On This SPOT. 173 Lake Avenue
PEPPER’S MARKET The well- stocked store carried everything from ice, to lottery tickets, cigarettes and beer.
“Our store is gone. It’s just a story now,” states Marcia Hellwig, co-owner of Pepper’s Market from 1978-2001. November 23, 2020 signaled the end of the neighborhood landmark – Pepper’s Market ( a.k.a. Moby Rick’s Seafood). The white clapboard structure was demolished, leaving many old-time Saratogians heartbroken. A pile of rubble, all that was left of the 100-plus-year old store, saddened passersby as they stood on the corner of Lake Avenue and Warren Street. Many gathered to reflect on their fond memories of the once-beloved store. Most recently the 50 by 70 foot lot housed Moby Rick’s Seafood. But for the better part of 100 years, the city directory categorized the business under “Meat and Provisions.” Pepper’s was the oldest continually operated meat market in Saratoga County.
WRIT T E N BY CA R OL GODETTE P H OT OS P ROVI DED
nearby Lake Avenue School; an extended family; a pizza parlor; and a place where you were always treated with warmth and respect. For me, the name Pepper’s was synonymous with Spencer and Marcia Hellwig, who owned the store for 22 years. In September of 1978, unbeknownst to his wife Marcia, Spencer Hellwig purchased Pepper’s in a foreclosure sale. Spencer must have foreseen the long hours of work ahead of the couple. He sent friend, the late Carol Tarantino, to break the news to Marcia.
Each owner adapted their wares over the years to fit the times. When competition from larger markets became a challenge, the deli aspect of the store became featured. The most recent owners to operate under the Pepper’s name- Damien Haas and Christopher Pringle- featured takeout meals, such as chicken parm. The property was originally owned by Judge William Lafayette Warren,for whom Warren Street was named. Warren sold the land in 1866. The Saratoga Springs City Directory’s initial entry for a grocery store at this location,run by John Gillespie, appears in 1872. After his death in 1886, the Gillespie family continued to run the store until 1889. A series of stores, including Haights Market and Lake Avenue Market followed. In January 1937, butcher Victor Pepper and his wife, Blanche, purchased the market. Victor died only 7 years later. Blanche remarried, yet the name “Pepper’s” lived on. “You don’t change the name of a successful business,” notes former store owner Spencer Hellwig. For much of my adult life, Pepper’s Market defined the neighborhood. It was more than a place to get the best potato salad or baked beans in town, it was an early morning coffee club; a well stocked newsstand; an unofficial historical center; an unofficial breakfast spot for kids as they waited to walk to saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com
Spencer and Marcia Hellwig, owners of Pepper’s Market for 22 years. Customers and neighbors became extended family such as nearby neighbors John and Sharon Kirkpatrick. WINTER 2021 | SIMPLY SARATOGA | 77
