Salvage Shop (28 Blagden Street), 1921-1922
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Citation
“Salvage Shop (28 Blagden Street), 1921-1922,” Buildings@Simmons, accessed March 15, 2026, https://beatleyweb.simmons.edu/buildings/items/show/163.
Geolocation
Title
Salvage Shop (28 Blagden Street), 1921-1922
Subject
Salvage Shop (Boston, Mass.)
28 Blagden Street (Boston, Mass.)
28 Blagden Street (Boston, Mass.)
Description
Simmons alumnae organized a Salvage Shop as part of the First Endowment Campaign and rented a house at 97 Newbury Street in March 1921.
Donated items were sold and mended on the first and second floors of the Shop (average sales were over $100/day), while alumnae teas and dinners were held on the third floor. In the evenings, alumnae gathered to make candy, which was then passed out to customers the next morning.
The Simmons Sandwich Wagon, also operated by alumnae, was a popular feature of the Shop. During 1921, the mobile counterpart of the store, “The Little Shop on Wheels,” sold mended items, sandwiches, hot coffee, and ice cream while business in the city was slow during the summer months. The Little Shop on Wheels visited county fairs across Massachusetts, including those held in Plymouth, Worcester, Fitchburg, Barre, and Brockton.
In Fall 1921, the Salvage Shop moved to 28 Blagden Street, where it remained until its closure in 1922. During the December holidays, a smaller, temporary Shop location was open at 23 Blagden Street.
Donated items were sold and mended on the first and second floors of the Shop (average sales were over $100/day), while alumnae teas and dinners were held on the third floor. In the evenings, alumnae gathered to make candy, which was then passed out to customers the next morning.
The Simmons Sandwich Wagon, also operated by alumnae, was a popular feature of the Shop. During 1921, the mobile counterpart of the store, “The Little Shop on Wheels,” sold mended items, sandwiches, hot coffee, and ice cream while business in the city was slow during the summer months. The Little Shop on Wheels visited county fairs across Massachusetts, including those held in Plymouth, Worcester, Fitchburg, Barre, and Brockton.
In Fall 1921, the Salvage Shop moved to 28 Blagden Street, where it remained until its closure in 1922. During the December holidays, a smaller, temporary Shop location was open at 23 Blagden Street.
Date
1921-1922