"See Alfred First"
The 1939 Holyoke City Directory listed seven retail hardware stores in Holyoke. One additional store was about to enter the field in 1939: Alfred Hardware Supplies, the topic of this chapter.
The story begins with Alfred Polansky, born on August 28, 1916, the son of Joseph Hirsch Polansky and Eva (Elfman) Polansky, who emigrated from Russia in the early 1900s. Joseph Polansky operated the Cabot Tailor Shop at 141 Cabot Street for 25 years until his passing in 1935.
The Polansky family resided at 46 Hamilton Street in 1920 and 58 Congress Avenue in 1930. During the 1930s, the family relocated to 209 Sargeant Street.
In 1939, Alfred Polansky, then turning 23 years old, opened a hardware and plumbing supply store at 161 Main Street. The store also carried paint, electrical, and roofing supplies.
The building at 153-167 Main Street was constructed around 1881 by John Delaney, a master contractor, and was known for a time as the Delaney Block.
The building was subsequently owned by Mr. Delaney's descendants, James E. & John L. Delaney, who, in 1906, sold the building to Emil F. Dreicorn. After several owners, it was sold by Thomas Epstein in 1939 to Evelyn Orlen, the soon-to-be wife of Alfred Polansky.
The store soon increased its available stock of items relating to home or apartment ownership. Other than a building's structural framing and lumber, the store pretty much carried supplies to meet most electrical, plumbing, household, and building needs. Over the years, the store added sinks, toilets, countertops, cabinets, lighting, wallpaper, stove and boiler pipes, pipe coverings, galvanized hot water tanks, oil burners, sporting goods, gutters, housewares and small kitchen appliances, wardrobes, garden supplies, among many other items for the homeowner, professional, or do-it-yourselfer. Rentals of equipment such as floor sanders, waxers, and wallpaper steamers were available.
On March 28, 1946, the store expanded into 167 Main Street, the site of a former grocery store. Soon after, Alfred Polansky's younger brother, Irving Leonard Polansky, joined the business as a sales manager. Leonard Polansky, as he was better known, was a graduate of Holyoke High School and a World War II veteran.
The business suffered a setback when a fire started and gutted the building's fourth floor on June 16, 1966. Fortunately, there were no injuries, and the fire was contained, resulting in some water damage to the store. Within one week, Alfred Polansky obtained a building permit to initiate repairs estimated at $5,000.
Alfred Polansky was also a real estate broker and owned several apartment buildings in Holyoke. At one point, he was the fifth-largest taxpayer in the city.
By 1974, Mr. Polansky, who was in poor health and unable to continue operating the business, rented the store to long-time employee Charles J. Davignon. Much like Alfred Polansky, Mr. Davignon also became a shop owner at the young age of 20, after working several years as a merchandise stocker.
Mr. Polansky died on September 12, 1974, and soon after, in late January 1975, Mrs. Evelyn (Orlen) Polansky signed paperwork conveying the business to Mr. Davignon.
The building's entire front-facing wall fell shortly after the business was secured. Sensing a dangerous structural situation, Mr. Davignon had to decide whether to move, buy the building, or remain a tenant. He purchased the building for $5,000 in June 1975. He then contracted to have the upper three floors above the store removed and an adjacent section of the building razed to make way for a parking lot.
Mr. Davignon and his spouse, Kathleen (Conway) Davignon, continued to operate Alfred Hardware & Plumbing Supply Company until about September 1993, when a liquidation sale of fixtures and inventory was held. The space was then remodeled to accommodate their real estate sales and management office.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.
Ancestry.com (paid subscription): Genealogy Records and Price & Lee, Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories
Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, Boston, Massachusetts
Holyoke, Massachusetts, Assessors' Office
Hampden County Registry of Deeds, Springfield, Massachusetts
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