09/04/2026
A moment in time from the 1960s in Westwood’s wonderful downtown! Here a mother with three children has crossed Westwood Avenue at Fairview Avenue. This must be near or in the summertime, as the mom and kids are in shorts. And note the baby carriage she is pushing, you don’t see that kind anymore (and nor are they called baby carriages today, as I was recently corrected). Other shoppers are seen on the far side of Westwood Avenue, and one wonders what they were buying. Notice the parked Cadillac, and does anyone want to date the picture by the model year? Behind the mom and kids is what could be a Chevrolet. The I. J. Demarest Chevrolet dealership, that was in Westwood, was the oldest dealer of that brand in America.
The grouping of stores shown was constructed in c.1927 and note the distinctive brick parapet along the top. That building, once 183-199 Westwood Avenue, replaced a wood frame, two-and-half story dwelling stood at this corner of Westwood and Fairview Avenues. The house had a porch across the front and a three-story center tower (this was likely a Victorian-looking building). Westwood’s vibrant downtown started near the train station and then expanded easterly over time to Five Corners at Kinderkamack Road. I am not sure of today’s statistics, but in 1982, Westwood had 134 retail establishments that produced $87 million in sales.
On the left side of the photo, we see a woman, in a red top, entering the angled doorway of National Auto Supply. Note the stone, carved to look like a shield, that was set into the wall above the door. That stone, now lost, held the initials of the builder. National Auto Supply opened there in 1952 and was known “famous for its savings.” They naturally sold repair parts for the ever-increasing number of automobiles. That store operated well into the 1960s. The earliest known merchant in this space was the Great Eastern Store (a food store), and today, Invision Optics, an eyeglass store is there.
To the right of the auto parts store, we see Country Sophisticates, a woman’s clothing store that announced their opening in August 1964. The store was opened by Morton Skydell. In October 1967 they advertised that “you can be the country sophisticate this season in your beautiful knit by Huddlespun.” Later, Country Sophisticates became a chain of stores that could be found in shopping malls. The original Westwood store was open until at least December 1985.
To the right of Country Sophisticates, we see Magnotta & Zuzzio Opticians, which moved from next door, at number 183, to this location in 1963. By 1978, The Spectacle Shop, operated here, they said that their store “has more than meets the eye!” Owner of the store, Mark T. Radin died suddenly at the age of 35 in 1992, and the store closed. When the building was altered in c.1994, Just Our Shoes expanded into the then recently combined storefronts. The shoe store closed within the last year or so.
Finally, to the right of Magnotta & Zuzzio Opticians we see The Cheese Shop. They advertised themselves as “specialists in the world’s finest cheeses.” The store opened in September 1963 and operated in Westwood until about 1979. As a side note in the upper right of the photo, we can see the side of a 3-story building that was built before January 1925. In 1959, M. J. LaViano “House of Fine Jewelry” was operating here, and today LaViano Jewelers is still going strong at that location. What a great picture, of a downtown that still today is a thriving business center! – Tim Adriance
