Carrano’s Market

460 Chapel Street (demolished)

Founder Matteo Carrano in front of Carrano’s Market, c. 1905. Courtesy Frank Carrano and Theresa Argento.

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.