The Wampanoag Tribe will purchase Back Alley’s in West Tisbury for a price reported to be in the high six figures.
Alley's General Store
July 1, 2021
Noah Asimow
Concerned about the shuttered state of Alley’s General Store, the West Tisbury select board said this week it will invite spokesmen for the Vineyard Trust to appear at next week’s meeting.
July 7, 2021
Noah Asimow
Alley’s General Store will likely remain closed throughout the summer, representatives for the Vineyard Trust told the West Tisbury select board Wednesday.
July 27, 2021
Julia Wells
Punctuating a summer of upheaval, the Vineyard Trust announced changes in board leadership, and said it had launched a search for a new executive director.
2008
October 16, 2008
Alley’s General Store
In times of yore, one humble store
Sustained our tiny town.
‘Twas not the kind where one might find
A fancy evening gown.
Instead, our needs — from nails to seeds —
Were modest as the dickens,
And Nancy Luce had little use
For lipstick on her chickens.
These wooden walls held overalls
To fit most any size;
October 9, 2008
Three dollars can buy one hologram postcard, 12 atomic fireballs, or three peacock feathers at Alley’s General Store.
For those willing to shell out a bit more, the dealers in almost anything can provide nearly everything: organic pet shampoo, a clam rake, a Nunchuck (used for lassoing nuns up to 15 feet), pickled ginger for sushi, or a gallon of milk.
1998
November 27, 1998
The Wampanoag Tribe will purchase Back Alley’s in West Tisbury for a price reported to be in the high six figures.
Howard and Susie Ulfelder, longtime owners of the up-Island bakery and deli, have already accepted the tribe’s offer and expect the deal to close in the next few weeks.
The purchase will consolidate tribal ownership of Back Alley’s with its management of Alley’s General Store, which the tribe leases from the Martha’s Vineyard Preservation Trust.
1997
March 28, 1997
The operators of Alley’s General Store in West Tisbury have traditionally been known as the “Dealers in Almost Everything.”
But it seems that the current Alley’s operators cannot deal with their landlord, the Martha’s Vineyard Preservation Trust.
The current operators — Victor Spelman, Emily Milstein and Will and Deborah Ware — have decided to sell their interest in the State Road general store in order to concentrate on a new retail business in Oak Bluffs.
1994
September 23, 1994
It is Wednesday morning in West Tisbury and the sun streams out of a cloudless September sky, spilling through the front door of Alley’s General Store and flooding the old, worn floorboards with a warm, golden light. Out on the front porch a group of oldtimers stand amid stacks of pumpkins, drinking their morning coffee and holding court. Owen Ware, age two and a half, stands nearby, a half-eaten bag of M&Ms clutched in his left fist. A familiar up-Island resident pulls up in his car and Owen lifts a small hand in greeting. “Hi Ted!” he calls out. Ted returns the salutation.
1993
December 10, 1993
The Martha’s Vineyard Preservation Trust formally took ownership of Alley’s General Store yesterday, ushering in the beginning of a new era for the renowned Dealers in Almost Everything in the heart of West Tisbury.
