5 West Main Street

Now & Then: 5 West Main Street, Webster, NY

Now
Today, 5 West Main Street is home to The Main Dive Restaurant on the left and VVS Smoke Shop on the right. The building’s interior is split into two commercial spaces, but its exterior still closely resembles the structure remodeled in the early 1900s.

Then

Recent Memories
By the 1970s, this space was known as The Village Shoppe.

Just a few years earlier, in 1968, the previous business here—Bowman’s Variety Store—was sold to Webster resident Roy Gommenginger, ending more than 44 years and three generations of Bowman family ownership.

In the 1960s, Bowman’s had grown into one of the largest and most modern retail spaces in Webster. Its roots stretched back to 1924, when the Bowman family first opened their variety and cigar store, operating at several locations along Main Street and serving the community for decades.

Then 1939-1955

5 West Main Street was home to Hart's Grocery thru the late 1930's up to the 1950's. By the 1950s, Hart’s Grocery had left this location, relocating to the west end of North Main Street and reopening as Star Market.

Before the move, this site was home to Hart’s through the late 1930s and into the 1940s. Around that time, many Hart’s stores began rebranding as Star Super Markets—a transition that gradually phased out the original name by the late 1960s.

The story traces back to the 1920s, when Hart’s had grown to more than 100 locations across Rochester and surrounding towns. A pioneer in modern grocery retail, the company was among the first to introduce self-service shopping and develop store-brand products.

Barnard’s Store operated as a clothing and dry goods store in the early 1900s, serving as one of the village’s primary retail establishments. It specialized in apparel and accessories, catering to men and women with ready-to-wear garments and shoes.

Historical photos show patriotic bunting and formal clothing in the windows, indicating the store was active during major national events.

Barnard’s Store was part of a trend in small-town America during that era, where local merchants offered tailored clothing and dry goods before the rise of large department stores.

F.M. Jones Expansion

In 1898, Frank M. Jones partnered with Webster Masonic Lodge No. 538 to expand the building, adding a second story to house the Lodge. A historic photo captures Lodge members ceremoniously laying the cornerstone. The Lodge remained here until 1926.

Klem Brothers Era
Before Jones’s renovation, the site featured a single-story structure operated by the Klem Brothers, serving as a local store in the late 1800s