VILLAGE TIMES AND MEMORIES

"...an American childhood, as lived in the fifties by a...middle class

family that seems barely to exist anymore." 

                                                                     ................

                      Quote by  Amy Finnerty reviewing Richard Russo's own memoir "Elsewhere."

I have drawn up a very rudimentary map of the shops in the Village which ringed it around .  This is not according to scale, of course, just a homey map to orient ourselves.  If you have a review, addition or correction

let me know.  Early on my brother corrected one of my memories...some of them get kind of knocked off now and then so no offense will be taken.

Having written about a lot of those little stores we took so much for granted, 

there are a few more to mention.

When I was growing up there was Sassy's Barber Shop.  Sassy was perpetually cheerful,

 neat as a pin, tall and elegant.  Some of my girl friends even had their hair cut there.

 (Brenda Silvia got a crew cut or "rah'rah" and scandalized everyone).  The door was always open and there was always laughter and banter to be heard,

I do not have a photo of Sassy's, but of an earlier barber shop...

anyone remember this or just where it was?

 Right next door to Sassy's was our own Jimmy the Cobbler, or 

Jimmy the Shoemaker as we called him: 

Jimmy Lawrence.  Jimmy had a thriving business and that sharp smell of 
leather and shoe polish still occupies

a space in my olfactory memory. I recall the piles of shoes ready
 and waiting to be worked on or picked up.

That was a time when we all recycled more and were less of a throw-away society.  

Do you think we are finally going back to that?

 I notice I am......

I did not know that there had been shoe rationing during the war. Do you? 

Just found this on Pinterest. 
Seems it ended in 1945.

  There were other types of businesses growing in our Village: Abreau Oil on Wilber St., Souza Electric, started by my Dad, Frank Souza,  first on Blinn's Ct. and then on School Street.  Enos Plumbing on School St. was another. 

All started by boys from our village, sometimes from their Dads. sometimes on their own.  I researched this more when I worked on the Souza Family Genealogy.  My grandfather, Joseph, whom I unfortunately never knew (he drowned on a fishing trip in Fairhaven in 1927) was one of the first entrepreneurs in the Village. In the early 1920's he had his own wood cutting business then later a furniture store (first on School St., later downtown ). I dearly wish I had known him.  Apparently he was involved in many ventures.
My brother took on the business mantle from our own Dad.  

I think the entrepreneurial spirit runs in our blood.

Abreau Oil on Wilbur St. was started in the 1920's also 
by George Abreau Senior who happened to be a
good friend of my grandfather.  
I remember this stately, quiet and gentle man well.

Ventura Grain, Inc. on Longmeadow Rd. was started in 1924 by Arthur Ventura Senior
 and to this day, along with
Abreau Oil,  is still a flourishing business.  

Ventura Grain, Co.way back when...check out the truck.

 Finally, one last photo before we leave the little businesses of The Village 
and go on to a new subject.

Who could ever forgot the guy who kept the wheels turning in the Village: our own 
"Red the Mailman".

Twice a day up and down each front walk walking his beat.  
Hats off to you Red and our thanks for keeping our mail coming and going.

                                                     I never even knew his name....did you?

                                                                        Red the Mailman

If you have more photos to share, even if they are not on the topic we are posting, please do send them to me.

I will use them at one time or another, even in a special post.

COMING IN THE NEXT POST, A SERIES ON WHAT WE DID FOR FUN GROWING UP IN THE VILLAGE.

Entrepreneurs Abounded

Alexis de Tocqueville wrote in Democracy in America: "What astonishes me in the United States is not so much the marvelous grandeur of some undertakings as the innumerable multitudes of small ones."

You could find nearly everything you wanted in the Village, as we said, by taking a short, often informative walk to one of the shops and markets in the Village.

When Jigger's closed, my Uncle John Bernadino opened a variety store on School St. to carry on the tradition.  It was located just up from Fuller School and near the short cut path that led from School St. through the Rocha yard and on to Wilbur St. which ran parallel to School St.  Here is a wonderful picture of my Uncle and his store sent by my cousin, his daughter Beverly Bernadino Blevins.  I remember as a child reaching up to tender my nickel or dime or imagine: a penny for candy.

                                The signs on the little building are like a history lesson.

       
              Take a look at this list that I found on Facebook and see if you can almost taste some
                                                             of these memories.

Please note:  there is a new photograph on the post about Mrs. Rosalina Semas,

 now we have a photo of Mr. Semas himself!

THE VILLAGE VARIETIES...

Other than the small markets, there was another type of shop in the Village called The Variety.

The first of these, in my time, was Jigger's Variety.  These photos will really kick your memory drive into high speed...they did me.  Jigger's sat facing Braga Square.

The Village denizens who frequented Jigger's were mainly the teenagers  since that was the place to see and be seen.  My Tia Annie Fostin lived right next door and we often
went to visit her before I was old enough for Jiggers.

                                                            Jigger's Variety circa 1950's

The famous old tree to to the left of the building was a great place for swaggering male teens to lean and play "big shot". Their mode of transportion was the bicycle,
 however, and not the hot rod.

Jigger's sold sundries, newspapers and had a soda fountain (which I had forgotten) as well as cigarettes and candies. Note the gumball machine next to Jigger himself below.
 Also, the paper cups that fit into plastic holders, the frappe metal cup.

 Just keeping looking and let us know what you see and remember.
 I kind of recall dark wooden floors and that there was no seating.  I may be wrong.

                                                                Jigger's name was Jerome.