Sidewalk Sale in Norwood-July 24, 1981

The warm sunshine that bathed the streets of Norwood on July 24, 1981, was a welcome respite from the rain that had been plaguing the area. The Uptown Merchants Association had been preparing for weeks to host their annual sidewalk sale, and with the good weather, they were confident that it would be a success.

According to Aron Greenfield, a member of the association who was in charge of organizing the event, the weather played a crucial role in determining the success of the sale. “If the weather’s good, we’ll be okay,” he said. “The sale creates a lot of traffic, and once we have the traffic, the rest is up to us.”

Greenfield, who owned Brenner’s, a children’s clothing store, explained that all of the uptown merchants contributed towards advertising expenses for the sale. Their purpose was to expose people to the center of town, as many residents would often overlook the local stores in favor of larger malls.

The sidewalk sales, which were held twice annually by the merchants, in May and July, had proven to be effective in attracting more customers who would not normally shop in the center of town. Harvey Simon, manager of Cummings, noted that there was an increase in Norwood business in conjunction with the sidewalk sales, and yesterday’s opening was especially positive.

“Business is fantastic,” he said. “This is one of the better sidewalk sales that we’ve had in years.” Simon, who served as treasurer of the Merchants Association, also mentioned that a sidewalk sale was being held at the Walpole Mall, but did not think it would have any negative impact on Norwood center.

Paula Bradly, an employee of Incredible Edibles, a small shop that opened just before Easter, said that she had found business to be good at her popcorn and candy stand. Astropops were yesterday’s big seller in the candy sector, according to Laura Page of Shepard perfumers, who had a different opinion on the success of the sale.

“I think that there’s a little less than last year,” she said. “I think that having a sidewalk sale in May and then in July is a mistake — it’s too close together and people lose interest.” However, she did acknowledge that there were many people coming out to enjoy the sunshine.

Customer Lilliam Hall, a Norwood resident, disagreed with Page’s assessment. “This one’s better than the last one,” she said. “I’m buying things that I wouldn’t have bought otherwise, so I guess it pays the merchants.” Helen Goba, also of Norwood, said that she had found quite a few bargains at the sale.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger