By Michael Perna Jr.
Contributing Writer
SHREWSBURY – As anyone who lived anywhere close to Shrewsbury – and even many people who lived farther away – knew, Anthony “Spag” Borgatti, Jr. was a respected and loved resident of the town. This was because everyone loved shopping at “Spag’s,” his store, for bargains, but also because of the generosity and compassion that he and his wife, Olive (Lutz) Borgatti, showed for the town and its residents.
Many people still remember how, whenever a Shrewsbury resident passed away, Spag and Olive would pay for the “mercy meal” after their funeral, then dedicate a book to the Shrewsbury Public Library in their memory. Whenever someone was in dire circumstances – like an illness or fire at their home – Spag and Olive would help them out until they got back on their feet.
So, when Spag passed away on February 23, 1996, just a few days shy of his 80th birthday, it was a sad day for the town and its residents.
Photo/courtesy Michael Perna Jr.
Spag, who had started out in business in 1936 with a loan of $35 from his mother, built his store into a multi-million-dollar enterprise. It was always – and still is – said that you could find anything you wanted or needed at Spag’s.
After his wife’s passing in 1990, Spag slowly began transitioning the operations of his store to his daughters. By the time of his passing, several changes had been made to the way the store was run – like having bags for customers to store their purchases, and being open for business on Sundays – but the store was as popular as ever.
When Spag passed away, it was like the entire town went into mourning. Tributes poured in from everyone from politicians to the everyday customers of Spag’s. The newspaper headlines read “Retail Giant Spag Dies,” “Spag’s Legacy is a Model of Success,” “It Wasn’t Business as Usual in Shrewsbury,” and “Town Pays Tribute to Spag.”
At his funeral service, which was held at Saint Anne’s Church, where Spag and Olive were loyal parishioners, more than 500 people filled the room, with many more being outside. Many of the attendees were Spag’s employees, with several of them wearing their Spag’s employee badges as a tribute to the man that always remembered each of their names.
After leaving the church service, a newspaper photographer captured the moment the hearse passed in front of Spag’s store, with the giant Spag’s logo mounted on it. It was a touching tribute and moment of sadness at the same time.
People erected signs all along the funeral procession’s route paying tribute to Spag. The Thomas family, which operates an auto parts business across Route 9 from Spag’s, put up a sign saying “Spag – We Will Miss You.”
Walter “Wally” Thomas, who was a teenager at the time, recalled that day: “My brother J. T., cousin Joe (Najarian), and myself put up the sign. It was a sad day – it was the end of an era.”
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