Part III

History of 421 (continued):

The Boston Store, a department store at this location in 1935, was run by Archie W. Reynolds. In the 1939 city directory the I.O.O.F. Lodge was listed upstairs of 421-423 South Stephenson Ave., but probably only comprised 421 South Stephenson Ave.

By the time the 1941-1942 city directory was published Oshin’s Ladies’ Apparel, Isaac H. Oshin, proprietor, was listed at this address, and there was no listing for 423 South Stephenson Ave. There was no listing of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lodge.

This postcard view, taken sometime after the fire of Feb. 28, 1982, when the center portion of the block was destroyed, shows: 403-405, S.S. Kresge Co. Variety Store; 407, Kresge-Khoury Building, Dear John’s Tavern (John Jacobs); 411, Western Auto (Don Christy); 421, Isabel’s (Mose Pasten and Isabel K. Pasten), women’s clothing; 425-427, Downtown Plaza, containing Wishing Well Gifts (Don Khoury and Sharon Khoury), Ace Drug Store (Rene Savoie). (William J. Cummings)

In about 1952, Mose and Isabel Pasten opened a women’s apparel store in the Odd Fellows Block.

On Feb. 28, 1982, the building was one of three businesses destroyed by fire.

An article in the Saturday, March 6, 1982, edition of The Daily News by Ron Kramer, staff writer, under the headline “Downtown fire victims making plans to rebuild businesses” reported:

The owners of two downtown Iron Mountain stores destroyed by fire Sunday are making plans to rebuild their businesses in the same location.

Isabel Pasten of Isabel’s Ready-to-Wear and Don and Donna Christy of Western Auto said they plan to build new stores as soon as the debris is cleared from the fire and building plans are completed.

Christy also said he was making arrangements to rent the former Montgomery Ward garage in the 200 block of East A Street until his new store is completed.

“We decided we owe it to our customers who have warranties that we would operate out of this building selling and repairing bicycles and lawn mowers,” Christy explained.

Isabel Pasten and her husband, the late Mose Pasten, opened a women’s apparel store at 421 Stephenson Ave. some 30 years ago.

“I intend to rebuild in the same location,” Mrs. Pasten said.

“I decided to rebuild because I’m interested in my customers and employees. I’ve made a lot of nice acquaintances and a lot of nice customers during the time I’ve been in business,” Mrs. Pasten continued.

“I like what I do and I’m interested in my customers. I’m also interested in staying in business.”

Mrs. Pasten said she hoped to be in business in a new store by this fall.

She has eight employees. Beverly Chartier, Mrs. Pasten’s niece, is assistant manager. Janet Michaud has been employed at Isabel’s for 15 years and Betty Fleischfresser started working at the store 12 years ago.

History of 423: Simon Goldman sold “notions” at this location in 1892-1894. By 1902-1903 H.E. Smith ran a clothing store here. There was no listing for this address in 1907-1908 or 1913. By 1925 this lot had been incorporated into the United States National Bank.

Read the rest of this 24-page story on the Dickinson County Library’s website (www.dcl-lib.org) which includes the history of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows who built the building at 421 South Stephenson Ave., as well as a transcription of articles from The Daily News reporting on the fire on the 400 block of South Stephenson Ave. on Sunday, Feb. 28, 1982. A total of 10 historic photographs and three advertisements from the columns of two early Iron Mountain newspapers also help to tell the story.