New Bedford Saltmarsh’s Was a Downtown Legacy Store

Many legacy stores were in downtown New Bedford, including Star Store, Cherry & Webb, Browne's Pharmacy and the Peanut Shoppe, but Saltmarsh's was the best legacy store of them all.

Granted, Kreske, Woolworth, Enterprise, Wings and all the beautiful palatial theaters scattered throughout the downtown area were special in their own right, but Saltmarsh's was my favorite – and it didn't even have an escalator like Star Store did.

Saltmarsh's was originally a bookstore when it opened in 1864. It was known as The Cheapside Bookstore and was on Union Street. A 2011 article in the Standard-Times reported that "the store later became Hutchinsons' and moved to several downtown locations over the years."

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The Saltmarsh family purchased the business in 1909 and renamed it Saltmarsh's in 1963. Saltmarsh's remained at 771 Purchase Street for years. Family Dollar occupies the space today.

Saltmarsh's had everything. I remember being blown away by the office supply department. It had every kind of school supply known to man. The record department with the day's Top 40 hits on 45 rpm and listening booths was amazing.

When the downtown began to falter and stores moved to the mall or folded, Saltmarsh's downsized into a smaller storefront on William Street. It was never the same.

In January 2011, Saltmarsh's announced it would close for good. It did so the following month.

Scott Lang, then-New Bedford's mayor, told the paper Saltmarsh's is an "institution" in New Bedford.

"In its heyday, it was the number-one store in the city for pens, books, stationary, and art," he said. "It was a store always associated with quality and personal attention."