Gordon closes the doors at Allen’s Cut Rate after a successful 85-year run
Rick Gordon, who owned and operated Allen’s Cut Rate Perfumers on Broadway, has closed the doors of his popular store.
outside the store where the
iconic Allen’s Cut Rate sign
(below) is still visible.
All told the business, started by Rick’s father, Jack Gordon, as a franchise, was in existence for 85 years.
“The original location was up the street where the Salvation Army store is now,” said Gordon. “My father was there for a number of years. There was a major fire in the late 1940s that destroyed the building, and he ended up at this location at 394 Broadway in 1960. We’ve been here ever since.”
Rick Gordon purchased the Card Gallery, formerly Slade’s, located next door at 396 Broadway, in 1993.
Following the passing of his father in 1974, Gordon began working at the store while he was a student at Lexington High School (He was born in Chelsea in 1957 and lived on George Street before his family moved to Lexington). In 1985 Rick moved back to Chelsea where he bought a prefabricated home on Spencer Avenue.
“When I was a senior in high school, I came in and helped my mother [Henrietta Gordon] run the business,” recalled Rick. “I got a promotion from stock boy to assistant manager. It’s a family business, and you just run with it.”
Gordon graduated from Suffolk University in 1979 with a degree in accounting. “I hated my major. I should have studied marketing or management, but I was too far into it to change.”
A personable, good-natured person, Gordon has always made his presence felt not only in the Broadway business community but as a dedicated member of local organizations such as the Rotary Club and the Chamber of Commerce. His business was very successful due to his excellent customer service and the fair-minded pricing of perfumes, jewelry cards, gifts, and local souvenirs. Residents who had moved away from Chelsea continued to show their loyalty to Allen’s Cut Rate as longtime customers.
“Chelsea was always a blue-collar community where people worked in the community, lived in the community, and many of those people would shop and buy cosmetics and jewelry and other items in the store,” related Gordon. “But the retail environment has changed dramatically over the past five years.”
Gordon explained his decision to close the business. “Hey, I’m 67 years old. It was just time to do it. I don’t have the same energy I once had.”
Through the years, Gordon gave several students their first part-time job at the store.
“There were several instances where we had brothers and sisters and cousins working here together,” said Gordon. “I also hired the children of employees who had worked here in previous years.”
Gordon enjoyed the small townish atmosphere of Chelsea and the vibrancy and energy of the Broadway business district.
“It’s a small world. Everybody knows everybody and there’s a connection. It’s a very heartwarming thing. I have a lot of very fond memories. This has been a big part of my life. I’m going to miss the business terribly. People have come into the store to say goodbye and express their sadness that I’m leaving. I had a lot of loyal customers,” said Gordon.
Gordon said that he has sold the building to a local developer who also owns other properties on Broadway.
‘The best decision of my life’
In 2006, Rick Gordon made what he describes as “the best decision of my life,’ marrying his longtime partner, Susan.
“She’s been very helpful. There aren’t too many women that would date someone and help at the store, work Christmas and holidays,” said Rick. “Even her sister [Marcia] would come in for the holidays. It was a real family business. But that’s what families do when you’re in the business. Sue’s uncle [Ernest Meltzer] actually owned Arnest Jewelers on Broadway.”
Susan Gordon brought out the best in her husband, to be sure. The couple attends numerous local events together and their partnership has uplifted Rick’s confidence in his numerous abilities and enhanced his life and his enjoyment of it alongside a great companion.
A long-serving member of Rotary
Rick Gordon became a member of the Rotary Club in 1981.
“I’m the third-longest member in terms of seniority,” said Gordon proudly. “I was an active member. I was an officer in Rotary for a while. I stepped back but got involved again a couple of years ago. I will continue my affiliation with Rotary. There are great people in the club, and they do great work. We’ve always been members of the Chamber of Commerce.”
Gordon was honored by Rotary as a Paul Harris Fellow, and he was president of the club in 1986. He also served in Chelsea city government as a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals and was a member of the advisory board of the Jordan Boys and Girls Club.
“I didn’t mind giving back to Chelsea,” said Gordon. “I believed that if you’re making money in the community, you should give back with your time, money, and volunteerism.”
A tribute to Rick Gordon’s excellence from a friend
Barry Kirshon, a friend and the longtime leader of Kirshon Paint in Chelsea, best summed up Rick Gordon’s distinguished career and the highest standards of excellence that Rick elevated to as a business owner and Chelsea resident. “Rick Gordon and I have been friends for over 40 years,” said Kirshon. “We both grew up in and worked for our family’s businesses. Rick is a very hard worker and keen businessman who carried on his parents’ tradition. He gave back to the community through his contributions to Rotary Club, Main Street Improvements, and the Chamber of Commerce. He was a legend on Broadway and deserves a happy retirement.”