Column by Norma Higgs — I heard from a couple of my readers who added a few tidbits that I did not know about their families.  

One of the Trincanati granddaughters said their mother Margaret Stecko is now 96 and alive and well, now residing at Our Lady of Peace where she is well cared for.  Ron Zito Jr. is the director of Our Lady of Peace and his father, Ron Sr. actually worked for the Stecko’s at the Trincanati store. Guess it’s a small world after all. I agreed with her that the immigrant families I am writing about were great business men and women. With no real formal education they were able to accumulate real estate, open and operate successful businesses for many years, passing them along to their children and sometimes even grandchildren. Her grandparents, Nick and Mary (Gaetano) Trincinati and Mary’s sister, Teresa (Gaetano) DeLorenzo and her family owned almost the entire block on Pine Avenue between 17th and 18th streets. The other sister, Rose, who also married a DeLorenzo, owned property on 16th Street. Her husband Joseph was a bricklayer and they built the building which later was occupied as Saraceni’s Drug Store.

Speaking of drug stores, I also heard via an email from Vito J. Perricelli who now lives in Chandler Arizona about the Perricelli Rexall Pharmacy that I just touched on last week. He wrote that he remodeled the former Maggadino Funeral Home at 1710 Pine Ave. after they moved to Portage Road in 1955 and he opened the pharmacy. It was next to the City Market and had a great deal of activity. He said it was always tough to find a parking spot. Sounds familiar, as it still is. The pharmacy at the time was one of the largest in the area. Vito was born and raised in the 18th Street area, one block from Pine Avenue. His email stated “Many of our customers were known to my dad, Anthony Perricelli, who delivered all over the city and that along with being able to speak Italian helped muster many customers. In those days we knew everyone by their first names. Our pharmacy was selected and featured on national television by the Proctor & Gamble Co. for advertising Blue Cheer laundry detergent and filmed on location on Pine Avenue. Tourists who saw the advertisement on TV stopped in at the pharmacy, some coming from as far away Hawaii and Alaska.” He occupied the building for five years, and moved to his own building in 1960 at Pine and 30th Street, ending the “Pine Avenue Trail” as he called it from St. Joseph’s Church to Hyde Park.

Vito also established a second profession, hypnosis, in 1968 in Nunzio Rizzo’s Main Street building where he taught clients to relieve stress and physiological problems. He moved to Arizona in 1979 and opened two more pharmacies and now continues to practice hypnosis. Thanks, Vito, for tracking me down. Dom Iannuzzi always reminds me about Paul Harvey and his famous “The Rest of the Story” segments. Your email was certainly one of them.

This week we start 18th Street on the even numbered side where John Migliazzo, Thomas Meranto and Carmen Granto got together in a business venture, the MGM Market, which included a butcher shop and fruit and vegetable store. It was located at 1800 Pine Avenue. Mario Pirastru stated he worked there during his younger years. Celia Granto, Carmen’s widow told me that her husband and Mario’s wife Marie’s family were related. I was not surprised as I have found many relationships among these families. From previous stories about individual’s, I discovered many of the Italian immigrants settled in and around the coal mines in Pennsylvania when they arrived from Italy in the early 1900s and later, when industry began in Niagara Falls, they migrated together to our city to find better working conditions. The families settled near each other and many marriages followed, resulting in a close knit community around Pine Avenue. Carmen Granto later worked for Slipko Brothers on Main Street for many years. We all know that their children Cynthia and Carmen have had long careers working for the Niagara Falls School District which culminated in their both serving as superintendent.

We talked a little about the City Market itself which was owned by the city of Niagara Falls at the time. I will go into greater detail at some other time when I get my act together. She mentioned that when the supermarkets came many of the “mom and pop” grocers closed. At one time the A&P wanted to move into the market area itself but the city did not allow it, as there were many grocers in that area already. They did however open in the 1900 block of Pine.

Richard George’s City Market Clothing Store was next at 1814 and located behind this retail outlet at 1814 Pine was the City Market Grill operated by John Migliazzo. Page Optical helped sight and sound as they sold eyeglasses and hearing aids thanks to Leon Page the owner.

At 1818 Pine was Trapasso Enterprises. Frank Trapasso sold everything from five cents to one dollar. Celia told me it was like the Grant’s and Woolworth’s on Main Street. Peter Marra had a dental practice in the same building. I left out the Great Bear Market as I am still researching its history. More later.

Norma Higgs serves with the Niagara Beautification Commission and Niagara Falls Block Club Council. Her columns appear Mondays in the Gazette.