This is a list of all chain grocery locations my research has uncovered in Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, and Piedmont between 1921 and 1980/1999, compiled from city directories, telephone books, and other sources. There may be some omissions due to incomplete or missing data, etc. and I welcome suggestions and corrections. Please read about my methodology for more information about what I do and do not include.
Read more about how this particular page came to be after twenty-plus years.
View and download a copy of this location spreadsheet via Google Sheets.
Notes:
- No city directories were published for Oakland between 1943 and 1967, so newspaper ads became the primary source for this data.
- Safeway apparently operated its MacMarr and Piggly Wiggly brands a little longer in Oakland than in San Francisco.
Store tags:
- Albertsons
- Andronico’s/Park & Shop
- Co-Op
- Hagstrom’s
- Jenny Wren
- Lee Bros
- Louis Stores
- Lucky Stores
- Mayfair Markets
- Mutual/MacMarr
- P&X
- Piggly Wiggly
- Safeway
Related:
- San Francisco Chain Grocery/Supermarket Locations, 1921-1999
- Local Wiki: Pon Honor Stores
- Local Wiki: Hagstrom’s
- Local Wiki: Jenny Wren
Updated on 26 November 2022
Dave Holbrook
February 24, 2022 at 9:28pmI have a 1950s photo of an old Safeway store that has been located at 1991 University Ave in East Palo Alto, there from 1937 til 1959. The building then became a liquor store but was demo’d in 1993 to make room for the large Four Seasons/ office development adjacent to & just west of the 101 Bayshore freeway. It’s a great pic, but you’ve got to tell me how to get it to you. I found the location from a historical resource survey that had been done for EPA in the late 1980s.