After the Golden Lemon closed its doors in August 1989, attempts were made to sell the restaurant business and building. In November 1989, Andrew Leveton and Charles Gorman, co-owners of the Sweet Tooth Bakery, located in the Golden Lemon building, were interested in opening a restaurant. A third owner was Duane Melhorn, new to the restaurant business.
Andrew Leveton indicated that he operated a restaurant in New York City and worked in cafeterias and for catering services. He worked as a baker at the Delaney House Restaurant before founding the Sweet Tooth Bakery.
The Golden Lemon would be a turnkey operation, only needing a fresh coat of paint. The restaurant reopened as Barleycorn's in December 1989. It presented an American fare menu, hoping to attract businesspeople, court personnel, and downtown employees for lunch to supplement the dinner patrons. The lease would be for a trial period ending March 31, 1990.
On April 16, 1990, the restaurant shut its doors. Andrew Leveton had left the restaurant and Sweet Tooth Bakery the month prior. Barleycorn's did not reopen. Plans to lease the restaurant in June 1990 to William Provost failed to materialize. A public auction was held on November 7, 1990, to sell the real estate, equipment, and liquor license.
In October 1991, Mary Moser, assisted by her daughter Margaret Bergeron, opened Mama's Deli and Brew House. Mary Moser had operated the Waiting Station at the corner of Dwight and Race Streets. The building was deemed unsafe and was in danger of falling into the canal, so it was razed. She moved along and took a three-year lease to operate the East Street Club on South East Street. When the three-year lease expired, the owner tore down the building.
Now with a five-year lease, Mary Moser hoped her fortunes would change. The dining room at Appleton and Newton appeared cavernous, as most of the Golden Lemon's furnishings and equipment were sold at the 1990 public auction. The early report in September 1991 indicated that lunch traffic was light; however, business was much better on weekend evenings, with dancing to a DJ playing the top hits of the day.
In November 1991, the business was informed that a liquor license would be required in the company's name. It had been operating under the Golden Lemon's license. A later article indicated that the license was not renewed, as Holyoke had exceeded its limit for alcoholic beverage licenses.
On December 22, 1993, Mr. Dwight sold the real estate to the Glorious Victory Faith of God, Inc. Four years to the day later, in 1997, the church sold the real estate to Amerco Real Estate Company of Phoenix, Arizona. The building was razed to make outdoor space for the company's U-Haul business.
So ends the story of 2-8 Newton Street and 254-260 Appleton Street, the history of two buildings dating back to 1878.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Morning Union; publication dates and pages are shown.
Assessors' Office, City of Holyoke, Massachusetts
Registry of Deeds, Hampden County, Springfield, Massachusetts
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