They Call Him Mr. Holliston

They call him Mr. Holliston, and he owns the heart of Holliston. Despite that, he’s a humble man who claims the title of Mr. Holliston doesn’t belong to him. Many would beg to differ.

He is John Paltineri, owner/operator of located on Washington Street and a long-time Holliston resident with a knowledge of town that few possess.

“I came here in 1973 to join my father, Louis, in running the business,” Paltrineri said. “I had been away at college and came here as a young man ready to take on the world.”

Thirty-nine years later, Paltrineri is still running the store.

Paltrineri is an avid storyteller and loves to tell the story of how he met his wife of 31 years, Carol.

“Guess where we met?” Paltrineri asked.

"Here?" This reporter responded.

“Yup, right there on the floor, where the x marks the spot ,” he exclaimed with joy. “All these years and she’s still the one.”

Carol and John were married in 1980 and their son, Adam, was raised in town. He is now a teacher in Illinois.

Fiske’s General Store has been in Holliston since the mid 1800’s when James Fiske owned and ran the store. The Paltrineri’s are the fifth or sixth owners of the store, John wasn’t sure which, but they still maintain a lot of the old time feel. Not to fret, they keep up with the times.

Heading to a party? No worries, Fiske’s offers a gift on the go.

“We often get moms flying in here after a soccer game on a Saturday morning,” Paltrineri said. “We have several items in the $15 to $20 range, we put it in a gift bag with some tissue paper, tie it up and stick a free balloon on top. It’s not uncommon to get three or four moms in a row heading from the same soccer game and going to the same party. Makes life easier for everyone as they don’t have to worry about repeat gifts, and we do the work of making it pretty.”

Paltrineri is a man of great joy and gratitude and wildly in love with the community he and Carol have called home for 39 years.

“I wake up every morning happy, “Paltrineri said. “I am so grateful for this community, for the people,  for the love, but most of all for my family. I could never have done this for so long without my wife and son.”

Paltrineri is a giver so keeps a schedule for the sidewalk located in front of the store for the  local organization looking to set up to make a dollar or two.

“As a member of the Lion’s Club and a giver myself,” Paltrineri said. “I like the type of fundraiser where you get something in return for giving. I don’t like folks looking for a handout. A bag of cookies or a lottery ticket is fine with me, but something in return to those giving makes me happy.”

Paltrineri has organized and run a number of charitable events in town whether it be while wearing his Fiske's General Store hat or his Lion’s pride hat.

“I try to support the local artists by allowing them to display their work in the store,” he said. “I also brought the triathlon to Holliston in 1990 through a man by the name of all things Bill Fiske.”

Fiske owns the Fiske Independent Race in Marlboro, and created the course for Holliston.

“We have had our maximum of 375 runners some years,” Paltrineri said. “Back in the day it was a half-mile swim followed by a 15 mile bike ride and then a 5 mile run. Today the course is shorter, but we raise $3,000 to $10,000 per year for the general fund."

Paltrineri is the self-professed welcoming committee for all folks new to Holliston and a wealth of information.

"I love that we're not alone," Paltrineri said. "I love being a part of this community."