Carrano’s Market
460 Chapel Street (demolished)
Carrano’s Market was established early in the twentieth century by Matteo Carrano of Amalfi, Italy. The neighborhood included many Irish Americans when he founded his business. The market sold fancy fruit and confections. The leisure ship Richard Peck would tie up at Belle Dock on Sunday afternoons and the passengers would walk down Chapel Street and would purchase the fine candy and fruit as they passed the store. Matteo married Antonetta Minichino, also from Amalfi in 1917. When Matteo had a stroke in the late 1940s, Antonetta took over the business.
Carrano’s sold two brands of macaroni in the store—La Rosa and Ronzoni. La Rosa marketed their product with an added bonus, a coupon. If you cut the rose coupon and collected them, you could redeem them for a gift. There was a store on Chapel Street between Olive and Academy Streets where the gifts were available such as a maginetta or demitasse cups, etc. Many families collected them for the gifts and probably ate some extra macaroni in the process.
In 1962 the family was forced to move from their home and business at 460 Chapel St. because of the construction of the I-91 highway. The family had been in that location since 1915 and had become an established part of the community there. All through the years, the store had a reputation for fine quality fruit and produce.
Text source courtesy Frank Carrano and Theresa Argento.
On the Wooster Square Tour
1 | Sally’s Pizza
3 | Pepe’s Pizzeria Napoletana
4 | Midolo’s Bakery
5 | Generoso Muro Macaroni Factory
9 | Society of Santa Maria Maddalena
10 | Maiorano’s Cheese Factory
11 | Carrano’s Market
13 | Shoninger’s & Chestnut St. Fire
13 | Slineyville Area
14 | Longobardi’s Funeral Home
15 | St. Andrew the Apostle Society
18 | St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church, SIRS & Grammar School
19 | Columbus School aka Greene Street School
20 | Sacred Heart Academy
21 | Italian Consulate
22 | Congregation B’nai Scholom
23 | Winchester Davies Shirt Manufacturing Co.
27 | Luisa DeLauro Corner