More regular updates can be found on Bluesky and the Message Board.
The turning point (or something)
A philosophical post about the future direction of the site…
I’ve decided that the site will henceforth focus more on the store location histories and commercial archaeology aspect of things rather than on specific chain histories. I’ve been sort of focused in that direction for quite a while now anyway, so I guess this just means I’m making it more “official.” The location research has become the part I really enjoy anyway, and the chain histories are being done better in other places (heck, even Wikipedia, in some cases), so this seems like a logical way to proceed.
Upstate New York Road Trip: Albany
In case you don’t follow on Twitter (and you should), I thought I would backtrack and add archived posts from the road. I may change my mind and decide this is a stupid idea. Who knows?
Latest additions

Former Loblaws, Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo.
New and expanded location lists:
- Buffalo NY, 1925-2005: Now includes suburban areas and also includes listings from 1960-2005. This is a major expansion.
- Rochester NY, 1925-2005: New list.
- Erie PA: New list.
- Toronto ON: Added 1925 locations.
There’s also this nifty new map to show you the geographic reach of the site.
Look for Twitter updates as I head for Southern Ontario in just a few weeks.
Capital Region and Niagara Falls added
Big new additions: location lists for Schenectady and Troy NY, and also updated Niagara Falls and Albany lists (through 2005). Photos coming soon as are new sections for Buffalo, Rochester, and Erie PA.
Newest additions
More new location lists for you amusement:
More location lists
More new location lists:
I have a lot more of these to add, but also hope to start adding photos again soon too.
Updates: Orange County, Boise, Portland, and more
Latest arrivals on the site:
- Albuquerque location list, 1929-1959
- Boise location list, 1925-1960
- Orange County (CA) location lists, 1925-1975 (years vary)
- Santa Monica/West LA location list, 1927-1954
- Miscellaneous Los Angeles County location lists
- Portland (ME) location list, 1925-1964
- Peterborough, Ontario location list, 1925-1965
Updated:
- Los Angeles location list
Now includes some San Fernando Valley data as well as San Pedro
More new stuff
The updates continue, although it’s mostly smaller ones this time around. In the background, I’ve also been actively tagging photos to add in the coming months.
The latest:
- Atlantic City NJ Location List, 1925-1957 (new)
- Santa Cruz County CA Location List (new)
- Monterey County CA Location List (new)
- Visalia/Tulare CA Location List, 1934-1980 (new)
- Columbus OH Location List (updated)
- Gastonia NC Location List (updated)
- Concord NC Location List (updated)
Also, I’m about to embark on my annual autumn trip to Canada. I’ll be in Toronto and maybe either Ottawa or somewhere in Southern Ontario. Follow me on on Twitter for updates!
The latest scoop
(Source unidentified.)
Updates and upgrades continue. I have recently added or updated the following location lists and the site is starting to develop a geographic range that far exceeds its borders from a few years back:
- Glendale and Burbank (new)
- Denver (new)
- New Haven (new)
- Hartford (new)
- Fayetteville (major update)
- Durham (major update)
So what else is happening?
To start, I’ve been going through several years worth of (sadly neglected) photos, getting them tagged and organized so that I can add the best ones to the site via the flickr page. Many of you have sent me amazing pictures over the past few years and with everything that was going on in my life, I was sort of unable to do much with them. That is about to change. I have a huge backlog of images from Terry in Oklahoma City (covering much of the county) and from readers in New York/New Jersey, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Chicago, among others. I really want to get them under control locally first, but I should be able to start adding them in a few weeks. I have almost 15000 photos to go through.
I also hope to start doing more history narratives and linking to online resources such as digitized library and archival collections, as well as adding some of the text-based material I have collected (or at least the portion of that material that copyright law will permit me to post). Some Safeway employee magazines will be part of that. I’m also tagging and organizing several thousand articles.
The Message Board is getting more active again (and is accepting new registrations again) and you can always get the latest via Twitter. I have also considered doing a Facebook page, but I sort of feel like that ship has sailed now. If there’s interest, though, I will still consider it.
More new stuff!

Save-Mart, Yosemite Boulevard, Modesto (1999)
The parade of new content marches on:
- Modesto and Turlock CA locations (1925-1985)
- Pasadena CA locations (1925-1971)
- Santa Rosa CA locations (1925-1979)
- Vallejo CA locations (1930-1980)
- Oklahoma City locations (1930-1955)
I’m also working on getting a lot of new photos added, but there are a few issues I have to address first.
Don’t forget @GroceteriaWeb on Twitter for the latest updates as well as live photo tweets when I’m on the road!




