Remembering Aldrich's

JEFFERSON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
JCHS Mission: To actively discover, collect, preserve, and promote the heritage of Jefferson County in the State of Washington.

Remembering Aldrich's

Painting by Max Grover, August 2003.

Uptown Port Townsend's historic Aldrich's Grocery Store was destroyed by a fire that started in the early morning hours of August 4, 2003.
For over a century, the building housed a neighborhood grocery.

Good Templers building in the 1890s.

Built by the International Order of Good Templers (IOGT), a fraternal organization with strong temperance beliefs, the building's the upper floor served as a meeting hall and the ground floor was rented out as a source of income. The earliest recorded tenant was Dr. Louis Kuhn who in 1890 had a pharmacy on Tyler Street in the space Aldrich's used as a produce prep area. The fire appears to have started in or near this space.

Wannamaker & Mutty's store on the right. During the 1890s O.J. Bergman operated what was probably the first market, advertising fancy and staple groceries. The firm of Wanamaker and Mutty was as a long-term tenant from about 1907 to 1918, selling groceries, a large stock of crockery, tin and wooden ware. In May of 1918 the firm was sold to G.D. MacGregor and a large clearance sale was held.

Aldrich's Grocery 1926

Clark Aldrich came to the Port Townsend community in 1882 and within a few years opened a store on the Tyler Street site of the current Badd Habit building. That site burned in 1900. Following the fire he moved to the current Potpourri Northwest location, a building constructed by George Starrett. His store featured tinware, stationery supplies, candy, fruit and even musical instruments.

In 1926 the Aldrich family purchased the then-vacant IOGT building. At the new location the Aldrich's expanded their stock to included groceries, meat, hardware, paint, plumbing supplies, furniture and appliances. In the late 1930s and early 1940s the Aldrich's remodeled the building. At that time the gothic roof was removed and windows boarded over "to make it look more reasonable." The elevator installed in January of 1940 came from the Pope & Talbot Lumber Mill in Port Ludlow. It was one of the only two in Port Townsend at the time.

During WWII Aldrich's bought truck loads of goods at a time. Locals came to the store for just about everything: radio tubes, silk stockings, paint, cosmetics, dishes and frying pans could be found in some nook or cranny somewhere in the building. It was a fascinating store to browse in, every corner held surprises.

Painting by Cliff Wood. Aldrich's Grocery 1999.

John Clise bought the business in 1983 and retained the time-honored Aldrich's name. Clise expanded the produce area, brought back the meat market, and added a deli/bakery. He took steps "backward" by painting the walls dark green, tearing out metal shelves and replacing the fluorescent lighting with vintage hanging school lights. Antiques filled the store; whimsy and history set the stage for an enduring community hub. For years Clise sold coffee for 25 cents a cup. On election day, you were entitled to a free cup of coffee if you were wearing an "I Voted" sticker.

A new, taller building was rebuilt on the site. It features a grocery store at street level and condominiums on two floors above. The grocery is once again a vibrant gathering place to meet and greet neighbors and friends.