The U. S. Government needed outlets for disposing of goods that were deemed unsatisfactory and rejected for use. This led to a nationwide increase in the number of army surplus stores selling such goods and other merchandise to the general public. This is the story of The Army Story.
The Army Store was founded in 1942 by Holyoke resident Jacob Katz. Mr. Katz was born in Lithuania in 1895, lived in this area and moved to Holyoke in the 1920s. During the 1920s, 30s and into the early 1940s, he operated men’s furnishings stores at 358 Dwight, then relocated to 409 High Street.
In 1942, he operated a variety store at 237 Main Street. At this time, he received a Certificate of Authority to Sell Army & Navy Goods. The following year, the store moved to 193 Main Street at the corner of Appleton in the Ducharme block.
The Ducharme block’s address had a storied history from its beginnings in 1901. For a little more than 20 years, it was home to a saloon owned by several different operators. The Quality Hat Shop held the retail space in 1925; then, in 1930, the Holyoke Harness Shop; in 1935, the V Restaurant & Cafe Inc.; and in 1940, Kelley’s Lobster House.
In its early years, The Army Store carried a variety of military surplus items. Uniforms, undergarments, T-shirts, hats, coats, trousers, shirts, socks and service medals were available for sale. The store also sold cots, army blankets, lockers, escape maps, and sheepskin-lined bomber jackets. This must have been quite an impressive inventory display.
By 1946, the store offered clothing for tradespeople, such as carpenters, painters, masons and bricklayers. Ads welcomed union workers to shop at the store.
Jacob Katz and his son Merwin Katz, the store manager, were also benevolent, sending hundreds of pounds of clothing to countries ravaged by World War II.
The store continued to add dry goods procured from the military. Pea coats, kerchiefs, winter boots, heavy winter coats, bedding, towels, and even a limited amount of paint filled the racks and shelves.
One of the most unusual items the store carried in the early 1960s was skydivers’ military parachutes in various diameters.
Keeping with the military theme, an unnerving moment occurred in 1963, when one of the boxes opened contained a live mortar shell. As Merwin Katz was in the military, he had the foresight to contact Westover Air Force Base and have the shell removed for proper disposal.
In 1963, the company was awarded the contract to furnish the Holyoke Fire Department with helmets and rain coats.
Toward the latter 1960s, there was little news or further advertising to help determine the year the business may have sold or ceased operations. It is believed to have been around 1967, as Jacob Katz had retired from the business and later died in 1970. Merwin Katz became a full-time Court Officer in 1967, and this may have signaled the end of the very fascinating family business.
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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