-For baked goods, “The Schaub Bakery” was located at 49 West Somerset Street.
While the business name and owner would change decades later, it is still a bakery today ! -The local Grocery Store was “Amerman & Regal”. They would remain in business until 1953. The Towne Pharmacy is in the location they once held.
-Raritan department stores were “The Granetz Department Store” on Somerset Street where the Chinese Food Place is today. and “Glasers & Sons” on Thompson Street.
-For (legal) drugs, “Rohn’s Pharmacy” was one door east of “The 3rd Reformed Church”. Another Drug store was “John V. Davis’ Drug Store”.
-“The Raritan Savings Bank” was the only bank in town. It was formed in 1869 by the business owners of Raritan. The successor to “The Raritan Savings Bank” through takeovers is the local branch of “The PNC Bank” on Somerset Street.
-Two necessities of the era, ice, to kept food cold, and coal, to heat the homes, were provided by “Gallagher Ice & Coal” on 2nd Avenue.
-The town had an “Auctioneer” - W.K. Hope who was known throughout the county. Somewhat like “e-bay” of today, people brought their goods to him to be sold. He often sold the estate of the recently deceased. W. K. Hope functioned as an auctioneer in town for over 30 years, all the time without a computer.
-The local undertakers were “Bourke” and “DeMond and Greene” who was on the corner of Wall & Somerset St.
-James Wyckoff was located at 16 Thompson Street. He was a dealer in Stoves & Ranges and their repair.
-The manufacturing facilities, which provided most of the jobs in town, were “The Raritan Woolen Mills” and “Somerset Manufacturing” — which made woolen goods. “Kenyon Brothers”, builders of machinery, were located by the Raritan River. The company has survived to this day. They are on Route 22 in Bridgewater.
-A Shirt Factory was on First Avenue.