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.
Wilkesboro NC
I made a road trip up to Wilkesboro and North Wilkesboro on Sunday. These foothill towns have always been a little over-retailed relative to their size, because they serve a rather large, rural hinterland. The Wilkesboro area is also the birthplace both of Lowes Foods, the regional grocery retailer, and of the nationally-known Lowes Home Improvement.
I’m guessing the store in the photo above, just east of downtown North Wilkesboro, is a former A&P, but I could be wrong. The store below, located east of downtown, definitely was, though:
This one may have done some time as an A&P as well, even though it was obviously built as a Kroger. Note the revamped pole sign sporting A&P’s Sav-a-Center logo , probably from the late 1980s:
The Sav-a-Center inset photo is by Groceteria reader Thom Wright, by the way.
The following, from downtown Wilkesboro, strikes me as a likely Piggly Wiggly location, but I have no evidence to back that up:
Last on the tour is a remodeled, but seemingly rather old (and definitely very small) Lowes Foods on old US 421:
Shameless Pandering
So it’s that time of year again: the moment when I offer you the vulgar yet subtle reminder that, ummm, my birthday is this Friday.
Updates
More updates, as I bring older sections of the site “up to code” and add new photos and other information:
- Alpha Beta (new photos and a new 1945 location list)
- Piggly Wiggly (new photos)
- Winn-Dixie (new photos)
- Sacramento (new photos)
- Grand Union (new photos, new history)
Lucky Is Back
Now here’s a site that warms my heart. Another San Francisco store (one that was originally designed as a Lucky but opened as an Albertsons) reclaims its rightful and historically significant brand name. Photo courtesy of my betrothed who’s working in San Francisco this week.
Updates
Lots of updates today. I’ve reworked the following pages and added entirely new galleries with lots of new photos. This is part of my effort to standardize the format of all the store and city features (and to add new photos):
- Colonial Stores (lots of new photos)
- Fresno (this is mostly just a reorganization)
To match the format of the newer city features, I’ve added full location spreadsheets in the following sections. This should make it easier to track locations over time. Updated location lists are:
More to come.
Apologies
My apologies to anyone who’s contacted me over the past couple of weeks and received no reply. A couple of big family issues have taken my attention away from the site temporarily. I should be back in touch soon. Thanks for your patience.
Updates
Above: Safeway, Little Rock AR. Courtesy Robby Delius.
I’m in the process (finally) of updating the Safeway section of the site. It’s one of the oldest sections of the site, much of it dating back to 1999 and 2000, so it’s desperately in need of an update to include lots of new information. If you’d like to add anything or have suggestions, please let me know.
Update: lots of good information on Big Chain in Shreveport (mentioned last week) has been added in this message board thread.
Big Chain Stores, Shreveport LA
Big Chain, Jewella Avenue at Lakeshore, Shreveport LA.
This store has intrigued me for years, ever since I first saw this photo in Shopping Centers: Design and Operation (1950, Baker and Funaro). Not only is it a beautiful building, but it’s part of a chain I know next to nothing about.
A quick scan of Google Maps suggests that the store is still standing, although I imagine it’s somewhat altered. I believe it may currently house a Goodwill store. There was also at least one more branch, apparently also still standing, at Youree and Albert.
And that’s the sum total of my knowledge of Big Chain stores in Shreveport.
Miscellaneou
Random stuff for Friday afternoon:
First, for those of you who are feeling particularly upper midwestern today, here’s a site full of Red Owl photos.
Second, this beautiful Safeway on Pioneer Avenue in Cheyenne WY comes courtesy of Bobby Magill. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Safeway quite like it. Maybe we’ll call this prototype “Safeway Ranch”.
And last but not least, there’s this interior shot of a former Co-op Market in Ridgefield NJ, courtesy of Mike. I crave to be in this (apparently very well-preserved) store.
A&P, New Orleans
Sad but not unexpected: A&P is trying to unload is one last connection with the southeast. They abandoned most of the region in the 1990s, but somehow held on to that whole Gulf Coast operation. When Katrina hit, I knew it was doomed.
Included in the transaction would be the French Quarter branch in New Orleans, which is not only the oldest continuously-operating A&P store, but most likely the oldest continuously-operating branch of any major US chain.
The store above, located on Magazine Street, dates from the mid-1960s, and is also still open under the A&P banner, rather than the Sav-a-Center name used in most of the region.