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A New Old Name
One of the best-known store names in Randolph history is back on Main Street. Businessman Peter Winslow has changed the name of his Main Street store from Ben Franklin’s to Belmain’s. Crews put up the new sign yesterday morning. "Oh, I remember Belmain’s from when I was a kid," enthused one shopper at the check-out counter. Indeed, many Randolph residents do remember. George Belmain started the store in 1936, said Raymond Gray, former Randolph Naitonal Bank president—"the year I was born," he quipped. It was started on the corner of Main and Merchant’s Row, where Patrick’s Restaurant is located, but shortly thereafter moved to the middle of the Main Street block and expanded over time. The store has been Ben Franklin’s for more than 30 years, but the actual Ben Franklin chain of stores went bankrupt in 1997, Winslow explained this week. A new corporation acquired rights to the name, and the local store has been paying for the rights to use the name—but receiving no other benefits. Winslow said he’s been thinking about reverting to the earlier name for years but decided to take the plunge this year. He hopes that nostalgia for the old name will make up for the market familiarity with the Ben Franklin brand. "It was a hard decision," he acknowledged. Belmain’s became Ben Franklin shortly before the founder sold out to his long-time store manager, Norman Ouimet. Winslow bought the business in 1978 at the urging, he said, of then Town Manager Bert Moffatt and Raymond Gray. Gray gave Winslow credit for the continuing survival and success of this anchor store in the downtown. The importance to Randolph of Belmain’s/Ben Franklin became apparent in 1992, when a fire wiped it out, along with a law office and the Thomas Store next door. It was the third downtown fire in a little more than six months, and shoppers deserted Main Street in droves. They didn’t start coming back until Winslow erected a temporary Ben Franklin’s in a huge tent which became popularized as the "Ag-Bag," located where the gazebo now is, and extending partway into Main Street. The idea, spearheaded by Bill Baumann of DuBois and King, attracted a half dozen folks who volunteered dozens of hours to make the unlikely dream come true, and Winslow is still appreciative. Ben Franklin staffers spent two winters in the Ag-Bag, putting up with cold (especially on the legs), water seepage, and snow slipping off the domed roof to create dams. "It was always interesting," Winslow recalled this week. He gave primary credit to the longtime success of the store to managers Janet Kirby, who served 19 years, and the present manager, Penney Young, who’s been on the job since 2000. "We stick with basics," Young explained, while also stocking up on popular niche items, which change regularly. Right now the big fad is Webkinz, she laughed. But Winslow’s choice of a new/old store name shows that he looks at the long term and lets the fads come and go. |
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