For much of the 20th century, many Holyoke residents shopped at their neighborhood markets or provisions stores. One of these longtime butcher shops and grocery stores was Godek Provision Company, the subject of today’s story.
Kazimierz Michiel “Casimer” Godek was born in Poland and arrived in the United States in 1909. He initially settled in the Thorndike section of Palmer, Massachusetts. After his marriage in 1911, he moved to 231 Hampden Street in Holyoke. He went into business as a sausage maker with a partner, Wladyslaw “Walter” Nowak, at 11 Union Street in Holyoke. The business, known as Nowak & Godek, operated as a wholesaler, delivering its meats to markets.
The business is shown as relocated to 108 Maple Street, near the corner of Lyman Street, in the 1922 Holyoke City Directory. The partnership continued until about 1927, when Mr. Godek took over the business as a sole proprietor. Kazimierz and his wife, Katarzyna Godek, were well established in their home at 248 Lyman Street, where they lived for over 30 years. Their son, Chester Godek, entered the business in 1933 after completing high school.
Shortly after World War II, the business was shown as Godek Provision Company.
On January 2, 1947, Kazimierz Godek died, and the business was passed to his son Chester Godek. Together with his wife, Mary Godek, the business continued the family’s retail tradition, selling its homemade sausages, kiszka, assorted meats, Polish candies and other items imported from Poland. The store once stocked canned reindeer and wild boar meat.
In 1981, the owners went into semi-retirement, and the business was run by their daughter, Dorothy Godek Rigalis. She continued the tradition of making kielbasa, 250 pounds at a time, smoked over wood rather than gas, and without preservatives or other fillers. Their products were shipped to customers throughout the country.
On February 8, 1986, the business closed after 75 years when the Godeks retired. Paul Grenier planned to continue running the store as a neighborhood market without the Godeks’ famous kielbasa.
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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