One of the many furniture stores that has served Holyoke and out-of-city residents in the 20th and the early 21st centuries was Wernick Furniture, located on the east side of High Street between Oliver and Lyman Streets. As with many accounts of Holyoke businesses, the Wernick family furniture history begins at an earlier time and in another part of the city.
In 1912, 16-year-old Harry Wernick came to Chicopee from Russia. He moved to Holyoke and opened a phonograph store at 569 Dwight Street, and later moved his store to 364 High Street. A partnership was formed with Harry's brother, Louis, to operate the shop. On February 16, 1928, the partnership was dissolved, and Louis continued as a sole proprietor.
Brothers, Harry and William Wernick, opened the Wernick Brothers Furniture Store, a second-hand furniture store at 147 Main Street in 1928. The shop was located on the west side of Main Street between Middle and Appleton Streets.
The shop was renamed Wm. Wernick Furniture Store the following year, and another brother, Norman, joined the second-hand shop. The store also bought and sold used musical instruments and camping furniture.
Harry Wernick moved to 116 High Street, opening the Wernick Variety Store, a shop that bought and sold used furniture. The store's classified advertising appeared in July 1929. In 1936, an ad for coal and gas combination ranges identified the business as Wernick Furniture Company. The 1937 Price and Lee Holyoke City Directory listed the business among twenty-three other new furniture retailers. A photo below shows Wernick's Used Furniture Outlet, adjacent to the north of the new furniture showroom.
The store was situated in what was known as the Wright Blocks, which extended from the Clover Pub to the entire Wernick Furniture Company complex. The Massachusetts Resource and Information System (MACRIS) indicates the Wright Block extends from the 104-120 High Street addresses for buildings that remain standing in 2025. In a future edition, my plan is to determine ownership and construction years, a tall task, for the east side of High Street between Oliver and Lyman.
In 1942, Harry Wernick attended the American Furniture Mart in Chicago to view the latest in home furnishings. Over 875 manufacturers participated in this convention. As World War II was in progress, restricting the use of many materials, shortages were impacting the production and availability of new furniture.
In 1945, a fire in the tenement above 114-116 High Street caused smoke and water damage to the store. It was determined that this fire was initiated by the spontaneous combustion of rags and paper kept in an upstairs closet.
In 1947, Harry Wernick purchased the Taylor-Fitzgerald Furniture Store and building at 110-112 High Street. This would add 25 feet to its existing 50 feet of street frontage at 114-120 High Street. All buildings were four stories with apartments occupying the upper three floors.
In the late 1940s and into the 1950s, advertising was more prevalent, and the store offered items such as Victrola phonographs, radios, major appliances, metal strollers, cribs, kitchen sets, flooring, carpeting, and other home furnishings.
In mid-August 1961, a fire caused by improper disposal of smoking material resulted in $25,000 in smoke and water damage to the store. Mattresses stored on the store's second floor were destroyed. Another fire occurred in 1963 in the rear of an apartment at 118 High Street. There was no mention of significant damage.
In the 1960s, RCA televisions were shown in ads, and in the early 1970s, dishwashers and recliners were available for sale.
On April 14, 1978, Harry Wernick died, having devoted 50 years to the family business he founded. His son Sherwin Wernick, who joined the company in 1949, continued the family operation.
In 1981, a series of eye-catching ads titled, Calling All Homemakers, brought to you by "Sherwin-Wernick" appeared in the Holyoke Transcript. The ads provided ideas and tips for furniture placement, decor, and discussed the latest material compositions, such as veneers.
In the early 2000s, the store contributed furniture to the John J. Lynch Middle School to support a new reading program. This would add comfort for the students who participated in the 90-minute intensive course of study.
In June 2004, the company sold the buildings located at 106-120 High Street. A going-out-of-business sale was held that month. The furniture store operated for 75 years on High Street, contributing to the vitality of northern High Street and providing furniture, appliances, and many household items to families throughout Holyoke and the area.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.
Holyoke - Chicopee A Perspective, Ella Merkel Dicarlo, Publisher, Transcript-Telegram, Holyoke, Massachusetts, 1982
Ancestry.com (paid subscription), Price & Lee City Directories, Holyoke, Massachusetts.
Assessors' Office, City of Holyoke, Massachusetts
MACRIS, Massachusetts Cultural Research Information System
Registry of Deeds, Hampden County, Springfield, Massachusetts
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