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For 45 years, Ron Brosnan ran Clear-View Glass & Mirror doing “everything” with glass and mirror work, including plate glass, tabletops, insulated glass, window and screen repairs and custom mirror work. On Aug. 20, the 85-year-old Worcester glazier permanently closed his shop on Grafton Street. Brosnan entered the glass business at 17 and worked for 20 years at National Glass, and later freelanced for Worcester Glass Co. and Bay State Glass & Mirror in Auburn. Later, he opened his own shop with his older brother, Leo, first renting space near Grafton Street and later purchasing a building in 1987.

44

The Grafton Street building that for decades housed Fairway Beef and its Sir Loin metal bull is under agreement for sale, a real estate agent confirmed Monday.  Mike Martin, of M&R Realty Experts, confirmed that a buyer has agreed to purchase the 44 Grafton St. building pending due diligence on plans with the city. Martin said he could not immediately name the buyer because he does not represent them. Asked about the plans for the building, Martin said he understood the present concept is for housing upstairs and storefronts downstairs. Fairway Beef closed abruptly in July 2021.

01451

Harvard — ZIP code 01451 — was settled by Europeans in 1658 and incorporated in 1732.  Today, the 27-square-mile town keeps roughly 6,860 residents. Harvard lies 32 miles west of Boston and 22 miles northeast of Worcester. The Nashua River runs along its western border.  Anzor Sidamonidze of the Skylight Group with COMPASS says the suburban life in Harvard is a draw for homebuyers. According to realtor.com, seven single family homes are for sale in Harvard. Homes range from a 1,408-square-foot two-bedroom listed for $524,900, to a 5,800-square-foot five-bedroom listed at $2.199 million.

30

Interest rate spikes started to show their effect last month when property sales plunged significantly in the city, county and state. According to The Warren Group, Worcester saw 30 fewer single-family houses sold last month when compared with July 2021, while there were 103 fewer single-family home sales in the county and 1,108 fewer sales across the state.  Median prices continued an upward trend, with an increase of $45,000 during the last month in the state.  The same trend was seen in condominium sales last month with 2,201 units sold – 715 fewer than during July 2021.

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After nearly 60 years of servicing cars in South Gardner, Miller's Garage, which opened at 207 East Broadway in 1963, closed last month upon the retirement of owner Ronnie Miller, the son of garage founder Louie Miller. Ronnie Miller announced to his 1,000-plus customers that he was retiring, effective July 25, via snail mail, which is not surprising for the owner of a garage who doesn’t own a cellphone, never uses social media and has operated his business strictly through cash or check. “I’d been thinking about (retirement) for the last couple of years,” Miller said. “I’m 64 now and I always had a goal of retiring around that time.”

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Central Mass. by the Numbers