R. Fitzgerald - 52 & 54 St. Paul St.
On April 2nd, 1887, Welland Woodruff picked up some ale and brandy.
Richard Fitzgerald was a St. Catharines merchant who sold a little bit of everything including: dry goods, hardware, groceries, and liquors. His store was established in 1843 and went bankrupt by 1891. The store went through a number of changes. In 1857, he was advertised as a toy and fancy goods merchant. By 1874, he had taken ownership of the Fitzgerald Block at 50-54 St. Paul Street. By 1879, he is listed as owning the "New York Cheap Cash Store". His building had three basement floors and it was purported that he ran a bootleg liquor operation from this location. Some of his customers were supposedly sailors who would drop in for a drink while passing through the Welland Canal.
Richard Fitzgerald's store