We mentioned Will Dyer in our June 23 column about the grocery that was once on the corner of Broadway and Evans Street. Let’s take a closer look at this grocer who worked in the trade for over 55 years.
Dyer’s Grocery was located at 909 Broadway, on the corner of Kelsey Street. South Portland Historical Society photo
William E. Dyer was born in 1871 in Cape Elizabeth (now South Portland). He was the son of Storer and Helen Dyer. Although his dad was a mechanic, Will Dyer followed a different path.
As early as 1890, he was working as a clerk in the grocery store of Knapp Bros. on Elm Street in the Pleasantdale neighborhood. He worked there until 1893 when he opened his own grocery store in the building on the corner of Summer (Broadway) and Evans streets. He operated from that storefront from 1893 to 1897.
He married Addie Dyer from Southport, Maine, in 1896. By 1898, Will had moved his grocery business from Evans Street to the home at 369 Summer St., on the corner of Kelsey Street (Summer Street was later renamed Broadway and renumbered; the store’s address became known as 909 Broadway). He bought that large home in June, 1898, from James Hoyt. William and Addie Dyer lived in the residential space over the store and raised their two children there: Gladys and Rodney. They sometimes had additional tenants living in the home for extra income.
William E. Dyer, portrait as a young man. South Portland Historical Society photo
In the early years, just after William Dyer established his grocery on the corner of Kelsey Street in 1898, he hired Ernest L. Sargent to clerk for him. Sargent was his right-hand man in those days, working long hours in the store.
We now believe the listings in the Portland Directory in 1900 and 1901 to be in error; they refer to Sargent as the grocer and Dyer as the clerk in those years, however, it was William Dyer’s store, even if Ernest Sargent was the one that people often saw. Ernest Sargent left the business in August, 1902, when he accepted a job with another company as a traveling salesman.
Dyer ran into some problems in 1906 and his business became insolvent. He assigned all of his assets (the store, real estate, merchandise, receivables, etc.) to his attorney Charles A. Bean in February. Bean apparently sold off merchandise, collected what receivables he could, and otherwise found a way to satisfy creditors, to the point where, by April, 1906, Bean declared the situation resolved and he deeded back everything to William Dyer so that he could continue operating.
Around 1918, William Dyer began calling his store the Pleasantdale Market, although it was his name that continued to be displayed on the signage above the front door.
The Dyer grocery was a large one. Dyer sold a full line of groceries, produce, meats and other items. With such a large store, he had several employees working for him, including Joe Tanner who was described as his right-hand man in the 1910s and 1920s. Joe helped run the store on a daily basis, which allowed Will to pursue his passions.
Will was known as an avid sportsman and hunter, heading off on hunting and fishing trips whenever he had the chance. He also owned several bird dogs who accompanied him on his trips.
William E. Dyer, portrait in later years. South Portland Historical Society photo
The late Pete Taylor, a longtime resident of Pleasantdale, wrote about the Dyer grocery store in his memoirs: “The largest [grocery] of all in Pleasantdale was W.E. Dyer’s store at the corner of Kelsey Street. This was a big old building with stairs along the entire front, and a platform at the top where merchandise used to be displayed. During the hunting season there would usually be a couple of deer hanging there. It was legal then to sell deer meat, and Will Dyer was a skilled hunter. Inside, there was a big display of cookies and crackers all in square boxes with glass covers. These were sold by the pound. On a long table there were wooden tubs propped on an angle to display the luscious chocolates, and this was too much of a temptation to the kids. Once in a while Joe Tanner, a clerk, would catch one of us ‘snitching’ a chocolate, and give us a lecture, but would always forgive us. Peanut butter, lard, pickles, flour, etcetera, were all in covered barrels and were scooped out as needed. There was also a drum of kerosene, for there were still many homes without electricity.
“In a separate room in the back of the store there was a butcher dressed in a long white coat with straw arm protectors, and always wearing a straw hat. There was a monstrous wooden ‘chopping block’ where the butcher would chop up the meats with his awesome array of meat cleavers and knives…The store was crowded with all kinds of merchandise and all could be delivered. Joe Tanner doubled as delivery man, and there was no charge for delivery – $5.00 would buy a good part of the family’s weekly groceries…As kids we would often ride with Joe as he delivered…the horse also was used as a ‘firehorse’ when an alarm sounded on the church bells. He would be unhitched from the grocery wagon and hurried to the firehouse to haul the hose wagon.”
A 1918 advertisement for William Dyer’s Pleasantdale Market. South Portland Historical Society image
In addition to owning and operating the grocery, William Dyer also owned a large barn and greenhouse on Hill Street where he was able to grow his own produce to sell in the store. He also operated a small dairy farm, bottling milk under his own name.
In April, 1946, William Dyer retired and the grocery operation was taken over by Malcolm G. MacLeod. After about a year, Dyer leased the storefront to James P. “Jim” Boyd who changed the name of the store to Boyd’s Market.
Dyer sold the building to Jim Boyd in August, 1957. After a period of declining health, William died in 1962. He is buried with his wife Addie at Brooklawn Memorial Park.
Jim Boyd ran the store at 909 Broadway until his death in 1964. The building was then leased to Walter and David Bennett, owners of Crest Glass. In February, 1968, a huge fire resulted in the destruction of the building. Jim Boyd’s widow sold the property to the Bennetts in June, 1968, and they constructed the one-story building that is still there today, now occupied by BroadRay Batteries.
South Portland Historical Society offers a free Online Museum with over 16,000 images available for viewing with a keyword search. You can find it at https://sphistory.pastperfectonline.com and, if you appreciate what we do, feel free to make a donation by using the donation button on the home page. If you have photographs or other information to share about South Portland’s past, we would love to hear from you. South Portland Historical Society can be reached at 207-767-7299, by email at sphistory04106@gmail.com, or by mail at 55 Bug Light Park, South Portland, ME 04106.
The Dyer grocery building at 909 Broadway became home to Boyd’s Market for many years. After James Boyd’s death in 1964, the building became home to Crest Glass. Shown are the remains of the building and business after a February, 1968, fire ripped through the building. South Portland Historical Society photo
Kathryn Onos DiPhilippo is executive director for the South Portland Historical Society. She can be reached at sphistory04106@gmail.com.
The owners of Crest Glass purchased the 909 Broadway property in 1968 and constructed a new one-store building on the site. The building still exists today. South Portland Historical Society photo
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
