I started this blog to highlight the Polish stores on Broad Street, New Britain, in the area now known as Little Poland. I frequently shop on Broad Street and have my favorite stores. For this blog, I decided to go to a store I had not gone to before-Poldarex. What I found out is that Poldarex is a very special place. It is not just what they sell; it is about so much more.
I walked in the store and was greeted by Elizabeth, one half of the store ownership. I explained I was the American on Broad Street and I wanted to write a blog about their store. She pointed to two gentlemen in the back of the store, sitting at an old fashioned fabric cutting table. One of the gentlemen came over to talk to me; it was Stanley Bialko, the other half. Stanley and Elizabeth have an interesting story. They opened their store 45 years ago. They just didn’t see history, they were part of it. They saw Broad Street in its prime, and also at its lowest points. We talked of its recent revival and the Little Poland Festival.
They are still serving their customers with the same care as they did 45 years ago. The store is stuffed with merchandise, not all Polish, but all carefully selected for their primarily Polish customers. There are racks of clothing. There are dishtowels, bolts of vinyl tablecloth material, and of course doilies. There were also Polish products including herbal products, greeting cards, and slippers. Behind the counter (very discreetly in boxes-that is how the stores used to be, I am old enough to remember that) are underwear and pantyhose. Anything you could possibly need is in that store.
The outstanding items in Poldarex are christening and first communion dresses. They have a large selection of outstandingly beautiful dresses. I was talking to a friend about this incredible collection of first communion dresses, to which he nonchalantly replied, “of course, that is where my mom bought my sisters’ dresses and everyone was asking where she bought them.” Now you know. They would also be good for flower girl dress. If you have any of these events coming up, you need to check out Poldarex.
What is also at Poldarex is a sense of community. The other gentleman who was in the store when I first arrived left a few minutes after Stanley came over to talk me. He was replaced 10 minutes later by another gentleman who stopped by to talk. I spent 15 minutes with Elizabeth and Stanley and I feel like I have known them forever and I felt they treated me like I was a longtime customer. If you walk through their door, you are a customer and a friend. I returned to the store a few days later to buy some dishtowels. I am sure I will be visiting the store again to shop and chat with the owners.
If you are on Broad Street, stop by and say hi to Elizabeth and Stanley.
