Filene s. Bailey s. Hathaway House. Olken s.
To those who grew up in Wellesley in the 1950s and beyond, hearing those names signaled home. They were the centerpieces of the Wellesley Square shopping district and everyone shopped there. Throughout most of the second half of the 1900s, the Square was like an open-air community center, recalls Beth Hinchliffe, the town s official historian. It was the heart of life in town. Almost all the faces were familiar. It wasn t possible to just run down for a quick pickup you d bump into many people you knew, and of course stopped to chat with them all.