For the first post after Acme Style's summer break, we'll be taking a look at several of the A&P and Pathmarks that will be converted to Acme in the coming months. The focus is on the stores that line the Hudson River starting in Jersey City and heading north to Fort Lee. All are a stone's throw from the river and about half have great views of New York City right from the parking lot. This will be a whole new area for Acme. Each location currently does very good business even with all the troubles A&P has had over the past few years. We'll start with the most southern location in Jersey City on 18th street...
JERSEY CITY A&P
Location: 125 18th St, Jersey City, NJ
Check out One World Trade tower off in the distance! This store is just a few blocks from the river. It started out as a Waldbaum's in the late 80's and was later converted to an A&P. It retained its original interior until the fresh remodel in the mid 2000's. This area has been exploding with residential towers since the early 2000's. Not sure why A&P took as long as they did to remodel the place since the store was clearly not living up to its potential. There is a large, extremely unpleasant, ShopRite just a few blocks away at the Newport Mall. Once the extensive remodel was complete here, business exploded! The store was jam packed on the weekends to the point where they had to bring in additional portable registers. Things have died down since then but it is still are very successful store. You can find plenty of reviews on yelp where people say they prefer shopping here over the ShopRite even though A&P's prices are higher.
The store has the second version of the "fresh" remodel.
I think it's safe to say one of the first things Acme is going to do in these fresh stores is replace the lighting. The permitter of this store is particularly dark.
Frozen Foods were relocated from the center of the store to the left side during the remodel.
Acme is also acquiring the Stadium Plaza Pathmark which is on the western side of Jersey City. It's not a terribly unique location and also not one that's easy to travel to from where I live so it it not featured in this post.
HOBOKEN A&P
Location: 614 Clinton St, Hoboken, NJ
The Hoboken A&P is one of the smallest of all the locations in this area. Prior to ShopRite coming to Hoboken, this place used to be pretty high volume. Tons of shoppers are within easy walking distance.
Liquor department to the left of the entrance. As you'll see, this place is pretty cramped.
I wonder if Acme will eventually remove and aisle to expand Produce. When this place is busy the Produce aisle is a nightmare. Seafood is back in the corner on the left.
First version of the "fresh" remodel.
Corner Bakery is up in the front of the store with the Deli to the right.
WEEHAWKEN PATHMARK
Location: 4100 Park Ave, Weehawken, NJ
These exterior pictures were taken back in August 2012 when the store was having it's grand reopening. The interior shots are a mix of then and now. Even with the extensive remodel, this place never seemed to recover from the merger with A&P. Its days of being high-volume are well in the past.
Just inside the entrance here with stores along the left and the Pathmark entrance on the right. This store is open 24/7.
Pathmark's latest decor package. Bright, white and clean throughout! Acme will have a easy time converting this store although it will be interesting to see if they ultimately keep Pathmark's layout.
Every single case here is brand spanking new.
The Deli is in the far back corner.
I used to shop in the store back in the early 2000's. This front-end would be packed with customers. Nearly every register open with lines. Never see more than 3 registers open these days.
WEST NEW YORK A&P
Location: 55 Riverwalk Pl, West New York, NJ
A very unique A&P soon to be a very unique Acme! This one is located on the first floor of a residential building right on the river. Very nice store although I don't think it has reached its potential by a long shot.
Built with the second version of the "fresh" remodel.
A very unique A&P soon to be a very unique Acme! This one is located on the first floor of a residential building right on the river. Very nice store although I don't think it has reached its potential by a long shot.
Built with the second version of the "fresh" remodel.
A&P has removed many of the fresh offerings that started out here. Salad bar is kaput and the hot foods bar is now just piles of fried foods.
Cafés days are probably numbered. Not sure what Acme has against offering coffee these days.
Two registers at the rear of the store by the exit that leads to the parking garage.
You can see the river and the city from the side of the store.
If you ever find yourself at this store, don't miss out on the views!
EDGEWATER PATHMARK
Location: 481 River Rd, Edgewater, NJ
This is a huge Patmark with the "Go Fresh, Go Local" remodel. Target is right across the parking lot and stole a ton of business from this place when they did their PFresh remodel. Since A&P took over Pathmark, they have reset this store about once a year ever since. As a pretty frequent shopper here, I have found it to be maddening! Looking very forward to Acme taking over this location. The store does very big business on Sundays when the Target is closed.
A double wide deal aisle was created just in the last year. As you can see, it's a huge draw. The latest reset happened here when the Bank of American branch closed opening up some space in the front of the store.
The former bread alcove was expanded and switched over to soda when the bank closed.
The Bistro was a flop. After the remodel they would have a live cook here doing demonstrations. Lasted a few months and then it was shut down.
FORT LEE A&P
Location: 2160 Lemoine Ave, Fort Lee, NJ
A huge A&P fresh located in Fort Lee just blocks from the George Washington Bridge. I've only been to this store a few times and it seems to do excellent business. Has a Starbucks too!
Looks like the Bakery lost its signage along the way.
Very nice liquor and wind department. This is just a plain ol' aisle but there are very nice wine displays to the left.
The original flooring remains in most of the store.
Heading west of the Hudson River to check out some other interesting locations that I have photographed over the years...
DENVILLE A&P
Location: 125 West, Main St Denville, NJ
An expanded centennial store was torn down and replaced back in 2004 with A&P's very first "fresh" store. Some of the interior pictures here have been seen on the blog before. I covered the various "fresh" remodels on the Little Silver post which you can visit by clicking here.
NEW PROVIDENCE A&P
Location: 1260 Springfield Ave, New Providence, NJ
Well... well... well.. what do we have here? The A&P fresh that was built right on the spot where the New Providence Acme was located. Acme gets to return to a virtually brand-new store that they didn't have to bother building themselves!
This store has the 4th version of the "fresh" remodel which essentially reverted to the 1rst version due largely to the skyrocketing costs of the "fresh" remodels.
Acme will be able to update the decor in snap!
Judging from my one visit here, this is a very busy store!
And a look at the Acme that once stood here...
You can check out additional coverage of this store by clicking here.
Check out what I said back in 2010...
They sure are!
Some of the satellite views show the Acme still standing with work starting on the new A&P. You can see how they A&P expanded out of Acme's original footprint...
And a quick jump across town to see the old A&P which has been abandoned since the replacement store opened...
Location: 592 Central Ave, New Providence, NJ
This store had a basic version of the first "fresh" remodel but the exterior signage was never updated.
And soon, no more A&P for New Providence but welcome back Acme!
Great store by store coverage! Definitely looking forward to this series of articles! Great job!
ReplyDeleteJust a note:
ReplyDeleteThose wine & spirits departments will have to be removed. New Jersey only allows a corporation to operate two liquor stores in the state. Acme already sells liquor at two locations in Cape May.
Those A@P liquor departments were grandfathered when the state law was changed in the mid 60!s. My guess that that that willl carry over to Acme.
DeleteIn Pt. Pleasant Beach there's an architecturally significant former A&P supermarket-liquor store combination that dates back to the 50's. It has a really cool tower where the A&P sign must have been. Now the supermarket part is a CVS (big shocker), but the liquor store is still operating as a A&P. I wonder what'll happen to it. There's been no discussion in any of the local news outlets about its future.
DeleteI imagine those laws can still be skirted with dummy corporations and subsidiaries ("Acme Liquor of Smellsburg County") or something. After all, the Albertsons stores in Florida have/had liquor in a different department.
DeleteThe Point Pleasant CVS/ A&P Liquor might have been an full size A&P at some point before that, but it definitely opened as a Food Fair. That type of building with the tower was their standard design in the 50s.
DeleteWhat exactly do you mean by "dummy"?
DeleteYou never heard of a dummy corporation?
DeleteNope. I guess I'm a dummy.
DeletePoint Pleasant A&P liquors in the old Food Fair building was never a full size A&P at that location. A&P was down town on the west part of Main St/Arnold Ave with a liquor license until the late 1970s. When they closed the grocery store, ceeding food sales to Norkus Brothers Food Town, A&P maintained the liquor license to transfer it to that location in the Food Fair building in the early-mid1980s. That move killed off a small family owned liquor store in the strip stores to the right of the A&P.
DeletePost Food Fair the building sat abandoned for several years then the entire store became a salvage sales place called "50% OFF". After 50% OFF closed it became a tire outlet on the left side and empty on the right. Then completely empty until A&P Liquors and later drug store CVS.
When it was empty, i had teenage friends who climbed up onto the roof and then up the ladder on the sign tower to touch the top of the tower. I also had teen friends who were served underage at the A&P liquors causing it to be fined and shut down for 30- 45 days one time...
Lew
Near where I live, make sure to checkout the Blairstown A&P- only grocery store in the immediate area, it moved from an older store down the road that's currently a Tractor Supply. If you want to you could check out the A&P in Belvidere that no one picked up.
ReplyDeleteA couple of questions:
ReplyDeleteDoes/did(!) Pathmark use the same décor as the A&P stores now, if not just a modified version?
The hood lights seen at the New Providence store near the butcher- were they the same kind as the Chalkboard marketplace stores had, or were they fluorescent or LED?
and lastly, Did your ACME overlay on the photos come from Looney Tunes by any chance?
I can't wait to see what ACME does to them!
1. No. The Pathmark Sav-a-centers had some decor elements similar to A&P "fresh" version 3 package but that's about it.
Delete2. Not sure what kind of bulbs are being used at new Providence.
3. Nope. Made that graphic myself.
I believe that the A&P on Clinton Street in Hoboken stated out life as a Safeway/Finast, became a Vitale Foodtown and was sold to A&P along with Old Tappan, Dumont and Washington Township ( Bergen Couinty). Gerry
ReplyDeleteYeah, and I heard A&P had to gut the stores. Vitale had really let them run down. I serviced the Midland Park Foodtown in the late 90's, that place was horrid. The Kings that replaced it was 1000% nicer.
DeleteGary - since you know Bergen County stores well do you have any information about the old River Vale A&P? I remember in the late 90's it changed to a Foodtown for a short time around the same time Old Tappan became A&P. Today the River Vale location is split between Rite Aid and a gym.
DeleteI loved how you said "1000% nicer"...never expected anyone to say a percentage of 1000.
DeleteThis does not surprise me since Marty Vitale was convicted of raiding the corporate account of Twin County Grocers and from defrauding the Union health and Welfare Plan. He turned states evidence against the MOB and is currently in the witness protection program. I worked one summer as a kid replacing the Produce Manager at the Hoboken Finast. The store was old and was forced to close when a coil in the ancient meat case burned out and a replacement unit it not be found. Gerry
DeleteI really don't know anything about the northeastern part of Bergen County. I never serviced any stores that far up. I mainly stuck to the other side of 17. Sorry I can't help you.
DeleteAnd Gerry, you always have the best stories! I miss running into you. I am in Harford County now. I didn't know Marty turned on the mob. I do know he stole all the money to help his son who had a big drug problem.
I also remember his brother (can't remember which one) paying vendors - he would whip out a stack of 100s from his pocket and count them out (vendors went cash only when Vitale got shaky). The one brother was using the family company to buy stuff for his catering business - I'm sure he made out ok.
Has Kilroy's Wonder Market in Glen Rock ever been featured as a bonus store on this blog? That place is a trip. I swear it began life as a Krauser's. The basement has all sorts of neat conveyor belts. They eventually built a large nondescript block building in the parking lot to serve as a secondary warehouse. I remember taking uboats across the parking lot and trying not to lose my load. Fun times. They have a dedicated clientele - even outlasted the A&P (which I believe came back as a basics store at one point).
http://kilroyswondermarket.com/
I thought Kilroy's had been a GU because it looks so much like one from the outside (I was way wrong). The old A&P/current Food Basics is a Key Food purchase,.so take from that what you will.
DeleteAt the one in Jersey City...funny you exposed the One World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan since today is 9/11! If Acme is expecting to take over A&P/Super Fresh stores...will it be the same case with The Food Emporium/Waldbaum's in New York City/Long Island, or something similar?
ReplyDeleteNo, Key Foods and Stop & Shop bought all those stores.
DeleteActually, one in New Canaan (a Food Emporium) is one of the A&P stores being sold to Acme.
DeleteGreat post! A few things to comment on:
ReplyDelete1. The Hoboken store did have a Facebook posting celebrating its grand opening, and I'll have to find it soon before it disappears. The format said January 11 (or sometime in that timeframe), so I would have to assume it's 2015.
2. The Pathmark with the mini-mall inside is really neat. The Subway can join other A/S food concepts, such as Starbucks (it's not in Acme anymore, but other divisions) or Panda Express (Pavilions). And the idea of a dentist inside of an Acme is pretty cool too!
3. Given the surprise nature of Acme acquiring the A&P stores in the first place, I wouldn't be surprised if the Acme kept the Starbucks. Weren't the Starbucks all replaced with off-brands by the time Cerberus took over anyway?
4. From what I can tell, the Edgewater Pathmark opened in 2007 as an "upscale" Pathmark opened under A&P, and while it does look nice and large, I wouldn't consider 58k square foot "huge" by any means (I would consider a "huge" supermarket to be at least 100k).
I wonder if this was a common design for Pathmark at some point? I know of only one other one (the store in Avenel on Route 35) that has the mini-mall, but having only been to a handful of stores there may be (or have been) others?
DeleteThere was one in the Lehigh Valley I believe, and here's one from Staten Island, I'm not sure if anyone bought that Pathmark: http://dinosaurdracula.com/blog/last-video-store/
Delete1. They may have had a grand reopening but nothing really changed inside. Might have just been a reset and a good cleaning. You can believe whatever it say on Facebook but I have been shopping there for years. The "fresh" remodel was done in the mid-2000's. No major remodel since unless you count the removal of the service cheese dept.
Delete4. The Pathmark opened in the 90's. I've been shopping there almost since the day it opened. It was remodeled with Pathmark's "Go Fresh, Go Local" concept before A&P took over. A&P actually downscaled it by putting in all of the "SAVE" signage and removing the high-end aisle markers. The store is large as Pathmarks go. All aisles are full height which is unusual as Pathmark usually has the HABA department aisles at only only height. They have much more merchandise crammed into this place than any other Pathmark I've been in.
There's a few Pathmarks on LI with the mini-mall concept, although one of them isn't that way anymore. Holbrook (actually more than a mini-mall, but eh) and North Babylon are the ones still with mall entrances, Shirley does not have it anymore since a remodel 10 years ago (it also got remodeled last year and the vestiges of it have disappeared even more).
DeleteTo add to what Deranged Hermit said, Pathmark had also done the mall thing in Levittown, NY at the Nassau Mall, where they put a Pathmark at one end and a Rickel at the other. Similarly in East Meadow, NY, a mini one was done with a small mall and a Pathmark, and ironically a Channel Hardware (Rickel's competitor) on the other side.
DeleteRickel ended up buying Channel in 1994, and some overlapping stores needed to close. In 1997 however Rickel went out of business anyway.
DeleteKinnelon, Lackawanna Plaza, and Washington Ave.-Belleville also had the mini-mall set up and all three still do.
ReplyDeleteAll this mini mall talking reminded me of Montgomery Flea Market and Sammy. Too bad it closed down.
DeleteWelcome Back Acme Style! 1) Fort Lee A&P started as a Food Emporium -- stunning store; 2) Jersey City 18th Street A&P has fabulous location location location; 3) Mystified as to why (per your July 21 list) Acme is not taking: a) Hackensack Pathmark on Route 17 -- busy store on a very busy highway; b) Hackensack (empty) '80s Pathmark on Hackensack Avenue -- great location next to Home Depot; and c) Woodland Park A&P on Route 46 -- beautiful '90s store (although Shop-Rite across highway). * * *
ReplyDeleteThank you, PennFruitFan! Acme is expected to pick up more stores once the fire sale starts so they might acquire these stores after all.
DeleteThere seems to be some logic behind the stores being acquired. Down the shore and around Philly, Acme is solidifying its strongest markets. Along the river in northern NJ, the company is establishing itself in areas that have seen an influx of wealthy commuters (Hoboken, Fort Lee, Jersey City, etc.) In the more rural areas, Acme will pretty much be the only game in town. As for places like Little Falls, that is a nice A&P but I'm not sure why anyone would want it. ShopRite has the area covered for low cost/high volume and Fairway has the upper end covered. There doesn't seem to be a need for a third supermarket in that small area.
DeleteAcme isn't taking Little Falls... yet. It's a fairly busy store. Has the easiest access of the 3 supermarkets. The ShopRite is a gold mine but their parking lot is a nightmare and the store is a mess.
DeleteActually the Fort Lee A@P stated as a colonial style A&P. My Uncle John was the Store Manager at this location in the late 60!s. It may have been converted to a Food Emporium in the 1990!s. Gerry
DeleteFort Lee did indeed have a Centennial A&P, but it was razed in the 90s. I believe that the former site of that A&P is now a parking lot, as the newer 90s store was built much further back from the road.
DeleteThanks for the correction! It sure looks like a very pretty store. Thanks Gerry
DeleteThe open Hackensack Pathmark is directly behind the Hackensack Stop & Shop. I highly doubt any grocery store chain is going to take that store over once it shuts. The Woodland Park A&P is laid out like an old Stop & Shop circa early 2000s and the first Fresh remodel makes it resemble an S&S store. There's no coverage for Stop & Shop between Clifton and either Pompton Plains or Wayne, depending on where you go, and that'd be a perfect location.
DeleteAnd believe it or not, ShopRite isn't as cheap as they'd have you believe. Stop & Shop caught up to them and passed them up.
You're right that it is laid out like a Stop & Shop so the conversion would be easy, but I still don't think that any chain wants a store that slots in between the nearby ShopRite and Fairway. Besides, the Stop & Shop in Clifton (on the westbound side of Route 3) always seems slow, so opening a store in Woodland Park would probably serve to draw away some of those customers (if they're feeling the need to remain S&S customers).
DeleteWOW, some really nice " to be former A&P and Pathmarks". The wine and liquor aisles are something that should be continued. They are really draws in the dozens of these former A&P and Pathmarks. Thanks for sharing some really nice interior shots. Not all of the other stores be acquired will look this good.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious to see what Acme does with the exteriors of these stores, besides changing the logos, obviously.
ReplyDeleteProbably very little, at least initially. I believe that the landlords usually take care of that sort of thing and even if it's Acme's responsibility, I'm sure they have other things to worry about right now.
ReplyDeleteLooks like Acme pulled out of taking over a few stores. Hopefully the rest will still go through:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.lohud.com/story/money/business/2015/09/20/aandp-bankruptcy-sales-acme-finalized/72503452/
At Monday 09/21, local radio and print media are reporting that Acme is pulling out of buying four stores in the Lower Hudson (NY) Valley: http://www.lohud.com/story/money/business/2015/09/20/aandp-bankruptcy-sales-acme-finalized/72503452/
ReplyDeleteAs of 9/21 4:30pm, the sale of the slightly shortened list of 95 stores (71 to Acme, 24 to Stop & Shop) has been OK'd by the court:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.progressivegrocer.com/industry-news-trends/regional-supermarket-chains/ap-gets-ok-sell-95-stores?cc=10
These appear to be the stores they took out of the deal:
1233 Nepperhan Ave., Yonkers (initially slated for sale to Acme)
230 Saw Mill River Road, Millwood (initially slated for sale to Acme)
422 Old Post Road, Bedford (initially slated for sale to Acme)
2005 Albany Post Road, Croton-on-Hudson (initially slated for sale to Acme)
Plus the one in Newark, DE per other post.
Wakefern (the ShopRIte coop) has bid on 13 of the A&P stores including 7 Pathmarks in prime Acme territory: Brookhaven, Glenolden, Wyncote, Upper Darby and Philadelphia — Oregon Avenue, Aramingo Avenue and Monument Avenue. The Oregon and Aramingo locations are within about a mile of existing ShopRites so it’s not clear what they would do with the stores.
ReplyDelete(http://supermarketnews.com/ap-bankruptcy-2015/wakefern-morton-williams-make-ap-bids)
Are they newer or larger stores than the existing ShopRite locations? Perhaps using them as replacements for existing stores? Or perhaps just better locations (easier access, more parking or similar)?
DeleteThe Shoprite on Aramingo's big and extremely busy, so I can't see them moving. The one on Oregon Ave's far enough away from the Pathmark that they could probably coexist though. Wyncote's pretty close to the Cheltenham Square Shoprite as well; that's another location where I don't see them moving though.
DeleteArticle in The Herald about the SuperFresh in New Hope. Nobody's really into buying it, so the future of it is unknown.
ReplyDeleteAlso, anybody know here about the future of the Clinton A&P?
The Hackensack Pathmark would be a surprise purchase. It's next door to a stop and shop. A mile from a new Walmart. Five minutes from three shoprites. Plus highway stores are never good locations.
ReplyDeleteIs Acme buying any of the "Pepto-Bismol Pink" Pathmark stores?
ReplyDeleteI think that it would be helpful if you tagged this post with the stores.
ReplyDeleteWhen you posted the edge water pathmark as an Acme it was not easy to find the pictures still as a pathmark.
I've been having trouble finding this post myself! I'll be adding tags to this post as the stores open as Acmes.
Delete