In 1900, the Collar Brothers store stood adjacent to the Norfolk Library on the corner of Greenwoods Road and Maple Avenue (visible at the far right). The old store had been built in 1843 and was occupied by a series of merchants. The Collar Brothers advertised boots, shoes and groceries, as well as dry goods and notions (sewing accessories such as needles, pins, thread and buttons). A few years after this photograph was taken, the building was purchased by Isabella Eldridge and torn down as part of improvements she made to the grounds around the library. These included the construction of an attractive wood railing with granite pillars overlooking the railroad tracks and a hedge-lined path from the corner down to the station.

-Ann Havemeyer