The Allaire General Store- Celebrating 175 Years of Retailing Goods
By: Hance M. Sitkus, CPA, Allaire Village Inc. Treasurer (Interim General Store & Museum Gift Shop Manager)
Along the winding paths of the Historic Village at Allaire, towering as high as the sycamore trees is the Allaire General Store & Museum Gift Shop. Construction started on the Store in 1835. It opened for business by 1836 as the “Howell Iron Works Company Store.” Its purpose at that time was simple- to ensure the self-sufficiency of James P. Allaire’s Howell Iron Works.
To local farmers and merchants in central Jersey, the size of the Store was inconceivable! For Allaire, this is the store he envisioned to keep his Howell Iron Works community thriving. The fact that the new Store replaced another, goes to show the tremendous amount of business the Store and Howell Iron Works Company was doing. And Allaire spared no expense in the Store’s “federal” architectural design. He spent over $7,000 in the Store’s construction. This, along with the tender loving care it received, has allowed to the Store to survive into the 21st century. In 1836, the Howell Iron Works Company Store was the third largest building at the Howell Iron Works, surpassed by the Iron Works Complex and the Charcoal Depot. Since 1900, it is the only one of the trio that still stands, making it the largest building at Allaire today.
The Howell Works Company Store was outfitted with a state-of-the-art elevator, post office, apothecary shop (i.e. drug store), and butcher shop. Items needing a cooler temperature were kept on the lower floor, such as fish, dairy, and meat products. The main level of the Store was organized into “departments”. The upper floors were packed with furniture, grain, flour, an assortment of tools, supplies, and other items. It was said that anything you could have possibly wanted was found at the Howell Works Company Store. This boast was often put to the test, and it succeeded!
Fabric was the number one seller, as many of Allaire’s workers made their own clothes. However, fancy dresses, shirts, footware, and coats were also stocked. Customers could by lard or beeswax to make their own soap and candles and more affluent customers could buy the ready-made items. Household items such as pottery, tin-ware, irownware, and glassware were also sold. Finished cast-iron products made at the Howell Iron Works were not only sold at the Store but also shipped to New York City. It is rumored at the store even contained an early soda fountain! It certainly sold all kinds of candy, toys, books, and school supplies for children (it still does, today!). Food products from Allaire’s farms and other local items were also sold here.
What was most unique about the Store’s merchandise is that it came from local vendors or New York City shops! Through Allaire’s transportation network, he was able to bring the latest fashions and goods down to the Village. In this way, the Store truly functioned as any general store- as the eyes of the world!
The Chief Store Clerk kept track of villagers’ accounts in a ledger (credit), as well as what the Store received and sold. The Clerk also issued Howell Works Scrip. When it was “pay day”, workers at the Works would come to the Store to be paid in scrip (federal currency wasn’t adopted until later). They would also be given a chance to pay off any credit on their store account. Items were sold very reasonably to ensure the Store would operate as a “wholesale” business with other NYC merchants. The Store drew in customers up to 30 miles away, or more, just so they could avoid traveling all the way to NYC to buy items.
After the last batch of iron was produced in 1846, the Store continued to function into the 1850′s. Although many village buildings collapsed by 1900, the Store weathered well. In 1907, it was leased out to a toy company, by the village’s new owner, Arthur Brisbane. Brisbane allowed various manufacturing companies to use the Store, including the Boy Scouts in the 1930s. As many know, Brisbane would eventually lay the groundwork to preserve and donate what was left of James P. Allaire’s Howell Iron Works to the State of NJ. Although his intentions to make over 1,200 acres of land into a “historical center and forest reserve” were completed in 1940, the State lacked the funds to open the Village until 1957.
The Store re-opened in 1960 under the proprietorship of Charles Van der Veer. Many of the Store’s antiques were later donated by him. Allaire Village, Inc. took over direct operation of the Store in the late 1970s. Out of all the buildings at Allaire, the Store has never undergone a full restoration- apart from stabilization. Thus, it retains much of its original character. Visit the Store to learn more of its unique history!
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Store Hours are as follows:
Wednesdays & Fridays: 10am-4pm
Weekends: 10am-4:30pm
Our next blog post will include part 2 of this article!
