Project Description

Shefshick’s was located at 35 Central Ave. in Chelsea. Gittel Shefshick took over the store in the 1920’s, when the owner was planning to close. A widow with four children, Gittel needed to buy the store or be out of work. Gittel came from Russia with her husband Besha, who died in Chelsea during the flu epidemic of 1916. Three of her children – Alec, Israel and Minnie worked in the store. They opened a summer store in Old Orchard Beach in the 1940’s to serve the Jewish community and hotels with kosher dining rooms. The original store was sold in the 1970’s and eventually became a Chinese Restaurant. Courtesy of Bernard Blotner