By Joyce DeWallace, Contributing Writer
Westborough – Lines of people with fond memories of shopping at Worcester's largest department store waited patiently for more books to be delivered at a recent book signing by co-authors Patricia Wolf and Christopher Sawyer at Tatnuck Bookseller.
For 103 years, Denholms served as Worcester County's premier retailer. Started in the 1870s by William Denholm and William McKay, the dry goods store grew into a major attraction at 484 Main St. Known for its elaborate promotions featuring exotic locations and festive holiday displays, the store finally closed its doors in 1973.
“The Story of Worcester's Premier Department Store” was written by two people closely associated with the former retail giant.
Pat Wolf is the daughter of former Denholms” President Harry Wolf, who ran the store from 1946 to 1966. A longtime Shrewsbury resident, Pat has a personal mission to preserve the history and legend of the grande dame of Worcester's downtown.
Co-author Chris Sawyer is the grandson of Josephine “Jo” Carbone, who worked at Denholms for 27 years. He currently is the creative director of Ralph Lauren in charge of window displays and interior displays for 15 stores.
“I grew up with Denholms,” Sawyer said. “I want to keep some of the historical buildings that are important to the more recent past of Worcester.”
He uses his free time to help create window displays for the current occupants and has created a “History of Denholms” display, which is now on the third floor of the former department store.
Together they researched and wrote their book to tell the stories of the hundreds of associates and shareholders who invested themselves in the store and the role that Denholms played in the lives of so many local residents.
“These stores were also intertwined with significant milestones in our lives – our visit with Santa, shopping for a new Easter hat, purchasing a wedding gown or simply marveling at the elaborate window displays during the Christmas season,” wrote the authors in their introduction.
Many of those memories surfaced as former patrons told their own stories while getting copies of the book signed.
“Denholms was a combination of Disneyland, a shopping adventure and a community center,” explains Wolf in the book.
“”Meet me at Denholms”” was a common refrain during the store's heyday. I hope to remind people about the role Denholms played in Worcester by writing and publishing this book,” Wolf said.
Judging by the enthusiasm of the book buyers, she and Sawyer have created a way to reinforce those memories and keep them alive for future generations.