Sage-Allen Department Store, Hartford, Connecticut

[@TT-fl8jt]

My first job was at Sage-Allen in 1987. I was 16 and a cashier in the Ladies dept. My mom was sooo proud of me. She took pictures of me at the cash register with customers! I was so embarrassed. I bought her a gold sequin hat with my first paycheck and discount. She was so surprised and happy. She loved that hat and told everybody I bought it for her! We used to go to the restaurant at Sage Allen too. My favorite thing to order was the Mean Greens! Those were yummy! Great memories! Thanks! :-)

[@deborahwaterhouse6500]

I was a buyer in the late 70’s, early 80’s..when Lafayette keeny and Normand Allen. Great memories and a blast with new York trips with. My fellow buyer friends!

[@carolyncasey8960]

I am a Hartford native… age 72. I remember Sage Allen, in particular, the luncheonette downstairs, where I often ate when I worked at the Traveler’s. It was one of my favorite places to shop. Later, there was a branch at Westfarms which I also liked.

[@jimr513666]

I remember shopping with my Mom at Sage-Allen and G Fox in Hartford, late 1960's or so. Grew up in Wethersfield and there was a Sage-Allen branch store in the mall on Silas Deane Highway. I went on to work at the Hartford Courant for over 10 years until the mid 1990's. Hartford used to be a pretty cool place.

[@junkandthangs]

Great History, I walk in front of Sage Allen almost every day these days. thanks Dan

[@aprilrains973]

They used to have the best food in their basement bakery and cafeteria. Huge cupcakes, brownies, Italian grinders and delicious tuna sandwiches. Also, raspberry lime soda which was unusual in the late 60's.

[@xaustedbrain2369]

Where a can I get raspberry lime soda nowadays?

[@robertmartin3090]

That raspberry lime-yup

[@lynnebishop875]

The food at the luncheonette was awesome. I still remember the chicken salad sandwiches, cole slaw and fruit whipped cream cake.

[@rovingdesigner7431]

Of all the stores I grew up with, Sage-Allen was the one I knew the least about of their history. They always seemed to be a respectable, underdog rival to the much more dominant G. Fox & Co. Terrific research and great photos. The residential building that enveloped the facade is criminally grim...and could've been so much more.

[@historywithdansterner263]

I agree. It really doesn't complement the classical facade at all.

[@junkandthangs]

@@historywithdansterner263 Dan are you from Hartford, if not what got you interested in Hartford history?

[@historywithdansterner263]

@@junkandthangs I live in West Hartford. Got into Hartford history by working for years at the Twain and Stowe houses and taking a course on Hartford architecture at Trinity.

[@-bate-dx365]

I remember the mid-50's the fantastic tuna fish on pumpernickel bread sandwiches. As a Courant paper boy and my good friend would pay our weekly bills at the Courant's office on Broad St. before making our way to Main St and Sage-Allen to play games in their arcade and then to have lunch in the basement cafeteria. Great memories.

[@-bate-dx365]

They had the best, made from scratch, milk shakes too. And the RazLime...oh ya!

[@junkandthangs]

Thanks Dan… I only knew of Sage Allen on the east side of Main at Temple, the Temple Street was closed (I remember when it was open at first as it it today too) to make way for indoor crosswalk to Richardson Mall and G. Fox

[@DaveQuickRocks]

My mom grew up on Westphal in West Hartford. She talks about enjoying Sage Allen’s cafeteria/restaurant - and loved a soda she called a “Lime Ricky” - likely in the 1950s.

[@historywithdansterner263]

Thanks for sharing that!

[@tonyspada2744]

Love this and GFox especially at Christmas ❤

[@historywithdansterner263]

Check out this one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rnrFq6qdppiIj6csi=RW58YFpsyLKCTQmS

[@terriwilson890]

Fun film. I never knew the history of Sage Allen. Thanks Dan!

[@historywithdansterner263]

Thanks Terri!

[@mht5875]

I remember accompanying my Mom when I was very young (early 1970's) shopping at G Fox and Sage Allen in Hartford. Later on, the town I grew up in, Bristol, got a Sage Allen department store at the newly built Center Mall on North Main St. I thought it was a decent store. Also remember D & L department store.

[@junkandthangs]

Yup Sage Allen branched out to Windsor as well, their Plaza on Windsor Ave

[@deborahwaterhouse6500]

I remember the great cherry soda in the basement run by Ira Fink!

[@mikek6785]

I've been looking for an image of the building from the early 2000's for quite some time! One minor correction: the 1898 building was not demolished (though the interior was largely gutted. In mid-2000's the deteriorating 20th century buildings surrounding it were demolished, and the two modern additions with the brick facades were built to either side. If you look at an aerial map from above, you can still trace the roofline of the original building!

[@kathybonito2791]

The bakery & Cafeteria were the Best!!!

[@Brendadavidsonfree]

We went "downtown" every Saturday. I don't remember much about Sage Allen, GFox or Korvetts & Brown Thompson except the names, buy records at korvetts and GFoxs Christmas displays

[@Brendadavidsonfree]

I was born in 1956, but some memories are very memorable. My Bubbe worked at Brown Thomson too

[@deborahwaterhouse6500]

Always records at korvettes!

[@junkandthangs]

So nice…I watched it twice

[@robertmartin3090]

Wow I went with my mom; we ate in the restaurant . Had chicken salad sandwiches With raspberries soda

[@junkandthangs]

Lerners…is the Ballerstein building

[@sedumplant]

I loved their chicken croquettes in the 'cafeteria'!

[@deborahwaterhouse6500]

My wedding cake was made by the basement restaurant and I met my husband there!

[@junkandthangs]

When did Kingsley Street get gobbled up between Main and Market?

[@historywithdansterner263]

I think in the 1980s.

[@rovingdesigner7431]

1984-1987, when the two State House Square towers were built.

[@junkandthangs]

@@rovingdesigner7431 that's weird cause I don't remember that street, only Temple... and State Street when th Isle of Safety was there with the newspaper stand.

[@rovingdesigner7431]

@@junkandthangs It was a narrow 'alley' or service street and was notably narrower as you got closer to Main Street. At the other end towards Market Street was the main entry and first home of the Hartford Stage Company, before they moved to their custom-deigned home on Church Street in the late 70s. I remember walking it a few times from Constitution Plaza up to Main Street along Kinsley. Hartford Federal Savings, WT Grant, Federal Bakery, Honiss's Oyster House, others used it as a service way and there were back doors to each of the buildings.

[@junkandthangs]

@@rovingdesigner7431 thanks for the information…. When I went downtown in the 80s it was to GFox, Sage Allen, Richardson Mall, Newberry’s Jupiters, Record Express on Pratt, Abe’s Fashion on Asylum, Al Franklins in the Civic Center and the YMCA. I only recall turning onto State Street from Main (at the newspaper stand as a toddler with my mom and the Isle of Safety. Never to Old State House or past that to Travelers. In the early 90’s I recall being at the foot of State Street before Mortensen Plaza, only Constitution Plaza with the Christmas lights that stopped at the Boat Building. The “riverfront” wasn’t there. I remember the old Greyhound bus station, Trailways, PeterPan. Going down Temple Street sitting on the floor of my mom car calling it a “cool ride” cause it was a hill… weeeee! Mostly to the YMCA for the basketball league on Saturdays YBA and YBL