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Farewell, Cala Foods?
The photo above was emailed to be by my husband, who’s working in San Francisco this week. So it happens on Monday. After more than sixty years as one of the most recognized names in San Francisco grocery retailing, most Cala Foods and Bell Market stores will become Delano’s IGA. Sounds vaguely like the name of a feed store, doesn’t it?
When I first moved to San Francisco, Cala stores were exactly how I’d always imagined “urban” supermarkets would be: small, old, and almost comically overpriced. Despite the fact that shopping there regularly would have bankrupted me, I always liked visiting their stores. In fact, the Cala store at 1095 Hyde Street (featured earlier here and here) was the first supermarket I ever visited in California, and it remains one of my favorite stores ever.
Safeway, Kensington MD, Circa 1949
Safeway, Kensington MD, circa 1949. This store was replaced in 1964 with an arch-roofed Marina prototype store, which was demolished last year to construct a third store at the same site. Obviously, some 1940s employee of Safeway’s real estate department made a really good call on this one.
Colonial, Winston-Salem NC, 1958
Colonial Store, 514 North Cherry Street, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Open 27 October 1938. Closed 24 May 1958. Since demolished. Photo from the now-defunct Twin City Sentinel.
Originally a Big Star, this 12,000 square foot store was widely regarded as Winston-Salem’s first self-service supermarket. It came shortly after the opening of the David Pender Grocery Company’s first Big Star supermarket in downtown Greensboro, thirty miles east.
What does this all mean? Only that I’m well into my research on the upcoming Winston-Salem section of this site. Comments and submissions welcome.
Save-Mart, Sonora Ca, 1974
Still-open Save Mart store, Sonora CA. From Dirty Mary Crazy Larry (1974).
Atlanta, 1978
Spotlight on Atlanta, Georgia. The following logos are from the 17 August 1978 issue of the Atlanta Journal and Constitution. The newspapers combined publication that day due to a blackout downtown. The actual newspaper was only four pages, but the food sections had apparently already been printed and were included in their entirety.
The Big Apple and Food Giant chains have been discussed on the Message Board.
A&P would remain a fairly major player in Atlanta until 1999, when it sold many of its stores to Publix.
Big Star, built on the foundation of Colonial Stores, was purchased by Grand Union in 1978. The Atlanta division lasted longer than the rest of Big Star, until 1992, when most of the stores were sold to A&P. Big Star also operated the food departments of Richway discount department stores, in much the same way that Colonial had operated Kmart Food stores in some areas.
Kroger is the only one of the 1978 chains to still have operations in Atlanta.
I really don’t know anything about Thriftown and Big Buy.
And we all know about Winn-Dixie. Enough said.
Kroger, Galax VA
From Galax VA, an early 1970s Kroger superstore prototype (like this one) which has been through a minimal renovation, where the lower section of its original arched canopy wasn’t removed when the center was given a new facade. The interior is the standard early 1990s red, white, and pink package that was applied to so many of these superstores, usually as their first remodeling ever.
Safeway, Federal Way WA
A 1972 Safeway prototype in Federal Way WA, courtesy of Tim Babcock. Several of these were apparently built in the area, but this is the only one with an intact exterior. It’s rumored to be closing soon.
Kwik-Chek/Winn-Dixie, Columbus GA
Thanks to Carlton Swift for this shot of a former Kwik-Chek/Winn-Dixie (and before that, King’s Market, with which I’m not familiar) in Columbus GA. It’s of perhaps my favorite vintage, the early 1950s, and it looks like it retained its original round pole sign dating back to the Kwik-Chek days.
This building was scheduled for demolition on Friday of this past week. Too bad. I’d like to have seen it in happier times.
Don’s Market, Southern California, 1972
The lovely Southern California store pictured above is where the Boyle family, of Wait Till Your Father Gets Home, shopped. This overhead shot was from 1972; I think it was taken from the third floor of a building across the street. I’m not sure of the exact location (the Boyles lived on Elm Street at the time) but I imagine it’s been torn down by now anyway.
Unless, of course, Jons took it over and simply replaced the “D” with a “J”, similar to what they’ve done with so many former Vons locations around Los Angeles.
Safeway, Somewhere in Virginia, Early 1950s
Two photos, grabbed long ago from some Virginia Tech website (I think) that show amazing early 1950s interiors from an Safeway store somewhere in Virginia. Actually, I’m betting the store itself dates from the 1940s. This pair really excites me.
Two photos, grabbed long ago from some Virginia Tech website (I think) that show amazing early 1950s interiors from an Safeway store somewhere in Virginia. Actually, I’m betting the store itself dates from the 1940s. This pair really excites me.
