Holyoke Shopping Center (South Street Shopping Center)

Frank Cataldo was born in Somerville, MA, in 1910 and raised in Lynn. Early in his career, he managed the Clinton Meat Markets and owned Cataldo Market in Lynn. He later served as a Meat Supervisor for the Stop & Shop Companies and purchased the Holyoke City Market on High St. in 1949. In May 1953, he launched a more significant venture: Holyoke's first shopping plaza, anchored by his grocery store. 

On August 2, 1954, Holyoke Water Power Company (HWP) sold to Frank H. Cataldo the triangle-shaped property bounded by South, Elm, and Davis St. (now Parenteau Drive). The property was known as the Baldwin tract. Two additional parcels were purchased from Kenneth Seyffer and HWP on the north side of Davis St., bounded by Elm, Ross Ave., Maple and South St.

Holyoke businesses designed, constructed, and completed Mr. Cataldo's grocery store, Food Mart. The architect was Frederick Franz, the building contractor was Daniel O'Connell Sons, the electrical contractor was Beaulieu Electric Co., the air conditioning was provided by Holyoke Supply Co., and the refrigeration was provided by Tropp Engineering Co. 

The Holyoke Shopping Center, also known as the South Street Shopping Center or the Food Mart Shopping Center, was the city's first shopping plaza.

A groundbreaking for the shopping center occurred on March 17, 1955. The first two buildings would house the Food Mart grocery store and Hadley Falls Trust Co. The parking lot would accommodate 600 cars with additional parking for 400 on an adjacent lot.

The Food Mart grocery store opened on November 16, 1955, and an estimated 18,000 shoppers visited. Over 6,000 sales were registered that day.

The grand opening celebration of the Holyoke Shopping Center took place on March 20, 1957. At the time, six businesses had opened. This included Food Mart, S&H Green Stamps, Liggett-Rexall Drugs, F. W. Woolworth Co., Friendly Ice Cream and Hadley Falls Trust Co.

Holyoke Ten Pin Lanes was constructed on the north side of Davis Street in 1960. It was destroyed by fire in 1962. Fitzpatrick Arena and its parking area now occupy the site.

In November 1961, plans to expand the plaza across Davis Street were announced. Food Mart would double its size and update to the latest market innovations. The grocery store would relocate to the plaza's center, with more convenient parking. A three-story medical center would be built west of Holyoke Ten Pin Lanes, with retailers on the ground level. The plan and a similar concept advanced in 1963 did not materialize. The pictures below show artists' renderings of both plans.

In 1963, Food Mart increased its store size by 4,500 square feet to almost 15,000 square feet.

By 1964, the  Holyoke City Directory (and a news article) listed the following had leased space in the shopping plaza:

Holyoke Savings Bank
Prescription Center Pharmacy
Montgomery Ward & Co
F. W. Woolworth Department Store
Mass. Division of Unemployment 
Zal's Clothing
Sperry and Hutchinson Co ( S&H Trading Stamps)
Friendly Ice Cream
Food Mart
Safe Deposit Box & Trust Co.

Sherwin Williams Paint Store

Laundercenter

Kofsky's Shoes

In 1968, Food Mart entered merger discussions with Waldbaum's. The newly named Waldbaum's Foodmart would continue to operate as an independent division of the parent company. During early 1993, the grocery store moved from the Holyoke Shopping Center to the K-Mart Plaza on Northampton Street. Five years later, in 1998, Food Mart closed its doors.

As this post was written in 2025, Frank Cataldo's vision of creating a shopping center lives on 70 years after the opening of his Food Mart grocery store and Holyoke Shopping Center. 

Sources of news articles and information:

Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript-Telegram; publication dates are shown.

Holyoke Public Library, Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories.

Registry of Deeds, Hampden County, Springfield, Massachusetts.