Corner store = Spa

[Prosperos Daughter]

Does Worcester still have any corner stores referred to as a spa? When I lived Worcester (52-76) there were small grocery store/soda fountain places on about every corner. There was Blossom Spa at Russell & Pleasant, Walt's Spa at Sever & Pleasant, Russell Spa on Russell between Pleasant and Elm. They were every where.

[Lindak2]

We must have grown up in the same area. Add to your list: O'Connors Spa at the corner of Pleasant St. and Park Ave and Peter's Spa at the corner of Abbott and Pleasant st.

[theblackprince]

I was born in Worcester and lived there 34 years. First address was 3 Garfield Street which was a short dirt road off Cambridge St. near Millbury Street.  The street was taken by public domain and destroyed during the construction of I-290.

My parents bought a house on Isabella Street which was part of a development begun in the 1890's called Columbus Park (part of the 400th anniversary of Columbus "discovery" of America craze) and included other streets called Columbus, Ferdinand, Lisbon and Genoa. At the intersection of Maywood, Lovell, Englewood and Ferdinand sat the "Columbus Park Spa". It was run by a local family and was a great place with groceries, penny candy, ice cream and a soda fountain. It lasted many years until the local juvenile delinquents made it too much of a pain to continue.

[jim28518]

If you lived in Worcester, well into the 1960's, you knew of a local neighborhood spa.
They were the then 7-11's, a place to get a newspaper, cigarettes, loaf of bread, etc.
Our local spa on West street also had a back room with a phone to take racing bets, and you could also pick 3 numbers before there was a State Loto.

[deacon]

blackprince wheres billy burns at,last time i saw him was in 1967

[jim28518]

I left Worcester in 1970 and remember the many corner "spa".
Do people still call them a "spa"?
It's A word that has changed, much like the words "frap" and "tonic" which you got at the local "spa".
Should someone want to talk with a 71 year old about Worcester, send me an email.
jim28518 at yahoo dot com.

[ErnestTrustys]

If you lived in Worcester, well into the 1960's, you knew of a local neighborhood spa.
They were the then 7-11's, a place to get a newspaper, e cigarettes, loaf of bread, etc.
Our local spa on West street also had a back room with a phone to take racing bets, and you could also pick 3 numbers before there was a State Loto.

Well my mother used to live in Worcester in her school days and she used to tell lots of such interesting story..

[Prosperos Daughter]

If you lived in Worcester, well into the 1960's, you knew of a local neighborhood spa.
They were the then 7-11's, a place to get a newspaper, cigarettes, loaf of bread, etc.
Our local spa on West street also had a back room with a phone to take racing bets, and you could also pick 3 numbers before there was a State Loto.

My Mom used to bet with a bookie who had his unofficial office in a spa somewhere near Chandler @ Park Ave IIRC. She had me pick two # for the daily double when I was 11 and we won $26.00 That was a lot of money to me back then (1963.)

[Dan Granfors]

Hillside Spa, corner of Eastern Ave.& Belmont (locals called it "Nishas"