There’s some sad news in Upper Falls this week. Tom O’Shaugnessy and his wife Carrington announced that they’ll be closing the Upper Falls Variety store at the end of this month. The little shop has been an institution and a gathering place for the last 17 years in Upper Falls.
Tom says that the foot traffic has been steadily dwindling in recent years and they’ve just been scraping by for a while. The nearest big employer in the neighborhood is Clark Shoes and they’re planning to move the headquarters in the coming years so it’s likely to get worse before it gets better.
We’re all going to miss the store and the O’Shaugnessy’s. They’ve been the best kind of local business owners, always been ready to help out with anything in the neighborhood – everything from waiting tables at the Feast of the Falls, to serving free Slush to the kids at Village Day, to selling “Makers of the Mold” as a fund raiser for Hemlock Gorge.
Personally, I’ll miss them terribly since my day has started with a coffee at the Variety Store nearly every morning since I moved to Upper Falls. Between the cast of morning regulars, the neighborhood news, Tom’s TV jingles and Carrington’s ever-sunny face, there’s a lot I’ll be missing.
We all wish the O’Shaugnessy’s the best in whatever comes next and I want to thank them for brightening all my mornings for the last five years.
Major bummer. I wish that independent retailers like Upper Falls Variety could survive and succeed in greater Boston. In the walkable districts outside of the strip-mall zones, we need something other than the banks, mobile telephony shops, or doctors’ offices.
A real loss.
Tom’s and Carrington’s commitment to their family and the Upper Falls neighborhood are excellent examples for us to emulate. I wish them great happiness in their next endeavor. Hopefully, it will include some enjoyable relaxation time; they have earned that.
I always enjoyed going into this store and the owners and staff were always friendly, helpful and very tuned in to the people of Upper Falls and beyond. Is there any chance that someone could come in and keep the store going?
Thanks to Jerry for reporting this sad news and to the O’Shaugnessys for years of service to the community. However, he may be too gloomy on future prospects. Clark went through a great deal of trouble and expense a few years ago to get permission to demolish the older buildings on its site to make room for parking when its corporate headquarters move to the site. Has this plan changed? What sources does the editor of the upper falls news have? Can the Village 14 maven/President of the Chamber of Commerce go next door from his office on Needham Street to verify or knock down this new?