New York area: Waldbaums (Safeway?)

Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Moderator: Groceteria

Transit Road
Contributor
Posts: 53
Joined: 30 Aug 2006 05:47

Post by Transit Road »

Even though Shop Rite looks like a unified chain, it is actually a co-op (Wakefern Food Corporation) which maintains a unified advertising and branding campaign - The "Can-Can Sale" is one example of the branding. Shop Rite stores in the NYC Metro Area, Hudson Valley/Catskil regions, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Philadelphia areas share the branding and marketing, but individual stores are owned by 43 member companies that individually own and operate supermarkets under the Shop Rite banner.

Big V Supermarkets was the member company in Orange, Sullivan, Ulster, and Dutchess counties in New York State and ran stores in this area. However, a few years ago they declared bankruptcy and Shop Rite/Wakefern did not want to lose the sales volume - and therefore manufacturers' discounts, so the co-op bought the remaining assets of member company Big V Supermarkets.

For Shop Rite's history, click on this link http://www.shoprite.com/ShopRiteYesterday.aspx
For Shop Rite's current information click here http://www.shoprite.com/ShopRiteToday.aspx

Victory Supermarkets in upstate New York were not part of this company.
User avatar
TheStranger
Veteran
Posts: 719
Joined: 18 Sep 2006 01:26
Location: California

Post by TheStranger »

Edric Floyd wrote:
I don't know if this helps, but I have one elderly aunt living in Queens, NY since the late 1950's and I just had the nerve to call and ask her if she remembered Safeway.

She confirmed that there was a Safeway on Kissena Blvd in Flushing Queens that she would occasionally shop at in the early 1960's. (She thinks 62 or 63 when she lived five blocks away) I know that store today is a Kissena Farms market. It is an odd shaped curved building. And the store was boarded up for many years. (there is a Pathmark directly behind it. A former Waldbaums that probably opened in the 1970's)

That Kissena Safeway was the only one she knew of since she never had a car. She moved to another area in Queens (East Elmhurst) and lived there for 30 years and rarely shopped outside of her neighborhood unless driven to a large Pathmark by relatives. She could not recall the Waldbaums that I was asking about. She currently lives near that Kissena Farms store.

I guess I have a project when I make my next trip to visit my aunt. Hell, she's gonna send me out shopping anyway. (she always does!)
Here's the Live Local shot of that store:

http://local.live.com/?v=2&sp=Point.qsn ... d%20States___
Transit Road wrote:I have seen photos of a former non-Marina Safeway, turned FINAST, and I believe currently a Stop & Shop at the corner of US Route 9 (Broadway) and NY 119 (White Plains Road) in Tarrytown, NY.
Googlemaps overhead:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q ... 9&t=k&om=1
Transit Road wrote:Also, I believe there was a Marina Safeway on Dolson Ave. in Middletown, NY. When I found it, the store was being used as a carpet store, but still had the Safeway "S" over mint green paint on the "wings". At the time - 1977 - 1987, it was unusual to see the Safeway logo so far outside of then-current Safeway territory.
Is it this building...

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q ... 4&t=k&om=1

Or this one...

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q ... 4&t=k&om=1

Or this one...

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q ... 4&t=k&om=1

None of them seem to have the two-part roof from overhead, though not all Marina stores had a multi-element roof. So I'm not sure if there ever was a marina in this town...
Chris Sampang
BillyGr
Veteran
Posts: 196
Joined: 10 Feb 2006 22:35
Location: Upstate NY

Post by BillyGr »

Transit Road wrote:Even though Shop Rite looks like a unified chain, it is actually a co-op (Wakefern Food Corporation) which maintains a unified advertising and branding campaign - The "Can-Can Sale" is one example of the branding. Shop Rite stores in the NYC Metro Area, Hudson Valley/Catskil regions, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Philadelphia areas share the branding and marketing, but individual stores are owned by 43 member companies that individually own and operate supermarkets under the Shop Rite banner.

Big V Supermarkets was the member company in Orange, Sullivan, Ulster, and Dutchess counties in New York State and ran stores in this area. However, a few years ago they declared bankruptcy and Shop Rite/Wakefern did not want to lose the sales volume - and therefore manufacturers' discounts, so the co-op bought the remaining assets of member company Big V Supermarkets.

For Shop Rite's history, click on this link http://www.shoprite.com/ShopRiteYesterday.aspx
For Shop Rite's current information click here http://www.shoprite.com/ShopRiteToday.aspx

Victory Supermarkets in upstate New York were not part of this company.
Let me add that Big V also included Columbia & Greene Counties.

There were Shop Rite stores further north in NY (Albany, Rensselaer counties, even up to Glens Falls at one time) - not sure if they were part of Big V also or a separate company. They all closed down in the late 80's/early 90's, and for a time several re-opened as Great American stores.
User avatar
Groceteria
Great Pumpkin
Posts: 1927
Joined: 04 Nov 2005 12:13
Location: In the breakroom
Contact:

Post by Groceteria »

The Safeway NY/PA discussion has been split into a separate topic here:

http://www.groceteria.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=795
RobJC
Contributor
Posts: 21
Joined: 23 Nov 2006 00:07

Shop Rite in Queens

Post by RobJC »

There was a Shop Rite in Lefrak City (Rego Park/Corona) on the Long Island Expressway in the early 70s. That same store changed names a lot. It was a Food Town, Food Fair, Red Apple and a Shop Rite. The building is gone and it's now a "BP" gas station and a smaller building housing several smaller stores.
RobJC
Contributor
Posts: 21
Joined: 23 Nov 2006 00:07

Safeway in Queens

Post by RobJC »

I am a Waldbaums nut. The store your asking about was always a Waldbaums (it used to be #143). My memories start in the early 70s. Waldbaums had a bunch of stores with the curved roof. Waldbaums did take over a bunch of Finasts in the 70s, the one I remember is in Forest Hills. The Finast burned down and Waldbaums rebuilt the store.
RobJC
Contributor
Posts: 21
Joined: 23 Nov 2006 00:07

Safeway on Kissena

Post by RobJC »

Edric Floyd wrote: She confirmed that there was a Safeway on Kissena Blvd in Flushing Queens that she would occasionally shop at in the early 1960's. (She thinks 62 or 63 when she lived five blocks away) I know that store today is a Kissena Farms market. It is an odd shaped curved building. And the store was boarded up for many years. (there is a Pathmark directly behind it. A former Waldbaums that probably opened in the 1970's)

To start, I was born in '65 so I can't answer to the Safeway at this location. However, the odd shaped curved building that is now Kissena Farms was an "Olinsky's" supermarket. They were a small chain of 20+ stores that died out as the older owners died. I worked for "Olinsky's" at their store in Rego Park in '78. At that time they had 5 left, Kissena Blvd., Rego Park and three in the Bronx.

The Pathmark you talk about was built as a Waldbaums in the '70s (this was store #76), it changed to Pathmark in mid-90s.

<<<Edited by moderator to properly frame quoted material. Please read this post for info on how to quote messages.>>>
Jared
Contributor
Posts: 69
Joined: 01 Mar 2006 23:47
Location: PA

Post by Jared »

I know the store you are talking about. My grandparents live a few blocks away, and I've been in there a few times. Also, that pathmark next door was a waldbuams as well as a few others threw the years. There's also another store of the same style with a rounded roof and is still a waldbuams. It's on Hollis Court Blv and LIE service road. It's next to the first overpass after the LIE[495] and 295 intersect. It's a few overpasses down from the north blv store.
Jared
Contributor
Posts: 69
Joined: 01 Mar 2006 23:47
Location: PA

Re: New York area: Waldbaums (Safeway?)

Post by Jared »

That pathmark with the round roof (right next door to kassina farms which was safeway) has just closed for good. They have a lease with the owner till 2019 but if they cannot find someone to sub lease it too, it will stay empty till then.
Edric Floyd
Veteran
Posts: 206
Joined: 27 Dec 2005 02:21
Location: Warner Robins, Georgia
Contact:

Re: New York area: Waldbaums (Safeway?)

Post by Edric Floyd »

Jared wrote:That pathmark with the round roof (right next door to kassina farms which was safeway) has just closed for good. They have a lease with the owner till 2019 but if they cannot find someone to sub lease it too, it will stay empty till then.
I was visting my Aunt for her 83rd birthday May 31st and I discovered the store was closed. She lives three blocks from the store and there is another market (Met) plus the Kissena Farms. But she did fuss about the loss of the PathMark. She told me that a new store was supposed to be built in that location.

I was too busy to pay attention to any markets during my less than two day stay but I noticed something was unusual and dark about that street where the Pathmark was as I drove past at night.

BTW: That round roof was hard to see from the front as it was disguised by Walbaums at least in the very early 1980's. Pathmark didn't do any major renovations to the facade only placing their sinage in the center while as Walbaums, the front sinage was small lettering in the lower corner of the front.

The interior of the store had no indication of the building having a round roof.


AS for the store that started THIS thread, I drove past it on Sunday. Its still intact as in the photos originally posted.
Jared
Contributor
Posts: 69
Joined: 01 Mar 2006 23:47
Location: PA

Re: New York area: Waldbaums (Safeway?)

Post by Jared »

AP isn't putting a new store up in this location, and will stay empty.
That other waldbuams is a nice store inside ! and does good business
Edric Floyd
Veteran
Posts: 206
Joined: 27 Dec 2005 02:21
Location: Warner Robins, Georgia
Contact:

Re: New York area: Waldbaums (Safeway?)

Post by Edric Floyd »

Jared wrote:AP isn't putting a new store up in this location, and will stay empty.
That other waldbuams is a nice store inside ! and does good business
The store has a new tenant, a "Super Associated" market opened in mid June. I traveled to the area on June 25 to assist my 80something year old aunt as she lives blocks from the store. She talked about the store (I didn't ask, she volunteered) and said the new store was nicer than the old Pathmark. The building was empty for about a month.

I don't know what the interior looks like but the exterior has a fresh coat of paint and it looked like the sinage was painted on the exterior. I doubt that it was really paintedbut looked that way from a distance. The lettering is HUGE and looks a bit tacky. But the building was quickly reopened with another tenant.
RobJC
Contributor
Posts: 21
Joined: 23 Nov 2006 00:07

Re: New York area: Waldbaums (Safeway?)

Post by RobJC »

My guess is if it had a round roof, it could have been a Hills. Waldbaum's bought 10 of the stores (Hills) in 1978 according to wikepedia.
Edric Floyd
Veteran
Posts: 206
Joined: 27 Dec 2005 02:21
Location: Warner Robins, Georgia
Contact:

Re: New York area: Waldbaums (Safeway?)

Post by Edric Floyd »

I was just inside the Associated supermarket that replaced the former Pathmark/waldbaums. I was in the store on August 16th and other than new "Associated" market sinage, the interior is doesn't seem any different than the former Pathmark which I was in on another visit to NY earlier this year shopping with my elderly aunt who lives nearby.

The ONLY noticeable difference was the produce area seemed slightly updated with the feel of a Whole Foods. Also a Queens County Savings Bank branch is still operating in the store. It was there during the Pathmark days as well.
RobJC
Contributor
Posts: 21
Joined: 23 Nov 2006 00:07

Re: New York area: Waldbaums (Safeway?)

Post by RobJC »

Edric Floyd wrote: The ONLY noticeable difference was the produce area seemed slightly updated with the feel of a Whole Foods..
That's the new "Super Associated". They were created in response to the A&P/Waldbaum "Fresh" stores. There's one in Jersey City owned by Morton Williams, nice store, but expensive. No one beats Shop-Rite's prices.
Post Reply