Gorham & Norton store on Main Street in Great Barrington is the oldest retail business in downtown. The store opened at its current location in the Marble Block building in 1911 as E. R. Humphrey grocery store, a business that was originally established on Railroad Street in 1874.
In 1922, William Gorham took ownership of the store, followed shortly thereafter by business partner Charles Norton. Longtime store clerk Louis Schneider is featured in the circa-1960s photograph shown above.
The neon “Package Store” sign mounted above the entrance has been an iconic beacon for many decades, as shown in the photograph above taken in 1961. There are several legends regarding the term “package store.” Some suggest that the term was used when liquor sold near a church had to be hidden in a “package.” Others believe the concept of selling liquor in the “original package” was incorporated into law after Prohibition ended in 1933. This was done to prevent retailers from buying bulk spirits and repackaging them in an altered or watered down manner. Actually, the term “package” as it pertains to liquor goes back to the late 1800s with complicated legislation resulting in a Supreme Court ruling about the shipping of alcohol sold in “the original packages …”
Charles Norton’s grandson John Tracy (shown below) and his wife Diane are the present-day proprietors of the store. As they prepare for retirement, the store is scheduled to close on December 31.
