Beginning in the mid to late 1800s and continuing through the mid to late 1960s, the largest concentration of businesses in Groton was located on Thames Street in what was then called Groton Bank, now part of the City of Groton.

A review of street directories from the mid-to-late 1960s reveals listings for over 65 businesses on that street. Today the number of businesses on the street is approximately 20 and, of these, only a handful have been in existence for 30 years or more.

One of these long-term businesses is Paul’s Pasta Shop, a popular and fine Italian restaurant and pasta shop, owned and operated by Paul and Dorothy Fidrych. It has been in business for close to 35 years. It is located in a two-story building whose beginnings can be traced back to at least the late 1880s.

It is speculated that, when originally built, the lower floor was used for business purposes and the second floor for living space.

Recently I was asked if there had been any business in the building prior to Paul’s Pasta. Having lived in the area of Thames Street since the mid-to-late 1950s, I personally recalled three other businesses prior to Paul’s Pasta.

Before Paul’s opened, in late 1987, there was a small restaurant and bar named The Thamesedge Restaurant in the building. It was a popular local eating establishment; however, financially it could not make a go of it and remained open for only a little over two years.

Prior to the Thamesedge, husband and wife Donna Mansfield and Chuck Giles, who, at the time, rented the second-floor apartment above the store space, opened a small restaurant named the Butterfly Crepe Shop. The restaurant’s cuisine focused on crepes with various toppings and stuffings.

Mansfield and Giles opened the restaurant in 1980 after doing a considerable amount of remodeling work to convert the previous general merchandise store that had been located there. When they opened, Mansfield was a full-time graduate student and Giles worked full time at Electric Boat.

Because they could not devote the necessary time to operate the business, they decided it was in their best interest to close the restaurant.

Giles and Mansfield ultimately purchased the building and, today, Mansfield continues ownership of the building as well as several other adjacent stores and properties.

To avoid confusion, it should be noted that Giles and Mansfield had purchased the building in 1981 from Vinney Fasseas. Fasseas had purchased the building from Joseph and Sarah Chernney in 1978.

The store space of the building remained vacant from the time of purchase by Fasseas until the crepe shop opened in 1980.

Joseph and Sarah Chernney had operated a general merchandise business in the building since 1949. Named Edgcomb and Poppe, it is still remembered by many today. The business was considered the go-to store to purchase all of your everyday comfort needs.

An advertisement appearing in a 1957 Groton street directory provides a partial listing of items available at the store including cigars, cigarettes and tobaccos, candies, favors for parties and holidays, dry goods, ladies wear, men’s furnishings, men’s work clothes, shoes, gloves, notions, periodicals and stationery.

The store was also the central distribution/drop-off location for the daily edition of the New London Day newspaper. Every afternoon a cadre of local teenagers, and a few adults, would assemble at the front of the store to pick up their allotment of newspapers for home delivery.

The wages for their labors were based upon the number of papers they delivered as well as any tips they might receive from their newspaper customers. Incidentally, you could also pay your telephone and electric bills at the store.

Although it was also known that, prior to the Chernneys’ store, a men’s clothing and tailor shop, operated by Howard A. Edgcomb and Irvin H. Poppe, had been located in the building, there was very little information readily available to identify any other businesses that may have been in the same location.

A subsequent detailed review of Groton land records, local street and business directories and local newspapers has revealed a great deal of information.

In 1949, Joseph and Sarah Chernney received a 10-year lease of the Edgcomb and Poppe store from owner Irvin B. Poppe with a contingency that the Chernneys maintain the store’s name, Edgcomb and Poppe, for the duration of the lease.

In the late 1890s, when he was a young man, Poppe had been employed as a clerk for Howard A. Edgcomb, who operated a men’s clothing store at another location on Thames Street.

In early 1899, Edgcomb moved his men’s furnishing business into the building that is the subject of this article. At the time Poppe was learning the trade as a clothes tailor. Ultimately, in 1910, the two men partnered into the business called “Edgcomb and Poppe.”

After Edgcomb died in 1929, Poppe continued operating the business until it was leased to the Chernneys in 1947.

Now for the interesting part of the research.

It appears from information garnered that, on and off between the years 1899 and 1910, the lower floor of the building was shared by more than one business.

In 1899, when Howard Edgcomb moved his clothing and tailor shop into the building, he shared spaces with two other businesses operated by W.P. Allis: the Adams Express Company and a printing and stationery supply business. Interestingly, the printing company produced a weekly newspaper, The Groton Weekly Review. Hopefully future research on this publication will be forthcoming.

An 1899 directory reflects that Charles H. Lamb, a veterinary surgeon and dentist, was also located in the building with the other businesses.

In 1902 a real estate business and the Adams Express Company, both operated by Andrew H. Maine and George Clark, shared store space with Howard Edgcomb.

In 1906, Irvin B. Poppe moved into the building and operated a men’s furnishing, tailor and clothing store. Howard Edgcomb was no longer listed as doing business at that location but was listed as an insurance agent at another address. It is believed that Edgcomb dropped out of business while he served as a Connecticut state representative.

Also in 1906, Andrew Maine is now in the store operating a boots and shoes store. He is also selling newspapers and real estate from the store. He continues to operate these businesses until 1908 when Libby J. Denison, the widow of Frank P. Denison, who had been the owner of the building, takes over the boot and shoe business. She also joins with Poppe in the dry goods business.

Everything remains status quo until 1910 when Howard Edgcomb returned, and he and Irvin Poppe enter into the “Edgcomb and Poppe” partnership. It is at this time that Libby J. Denison discontinues her boot and shoe business.

Despite the death of Edgcomb in 1929, Poppe continues to own and operate the business until he leases the store to the Chernneys in 1949. It is interesting to note that, for several years prior to leasing the store to the Chernneys, Poppe was not only running his business but was also serving full time as the clerk for the Town of Groton.

Unfortunately, a search of town land records did not determine when the building was built, and a search of all other business records came to a dead end in 1893.

This author will certainly keep a lookout for additional information and, if located, will pass it along in a future article.

I might suggest that the next time you drop into Paul’s Pasta for dinner, take a look around inside the building and try to imagine all of the businesses that were there before Paul’s.

Jim Streeter is Groton Town historian.