Visiting The Landmark Cafe: Formerly Marlow's A Popular Five and Dime in Downtown Manchester CT

Connecticut is a great place to find antique shops. The further you go away form New York City the better the prices are. East of Hartford is Manchester Ct where you will find several antique shops in what is referred to as the downtown area. My favorite stop is a multi dealer store called Silk City Antiques http://www.silkcityantiques.com/. I always come home with a box of kitchen collectibles.

Other lovely smaller shops to visit are The Country Loft Antiques (behind Silk City) at 43 Purnell Place. 860- 432-4955 http://www.countryfurnitureloft.com/home.html and The Curio Cabinet 845 Main Street. 860-533-1263

A few doors down form Silk City is a retro styled cafe called The Landmark Cafe decorated with tables and chairs from the 40's, 50s. 60s. and fun knick knacks. The luncheon menu is great.......their Waldorf chicken wrap is fabulous!
The Landmark Cafe has an interesting background. Here is more about this historic building courtesy of http://www.thelandmarkcafe.com/about_us.htm

The Marlow's Building

On August 1, 1894, the Orford Hotel opened on the east side of Main Street with fanfare and festivities. It added a new dimension to south Manchester with its two-story high amusement hall in the south end and a banquet hall with seating for 200 in the north end. Its architecture, a Romanesque Revival style, is still acclaimed as probably the most interesting on Main Street.Mr. Marlow

The building is now over 110 years old — 78 years of which it housed yet another irreplaceable Manchester landmark — Marlow's, until it closed in 2002.

George Marlow's parents opened the five-and-dime store in 1911, gave birth to George in 1914 and in 1924, moved the store to the location of the current Landmark Café. George began working in the store in 1925 at the age of 11. In 1938, the Marlow family purchased the building, despite the fear that the store wouldn't last six months. Through major renovation and expansion, the store became the downtown mainstay that carried 65,000 items including clothing, household goods, furniture, toys, luggage and vacuums. You could get your typewriter fixed and your shoes repaired; you could find replacement parts for obsolete coffee pots and paper rolls for ancient adding machines. You could talk to the personable proprietor about politics, shopping or WWII, in which he served as a Tank Commander.

Downtown Manchester misses George's store, his merchandise, his knowledgeable staff, and the generosity of George and his wife Lillian. Today, the Landmark Café is proud to be a part of Manchester's history by commemorating George and his legacy. The Landmark Café will make sure "Marlow's for everything" will not be forgotten.

This commemorative is courtesy of Susan Barlowe of the Manchester Historical Society, the Manchester Downtown Special Services District and Lillian Marlow. Photos courtesy of http://www.mhs1955.com/AnotherTimeManchester2.htm

Landmark Café

The Landmark Café, opened in October, 2005 and is a partnership between Dan and Joanne Albani. Joanne has been in the restaurant business for many years, and wanted to create her own restaurant — a special place where friends and family can meet and dine together in a warm, relaxed atmosphere. Her husband Dan, on the other hand, is a lieutenant in the Hartford Fire Department, and has developed a flair for managing the business side.

C. Dianne Zweig is the author of Hot Kitchen & Home Collectibles of the 30s, 40s, 50s and Hot Cottage Collectibles for Vintage Style Homes. She is also the Editor of Iantiqueonline.com an actively growing internet based resource community for people who buy, sell or collect antiques, collectibles and art. You can find Dianne’s fabulous retro and vintage kitchen, home and cottage collectibles at The Collinsville Antiques Company of New Hartford, CT, a 22,000 feet antique emporium with an in-house retro café.

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