Groceries on Main

Contributed by Liz Holler, Chatham Historical Society

Picture late afternoon in the 1960s, when the sidewalks of Chatham Main Street were alive with homemakers shopping for last minute items and bargains for the perfect dinner. During that decade, Chatham’s downtown had a number of smaller food stores. The Good Deal and the Acme on the western side of Main Street were going full steam. However, there were smaller, colorful markets with their own following.

Falls & Cahalan, Inc., a small butcher store, began business in July 1965 at 231 Main Street. Leo Cahalan was a quiet but very friendly and helpful storekeeper. Pictures of clipper ships adorned the walls of his store. At times, Mr. Cahalan would employ high school boys to help at the counter.

“Mr. Cahalan’s meats were simply delicious, of excellent quality,” recalled former Mayor Nelson Vaughan.

Another butcher store was the Cedar Post Market at 255 Main Street. Two brothers, Herb and Al Wetter, ran the Cedar Post, which opened in 1955. This meat store had its origins in Madison, New Jersey. An actual cedar post, to hitch up the horses, had been installed near the earlier Madison butcher store. Originally focusing on retail trade, the Chatham Cedar Post Market branched into wholesale trade in the late 1960s on into the 1970s.

Chatham Deli was located at 253 Main Street and Cedar Post Market was located at 255 Main Street

Courtesy of Chatham Historical Society

One early December morning in 1965, Herb Wetter and his assistant, Mike, were alone in the store, preparing for a hectic day of holiday shoppers. A silent customer entered from the store’s rear door. Glancing up, Mr. Wetter observed a tall, dark, mustached man placing a six-inch barrel revolver on the counter with an empty bag. Following the man’s instructions, Mr. Wetter emptied the contents of his cash register into the bag, totaling $1,364.06 as well as a package of cold cuts, chicken, and pork chops. He ordered Mr. Wetter and his assistant to stay in the store’s walk-in cooler for three minutes or else they would be shot. As a final blow, the intruder helped himself to a loaf of fruitcake before leaving. After waiting the allotted time in the cooler, Mr. Wetter and Mike ran out of the store and flagged down Patrolman Bill Waller. Unfortunately, the thief made a well-planned escape. The money, the meat, and the fruitcake were never recovered.

Some Chathamites remember the A&P at 275 Main Street. The A&P’s double front doors still exist. The store maintained an old country store atmosphere with worn, wooden floors, ceiling fans, and a large coffee grinder at the checkout counter. Dating from the 1920s, the A&P closed in the mid-1970s.

A&P was located at 275 Main Street.

Courtesy of Chatham Historical Society

Wearing the official A&P aprons, employees would stock the canned goods, replenish fresh produce, and stack liquor bottles. There was no telephone in the store. The phone at the store next door had to be used.

There were other fine food stores during that decade: The Food Manor Market at 434 Main Street, the Chatham Delicatessen at 253 Main Street, and The Chatham Bake Shop at 234 Main Street. All these stores are gone but not forgotten.

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