The northwest corner of High and Suffolk streets continued to be in demand and rarely vacant, except for renovations, by new occupants. 1954 proved no exception, as Youth Center became the latest retailer to establish at 295 High Street.
The Youth Center had been a family-run business since 1937, when it opened as the Cinderella Shop in the Marble Building at 202 High Street. The store specialized in selling boys' and girls' clothing from infancy through their late teens. The owners were Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Goodman of Longmeadow. In 1939, their son Herbert M. Goodman entered the business.
In 1940, the shop relocated to 345 High Street, and in 1944, it was renamed Youth Center. This was one of five stores in the chain with shops also in Springfield, Hartford, and West Hartford.
As the lease for the Walgreen drug store approached its end, reports circulated that the Youth Center would relocate to 295 High Street. An architect's concept of the new Youth Center storefront was published in the Holyoke Transcript in November 1954. Walgreen ceased operations by December 31, 1954.
The city issued a permit to the Youth Center to renovate the store in early January 1955. Bathelt Construction Company was awarded the $12,000 contract. The first floor featured infant wear and a girls' shop. The second floor had boys' clothing and a shoe department for both boys and girls. With 7,900 square feet of floor space, the store was three times the space of its previous location. The basement would be reserved for storage.
The store occupied the entire former space of the Darling Shop and Walgreens Drug.
The store celebrated its Grand Opening on Tuesday, March 29, 1955.
In 1956, the portion of the Suffolk Parking Lot, north of Division Street, was completed in time for Holyoke's Bargain Days Celebration at downtown stores. The lot was filled, and increased business for retailers.
In 1961, both the Bradlees Discount Stores and Youth Centre stores were purchased by the Stop & Shop grocery company. The news article indicated that the Youth Centre chain owned Bradlees.
In 1962, Stop & Shop sold the Youth Centre chain to Eli Moore Company of New Haven, Connecticut. Eli Moore Company was in business for 50 years, selling medium and high-priced children's clothing, and had four Connecticut stores with two additional stores planned for opening. The Youth Centre was a seven-store chain at the time of its acquisition. The stores were rebranded as Eli Moore-Youth Centre.
Stop & Shop was concentrating on the growth and development of its Bradlees' self-service and mass merchandising stores.
In 1963, Eli Moore Inc. entered bankruptcy, and one of the actions was the sale of the Youth Centre chain of stores to a Hartford group. In late 1964, the Youth Centre store in Holyoke held a going-out-of-business sale. The store closed in December 1964.
Mary Allen Payne, women's apparel:
In October 1965, James A Curran performed renovations for a new retailer, the Mary Allen Payne women's apparel store. This was a New York City-based company with seven stores that operated in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and Pennsylvania.
The store would occupy the first floor of the former Youth Centre. Company officials indicated there was room for expansion to the second floor, depending on business volume.
The store's grand opening occurred on November 12, 1965. Hundreds of shoppers descended on the business in search of sales and bargains.
On November 15, 1965, the Prudential Insurance Company, the building's mortgage holder, bid $150,000 at the foreclosure sale and became the new owner of the building.
On July 11, 1966, store officials announced the store would close on July 30, a little more than 7 months since opening. The business and sales volume were below expectations, and the company had no plans to remain in the area.
Epilogue:
After Mary Allen Payne's closure, Leo J. Simard, jeweler, moved into this location from 54 Suffolk Street. Its story was previously told in my blog dated April 13, 2025. The jewelry store operated at 295 High Street from 1966 to 1983. Subsequently, the building was purchased by a local accounting firm and used as professional offices, concluding the retail businesses at this location.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; publication dates and pages are shown.
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