There was a time, not long ago, when at-home sewers produced many of the clothes that family members wore. Ridgewood Mills was one of the shops that supplied materials and fabrics to help accomplish this task.
At first glance, the name Ridgewood Mills appeared to imply that this was a manufacturing company. However, the business, which had two tenures in Holyoke, was a retail operation. The story that follows includes the original Ridgewood Mills and its successor operation, which emerged twenty-two years later.
In 1908, Ridgewood Mills started as the retail wing of the Beebe-Webber Company, a producer of woolen and worsted wools. Both the plant and retail outlet were located near the northwest corner of Main and South Streets. The address of Ridgewood Mills was 639 Main Street at this time.
Newspaper advertisements, starting in 1908, touted the store's accessibility by trolley on the Springfield Line. Ads promoted the money-saving prices as goods were made available directly from the manufacturer without wholesalers' markups.
The available products included woolens and worsteds for producing suits, skirts, coats, trousers, raincoats, and overcoats suitable for all seasons. The shop was open six days a week for the convenience of the do-it-yourself sewers. Free samples were provided to help customers make informed decisions.
The first iteration of Ridgewood Mills operated until mid-May 1914, when a retirement sale was held. The unsold stock dress goods, silks, and other fabrics were conveyed to Smith & Murray of Springfield for resale. Both Beebe-Webber Company and Ridgewood Mills ended operations.
Twenty-two years later, in 1936, Frank Tobin and S. Paul Dunn opened the second version of Ridgewood Mills, also located at 639 Main Street. They had been partners since the 1921 incorporation of Holyoke Worsted Mills, Inc., which was located adjacent at 647 Main Street.
The concept was similar to the original store. Additions included fabrics to make drapes, slipcovers, and blankets.
In 1957, Frank Tobin bought out Mr. Dunn's interest in Ridgewood Mills. In 1961, Mr. Tobin died, and the business continued under the leadership of Frank F. Tobin, Jr.
The business operation continued and relocated to 920 Main Street in 1971. This one-story, factory-like building was once the location of Hegy's dye works.
The business continued to sell fabric remnants until the late 1980s, when the building was sold to members of the Rigali family, who subsequently remodeled and opened the Waterfront Tavern.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.
Ancestry.com (paid subscription), Price & Lee City Directories, Holyoke, Massachusetts.
Registry of Deeds, Hampden County, Springfield, Massachusetts
Assessors' Office, Holyoke, Massachusetts
