After fighting in the Civil War and marrying in 1872, Edward W. Packard joined, circa 1875, Solomon Burt to open a grocery store, Solomon & Burt, in the Village Square. Edward’s brother, Eugene, soon joined the business. By 1879, the Packard brothers had opened their own store in the nearby Colonnade Building. By 1881, they had four employees listed in the Brookline directory, possibly those seen in the photo – the two Packard brothers, Emerson C. Ball, and Frank A. Morse. The business closed in early 1886.
incl. Streets

[Courtesy of the Digital Commonwealth (CC BY-NC-ND). From the Brookline Photograph Collection published by the Public Library of Brookline]