One of the longest commercial occupants in the Ducharme block was Gromer’s Carpet and Linoleum Store at 171 Appleton Street.
Fred Grossman was born in 1907 and hailed from Syracuse, New York. His early career was spent working in New York and New Jersey for the Rudolph Jewelry chain. He arrived in Holyoke in the late 1930s to take a position with the well-known Holyoke retailer, the Adaskin Tilley Furniture Company, located at the northeast corner of Maple and Suffolk Streets.
In 1942, he left his employment to start his own furniture and flooring business. The business, named Gromer’s, was located in the Gervais block at 170 Appleton Street, at the southwest corner of Main and Appleton Streets. Store newspaper ads would read “Next to Kelly’s Lobster House”.
Gromer’s started out selling, delivering and installing linoleum and carpeting. Unknown to me, Gromer’s also sold rocking chairs, storage closets, a variety of brand-name vacuum cleaners, and enamel for the do-it-yourselfer to finish furniture.
In late 1943 or early 1944, Fred Grossman relocated across the street to 171 Appleton Street in the Ducharme block. At that time, advertisements showed only carpeting and linoleum in its product line. There were several name changes to the business, including Gromer’s Linoleum Shop, and in 1952, Gromer’s Linoleum and Bedding. Over the span of its existence, it was best known as Gromer’s.
In January 1974, Mr. Grossman retired from the business. His wife, Virginia (Gervais) Assaro Grossman and her son, Michael Assaro, continued to operate the business. The store continued to carry on until late 1990, 48 years after its inception.
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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