Vintage Manchester Store retires

MANCHESTER, CT — Farr’s, the Manchester-based destination for campers, outdoor enthusiasts and anyone in need of a quick sporting goods supply in north central Connecticut for more than half a century, is retiring.

Co-owner Patty Farr announced the news on Wednesday. She and her sisters Lisa, Deb and Jamie have been running the store, founded by their father James, for several years.

“It’s going in that direction,” Patty told Patch about retirement.

There is no definite closing date, she said. The plan is to sell as much inventory as possible and then decide on the future.

However, she admitted that there were “many memories” associated with this decision.

A popular local saying has always been: “Farr’s has to have it.”

Farr’s roots go back to 1955, when Jim Farr opened Manchester Surplus, a general store that was somewhere between a television repair shop and a parcel delivery service.

In 1971, as part of a redevelopment project to beautify the northern part of the city, Farr expanded his business and opened Farr’s Sporting Goods at 2 Main Street on the north side of the city.

The family business has quickly integrated into the community and offers a wide range of products and services, such as:

• Skateboards & Bicycles
• Fishing & Live Bait
• Disc golf and garden games
• darts
• camping
• Bicycle repair
• Skate sharpening
• Propane and CO2 refills
• Key making
• Recreational sports equipment

In the warmer months, diehard campers knew that Farr’s was likely to have hard-to-find accessories that one might need in an emergency. In the winter, when the big box stores didn’t have sleds, it was usually a case of heading to Farr’s to purchase one.