Picture Enfield - Then And Now

ENFIELD, CT — Last week's throwback feature on Slaybard's Package Store not only brought back a ton of memories for readers, but prompted one social media user to ask, "Why not do one on Myott's Package Store? It was right down the street."

My brief response was along the lines of, "I can't run something I don't have." Within minutes, an email arrived from Denise Oswell, containing a photo of the longtime store her parents owned at 496 Enfield Street and its famous pooches in the doorway.

Ray and Gail Myott owned and operated the store for four decades. Ray, a U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War era, also owned RFM Firearms, and was a lieutenant with the Enfield Fire Department. The shop quickly became a go-to place for not only beverage needs, but also lottery tickets and, most importantly, lively conversation with friends.

Oswell wrote, "I bought it from my parents in 2007, then my dad sold the property and I sold the business in 2012."

Gail Myott died in Feb. 2019 at 78, and her husband passed away in Oct. 2022 at 80. They are buried together in St. Patrick's King Street Cemetery.

The new owners of the business changed the name to Enfield Liquor Warehouse, and the building underwent an extensive remodeling several years ago. Here is a contemporary look, taken Tuesday afternoon.

Today's trivia question

Another reader asked why I had no trivia question with last week's column, so I've decided to revive it today. Who was the first Fermi High School graduate inducted into the Enfield Athletic Hall of Fame?

Directions: leave your answer in the comments section here on the story, not on a Facebook page. And remember, this is supposed to be a fun test of your town memory, not a race to see who can Google the answer fastest and pretend to be a big shot.

Do you own a non-copyrighted photo of a former Enfield business or landmark? Email it to tim.jensen@patch.com and we may feature it in an upcoming column.