North Branford business engulfed in flames

One more piece of small town USA gone. How terrible. I hope the family is well and can rebuild, we are all behind them. What a great store.

i can remember going there when i was a baby and now i am 19 years old and now all i have to look back on is walking into that store and everyone was willing to help you with anything even carrying your bags out to your car. i am deffently going to miss the store it feels like a part of me has gone away.

The tall part of the store truly was avery unique. The top floor was once used as a piano hall. The architechture was very antique looking. I've been up the the third floor and it was a historic building.

And I find it awfully strange that this could happen a couple weeks after BIG-Y moves into town. How "lucky" for them.

What we need is a full investigation.

Northford store was not a threat to the Big Y. Nor was Big Y a threat to the Northford Store. The one in North Haven has been there for a few years. No conspiracy here. I just hope they rebuild as quickly as possible.

It was a handy place to pick up needed items without driving the 4 or 5 miles to North Haven or North Branford center.
We had been predicting that the Northford Store would close because of the Big Y moving into town, but we never thought it would burn. I believe that an investigation is in line.

Moved to Northford in 1966 and did all my shopping at Northford store. It was a wonderful store. Not only did you go shopping for food but it was a place to meet people and it was a very friendly place. That was the time when Louie Cuomo and his family ran the store.

That was my first job. I worked there for 4 years (89-93). I saw the carnage this morning and felt sad. Alot of memories.

How sad! I can't believe it. It's the kind of of place you think will be there forever.

I have been going to Northford Store my WHOLE life, and feel terrible about the loss, not only for the owners and workers, who were very generous for any cause I approached them for..(Boy Scouts, Girls Scouts, Community Roundups, Bake Sales and discounts for sports team sandwiches)..but also I feel terrible for the town. A piece of history is lost.

I moved to Northford in 1972 and the Northford store was the store to go to rather than traveling to North Haven or Branford for the bigger stores especially with 3 small children in tow. It had character with it's old wooden floors. An intimate and friendly place where everyone knew each other's name; and the owners were always very supportive of the community. They offered the ultimate service of having their young packers take your groceries to the car and load them into the trunk for you. My son, Eddie worked there as a teen when Paul Hintz and his wife ran the store. Great people! The Northford store has given a lot teen's their first jobs in this town over the years. A landmark has been lost and it will be sorely missed. There are a lot of memories attached to this store for a lot of people. I do hope they will rebuild it, although it will never quite be the same after this.

I will miss the Northford Store because I worked at Yale in New Haven and came right down rt 17 to Durham. Don't know what to have for Supper? Stop at the Northford Store. It was so great to have it on the way home. I'm sure a lot of people will miss it. The Hintz's and the new owner were just so great and helpful...the Center of Northford will never be the same.
Betsy Zito
Durhan,ct

This is very tragic, I've lived my whole life in Northford. I can't imagine Northford's landscape without the Northford Store as it's center landmark. It's really too bad to think that future generations will not have this wonderful historical building.

What a loss... I use to live right down the street and walk my daughter and son there on saturdays so they could see a non big box store... at least the memories will be left...

But think of the last 3 years and the major fires on Middletown Ave... Just bad luck or something else......

Terrible thing. Small town, country store, everyone knows everyone. The Northford Store has been around for the community for a long time.
From the Cuomo's (passed down a generation to Joyce and Paul Hintz) to the current owner, there has always been a warm and welcome feel.
I remember the days from long ago, helping my aunt separate the returned cans and bottles. After local sports games, you'd see all your uniformed friends with their parents in the store. Shopping with the same people you lived with and went to church with is something that's disappearing. It was a part of my childhood that I won't forget. Sad day for sure.
I hope for a rebuild.

I will miss the building. Paul and Joyce must be very sad. Bet they are wishing they never sold it. How come....all those years no fire????? The new owner was suspicious from the start.

It is so terrible that this happened, it was such a convienient store to go to and I can not wait till it is rebuilt. The most recent owner put his heart and soul into that store and there is absolutly no way that he would have done that to his own store.

How terrible! I grew up in Northford many years ago, and still vividly remember shopping in that store.

What a great loss! I used to live in Northford as a child on Old Post Road and went to the store with my mother and the Post Office too. It was a wonderful old "Mom nd Pop" store where you could get everything. I know the residents will miss it and I do hope the owners will rebuild again.

This is a very sad loss. It is one of the reasons I liked Northford so much. Now they are talking about taking down the old red barn on Route 17 near Old Post Rd. to build houses. Is Northford changing for the worst. Are town officials going to turn this beautiful farming community into anywhere USA? It was the last nice place in this entire area. Please pray everyone, pray for Northford.

I am a former resident of Northford. Lived there for 50 years until moving to Florida 18 years ago.
As I look at the coments alredy posted, where are all the "ole timers" comments?
My father, Clarence (Red) Williams used to be the owner of Williams Bus Service and who also worked at the Northford store when there was a pot belly stove along with his brother Lewis Williams. At that time, the store was owned by the Johnson Brothers;Bob and Edgar. Great people. My father used to go there all the time for his groceries. After the Johnson brothers sold out to the Cuomo family, he still continued to purchase his groceries at the local store; just down the street from Old Post Road. I never did know the new owners, but my sympathy go out to them. I sincerely hope that will rebuild.

Glenice Williams Trainor
Stuart, Florida