By Michael Perna Jr.
Contributing Writer
SHREWSBURY – After last year’s release of my book “Spag – His Life and Legacy,” many more stories about Anthony “Spag” Borgatti and his namesake store have come to light. The lasting popularity of this business is amazing, especially considering the original store closed over 20 years ago, in 2004.
Stories from all over
The stories began to surface as soon as the book was published and came from all angles – people that I have known for years and years all of a sudden revealed that they once worked at Spag’s. People from all over New England had Spag’s stories. People had Spag’s stories from all over the world.
Here are some examples.
A friend that I’ve known for 30-plus years, who is a retired social worker – when he heard about the Spag’s book – all of a sudden came out with: “I worked at Spag’s when I was in college.” My immediate response was, “You did? I never knew that.” “Yes, I worked at the fishing tackle counter. One day, this oddly dressed customer was buying all kinds of fishing lures. He had a strange accent. I said, “Excuse me sir, but your accent sounds kind of like Bela Lugosi, or like you’re from Transylvania.” The customer, with his strange accent, responded, “That’s because I am from Transylvania. I am buying all these lures for my friends back there.”
A cousin’s husband – again I’ve known this person for over 30 years: “I worked at Spag’s every summer and on school breaks when I was in high school and college.” Once again, my response was, “You did? I never knew that.” “Yes. The thing I remember most was every year at the annual Christmas party Spag would have for his employees (each one would receive a bonus, even if part-time, and a fruit basket), when it was my turn to get my bonus, Mrs. Spag wouldn’t give mine to me unless I gave her a kiss on the cheek first.”
The mechanic that works on our cars at his local garage: “When my father was serving in Korea when he was in the army, one of his fellow soldiers asked where he was from. He said, ‘Leominster, Massachusetts.’ The other soldier responded: ‘I’ve never heard of that place. Is it anywhere near Spag’s?’”
While on Cape Cod sitting on a bench at Smuggler’s Beach in Yarmouth, an older couple sat down on the bench next to my wife and myself. We were all enjoying watching the waves breaking on the sand and the cool breeze. My wife and the other woman struck up a conversation, which led to the question, “Oh, where are you from? We live north of Boston but come to the Cape often. How about you?” “We live in Shrewsbury.” “Oh, where Spag’s was. We used to go to Spag’s all the time.”
Whatever you need
During a local author’s event at the Shrewsbury Public Library, a professor from a nearby college, who, as it turned out, had emigrated from Lebanon many years ago, stopped by to reminisce about Spag’s. He said, “You know, when I first came to this country years ago, I hadn’t even moved into my apartment yet. All I had with me was what was in my suitcase. I was getting a ride to my apartment from a friend – he took me to Spag’s and said, ‘Whatever you need for your apartment you can find in this store’ – and he was right.”
While having breakfast at “Grumpy’s” – a well-known restaurant in Dennis on the Cape – we struck up a conversation with the man sitting next to us. It turned out he was a Quincy police officer. When he asked where we lived, we said, “Shrewsbury, just outside of Worcester.” He responded, “Is Spag’s still there? I used to go there all the time.”
During a Spag’s talk at the Shrewsbury Public Library, I was telling the audience about several stories that had surfaced since the Spag book had come out. One such story was that how, on his daughter’s birthdays each year, all the money that had been earned in the store that day would be given to the daughter whose birthday it was.
At that point, a man who was sitting with a woman in the front row raised his hand. I said, “Yes, do you have a question?” He responded, “May I introduce Dr. Jean Borgatti, Spag’s daughter?” I said, “Of course,” and I asked her, “Am I doing okay? Did I make any mistakes?” She replied, “No, you are doing fine. The only thing is, I don’t ever remember getting any of that money on my birthday.”
A mysterious ending
And finally, a lasting Spag’s mystery. The son of one of my (now deceased) boyhood friends told me that, when Spag’s was closing, he asked if he would be able to take some photos of the store before it was torn down. He was given permission to do so. One of the photos, shown here, is of the iconic stained-glass “Spag’s” window that had been installed in the addition to “Spag’s Schoolhouse.”
Photo/E.J. O’Rourke
The plan was to donate the window to the town library to preserve part of the Spag’s legacy. The contractor who was demolishing the building in 2016 had erected a scaffolding and carefully packaged the window to allow it to be safely transported to its new home. When the workers returned the next day, the window had vanished. No one knows where it went, and it hasn’t ever been seen since.
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