Once upon a time, long before Amazon or the internet for that matter was even thought of let alone invented, there was a store in Somersworth where it was possible to get just about anything you wanted. Ask many of our seniors the name of that store and you will hear the name “Hirsch’s”
The saying in Somersworth over the 49 years that the department store on Market Street was synonymous with went like this: “If you can’t find it anywhere else, go to Hirsch’s and you will find it there.”
The department store which was located where Nostos Mixed Martial Arts Gym is now located began its illustrious career in Somersworth in 1937. The store was founded by Carl Hirsch who passed away in 1984. Hirsch and his wife Queenie had started the store with just $2,000 worth of merchandise that had been purchased from various stores that Hirsch’s family had owned in Vermont and West Adams, Mass , which was Hirsch’s hometown.
When the couple first moved to Somersworth, they opened a candy store next to where the department store would eventually take roots a few years later. The department store, as many of our seniors recall it, was a real old-fashioned department store. The walls were lined with clothes, shoes, colored ribbon and thread and many items that you simply couldn’t find anywhere else.
After Mr. Hirsch passed away, his estate including the department store and it’s contents would eventually be auctioned off in 1986. The building would be sold for $126,000. What the contents made I can find no record of, but I think it’s safe to say that day in 1986 was a sad one for those who recall the store.
That sadness would include HIrsch’s grandson Stuart Mann who took over the running of the store after his grandfather’s death. According to Mann at the time of the auction, the only reason that the store was sold despite being a profitable venture was because there was no will and, according to state law, the estate must be split up between the remaining relatives. Mann said he would most miss the Christmas season when the store was decorated and the loyal customers that his grandfather had built up over the almost five decades at the store would visit the staple of downtown Somersworth.
While we may no longer have a Hirsch’s store downtown, we do have several unique stores such as Poppyseed Studios, William Poole Confectioners and the Cozy Nest where you can find unique gifts that you can’t find anywhere else. I certainly hope that you will be visiting them on Saturday as we celebrate Small Business Saturday. I know they would appreciate your business and as your neighbors would just like to say hi.
Save these Somersworth dates
Talking of traditions, the Berwick-Somersworth parade will take place on Saturday, Dec. 4 this year. The parade begins over the border in Berwick before making its way to the Somersworth-Berwick bridge, traveling up High Street, turning onto Constitutional Way and then heading down Washington before ending at the Somersworth Plaza on Main Street. The Christmas tree will be lit at 1 p.m. and can be found in its usual place at the corner of Market and Main streets in the USS Somersworth Park. I hope that you will either come watch this year’s parade or participate in some way. As with years past, the parade will be broadcast on Channel 22 and I will be commenting with my favorite co-host Carly Gavin.
I should remind you that the same day the Somersworth Festival Association will hold its last craft fair of the season at the Somersworth High School cafeteria and gym. The fair runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and they would love to see you all.
The Somersworth Recreation Department wants me to remind you that Rec Youth Basketball is just around the corner. The league is open to grades 1 to 6. Space is limited, so please don’t wait to register! Contact the Rec Office to ensure space is available in your child’s age group at (603) 692-9507. The program runs over seven sessions from Jan. 8 to Feb. 19. Registration forms can be found at www.somersworth.com/parks-recreation
That’s all I have for this week, but I would like to end this week saying I am grateful for everyone who takes the time to read this column and to wish each and everyone of you a happy and safe Thanksgiving weekend. Please remember to be kind to one another as you never truly know what someone else is going through.