More regular updates can be found on Bluesky and the Message Board.
Day Trip
This beauty from the 200 block of East Front Street in Burlington NC, just a few blocks from Blanche Taylor Moore’s Kroger, undoubtedly started life as a Big Star about 1938 or so. A lot of variations on this prototype were built in the southeast in the late 1930s, and a good proportion of them have held up remarkably well. The craftsmanship and materials are a stark contrast to the cheap stucco effects on most new chain stores.
I’m also guessing the building to the left was a 1940s A&P, but I’ll save that for another post.
Also from this weekend’s long drive:
I’m saying with maybe 60% certainty that this building from downtown Yanceyville NC once housed an A&P.
This Family Dollar on South Scales Street in Reidsville NC was definitely something, probably an A&P as well, but I’m not sure. It also looks like it may have expanded into a neighboring (but built at the same time) adjacent storefront.
Groceteria on the Good Morning Show
Groceteria.com was featured on last Thursday’s Good Morning Show here in the Triad. You can watch, if you’re so inclined. For trivia’s sake, I’ll add that I interned on that show many, many years ago when I was still contemplating a broadcasting career, rather than a career designing websites for TV stations.
I know I’ve said this before, but my apologies to everyone I’ve completely ignored for the past ten days or so. You can’t imagine how overextended I’ve been between the fact that this is the busiest time of year for pretty much all my web clients and the fact that my first two weeks back in school proved a bit more hectic than I’d envisioned. Throw in one major family gathering, one part-time job, and several assorted minor crises, and you have me, as of today.
It’ll be better in about two weeks.
Randomness
Courtesy of Mike, this photo of the spooky, abandoned A&P offices in Paterson NJ shows label scars from at least two different versions of the A&P logo.
From Robby Delius, an interesting TV news shot of an early 1980s Big Star in Durham NC highlights the chain’s Grand Union era makeover.
Groceteria on Yahoo
For those of you who care, your humble host is interviewed today on Yahoo! Picks Profiles. It’s a followup to when this site was a Pick of the Week back in 2001.
Shop Groceteria.com
Allow me to introduce Shop Groceteria.com. Once inside, you can purchase books on supermarket history, movies that feature vintage store locations, and (surprise) even groceries. You can actually use this page (or the handy Amazon search box in the right column of this page) to make all your purchases from Amazon.com, and a portion of every purchase goes to support my reading and video habit this site’s lofty educational mission.
Enjoy.
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.