Tanzi’s in Hanover: Historic, and Colorful

No sooner had I posted the photo of the upcoming new public gathering space on Hanover’s South Main Street than two readers wrote to tell me that it had been the former location of the historic Tanzi’s Store. From two published sources (both included in this post) I have learned that Tanzi’s was a family business begun in 1897. For decades, it supplied Dartmouth fraternities with wooden kegs of beer, and more so, the rest of the community with groceries and a neighborhood meeting place. Tanzi’s had a phone, and then, another.

I will leave you today with Everett Wood’s description of Tanzi’s that appeared in the March 1991 issue of Dartmouth Alumni Magazine. Click here to read this delightful reminiscence; it will be possibly the best two minutes of your morning. Here’s a teaser:

“Occasionally . . . a boy overcome by the sight of candy would sample a piece, before payment. If caught in the act, the offender was sentenced to operate the peanut roaster until proper amends were made. ‘It was like a Marx Brothers movie,’recalls Dartmouth Alumni Affairs Director Mike Choukas '51, who grew up in Hanover and worked for the Tanzis for a while. ‘If I ever write a novel, it will be about Tanzi's.’”

(A profile of Harry Tanzi, son of the original founder and later proprietor, also known as the honorary “Mayor of Hanover” can be found here. There’s a story about Nelson Rockefeller somewhere in there.)

Thank you to readers Star Johnson and Jon Gilbert Fox for the tip and the info.

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And in case you are wondering . . . Susan B. Apel shuttered a lifelong career as a law professor to continue an interest (since kindergarten) in writing. Her freelance business, The Next Word, includes literary and feature writing; her work has appeared in a variety of lit mags and other publications including Art New England, The Woven Tale Press, The Arts Fuse, and Persimmon Tree. She connects with her neighbors through Artful, her blog about arts and culture in the Upper Valley. She’s in love with the written word.