Then & Now: Houghton's Market, 259 Lincoln St., Worcester
Houghton's Market was a go-to place for a good cut of meat. Wallace Houghton, like his father before him, made it a point to stock the best of goods for his Brittan Square customers.
The neighborhood store at 259 Lincoln St. — shown in this weekend's Then photo, from 1965 — was Wallace Houghton's home away from home. Customers were sure to encounter him. He worked six 12-hour days per week.
He bought the business from his father, Myron W. Houghton, in 1928 and ran it until his retirement in March 1965. Myron opened the store in Worcester in 1909 after running a shop in West Boylston.
The building, which also had a post office branch, was torn down in the years after Wallace Houghton retired. It was bought by Thomas Hickey, owner of a neighboring liquor store. The spot was turned into a parking lot.
Customers of All Star Liquors, the most recent occupant of 261 Lincoln St., now park where Houghton's Market once stood. The liquor store might look unfamiliar to anyone who remembers Houghton's Market. At one time, when the market was next door, the liquor store was one level. In recent years, the building has been expanded, extending into the parking lot and with two floors added to the original structure.
Last week Then & Now: Now Family Dollar lot, 839 Main St., Worcester
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Then & Now: 259 Lincoln St., Worcester
