I for Ice Cream
ICE CREAM at Gregory’s Soda Shop
For over 40 years, Edwin P. Gregory, Sr., (1908-1989) ran a soda shop and variety store. Established in 1936, it was called Gregory’s Soda Shop and was located on Merchant’s Row in Colchester (where Peg’s Diner/The Inishshor is now).
Walter Gregory in front of his brother's soda shop
When Edwin’s younger brother Walter was a teenager, he worked for his big brother in the shop “pumping soda and fixing burgers for the regulars.”
The shop boasted one of the largest selections of paperbac
k books, comics, and magazines found in the area. They also sold swim fins, water pools, toys, pipes,
cigarettes, and tobacco blends.
Edwin was a US Army veteran of World War II and was a past commander of VFW Post No. 54. From 1955-1956, he served as State Representative, as the town judge of Colchester from 1955-1960, and was chairman of the Democratic Town Committee.
He was a member of Saint Joseph Polish club (his original surname being Gregoriwicz), was a charter member of the Colchester Lions Club, and belonged to the Colchester Fish and Game Club. He died on June 28, 1989, at 81 years of age.