MASS MEMORIES

For the southeast portion of Massachusetts, no mall matched the retail frenzy that the Silver City Galleria produced upon its grand opening on March 1st, 1992. Developed by The Pyramid Companies, the 2-level mall was located in Taunton, Massachusetts, near both Route 140 & Route 24. Originally with 120 stores, the mall brought retail vibrancy to the area for many years, housing many major national retail entities. Due in part to the great recession of 2008, along with multiple ownership changes, the mall was unable to retain a high occupancy rate, despite a major renovation occurring in mid-2014. Foreclosure eventually occurred in May of 2019, with February 29, 2020 being its final day. The mall was demolished on May 9, 2021.

A former restaurant owned by the Nelson family, the Tip Top Cafe was one of South Shore, Massachusetts' favorite places to go for bar pizza and Greek salad. Formerly located at 365 North Main St. in Brockton, MA, Tip Top Cafe hosted lunch, dinner, and private functions with regularity and finesse. The restaurant was eventually sold, and moved to take-out only operations elsewhere in Brockton, before closing altogether. Yet, the experiences of food, fun & family continue to live on. Grab a shirt...and a Greek salad!

This Rhode Island-based dance night club was a prominent weekend social spot for many decades. Formerly located at 1473 Warwick Ave in Warwick, RI, Barry's was the major Providence-alternative for popular music and fun dancing times. Though the building is long gone, the memories of this multi-level facility remain for many former "weekend warriors" of the Rhode Island night life scene.

Greek immigrant Christy Mihos opened the first market in Brockton, MA during 1934. By the 1960's, Peter & James Mihos underwent an expansion by opening multiple convenience locations. During the 1970's, brothers Jim & Christy (grandson of the original Christy) began operating the chain, performing their own further expansion by acquiring the Sunny Corner Farms convenience chain. With locations in Massachusetts, Rhode Island & Connecticut, Christy's Markets operated approximately 144 convenience store locations at its peak. By 1998, the Mihos family sold essentially all their locations to the 7-Eleven Corporation. Shortly thereafter, Christy bought nine of their locations back, and rebranded these locations "Christy's of Cape Cod".

At the end of your Green Line trip on the MBTA system, was a store located at 131 Cambridge St. in Cambridge. Attached to the old Lechmere station (which closed in May of 2020) the little store was full of character, food, beverages, and a little of everything for the participating trolley rider.

Back when there was Jordan Marsh, Bradlees, Orange Julius, Child World, Woolworth & more, Westgate Mall was the major shopping destination in and around Brockton, MA. Today, the mall still operates as a successfully relaunched property, but this old-school (version 2) logo will bring you back to the days of boomboxes & jumpsuits.

The Eastern Mass Street Railway was founded in 1919, as a result of a formal reorganization of its predecessor, the Bay State Street Railway. Serving as a primarily streetcar-based service, the company eventually replaced all routes with buses (as was a national trend). In March of 1968, the EMSR was sold to the MBTA, ending almost 50 years of various transit service in Massachusetts.

Since the first third of the 1900's, Nemo's Carry All Market was a well-respected business, providing Brockton a spot for penny candy, discounted comics, spirits, tobacco, and much more. Formerly of 572 North Main St., the family business was sold in 2019, though the memories of families purchasing a little of everything here, will live on.

From June, 1984 to January, 1991, A&D Toy-Train Village was a mainstay for families in/around Middleborough, MA. Formerly located at 49 Plymouth Street, owner Adolf Arnold shared his passion for model trains with patrons who visited his museum. Due to a flailing economy & waning interest, the facility closed after 6 years in operation. Revisit the years of joy, and fire-up your railroad layout while wearing this tribute shirt.

When it was breakfast time in the "City of Champions", one of the best places to go was Dip 'n Sip Donuts shop. Formerly located at 235 North Main St. in Brockton, whether you needed a fresh (yet cheap) cup of coffee, a delicious pastry, or a breakfast special, the quality & service of Dip 'n Sip was incomparable. Show your fondness for this long-gone spot, by rocking this design!

Founded in 1933 by Joseph Sparr, a pharmacist, Sparr's Drug was a multifaceted establishment located on the corner of Huntington & Longwood Avenues in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, MA. Son, Arthur Sparr, after having served in the military for two years, returned home in 1953 and worked in his father's store. Noticing this drug store was already providing limited offerings of medical supplies, Arthur convinced his father to dedicate the rear of the building for selling medical/surgical supplies, to which he agreed. Sparr's also had a famous lunch counter & full-service soda fountain, appealing to casual & regular customers. Amidst Arthur's slowing down, the store closed in 2002, and the building was sold to Harvard Medical School.

Founded & owned by Morris Levy (owner of New York's Birdland Jazz Club), Strawberries had a major retail presence in New England, offering a large variety of music & video offerings.

This Rhode Island-based dance night club was a prominent weekend social spot for many decades. Formerly located at 1473 Warwick Ave in Warwick, RI, Barry's was the major Providence-alternative for popular music and fun dancing times. Though the building is long gone, the memories of this multi-level facility remain for many former "weekend warriors" of the Rhode Island night life scene.

As a local mainstay in Brockton, MA for over 30 years, The Pub was well-known for serving Lebanese selections such as tabouli, hummus & baba ghanoush. Open for almost 30 years, and formerly located on 38 Centre St. in Brockton, owners Joe and Deb Sawaya closed the establishment in 2010, leaving many memories behind for its former patrons.

Founded in 1946 by Joe King, this business started as a restaurant featuring various amusement rides. Clarence & Paula Whitney bought the business in 1968, and eventually expanded it to a 7-acre amusement park. The Route 18 attraction closed in September of 1994, as a result of a poor economy & pending retirement from its owners. Relive some of the memories of the rides, attractions, and its famous ]toy store by representing this piece of Massachusetts family fun history.

The Eastern Mass Street Railway was founded in 1919, as a result of a formal reorganization of its predecessor, the Bay State Street Railway. Serving as a primarily streetcar-based service, the company eventually replaced all routes with buses (as was a national trend). In March of 1968, the EMSR was sold to the MBTA, ending almost 50 years of various transit service in Massachusetts.

Greek immigrant Christy Mihos opened the first market in Brockton, MA during 1934. By the 1960's, Peter & James Mihos underwent an expansion by opening multiple convenience locations. During the 1970's, brothers Jim & Christy (grandson of the original Christy) began operating the chain, performing their own further expansion by acquiring the Sunny Corner Farms convenience chain. With locations in Massachusetts, Rhode Island & Connecticut, Christy's Markets operated approximately 144 convenience store locations at its peak. By 1998, the Mihos family sold essentially all their locations to the 7-Eleven Corporation. Shortly thereafter, Christy bought nine of their locations back, and rebranded these locations "Christy's of Cape Co...

Starting in 1964 at the old Hingham Shipyard (at Building #19, hence the name), founders Jerry Ellis & Harry Andler established the eventual New England juggernaut grew into multiple locations which offered irregular/discontinued/less-than-perfect merchandise acquired from closeouts, liquidations, fire sales, etc. The flyers were a work of art on their own, the "free coffee" was always hot & ready for customers, and the culture of "Good Stuff Cheap" was held in high regard by employees and customers alike. Declaring bankruptcy in November of 2013 due to a changing competitive retail environment, the company left its impression on many New Englanders, as we continue to seek "Good Stuff Cheap.

Before The Paper Store, Party City, and similar establishments, there was Paperama. This New England paper & crafts discount store started from a small discount store in Hingham, MA during 1971, before growing into the multi-location Paperama brand we came to love. By the early 1990's, financial burdens led to an eventual bankruptcy filing, and the end of a party/paper store institution in New England.

A reliable convenience store of years past, founder/CEO Robert Gordon oversaw this chain for many decades. At its height, there were over 100 locations spread out among most of New England & parts of New York. By 1996, an overhaul of the logo occurred, correlating with the Waltham, MA-based company's efforts to consolidate locations & restructure finances. In 2002, Tedeschi's Food Shops purchased the Store 24 chain, slowly converting all locations into the Tedeschi's brand.

Born out of an acquisition/combination of Purity Sav-mor Markets & Supreme Markets, Purity Supreme was a giant in the New England grocery industry. The corporation also ran Angelo's grocery & Heartland food warehouses. After multiple ownership changes in the late 80's & early 90's, the chain was acquired by Stop & Shop, who converted all (but 3) stores to their own brand. Remember the fun of shopping at Purity/Angelo's/Heartland by bagging-up a shirt.

What a history here! Founded by Marty Bloom, Vinny Testa's opened its first location in 1993 in Brookline, MA. By 2000, there were seven locations throughout the state (with additional locations in Newton, Natick, Lexington, Dedham, Back Bay & Danvers). In 2002, the chain was sold to Minneapolis-based Buca, Inc. Sometime in 2003, the chain was rebranded to "Vinny T's of Boston". By 2006, Buca, Inc. sold the then 11-location chain to Bertucci's Corp of Northboro, MA. Only 3 years later, in 2009, Bertucci's Corp sold the chain to C&T Restaurant Management, Inc out of New York. Very shortly after this transaction, C&T agreed to sell off its Vinny T's leases to Planet Hollywood Inc. (who happened to purchase Buca, Inc in 2008...t...

A "companion piece" to our Purity Supreme/Angelo's/Heartland design, this branding of Purity Supermarkets was the final design prior to being acquired by Stop & Shop.

Established in 1928 as Old Colony Trust, the eventual Baybank branding was established in the mid-1970's, and was one of New England's most trusted sources for banking. By the mid-1990's, Bank of Boston merged with BayBank to form Bank Boston. Get out your passbook and withdraw some memories with this missed banking institution.

Back when there was Jordan Marsh, Bradlees, Orange Julius, Child World, Woolworth & more, Westgate Mall was the major shopping destination in and around Brockton, MA. Today, the mall still operates as a successfully relaunched property, but this distressed logo will bring you back to the days of boomboxes & jumpsuits.

Established in 1957, Stuarts (formerly "Stuart's") was a discount department store with stores throughout New England (though primarily in Massachusetts). At its peak, there were roughly 27 stores. Initially filing for bankruptcy in late 1990, the chain emerged a little under 2 years later with a second chance. Ultimately by mid-1995, the lack of updating their inventory & sales systems, along with management changes heavily lead to the final nail in the coffin for this chain.

When waiting for the connecting BAT bus in Brockton, MA, it was always a treat to walk through the little alley to Tex Barry's Chili Dog take-out window. Relive the memories of chili dogs at the old BAT Centre with this design.

Starting as a New York mainstay in the 1920's (with limited exposure in Massachusetts), by the early 1980's, Bickford's left the New York market entirely while continued expansion in New England.had been occurring. There were approximately 70 Bickford's in New England, serving up a variety of breakfast & general American lunch fare. Currently, only 4 Bickford's restaurants remain, all located in Massachusetts.

For decades, Supreme Coffee & Donuts have been serving customers in southeast Massachusetts with some of the finest handmade donuts. Topped-off with some of their hot or iced coffee, this design will help round out an overall flavorful experience.

Old steam power from Edaville Railroad of the past, located in Carver, MA.

The founder most associated to Building #19, Jerry Ellis, was a retail giant of oddlots & closeouts. Celebrate his vision, the "Good Stuff Cheap" culture & his life by showing your Jerry fandom.

From the 1990's into the early 2000's, Fat Jack's Cafe was a mainstay of Provincetown eateries. Located at 335 Commercial St., the establishment served a variety of American fare to locals & tourists. The property now hosts an alternate eatery, but that doesn't mean you can't serve yourself the memory of Fat Jack's.