Items

• Food stores - The Chicken Mart

  Fresh killed poultry daily. In Everett !!
• Hardware stores - Central Hardware

  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.
• Caterers - Henry R. Grant

  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.
• Construction companies - Henderson Brothers

  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.
• Bakeries - Mandolese's Bakery

  Mandolese's Bakery developed a huge following in the 30 years they were on Ferry St.
• Hardware stores - Glendale Hardware

  Glendale Hardware opened in 1922 and lasted until the 1990s.
• Churches - Glad Tidings Tabernacle

  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.
• Funeral homes - Cafasso & Sons

  The Cafasso Funeral Home is still on Main St. They are still in the same building and still run by the same family.
• Early Everett Businesses Part 2

  More long-forgotten businesses from the early days of Everett
• Photo shop - Durland's

  Durland's Photo Shop spent nearly three decades on Broadway before moving to Salem in the late 1970s
• Hardware stores - Duncan-Dahl

  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.
• Tire stores - Charles B. Sawyer

  Charles Sawyer passed away in 1939, but the tire store at the corner of Chelsea and Clinton Streets bearing his name lasted until the late 1960s.
• Donut shops - Quality Donut/Donut Villa

  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.
• Greeting cards - Crowley's Card Shop

  Crowley's Card Shop was owned by Philip J. Crowley, Mayor of Everett from 1950 to 1966
• Poultry dealers - Everett Live Poultry Co.

  Myrtle St. in Everett is in a residential neighborhood. The owner of Everett Live Poultry Company must have had an exemption to the zoning laws.
• Funeral homes - Champlin W. Jones

  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.
• Coal dealers - Glendale Coal

  Coal used to be the most popular way to heat a house. The largest coal dealer in Everett was Glendale Coal.
• Grocery stores - Everett Springs Market

  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.
• Banks - Everett Trust Co.

  After numerous buyouts, the Everett Trust Company became the Everett branch of Bank of America
• Service stations - Coholan Brothers Jenney

  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.
• Soft drink bottlers - Everett Club Bottling Company

  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.
• Auto dealers - Everett Auto Station

  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.)
• Food shops - Friends

  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.
• Florists - Walter B. Claggett

  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.
• Bakeries - Charlie's Bakery

  More than a century ago Charlie's Bakery on Broadway claimed their buttermilk bread would make you live longer !
• Gas stations - Benny's Quincy Gas Station

  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.
• Bottled water - Everett Crystal Spring

  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
• Candy stores - Candy Mart

  Years ago there were several candy stores in Everett. The only ones you see nowadays seem to be in tourist areas.
• Hair salons - Charles Ro

  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!
• Toiletries - Carroll Cut Rate

  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.
• Package stores - Arthur's Liquors

  Arthur's Liquors had several locations in Everett Square over the decades.
• Auto dealers - Broadway Motor Sales

  Everett used to be full of auto dealers and used car lots. Broadway Motor Sales was located just north of Glendale Square, next to the Rialto Theatre.
• Seafood - Bigwood's Sea Grill

  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
• Furniture stores - Carpenter Furniture

  Carpenter Furniture was located on School St. for several decades before closing down in 1960
• Construction companies - Bond Brothers

  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.
• Bakeries - Brown's Bakery

  Brown's Bakery was one of the more popular bakeries in Everett. They were on Broadway until the 1980s
• Insurance and Real Estate - Cannell Brothers

  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.
• Photographers - Gustav "Gus" Braun

  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.
• Dairy - F. E. Boyd

  Boyd's Dairy was a mainstay in Everett for many years. Mr. Boyd was a member of the Everett School Committee, and many other local groups.
• Furriers - B. Schwartz

  B. Schwartz Furriers was in Everett Square from 1895 to 1960, spanning three generations.
• Grocery stores - N. D'Angelo & Sons

  Jimmy and George D'Angelo ran their family's grocery store on Main St. up through the 1970s
• Furniture stores - C.B. Faith

  C.B. Faith was in Everett Square between the mid-1910s and the mid 1930s. Apparently a victim of the Great Depression
• Grocery stores - Town Food Mart

  The Town Food Mart was on Chelsea St. behind the old Waldorf Cafeteria. The building had previously housed the U.S. Post Office.
• Clothing stores - Upham's

  Upham the Haberdasher was in Everett Square for the first couple of decades of the 20th century.
• Department stores - W.T. Grant

  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
• Furniture stores - People's Furniture

  People's Furniture was in Everett Square from the 1914 to the 1970s
• Furniture stores - Burnett's Furniture

  Burnett's Furniture was probably the longest lasting furniture store in Everett, lasting well into the 1980s
• Grocery stores - Berman's Food Centre

  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.
• Drug stores - Everett Drug Store

  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.
• Department Stores - Kresge's

  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.
• Department stores - Enterprise Stores

  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.
• Department stores - Gorin's

  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.
• Grocery stores - Prince Market

  Prince Market was on Norwood St. for many years. They were 2 doors down from the Union Market and somehow co-existed.
• Grocery stores - Union Market

  The Union Market was on Norwood Street for several decades. It was destroyed in a fire in December 1965 and never rebuilt
• Grocery stores - A&P

  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
• Grocery stores - First National Stores

  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.
• Grocery stores - Stop & Shop

  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.
• Department stores - Everett Department Stores

  Eli Raphael opened the Everett Department Store on School St. in 1921. He stayed there until the late 1950s
• Department stores - J.W. Philbrick

  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.
• Drug stores - Prescription Shoppe

  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.
• Drug stores - Gill's Rexall

  Gill's Rexall store lasted into the 1970's in Everett Square
• Drug Stores - Liggett's

  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.
• Drug Stores - Shattuck Pharmacy

  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.
• Drug Stores - Harding's Drug

  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.
• Drug stores - Square Drug

  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 !
• Drug Stores - Whelan's

  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.
• Movie theatres - Park Theatre 1928-1987

  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.
• Movie theatres - Capitol Theatre

  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
• Drug stores - Kimball'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.
• Drug Stores - J.B Everett

  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 !
• Movie theatres - Rialto Theatre

  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.
• Everett Movie Theatres - Park Theatre 1914-1928

  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.
• Everett Movie Theatres - Broadway Theatre

  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.
• Movie theatres - Scenic Temple

  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.
• WHIL Radio

  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.
• Early Everett Businesses

  Early Everett businesses included Livery stables, blacksmiths, hay and grain dealers, grocers and coal dealers.
• The Domino Club

  Where else could you go to see a jazz legend, dance all night, and get his autograph all for a few bucks !
• Everett Square Sporting Goods

  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.