A Hundred-Years of Change
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- 4 min read
By Carol Poole and Phyllis Carley • Additional content by Elizabeth Johnson Photos Supplied
Malone’s commercial district of a hundred years ago is comparable in many ways to today’s outdoor shopping centers. In 1926, the bustling blocks of East and West Main Street housed stores, shops and professional offices. Like today’s shoppers, people of the time could satisfy their needs by browsing businesses lining both sides of the street and in the establishments that had spread out onto side streets of Pearl, Catherine, Harison, and Mill.
The commercial section ably fulfilled the needs of Franklin County residents from north, south, east, and west of the village who regularly traveled to the well-known section of town.
What could they purchase there? Groceries, fresh fruits and vegetables could be selected from at least eight stores on both sides of the street. General groceries were stocked and sold in at least four more businesses. Meats of all kinds and cuts were available, not only at grocery stores, but also at two meat markets. Earle’s, on the south side of East Main, was popular, as was LaBrake’s Meats at 17 West Main.
Clothing stores abounded. Lawrence’s Department Store could be patronized from its entrance on East Main and a second entrance on Catherine Street. The store offered clothing in the latest styles to fulfill the needs of young and old, male and female. It also provided fabric for the ladies who sewed their own clothing, and interior decoration materials from drapes to wallpaper.
Hyde’s Drug Store, on the east corner of Main and Pearl, provided prescriptions from qualified druggists as well as personal hygiene products and make-up for ladies and shaving supplies for gentlemen. For shoppers satisfied with fewer choices, there were smaller operations such as Capron’s and Shillinglaw’s.
In addition to shops satisfying basic needs, there were specialty shops that sold watches and jewelry, and provided repair services. One jewelry store even offered an optometrist who could prescribe corrective lenses. At Edward W. Knowlton’s Jewelry Store, necklaces, rings, pins, and watches were shown in waist-high glass cases. If a watch needed repair, A. J. Miller could do the job.
Malone supported two bookstores, Buttrick’s on East Main and Green’s on West Main. Not only were newly published books available, but stationery, office supplies and toys could also be had. Buttrick’s was also known as a publisher of local writers, especially those who favored poetry. Another of the arts catered to by Malone merchants was music. Three stores – Whitneys, Slasson’s and Trick’s — provided sheet music, recordings, instruments, and information for both amateur and professional musicians.
Two theatres, the Grand on East Main and the Plaza on Pearl Street, showed the latest films at matinees and evening performances. The Grand also provided theater facilities for local thespians and traveling theater groups.
Consumers interested in a new automobile or repair work for a current vehicle could visit the new showroom of Eldredge & Mason near the bridge on East Main.
In the 1920s, people repaired their possessions rather than buy new. Mending tears and replacing heels and soles added longevity. At the corner of Pearl and Milwaukee Streets, Melvin Desnoyers operated The American Shoe Hospital.
The difference in Malone’s downtown from 1926 to today is stark. During that time fire destroyed two full blocks on East Main Street — one on the south side and one on the north. Only two buildings remain on the north side today— the historic, three-story Richardson Building which currently has a store on the first floor and modern loft-style apartments on the top two floors. Key Bank does business on the site of the old Grand Theater. The new Kinney’s Drugs completes that city block.
On the south side of East Main, Hyde’s Drugs is gone but a law office now occupies its former space. In the next block, from Pearl to Catherine Street, is Tiffany’s Dance Studio, Defcon Fitness Center and Pop’s Barber Shop. From Catherine to Mill Street, you will find Fleming’s Furniture and Nelson’s Florist. IBC (International Border Company) just off Mill specializes in work, outdoor wear and footwear, drawing shoppers from a wide area of both the U.S. and Canada.
Alice Hyde Medical Center on Park Street (established in 1913) has become part of the University of Vermont Medical Center consortium and is a major employer in the community.
Located just outside the village, Titus Mountain Recreational Center has become a major draw for outdoor enthusiasts of all ages.
In the hundred years that have passed since 1926, there have been dramatic changes in Malone’s once thriving business community. While most of the original businesses are gone, many have been replaced and the community is focused on downtown revitalization spurred by a state investment of $10 million. But despite all the changes, some things have remained the same. In 2026 there is no shortage of ambitious, hardworking people eager to contribute to Malone’s success.
Carol Poole and Phyllis Carley are volunteers at the Franklin County Historical Society.
Franklin County Historical Society
51 Milwaukee Street
Malone, NY 12958
518 483-2750