As most everyone knows, Abington is a pretty old town (302 on her next birthday) and has a very extensive history. Along with that comes some very old buildings including the one where Martin’s Restaurant resides. The building has been around since the mid-1800s, and has always been used as a place of business. These businesses included a stage coach stop and boarding house, a cobble shop, a tailor/dress store, a barber shop, a bakery and a luncheonette.

Martin’s has been owned by my family since 1945. Before my great grandfather, Carlo Villa, bought the restaurant, it was owned by a man with the first name of Martin, hence the name. It was actually a bakery. In 1945, when Carlo bought the business, there were three store fronts, including the bakery, a cobble shop and a second hand dress shop/tailor. At first my great grandfather stayed true to the business’s roots and left it as a bakery. Then in 1957 there was a fire in the cobble shop. Carlo then bought that section of the building and extended his business from a bakery to a bakery and luncheonette.

Around the same time the dress shop moved to a different location and was turned into a barbershop. The barbershop was owned by Dave Nisby, and has since changed its location to directly across the street. That change occurred in 1979. When this happened Carlo proceeded to buy the whole building and extended his luncheonette to a full restaurant with a bakery.  The business was best known for its cake, cookies, and breakfast. In fact, John F. Kennedy stopped by in 1953 to enjoy some breakfast. He was a United States Senator at the time.

By the late 1990s the business had lost touch with it’s bakery portion and started to focus on the luncheonette. Martin’s is still doing very well, and is currently owned by my great uncle, Fred Villa. Martin’s is now best known for its large pancakes and loved by many regular patrons and Abington residents.