These are the latest blog updates. Click on the title to read the full article.
More regular updates can be found on the Bluesky/a> and the Message Board.
Miscellaneous Updates/Lots of Photos
Now that I have the shell of the new site done, I’m in the process of adding new content. Most of that, for now, is going to be photos, because I have too much other stuff going on right now to concentrate on writing. Look for the beginnings of my Pittsburgh section soon (Ive completed the preliminary address list) and maybe that new history of Safeway one of these days.
Today, though, I have added nice new flickr-generated photo galleries for the following:
I’m going to rework and update the old galleries like these (lots of new photos involved) first and then start adding new galleries.
Enjoy.
Thanks to Wayne Henderson for the Big Star photo above, which is of the now-demolished downtown Raleigh store.
Toronto Photos Posted
I’ve posted a section of Toronto store photos including a bunch from my trip last week. There’s not much commentary. If someone is interested in writing something, I’m very interested in letting them.
Metro (former Grand Union), 15 Ellesmere Road, Toronto ON
This is a beautiful Toronto area store that has apparently been nominated as a historic property. Located at Parkway Mall in suburban Scarborough, the store opened in 1958 as a Grand Union, and has since operated as Steinberg’s, Miracle Food Mart, Dominion, and now Metro.
A&P, 5130 Butler Street, Pittsburgh PA
This lovely storefront served as the A&P branch for my new part-time neighborhood, Pittsburgh’s Upper Lawrenceville, from at least 1925-1955. It’s presented here tonight more for symbolic purposes, as a means of announcing that I’ve begun my Pittsburgh research. I’ve compiled a first draft of addresses through 1980, but I’m still entering them into a spreadsheet. I’ve got A&P, Kroger, Giant Eagle, Loblaw’s/Del Farm, Streamline/Thorofare, Butler’s, Ondek’s, and many more.
In fact, it looks like Pittsburgh will prove to be even more interesting than San Francisco was; I’m only done with data entry through 1945, and I already have 935 addresses, as opposed to about 600 for the entire 1928-1999 period in San Francisco.
Anyway, I’ll keep you updated. It will be a while before there’s a proper new section, since I’m still working on updating the rest of the site following the move to WordPress as well. But look for some Pittsburgh photos (including some vintage ones) to start popping up here soon. And if you have anything to contribute, please let me know.
Kroger, Smithers WV
Another of the several very old Kroger locations still operating in West Virginia. This one is in a town along the Kanawha River. It’s had some (rather unfortunate) remodeling, but is still obviously a 1950s vintage store.
Kroger, Clarksburg WV
This one’s an interesting specimen. It obviously dates from the late 1950s or early 1960s, and was given some sort of “superstore” retrofit in the 1970s. But the original sign stayed, and then the whole building was eventually painted a nice, bland beige. The interior is the slightly cheesy teal “millenium” package that every Kroger in West Virginia seems to have. I think the layout has been altered from the original as well.
It amazes me how many of these smaller and older stores are still operating in parts of West Virginia and Ohio. I’m travelling I-77, I-79, and US 19 a lot these days, since I’m sort of living in Pittsburgh part time now, and I’m seeing a lot of these as I try to vary my commutes between Winston-Salem and da ‘Burgh. I may be posting a few more examples this week.
Raleigh Section Added
I’ve added a new section on the history of stores in Raleigh NC. It’s not as comprehensive as some of my past city features have been, but I may expand it. It currently features a brief history and a photo gallery, plus the obligatory location spreadsheet. Enjoy.
Welcome to the New & Improved Groceteria.com
The very first seed of Groceteria.com was planted ten years ago this weekend, when I posted on one of my other sites about old Safeway locations in San Francisco. In observation of this milestone (and because it’s just time), I’m rolling out the newest incarnation of the site today.
Groceteria is now a database-driven site, using WordPress and several other tools, and this should help me to get the content flowing more quickly in coming months. My apologies for the slow pace while I’ve been working on this upgrade. And be forewarned that I’m still working on it, so things may be a little messy for a while.
Here are some new features:
- You can now subscribe to the “blog” (I hate that word) and get the latest site updates. You can also add comments.
- The image galleries will be connected with my Flickr account. I’m still working on this, but it will ultimately allow quicker updates, and you’ll also be able to subscribe to my feed there.
- I may also add a page made up of other interesting photo and blog feeds. Let me know if you’re interested in having yours added.
I’ve been running most of my other sites in a PHP environment for a long time, but converting this monster has been frightening me for a good year or more. Please let me know what you think and also if you find something that isn’t working.
Now that the structure is more or less done, the content should follow pretty quickly.
Safeway Superstores Ad
Great 1984 commercial for Safeway Super Stores found on YouTube.
The redesign and re-platforming of Groceteria.com continues, and I actually see it being compete within a few weeks, and definitely in time for the site’s ten-year anniversary in July.
Safeway UK
A great photo of a 1960s Safeway in Blackfen, in southeast London, sent to me by Nic Ayling. It’s rare to find photos of UK Safeway stores from this era. He also included some interiors (of a different store, I believe) that demonstrate how Safeway was using more or less the same designs on both sides of the Atlantic in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
