend in Everett history. For many years he photographed nearly every major event in Everett. His photos are still circulating nearly 75 years after his death. He was also a member of the Everett School Committee, and was active in city affairs until his death in 1949. His photo and card shop had two locations. First, on Mansfield St., and then around the corner on Broadway.
W.T. Grant was founded in Lynn in 1906 and had stores nationwide for decades. They had two locations in Everett. The first one in Everett Square closed in 1950. Seven years later they opened in Glendale Square and were there until the mid-1970s
One of the latest trends in shopping is to have all the ingredients of a meal delivered to your door. Berman's Food Centre was doing the same thing 70 years ago.
At various times there were three establishments called "Everett Drug Store". The original was at the corner of Chelsea St. and Broadway. The second was on the corner of Broadway and Corey St. This eventually became the Corey St. Pharmacy, and after that the Prescription Shoppe. The third was on Main St until the 1960s.
Everett had its share of "5 and 10 cent" stores over the years from J.J. Newberry's, Woolworth's, and Grant's, all the way up to today's "Family Dollar". The most beloved of these was Kresge's, which stood on on the corner of Broadway and Norwood St. from the late 1920s to the mid 1960s. You could buy a pet bird, eat at their lunch counter, and purchase lots of inexpensive household items. By the mid-1960s, the S.S. Kresge Company began closing stores like the one in Everett, so they could focus on their growing KMart chain.
The Enterprise Stores was a regional chain founded by Philip Feldman and Samuel Glass. They were in Everett Square at 152 School St. from World War I era until 1960. The store name was changed to J.M. Fields in the early 50s. They remained on School St. until 1960, when the owners closed down the location to devote more time to the Wellington Circle store opened a few years earlier.
Gorin's lasted 60 years in two locations in Everett Square. People would flock to Gorin's "dollar days" to find good buys. During its last few years, Gorin's was part of the Almy's chain of stores before closing in the late 1980s. The building was destroyed by a massive fire in November, 1991 and never rebuilt.
At one time A&P was the largest grocery store chain in the USA. They had stores everywhere, and Everett was no exception. The location most people today remember was at the top of Broadway hill, across from the Parlin School. A&P was in Everett until the mid-1960s. The chain eventually closed down in 2015
The First National Stores brand goes back to the 1920s and was headquartered in Somerville, Massachusetts. First National had many Everett locations in the early days, most notably in North Everett next to the old MTA car barns, and Everett Square in the Associates Building. As many grocery stores became "supermarkets" in the 1950s, First National moved to larger areas with bigger buildings and more parking.
Stop & Shop has had several locations in Everett going back to the 1920s. Originally known as "Economy Grocery Stores" they had many locations in the Boston area, including several locations in Everett. In the late 1930s the name was changed to Stop & Shop, and they had two locations in Everett; one on Elm St. in Woodlawn and another on Chelsea St., just outside of Everett Square. In 1957, they opened a store in the new shopping center on Ferry St. in Glendale Square and stayed there until 1990, when they moved to a location on Revere Beach Parkway, which was closed in 2022.
During the early days of Everett, J.W. Philbrick was the largest store in town, taking up 3 floors on the corner of Broadway and present-day Norwood St. (Norwood St. at one time was an extension of Chelsea St.). Philbrick opened c.1889 and stayed in business until 1927.
When the Prescription Shoppe closed in 2013, it was the last independent drug store in Everett. As of 2022, of the 4 drug stores operating in Everett, two are Walgreens, one is a CVS in the Target store, and one is in Costco.
Liggett's was part of the Rexall system where individual merchants would pool their resources and buy in bulk in order to get better prices, similar to today's True Value and Ace hardware stores. Rexall was eventually pushed out by large discounters like Walgreens and CVS.
Shattuck Pharmacy opened in the early 1890s as the Glendale Pharmacy. Later it was acquired by C.H. Shattuck and kept the name until the 1970s. The building was eventually torn down and replaced by a bank.
Harding's Drugs started out when J.T. Harding took over Litch's Drug Store in 1911. They occupied the corner of Broadway and Hosmer St. until the 1990s, when W.F. McKinnon's took over the corner and made it part of their grocery store.
Paul Cohen operated Square Drug from 1958 to the early 2000's. When he retired there had been a drug store on the corner of Broadway and Chelsea St. for 130 years !
Not every drug store in Everett was owned by mom and pop. Whelan's Drug store was a national chain along the lines of Walgreens. They took up the corner of Chelsea St. and Broadway in the 1920's and stayed there until 1958.
The Park Theatre most of us remember opened to great fanfare on Sept. 17, 1928, advertised as a state-of-the-art facility. The new owners forgot one major point. Talking films were beginning to take hold, and the Park was only set up to show silents. The Capitol and Rialto were ready to go with the new technology, and took full advantage. The Park finally re-tooled, but took awhile to catch up to the other Everett theaters. They eventually outlasted all the competition and stayed open until 1985. Two years later it was demolished to make way for a condo development.
The Capitol Theatre opened in the mid-1920s as the "Mark Capitol" Theatre. It was Everett's largest movie theatre, seating nearly 2000. As with the Rialto, the Capitol closed down in 1957, another victim of television. Soon afterwards, a church purchased the building and was there until the early 2000's
George Kimball settled in Everett in 1871. He purchased the Everett Drug Store in 1876 and renamed it after himself. In addition to being a druggist, he was a trustee of the Everett Public Library. The drug store carrying his name continued after his death in 1892.
Dr. J.B. Everett owned the earliest known drug store in Everett, opening in 1871, in the Masonic Building. Drug stores occupied the space at the corner of Broadway and Chelsea St. for the next 130 years !
The Rialto Theatre was located on Broadway, just north of Glendale Square. Originally the Home Theatre, the Rialto was one of three theatres that helped Everett get through the Great Depression. The Rialto closed in 1957, a victim of television.
The building eventually known as the Park Theatre opened on Saturday, June 6, 1914 as the Crown Theatre. They featured both live vaudeville as well as the latest moving pictures. They were not, however, an instant success. The theatre changed hands several times and underwent three name changes. First, the Olympia. Next, the Strand, and finally, the Park in 1928.
When the Broadway Theatre opened in 1909, most theatres featured both live and filmed entertainment, and the Broadway was no exception. The Broadway continued until 1926, when the new St. Anthony's Church purchased it and used it until 1951 as their main chapel. It was used as a parish hall until 1958, when the St. Anthony's School opened. The building was demolished in 1959.
Everett's first movie theatre opened in 1907, on the second floor of the Masonic Building, on the corner of Chelsea St. and Broadway. It didn't last long. The Masonic Building burned to the ground in January, 1908, so Everett had to wait awhile for another movie theatre.
Everett used to have a radio station. In 1952 WHIL-AM signed on from a one room shack next to the Medford city dump (the present site of Wellington Station). In the beginning WHIL carried live events in Everett, Malden, and Medford, including store openings, news events, and sports. WHIL was also the first area station to broadcast rock & roll music on a full time basis. Over the years the local events were fewer and fewer and the station was sold in the late 1970s. The new owner took their FM station, which was lying nearly dormant for years, started playing a popular form of music called disco and changed the call letters to WXKS-FM. Over the years, "Kiss 108" has been one of the most popular radio stations in the Boston area, and is now part of the "I Heart Radio" chain of stations.
Everett Square Sporting Goods was a fixture in Everett from December, 1947 to the early 2000s. Originally located on School Street, the business withstood a devastating fire in 1969, after which they set up shop on Broadway and flourished for decades.
