SPAGS

[UserRemoved1]

GONE

http://telegram.com/article/20070627...706270658/1116

"they couldn't make it work"

yea maybe because they filled it up with cheap crap and no-one wanted to go in there anymore. Place was disgusting last time I went in there.

[Backbeach Jake]

The last coupla times that I was in there was downright sad, cheap crap and filthy. That store once had everything, one of the best fishing selections around. Mr. B must be spinning in his grave...

[Flaptail]

Sapg's was a big part of my life growing up in Worcester as a kid and young adult. When I was little every Friday night my Mother and my Dad's sister, my Aunt Anne, would drag me and my brothers and cousins to Spags after food shopping and (really way back when) a trip to White City Amusement Park.

We always came away with something, toys or models. Then when it came time and I turned 16, Spags hired me for my first real job. I worked there for three winters and one summer, starting in the toy department at Christmas on the day after Thanksgiving. Oh boy that was an experience.

To get hired you had to go to the office which at the time was attached to Spag's house. You would wait your turn and be lead into a door and poof you were in Spag's living room. He would sit you down in a recliner next to his while the TV played and offer you a coke or a snack, ask how you were doing in school and then think a minute and tell you when and who to report to.

I still have my Spag's badge and apron.

The other thing was that Spag had an awesome fishing Department. Custom rods by Charlie Murat (the only other palce you could by one except for Murat's in N. Smithfield RI.) and plugs etc by Gibbs, Atom in boxes. Frank Woolner was in there all the time and being a Shrewsbury resident he was enlisted by Spag as a consultant on what to carry.

Great memories there. Too bad because when Spag was alive and involved, no matter how querky, he made it work and many central MA. families could not have gotten along without his prices and selections.

[Swimmer]

No bags at Spag's..................

[Bronko]

Used to go there after hockey at the Northstar Arena in Westboro. My father got me my first saltwater rod & reel there. Still have the 704z and the rod! LOVED going there.

[Uncle Matt]

I live about .5 mile from Spags and my sister has been one of the store managers there for the past 13 years. In fact, I was given Spags Berkley line machine when they did away with their fishing dept. last year. I bought most of my St. Croix's rods and Penn reels with my sisters huge discount. So Spags has been very good to me. Sad to see it go. But they are going to do something retail there in the future. I can't say but it won't be Building 19 related crap. More high end stuff. My sister and Spag's grandaughter (Laurie J. from all of the commercials) are going to run the new store. No more fishing stuff though. Sign of the times I guess.

[Raven]

Originally Posted by Swimmer

No bags at Spag's..................

no bags at BJ's whole either Swimmer...they just recycle their cardboard
boxes for the customer to carry stuff in.... on the way out....

yeah i used to by alot of fishing gear their just before the old man passed.
after that it started to retrograde.

[Backbeach Jake]

It's being razed. to be small businesses and condos.
Really a mercy killing at this point.
I'll always remember the original store and how packed it was with quality goods for the best prices around.
Flap, you're right the regular guy couldn't have gotten by without Spag's. His pricing spoiled me for life. That tiny store had it all, food, tools ,paint ,work clothes, fishing gear and more at the cheapest price around.
And the boss could be seen prowling the aisles.

[Raven]

that I HATED about spags...

not in the store...

was that BIG friggan white painted rock
in the parking lot on the corner

one day i take off in my ford van.. turning

i'm up high so i can't see the thing even though

it weighed 500 pounds or more

and i crunched the whole side of my van body on that sucka

what a beotch that was.... i was so pissed....

[Chris in Mass]

Moved up from Jersey 20 years ago and was an immediate Spags fan - going up and down the ramps - placed was always packed. I wonder who got the huge Reliable Lure Co plug that was hanging over the fishing dept. I have been eye-balling that thing the last few years just knowing that it would be disappearing. Just bought a $39 wetsuit there this week - probably my last purchase in the big old building.

[stiff tip]

amen..... a true adventure in shopping.....spags had it all.....# u had to go there w/ a list......

[Uncle Matt]

I loved the way you could find the duct tape next to the milk as well as on the ramp and in the paint dept. and in the......
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Quick story here about Anthony Borgatti (past owner of Spag) - He opened the a mini store in 1934 and sold firecrackers. He was called Spag because he loved Spagetti. He always wore a cowboy hat and they became the signature of his store. He wore overalls and drove around town in a faux wood sided American made station wagon. But his wife was a pilot and he bought her her own lear jet. He bought the town of Shrewsbury their first bookmobile and was an avid supporter of the town's library. At one time, Spag had a fleet of his own trucks that would come out and plow the town's roads. And whenever a town resident passes away, Spag would send catered food to their residence around the time of the funeral. He was also an avid supporter of boys and girls sports in town.
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Many, many years ago, Spag went to a Cadillac dealer on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester to buy his executives some company vehicles. He drove up in an old wagon wearing his cowboy hat and overalls. He told the salesman he was interested in buying something like 3 new caddy's. The salesman took one look at him, treated him like ____ and blew him off. The salesman literally told him to leave the store, which Spag abruptly did. The salesman told the dealers manager who immediatley became outraged at him. The manager was expecting Spag to come by and didn't realize what had happend. Needless to say, Spag bought his vehicles someplace else and I imagine the salesman lost his job. This is a true story and I'm sure the facts have bveen imbellished a little bit over the years.

[Flaptail]

Spag would come down to the store everynight with his two German Sheperds in tow for closing. Since it was cash only three Brinks trucks would show up and the police came as well and they would carry out these big box/trunk things with what looked like wheel barrow handles on the four corners that were filled with cash, load them in the trucks and off they went.

On weekends after hours and Sundays when stores used to be closed we would go in for extra dough and spread Benjamin Moore urethane on the ailse floors and paint the white lines over to keep dust down.

Best adventures were going to the various wharehouses, cellars etc he had stock in and then lunches at the Hibernian club over on the shore of Lake Quinsigamond for Drambuie shots and pitchers of beer, those were some lunches I'll tell you, then back to Door 11 to recieve stock and load big stuff onto peoples cars.

He built the Fire Sation for the town as well right in back of his store. He was no dummey and a very generous man, it was a priviledge to work for him.

[Raven]

so thats when your mind went

inhaling all those poly urethane fumes

now it all makes perfect sense....

[Swimmer]

Hey Flap, how old were you when you were partaking in those Drambuie lunches? That had to be awhile ago, and your not that old.

[Swimmer]

Originally Posted by Swimmer

Hey Flap, how old were you when you were partaking in those Drambuie lunches? That had to be awhile ago, and your not that old.

Didn't they have a Spags in Framingham on route 9 somewhere?

[Flaptail]

Originally Posted by Swimmer

Hey Flap, how old were you when you were partaking in those Drambuie lunches? That had to be awhile ago, and your not that old.

I was 16 going on 17 that winter and being 6-5 at the time never got asked about my age, I will be 52 this October. I graduated High School in 1973 at the tender age of 17. Went from a 12 year Catholic School education complete with uniforms (boys had to wear a blazer, shirt and tie) to a Public college.

I had to do first semester of freshman year over, the smoke didn't clear well that fall at all.