Times sure have changed. The 1961 Holyoke City Directory showed 11 retail shoe stores, 6 on High Street and 5 on Main Street. There were also 13 shoe repair shops and 2 shoe shine stands. One of the long-standing show retailers on High Street was Ed Moriarty Shoes, a name that stood for 62 years in the shoe industry.
Edward J. Moriarty (Sr.) was born in Quincy, Massachusetts, on August 25, 1899. His family moved to Holyoke when he was very young, and he was educated in the Holyoke school system.
In 1912, at the age of 12, Edward Moriarty began his career in the shoe business, working for the next 16 years for the Hertzmark family’s two shoe stores in Holyoke. One store was owned by Archie and Joe Hertzmark, the other by their father, William Hertzmark. He worked as a clerk in their Self-Service Shoe Store at 465 Dwight Street. At the time, there were over 30 shoe stores and almost 50 shoemakers and cobblers in Holyoke.
On Friday, February 13, 1928, Mr. Moriarty opened his own business at 196 High Street in the Gallivan building. It was named Ed Moriarty’s Bargain Shoe Store. The business was self-service and employed 2 clerks. Finding he needed a larger space to serve his customers, he moved south a few storefronts to 202 High Street, situated in the Marble Building, on January 8, 1930.
Business was good, and in 1935, 2 major events set the course for the company’s future. The first was the relocation to the third business site, 319 High Street, in February 1935. This location was better suited to mercantile businesses that welcomed greater foot traffic. The second was the grand opening of a second location on Elm Street in Westfield on August 16, 1935.
In March 1937, a separate men’s and boys’ shoe department was constructed in the High Street store’s basement. In the following year, Ed Moriarty Shoes became the first and only air-conditioned store on High Street.
The company took out a 2-page ad to celebrate its 10th anniversary in 1938. The company had grown to employ 20 people.
In 1944, Edward Joseph Moriarty Jr. completed his initial air force flight training in the U. S. Army Air Force. After his discharge from the military, Edward Jr. followed in his father’s footsteps and, by 1950, managed both the Holyoke and Westfield shops.
In 1952, the High Street store underwent major remodeling. The general contractor was the Bathelt Construction Company, with interior work performed by the Doane & Williams Company of Willimansett. Some of the new features included installing an outdoor neon sign, wider windows, checkerboard flooring in the lobby, fresh linoleum, updated showcases, and direct and indirect lighting.
In late October 1961, the Moriartys purchased the real estate at 245-247 High Street, with plans to relocate. This would become their 4th and final location in Holyoke. Work was needed to convert the space to meet their needs, so it was anticipated that the store would relocate the following year.
As an aside, the sale marked the first time in the building’s history that it had left the family of well-known Holyoke architect James A. Clough. Mr. Clough purchased the land from the Holyoke Water Power Company in 1879, and the building was constructed in 1882. His designs included the Holyoke Public Library and Holyoke Home for the Aged on Loomis Avenue. The Clough family resided at 999 Hampden Street at the corner of Waldo Street.
The location had previously been home to G. E. Russell Hardware, Osborne Hardware, Popular Market, and Clear-Weave Hosiery Company.
In mid-December 1961, before the shoe store moved, a fire struck the neighboring Dorothy Dodd women’s apparel shop, causing damage to the 319 High Street Moriarty Shoe store.
The grand opening of the 245-247 High Street Ed Moriarty Shoe Store occurred on March 8, 1962. The store featured retail on its first two floors and modern furnishings.
The Holyoke store remained in business until closing in June 1979. The Westfield store continued at 110 Elm Street until 1990.
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 Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories
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