Bill Lynch: When Broadway really bustled

There was a time when the ‘gateway' to Sonoma was ?more like the hub|

The Index-Tribune recently ran a story about the old Bancroft home at the corner of Broadway and Chase Street becoming a bed and breakfast inn. It brought back fond memories of Dorothy Bancroft, and the many other local merchants who set up shop on our widest and longest main street for much of my youth.

I remember Bancroft's as the sweetest smelling home in town, because that's where Dorothy ran her florist shop from 1923 until she died in 1987.

Over the years, I stopped there many times to order or pick up flowers for my mother and for friends on special occasions.

Dorothy kept her flowers fresh on her screened inside porch, but her living room was like a flower arrangement show room, with complete bouquet orders displayed upon every available flat space.

She wasn't the only local merchant doing business on Broadway during my youth. At one point there were six gas stations operating on the street starting with one at the corner of West Napa Street and Broadway and heading south all the way to MacArthur Street.

In addition there was Friberg's Rexall Drug Store, Gottenberg's Grocery (later Shone's Market), Peggy's Lingerie, Safeway, Weller Furniture (and later Peterson's Hardware), plus another hardware store opened by Chuck Williams, and many other little stores arrayed up and down our wide main drag.

The busiest car dealer in town, Whitehead Motors, sold Fords at the big auto dealership (now vacant) at the corner of East MacArthur Street and Broadway.

In those days, Broadway wasn't crowded the way it is today and parking was diagonal on both sides of the street.

Many Sonomans did a large portion of their shopping on Broadway. It was a lively place, with one exception.

Bates, Evans and Fehrensen Funeral Home was located at the corner of Andrieux Street and Broadway.

However, even that location came alive in 1972 when it was completely renovated and became Au Relais, a country French restaurant operated by chef Harry Marsden. Harry moved Au Relais onto Broadway following two years in Schellville where Cornerstone Gardens is today.

Local architect Ed Heine worked with local craftsmen, including local iron workers Rod Smith and Keith Lequiox, to completely transform the place into a unique, woodsy, relaxing space.

Marsden added Swiss chef Maxime Schacher, and Au Relais quickly became one of the liveliest and most popular places in town for both lunch and dinner.

Many Sonoma old timers were initially a little squeamish about dining in an establishment through which so many of their old friends had gone to their final rest. They got over it. And when they came for dinner, Harry cautioned them against reminiscing about the old days while in earshot of other diners.

Harry and his wife Nancy operated Au Relais on Broadway for the next 15 years, selling in in 1986.

Thankfully, most of the lovely old buildings along Broadway have been preserved, and there are still a lot of businesses there. But, considering how much Sonoma has grown, it has actually gotten more sedate as the years have passed. Not necessarily a bad thing. Just different.

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