Alan Crawford

Many of us lament the loss of our once grand shopping area, often referred to as Water Street. In the glass plate negatives there were a few which memorialized one of the more prominent and upscale stores, Nugent’s, which was at 108 Water Street, next door to John Schoonmaker and Sons.

The grace of the tile entranceway with Nugent’s name captured in the mosaic provides a glimpse of what has been lost. Imagine how many of our ancestors stepped across this threshold to view, select, and purchase clothing for a special occasion. The one store front window display appears to be fashions of the day for a bride and her bridal party. The stately marble tile providing the base for the display windows adds to the class and pride this business brought to our city.

I took the liberty of colorizing the three photos to give us a better idea of how these displays would have looked in the eyes of our ancestors at the time. To me, the colors captured the warmth and quality of the merchandise being offered.

The absence of trash along the curb speaks well of how proprietors maintained their properties. The globes of the street lamps must have been inspiring while strolling along the street in the evening hours, lighting the path of potential patrons as they window wished.

The crest proudly shown on the store front and etched into the windows of the upper floor may have been from the family name, I just don’t know, but the display of a coat of arms does show the pride the owner and family placed on their good name. From the advertisements I’ve included, it’s easy to see this was an elegant venue.

So, today we have the convenience of placing an order on Amazon and have it arrive on our doorstep without leaving the comfort of our homes. We have various food delivery services dropping our meals off, again to “save” time so we can do other things. But, with all this time we’re “saving”, how much have we lost?