Nobrega’s Discount House on the Parkway in Chelsea has been the go-to place for home
décor over the past 40 years, but the family business will close for good this Saturday.
Pictured here (left to right) are Robert Nobrega, Ruth Nobrega, Cristina Chiquillo, Anandy
Enamorado, Jorge Chiquillo, Nelda Velez and Jorge Benitez.
For residents seeking fabric items and home furnishings at reasonable prices, Nobrega’s Discount House stood as Chelsea’s premier destination for decades.
This weekend marks the end of an era for the family enterprise, which operated for 60 years overall and spent the last 43 years serving the Chelsea community before shuttering its doors.
The storefront has occupied a prominent spot along the Parkway near Route 1, where its thoughtfully arranged window displays showcased the newest offerings in bedspreads and drapes—a visual trademark that made the business instantly recognizable to passersby.
Saturday will be the final day of operations.
“My kids went in other directions and into other businesses,” explained Robert Nobrega, who has managed the Chelsea location since its 1970 opening. “Other family members also went in other directions. I haven’t been feeling all that well and it was just time. However, I had no one to pass this on to. That’s the main reason I’m closing is I have no one to pass the business to. I tried and just couldn’t make it happen. So, it’s time to close.”
The Chelsea store’s real estate will transition to Metro Credit Union, situated just across the Parkway, as part of their growth initiative. Office space and parking facilities will occupy the former Nobrega’s site, with Metro also planning to acquire and develop the adjacent Prattville Pizza location on Washington Avenue.
The Nobrega family’s retail journey began in Cambridge during 1948 when Joseph and Mary Nobrega—Robert’s mother and father—launched their home fabrics operation. For many years the business flourished, until a destructive fire in 1997 permanently closed that location.
According to Nobrega, the family chose Chelsea after frequently passing the Parkway property during their commute home, recognizing commercial potential in the area that remained untapped.
The Chelsea store launched in 1970 as a result.
“It was an ideal location here because everyone saw us when they went by going to New Hampshire, to the Beach or to the airport,” Nobrega remarked. “We took the chance in Chelsea because we were doing really well in Cambridge at the time. We lived in Nahant and drove by all the time. There used to be a gas station here, but it closed. My dad would always say what a great location it was and how you couldn’t miss with this location. So, we took the chance and it paid off.”
The store earned widespread recognition for its bedspread inventory during an era when these items were essential home furnishings. Customers purchasing bedspreads typically invested in coordinating curtains and complementary accessories, fueling steady demand from throughout the region.
Communities including Revere, Everett, Winthrop and surrounding areas provided a steady customer base that sustained the business through its prosperous years.
“We had very good customers and our employees were great, all well trained and helpful,” Nobrega stated. “Customers knew they would get great help and would get what they wanted here. We were very competitive. I shopped around and my father and mother did as well. We made sure to give people good choices and competitive prices. That was really the key.”
As large retailers grew in power, American manufacturers faced displacement, causing bedspreads to decline in popularity and fundamentally altering the retail landscape. This shift created significant difficulties for independent shops like Nobrega’s.
“Now, it’s almost impossible to get a bedspread,” Nobrega noted. “Most every manufacturer in the U.S. went out of business and everyone imports comforters instead. If the big stores won’t buy it, they won’t ship it to you. You have to find somebody to ship it over. The smaller companies like me were forced to buy similar items…That changed the whole business and killed the bedspread industry – putting a lot of people out of business and giving headaches to retails like me.”
Family health challenges prompted Nobrega to seek a buyer during the preceding three years. When earlier negotiations failed to materialize, he eventually reached an agreement with Metro Credit Union in recent weeks.
According to Nobrega, operations will cease on Saturday, July 6th, with property transfer scheduled for July 13th.
“It has been a pleasure serving our customers all these years and trying to help them out,” Nobrega concluded. “After being in business 60 years, you get to know a lot of people.”