A Family Affair
Hickey’s Wine and Spirits is proud to be a family-owned and –operated business for three generations now. What started with Thomas A. Hickey in 1922 has been repeatedly passed down through the family and is now in the hands of Charlie and Kevin Hickey along with their passionate staff. When you buy from Hickey’s, you’re supporting a small, family business that’s remained loyal to the Worcester County area for more than 100 years.
Located in Milford, Massachusetts, we have the best pricing in the area, as well as friendly, knowledgeable staff who truly know the products and are eager to assist customers—many of whom we know by name!
Although a lot has changed over the last century, Hickey’s standards for high quality products, excellent customer service, and wide selection have all remained consistent. Read on to learn more about our business’ storied past.
History of Hickey’s
The story of Hickey’s Wine and Spirits begins in 1894 with Thomas A. Hickey. Thomas was in the 6th grade when his father died, forcing him to quit school to help support his mother and two sisters. Like many young men his age, he enlisted in the army after the US declared war on Germany in 1917. As a “runner”—someone responsible for delivering messages on the front line—Thomas was lucky to survive the war.
After the war, he secured a job at the US Postal Office where he worked for several years. Tired of working for others, Thomas opened his own grocery store on May 22, 1922, at 33 Belmont Street in Worcester, MA. Thomas’ industrious work ethic coupled with his honest nature soon made him a well-respected businessman in the community. By the early 1930s, he had opened three more stores in Worcester—on Main Street, Highland Street, and Lincoln Street.
During the height of the Great Depression when most new businesses were struggling, Hickey’s proudly employed 32 full-time employees and eight part-time employees. Ironically, during Prohibition, Thomas was a member of the temperance committee. However, after the Prohibition Era ended, he expanded his businesses to sell liquor and wine. He was awarded the second liquor license in all of Worcester County.
When World War II started, Thomas was forced to close two of his stores due to the workforce shortage. When the war ended in 1945, he reopened only one of his two closed stores. Thomas’ sons, Paul and Thomas Jr., worked in his stores before serving in the military during WWII and the Korean War, respectively. As time passed, larger grocery stores began to emerge, so by 1953, Thomas phased out perishables completely and shifted his focus to the liquor business.
In 1963, Thomas A. Hickey died leaving the business to his three children: Mary, Paul, and Thomas Jr. One of the stores was ran by Mary’s husband, William Dolan Sr. They all worked hard to build upon the family legacy, and together they purchased a Shrewsbury store location in 1965. The business flourished throughout the next decade. In 1978, Thomas Jr. left the business; the Hickey family sold various properties in order to buy out Thomas Jr., leaving two properties remaining: Lincoln St. in Worcester and Maple Ave. in Shrewsbury.
When Paul Hickey passed away in 1994, the business went to his two sons, Kevin and Charles, along with their Cousin William Dolan, Jr. In 1994, they opened a third location in Milford, MA, a small retail space in Quarry Square Plaza. Then, in 2005, Kevin and Charles Hickey bought out William Dolan Jr., selling the Lincoln Street location in the process. In 2007, the Milford Store relocated to a larger retail space still in Quarry Square Plaza. As business continued to grow, in 2011, they relocated to 396 E. Main Street in Milford, where they continue to operate today.
