Updated 20 June 2026 (Originally published 10 March 2020)
Richmond/Petersburg has been a major outpost for A&P, Colonial Stores, and Safeway over the years, with a few Food Fairs thrown in for good measure plus major local chain called Ukrops (later Martin’s and now Publix) and defunct regional chain Farm Fresh. This is one of my most heavily researched sections. I’ll be adding a timeline shortly.
I found your site because I do a weekly post about etymology for my university. This week was “grocer.” I love grocery stores and linked back to your site. I worked at Food Fair / Pantry Pride in the late 70s / Early 80s. My dad was a produce wholesaler to many stores in Tidewater and, when he delivered produce in a truck, Richmond. If you need information on the Food Fairs in Richmond, let me know. I know the locations and fate of three of them.
There was a Safeway in Tapphannnock, VA about 40 minutes from Richmond to the NE and an A&P that was just demolished to make way for a park in Warsaw, VA 5 minutes from Tappahannock. The Warsaw A&P closed by the mid 80s because I worked there but for the local brand that replaced it. Safeway was in Tappahannock for a while. It was in the new Shopping Center constructed when McDonald’s came to the area in the mid 70s. The old Safeway building is still standing today, but used as a Storage Space.
Kroger entered the Richmond and Hampton Roads areas in 2000. Looking forward to seeing the Richmond section updated. Great website!
Thanks! I plan to do Richmond soon. It’s been on hold for some strange reasons that no longer appy. Look for it this summer!