Meet Abbey Hoffman of Thwaites Market

Today we’d like to introduce you to Abbey Hoffman.

Abbey, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Compared to how long this business has been around, I’ve been here a very short period of time! Thwaites Market is coming upon its 100th anniversary and I’ve only been here full time for 10 years (playing “store” and part time since the age of 5)! My family actually lived above the market so after school we’d drop off our back packs and see if there was any work that needed to be done. All 4 of my sisters and over 15 or so cousins always “checked in” from middle school on! After graduated from UMass Lowell in 2008 I asked my father, Ken, if I could come on full time and help him with the store. It’s been a fun ride ever since!

Has it been a smooth road?
We are a small, family business and have had our share of ups and downs but we don’t like to complain all that much.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Thwaites Market story. Tell us more about the business.
Thwaites Market came to be in the early 1920s when my Great-great Grandmother, Hannah Thwaites, started a small business in a Boarding House in North Andover. She started making English Pork Pies there and eventually moved her business to a grocery store in Methuen, where it is today. Her children all helped to run the business – working and making deliveries – her son, Thomas, eventually took over and ran the business. Thomas – with the help of my father – made the store what it is today!

What sets us apart from others is the fact that throughout the year you can find up to four generations of family working at the market. We are proud to say that at one time or another, almost everyone in our family has put their share of hard work into what the store has become today. Although the number of family members has gone down a tiny bit, it is pretty amazing to work with my mother, father, Grand mother and Aunt every single day!

Today we have over 35 different types of pies and over 10 different types of sausage! I think what we are most proud of is our customers. That may sound strange but with the help of being on WVCB’s Chronicle in 1995 and jumping ahead to Phantom Gourmet and Wicked Bites this past year. We have so many new faces that have become more familiar but our life long customers, our generations of customers, our customers who’ve moved away but miss us so much that they’ll drive or pay anything to have our pies shipped to them – now that’s special!

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
We have a few tricks up our sleeve but we won’t say much.

Contact Info:

• Address: 36 Railroad St.,
  Methuen, Ma 01844
• Website: www.thwaitesmarket.com
• Phone: 978-683-2429
• Email: thwaitesmarket@yahoo.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thwaitesmarket/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thwaitesmarket/
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/thwaitesmarket/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/thwaites-market-methuen

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