NSCC students serve a course in Lynn history

LYNN – They have survived Great Depressions and recessions, massive fires and competition from big-box stores.And as North Shore Community College students learned Wednesday, some of Lynn’s most cherished businesses have some pretty amazing stories.”It was a real honor to be chosen, and I’m thrilled that they took the time to get our perspective and learn the history of what we do as a family and as a business here in Lynn,” Salvy Migliacci Jr., second-generation owner of Salvy the Florist, said.Groups of students from professor Nathan Chio’s World History 2 class at North Shore Community College annually are assigned an oral history presentation for their final project of the semester. The students must interview subjects, conduct research and then present a their findings to the class and community.This is the third year of the projects; and this year, the students focused on presenting the histories of notable, longtime Lynn family businesses.The presentations were held Wednesday at Lynn Museum, where students presented their research on the Capitol Diner, the Lynn YMCA, Zimman’s, Durkee-Mower Fluff, and Salvy the Florist.The students first presented each business/institution in the context of its larger economic niche.For example, the Capitol Diner is one of the final Brill diners (built by the J.G. Brill Company of Philadelphia) in existence today. But during the 1920s through 1960s, diners were to be found nearby almost every factory or large place of employment. In fact, the “diner car” model both evoked the days of the horse-drawn lunch wagon from which it developed, as well as the efficiency of dining cars on trains.The students then discussed the founding of the individual business/organization, although many similarities could be noted. Capitol Diner, Salvy the Florist and Zimman’s were all founded by immigrants who came to settle in Lynn, and are currently owned by the second or third generation of their families.Industrialization had a large impact on several institutions. Zimman’s and Capitol Diner both depended largely on customers who worked in the shoe factories and the waves of immigrants who demanded food and goods. The YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association) was founded as a place for men to escape the “evils” of the city and become “muscular” Christians, both in body and mind.All the organizations have also had to adapt to changing demographics.The YMCA is now the Y to reflect its female and more religiously diverse customer base.To appeal to a female and not just male-factory-worker clientele, the Lynn diner added a “Miss” to its name in 1938, a common diner occurrence. (Its current name was an attempt to attract a crowd who attended the former Capitol Theater, which was located across the street.) It also has expanded its menu from bacon and eggs to quesadillas and huevos rancheros.And all of the organizations/businesses have had to adapt to the Internet. Salvy’s offers an interactive website and is developing an app for customers to order flowers. Capitol owner Bob Fennell said he may have to start a Facebook page.World War I popularized sales of Fluff, as limited sugar increased demand for other sweeteners. The end of World War II brought a tremendous new market of customers to Zimman’s department store, but customers generally knew exactly what they wanted to buy. So Zimman’s became New England’s first “self-service” department store, where customers browsed for goods displayed for purchase rather than asking the help of a salesperson.Most notably, however, the businesses all stayed in Lynn and care about the city deeply. Zimman’s has donated upholstered chairs to be decorated and sold by Raw Art Works. The Metro North YMCA annually spends $1 million to subsidize memberships for low-income attendees. Bob Fennell is a “line cook with a title” of state representative. Migliacci was a longtime city councilor. And Durkee-Mower sees no reason to leave Lynn; its building and factory are paid for and haven’