American Fare

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From an anniversary brochure produced by Bruno’s stores sometime around 1989, the photo above shows one of the original American Fare stores, probably the Stone Mountain Parkway store in Atlanta. American Fare was an experimental joint venture between Bruno’s Supermarkets and Kmart, and was based on the European concept of a hypermarché, the fusion of a discount department store with a supermarket.

The first of these stores opened in Atlanta in early 1989, while the second (now abandoned, pictured below) made its debut in Charlotte later the same year. A third location opened in Jackson MS a few years later. These stores marked a return for Kmart to the business of grocery retailing after more than a decade (the company had included leased grocery departments in many of its 1960s and 1970s locations) and served as something of a trial run for the later Super Kmart stores. American Fare, however, was originally a somewhat more upscale format than Super Kmart, with a more distinctive interior design scheme, not to mention brand name apparel its successor would eliminate in favor of Kmart’s standard offerings.

Bruno’s eventually sold its interest in the three American Fare locations, which were then rolled into the Super Kmart operation. The American Fare name lived on for several years afterward as Kmart’s house brand for grocery and household items.

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One thought on “American Fare

  1. steve

    June 6, 2011 at 9:21am

    The Atlanta location sat empty for years until it was repurposed and is now the Dekalb County Schools Administrative and Industrial Complex. An excellent re-use of an enormous building.

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  2. George Brown

    July 4, 2013 at 10:25am

    I moved to Atl for 3 years in 1991 and actually worked at a stock clerk at AF in 1993 so seeing the pic of the store in Atl brings back memories…it was way ahead of it’s time and is where Wal Mart stole the concept of Super Wal Marts…i remember the upscale nature of the interior vividly and the rows and rows of cashier station which was unprecedented at that time.

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  3. Jennifer

    February 8, 2020 at 10:17pm

    I worked for southeast frozen foods and helped set up the frozen food dept. For mr.adkins and mr.Dan At Atlanta American Fare. hated to see it closed like other people it was gigantic and beautiful and way ahead of it’s time.

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  4. Joe C.

    April 12, 2022 at 10:32pm

    I would visit the Jackson, MS location as a child. I remember that it was enormous! Several years after it closed, the building became the local call center and operations for Time Warner Cable, and later Comcast. The giant parking lot became a Carmax. The Grocery Store building doesn’t appear to be occupied by Comcast any longer.

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