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| Zuckerbraun's Dept. Store |
Jewett City has been described as a trip back in time, and nowhere has that time warp been more evident than at Zuckerbraun's Department Store. Owner Jerome Zuckerbraun may have beem the most consistent business owner I've ever run across. He passed away on April 1st at 86. His store on North Main Street, opened in 1929 by his father, hasn't really changed in 82 years other than looking worse for wear. You could find him having lunch at Dean's Corner every day promptly at 1:00. He was one of the first business owners to advertise in The Extra back in 1989 and has had a regular presence with us ever since. While "five and dime" stores have all but disappeared, Zuckerbraun's remained even as fires hit businesses on both sides of his old building in the past ten years. Zuckerbraun had been in poor health and away from the store for over a year, but he insisted to his relatives and one remaining employee Doreen that he was still in control of things and there would be no "going out of business" sale on his watch. Now the store's days appear to be numbered. Part of Jerome Zuckerbraun's consistency was his reluctance to part with money, and I often wondered why he didn't retire to live the high life after a lifetime of work, but he would have none of that. Who are we to judge? In an era when everyone seems to haved maxed out their credit cards, Mr. Zuckerbraun asked for little.
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