Vincent’s Paper Store in Vineyard Haven, for generations a landmark at the corner of Main and Center streets, is about to be moved to the Call Block, so called, the location of the summer shop know
Carmel Gamble glared at the chain-link fence surrounding the beachfront lot next door to her Vineyard Haven cottage. “This is not the Vineyard Haven I knew,” said Miss Gamble, a veterinary technician and self-described “clown on sabbatical” who returned to Martha’s Vineyard two years ago after five years in Hawaii. “But this ugly steel chain-link fence, I mean, what we love about the Vineyard is that it’s beautiful. That’s why people come here,” she said.
When John E. Phillips opened his store in 1928, penny nails were four cents a handful, a pound of putty was about a dime and every face that passed through the door was a familiar one.
One shopkeeper says she senses more enthusiasm and gaiety among shoppers, and a local innkeeper appreciates the way people don’t seem to be rushing through the holidays. Interspersing shopping with caroling, tree lighting and concerts is what the Old Fashioned Christmas in Edgartown program is all about, and organizer Fred Hurley reports that attendance at these events has been steady.
Vincent’s Paper Store in Vineyard Haven, for generations a landmark at the corner of Main and Center streets, is about to be moved to the Call Block, so called, the location of the summer shop known as Ken-Ward. Anthony Oliver, managing owner, announced the date for removal this week, as of Dec. 1. It was no surprise locally, as the new location has been in process of being readied for some weeks.
