Except for a brief period in the late 1920s, 1739 Northampton Street was home to four grocery stores throughout its 42-year history. A&P was the first to operate from 1925 to 1940, followed by Howe's Super Market during the 1940s, Waxler's for a brief period in the early 1950s, and finally Russell's Market, the subject of today's story.
The story of Russell's has its roots in the Hyman Bernstein family history, dating back to around 1919. At the time, young Hyman Bernstein, then 20 years old, was working for Jacob Schwartz, a grocer, at 24 Jackson Street. In 1921, he opened his own grocery store at 611 South Bridge at the corner of Adams Street, which he operated until 1950. The business was known as B & Z Market, using the Bernstein and (William) Zitta initials.
In 1951, an opportunity arose to relocate to the site of Waxler's Market, which was operating at 1739 Northampton Street. Waxler's, previously located on Ely Street, had been on Northampton Street since the late 1940s. The store would be renamed Russell's Super Market.
Hyman Bernstein's son, Russell, was a graduate of the University of Vermont and was a World War II veteran. He joined his father in running the business at its new location, and together they conducted business.
By 1953, Russell's Super Market and Jaekler's Market on Park Street were Holyoke's two remaining grocery stores that met the dietary requirements for observance of the Jewish observances.
In 1955, Russell's purchased the stock and fixtures of the neighboring Ridgewood Market operated by Daniel Ominsky. Ridgewood Pharmacy had plans to expand into the vacant market space.
A catastrophic fire destroyed the entirety of 1739-1747 Northampton Street on May 18, 1966. This spelled the end of Russell's Market. Russell Bernstein went on to join the Food Marts' chain of grocery stores and became a manager in the Fairview-Chicopee store. He retired in 1988, and along with his father, had served families for nearly 70 years.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; publication dates and pages are shown.
Price & Lee, City of Holyoke (Massachusetts) City Directories
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