Brown's TV Closing: 'Furniture Stores Started Giving Away TVs'

Owner Dave Brown talks about closing Brown's TV and Appliance after 53 years.

In 2008, arsonists set ablaze a section of the strip mall at 243 Main St. That included the mom and pop Northborough fixture Brown's TV and Appliance. It took them more than a year, between rebuilding and dealing with insurance claims, to get back up and running. In the meantime, the economy worsened. And more big box stores etched their way into the strip mall landscape. After 53 years, Brown's TV and Appliance will close, probably by the end of January.   "The reason why we are closing is combination of a number of things," said Brown. "We really never recoverd from the fire four years ago. That fire put us out of business for one year and it caused us to go into substantial debt. Then, the economy went down during the year we were …

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Highway Brush Fires Under Investigation by Local, State Officials

Marlborough and Northborough fire departments are looking for answers regarding recent fires on 290 and 495.

A small brush fire Saturday afternoon and several others found during the Monday evening commute, have local fire departments searching for answers.  Saturday's fire was a contained event off to the side of 495 South in Marlborough.  "It was a small brush fire and no injuries were reported," said State Trooper Todd Nolan. "One state police cruiser responded along with the Marlborough Fire Department." Monday evening, however, eight small fires were reported in the eastbound lane of highway 290 spanning several miles of roadway, according to several eyewitnesses. Marlborough, Hudson and Northborough fire departments reportedly responded to the scenes which significantly backed up traffic in the area. State Police shut down several highway …

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Brown's Survives in a Sea of Big Box Stores

Recovering from a fire, and the economy, Brown's TV offers attention the way only a local business can.

A fire could be enough to put you out of business. It did, in fact, for a year to Brown's TV and Appliance and four other businesses in Northborough. In 2008, arsonists destroyed a section of the strip mall on Main Street. It took a year to rebuild and open back up, and by then, the economy had tanked. Dave Brown, owner of Brown's, said it's been tough to fight the intermingling setbacks, but the business is surviving, thanks to regrowing its loyal customer, savvy businesses practices and improving the selection. Brown's dad and brother started the business in 1960, originally a storefront above Sawyer's Bowladrome on Blake Street. Brown took over as owner in the mid '80s, he said. He's been located at 243 West Main St. for "at least 25 …

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What We Learned on Patch

We Learned: Three Arrested in Amazing Lot, New Wrestling Coach, Look Back at the Big Fire

This week, Northborough Patch talked about the arson case of 2008, profiled the new wrestling coach, and talked turkey.

It's been three years since arson took down a section of strip mall in Northborough. Take a look back to pictures of the fire, and how Brown's TV is still recovering. Tess Herdman is definitely a Whiz Kid. She landed a role in the bigtime production of A Christmas Carol at Hanover Theatre. Santo Anza, owner of SA Farms, is in the news again. This week, he was ordered to stop bringing in fill to a location in Berlin. The new Sea Dog Steak & Ale in Northborough was featured on NECN's "TV Diner" with Billy Costa. It got a great review, too. People are still talking—er, disagreeing—about issues surrounding the proposal of a wind turbine in Northborough. Discussions erupted in Northborough Patch's "You Said It" column this week. Want to add …

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A Case of Arson: Three Years Later

It's been more than three years since the most infamous Northborough arson case occurred, and some still feel its effects.

A row of antique radios that date back to the '20s sits along the wall inside Brown's TV and Appliance, above the latest models of flatscreen TVs. It's a gorgeous collection of 10 to 15 models, and an eyepiece for the store. Owner Dave Brown says it represents only a fraction of his father's original collection, lost in the infamous fire that ripped through a section of a strip mall in Northborough three years ago. "We had a much bigger and better collection," said Brown. "When it happened, my father called at three in the morning and I woke up and it was on TV and my father said, 'It doesn't like we're going to work.'" The blaze, set by arsonists who first stole scratch tickets from O'Brien's 5&10, wiped out five businesses that made up a…

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