Spag - His Life and Legacy - by Michael Perna Jr (Paperback)

About the Book

From the time he was six years old, it was apparent that Anthony "Spag" Borgatti was destined to become a successful businessman. Starting off by helping out at his parent's store, he then moved on to selling gum on the Boston and Worcester trolleys. As he grew older, he started working for the Fuller Brush Company, selling door to door, then set out on his own by borrowing $35 from his mother to buy some fireworks to sell - which he did, making a huge profit!

He soon opened his own business - the Shrewsbury Tire and Battery Company, located in a building owned by his parents on Route 9 in Shrewsbury, MA. The rest, as the saying goes, is history - Spag went on to become a hugely successful entrepreneur, with his business growing larger and larger over the years. By 1954, he was a millionaire!

Spag's became known throughout the area and beyond - people travelled from all over to shop there for the bargains!

Spag himself passed away in 1996, however his three daughters carried the business on for six more years until it was sold to Building 19. The store closed in 2006 and was torn down in 2016 to make was for the Lakeway Commons complex.

It is hoped, by documenting Spag and his legacy, that not only those who still remember shopping at Spag's, but future generations will enjoy reading about the man himself, his family, and the amazing success story of Spag's!

Book Synopsis

From the time he was six years old, it was apparent that Anthony "Spag"Borgatti was destined to become a successful businessman. Starting off by helping out at his parent's store, he then moved on to selling gum on the Boston and Worcester trolleys. As he grew older, he started working for the Fuller Brush Company, selling door to door, then set out on his own by borrowing $35 from his mother to buy some fireworks to sell - which he did, making a huge profit!
He soon opened his own business - the Shrewsbury Tire and Battery Company, located in a building owned by his parents on Route 9 in Shrewsbury, MA. The rest, as the saying goes, is history - Spag went on to become a hugely successful entrepreneur, with his business growing larger and larger over the years. By 1954, he was a millionaire!
Spag's became known throughout the area and beyond - people travelled from all over to shop there for the bargains!
Spag himself passed away in 1996, however his three daughters carried the business on for six more years until it was sold to Building 19. The store closed in 2006 and was torn down in 2016 to make way for the Lakeway Commons complex.
It is hoped, by documenting Spag and his Legacy, that, not only those who still remember shopping at Spag's, but future generations will enjoy reading about the man himself, his family, and the amazing success story of Spag's!

About the Author

Michael Perna Jr. is a local historian, author, and newspaper columnist specializing in the history of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts and Lake Quinsigamond. He is the author of six books and has written over 1,000 articles for local newspapers on these topics.

He is a past president of the Shrewsbury Historical Society, the former Shrewsbury Town Historian, and a former member of both the Shrewsbury Historic District Commission and the Shrewsbury Historical Commission.

He has assisted in the creation of local history displays for the Shrewsbury Public Library, Major Howard Beal Elementary School, Shrewsbury Fire and Police Departments, and most notably, the Kenneth Burns Memorial Bridge at Lake Quinsigamond.

He served in the Massachusetts Air National Guard for 36 years, retiring as a Senior Master Sergeant, and then served as the Chief of Military Records for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for 20 years.

He is a life-long resident of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, where he lives with his wife Sandy.