Former Grand Union – Landing, NJ

Location: 175 Lakeside Blvd, Landing, New Jersey

For our last stop on Grand Union Week, we're visiting the abandoned Grand Union in Landing, New Jersey. The store surivied until the company went under in 2001. It was one of a handfull that did not go to Stop & Shop but rather was taken over by Pathmark. Shuttered once again when that company went under in 2015. Shortly after, Food Emporium/Imperium, a local operator, opened here to disastrous results not even lasting two years. 

Opening date for the Grand Union not known but historic aerials show it being open in 1979. I would guess it was built in the late 70's as it is larger than other stores built in the 70s, coming in at 35,000 square feet. The late 70's saw a bit of a boon for Grand Union in North Jersey as they built new stores in Newton, Sparta, and Parsippany. Newton and Parsippany would not go the distance. 

I first stumbled upon this shopping center a few years back. The Grand Union building had red X signs mounted to the walls indicating the building was unsafe and possibly condemned. I remember looking in the front windows but couldn't really see anything. If my memory serves me right, there was some sort of temporary wall along the front-end. Doesn't make sense now but I swear I could barely see a thing other than a few Pathmarm remnants near the windows. Upon my recent visit, I could see clearly into the store, even more so than others who have been here as windows have been added to the left side. To the right side is now a Dollar Tree which has recently opened. The building overall appears to have been fixed up, at least enough to elevate itself out of its condemned state. 

A look at the previous eras of the store... 

Photo courtesy of Kathy Wescott Burke on facebook

Photo courtesy of Josh Austin's flickr

Photo courtesy of The Market Report

We'll begin on the right side where the Dollar Tree is now located. This was previously the produce side of the store. The entrance is in the same place as it was for Grand Union, the sidewalk having been redone so no scars left from the past. 

Entrance way identical to the GU days. The brick wall to the right having been the original outer wall of the store. Kinda freaky walking in here as little had changed. 

Once you hang a right into the Dollar Tree, you see the entire space, from floor to ceiling, is all new. One of the nicest Dollar Trees I've ever been in! Bright, clean, more modern flooring than the standard Dollar Tree. Very nice use of the space. 

Screenshot from TD3's video on YouTube

Here we can have a look at how this space looked originally, with the produce department to the right and the first few aisles straight ahead. 

In this photo that I took, you can see the fresh, new wall for the Dollar Tree on the right.

Moving to the left reveals Grand Unions famous front-end light boxes having never been repainted, unlike the Basking Ridge store. 

Courtesy of The Market Report

An older photo from Zach showing the shelving still in place. Pathmark's checkout stands removed, revealing hints of GU's red flooring. Pathmark added an office on the right and a customer service counter to the left side, most likely added after the A&P takeover. If you look closely, you can see the "path to savings" flooring just before the aisle shelves. 

Back to my recent visit, the rear wall of the store has been completely removed. We can see all the way back to the cement wall of the building. 

Now if we move past the left entrance of the store, we come to an area where new doors and windows have been added to encourage new tenants to take the space. This opens up views of the interior of which have just recently been made available. Here we can see that some of Pathmark's decor remains, along with Grand Union's unusual drop ceiling configuration, which most likely came during the 80's remodel. The pharmacy was located on this side and just ahead is the bakery. 

Everything has been stripped out now, including the flooring.

Here you can see the windows I was photographing through, just recently added. 

The strip mall on the far side of the property is riddled with abandoned storefronts, most certainly falling on hard times when the Pathmark shuttered. All indications are both the Grand Union and Pathmark were extremely successful with little to no competition nearby. 

1979

The parking lot is quite massive. Doubtful the spots up in this area were ever needed. 

Foos Imperium signage remains, reminding everyone of the miserable final years of this once successful supermarket. 

Grand Union's 80's Aisle Sign!

 

Location: 10751 W Flagler St, Miami, FL 33174

A comment came in for Monday's Flashback Fun post from Albertsons Florida Blog letting us know about a store where Grand Union's light-up aisle marker structure can be seen! The Food Star Supermarket in Miami Florida is a former Grand Union which most likely closed in 1985 when GU pulled out of Florida. What's so hard to believe, the store had received the 80's remodel, seemingly months before it was sold off. Tons of photos are available of the store on google reviews showing much of the GU elements still intact. The store was remodeled in the early 2020's with most of GU's remnants have been removed. 

Here are two photos that appeared in Monday's Flashback Fun post with adjustments made to the photos so the aisle marker structure is more visible. Over the years, the product photos faded pretty badly as can be seen on the panel next to aisle 5. 

Looking at the photo above, I was reminded of another cool feature Grand Union had in their 80's remodels. Some of the checkout light fixtures were designed to be turned, allowing a register to go from regular to "express" and back again as needed. The fixtures above appear to be express only. May not seem like a big deal these days, but back in the 80's and as an ACME employee, I thought the ability to switch a register back and forth on a moments notice was pretty darn cool! 

And here it is... preserved and lit up!! As we know, Stop & Shop removed these structures as did most companies that aquired Grand Unions. Food Star did not, and retrofitted the structure with their own signage. Some distant shots here but we'll get up close down below. Side note: this place appears to be a pretty high-volume store in these photos. 

The cage-like structure above the lights was red in GU's northern stores. 

Grand Union's ceiling lights still intact here as well when these photos were taken. 

So exciting to see this structure still intact! Long gone now but preserved for good at Acme Style. Thanks to Albertsons Florida Blog for letting us know about them!

Stop & Shop – Basking Ridge, NJ

Former Grand Union with 80's Remodel!

Location: 553 Finely Avenue, Basking Ridge, NJ

Today, we're hopping into a time machine and going back to the past! The Basking Ridge Stop & Shop is a former Grand Union which has had very few modifications since its Grand Union days. In fact, when I visited this store, I could barely drag myself outta here. Not only does it look like a Grand Union, it feels just like a Grand Union! That feeling won't be lasting much longer. Stop & Shop is closing on October 29 when the lease expires. After reviewing the store's performance of late, it was decided to shutter rather than renew the lease. The company's store in Westfield, New Jersey is closing as well. That store will go dark on October 22. You can check out that location over on The Market Report by clicking here. 

Grand Union opened here in August 1970, clocking in at only 20,000 square feet. In the early 90's, the store was expanded by 10,000. A 9,000 foot addition was put on the right side of the building while about another 1,000 feet was gained by extending the front-end out to the curb, a standard practice for Grand Union and their 80's remodels. In 2001, the store was converted to a Stop & Shop, which left the building mostly untouched ever since. New registers and aisle markers are about the extent of the changes since the Grand Union days. Let's step inside for some of the red dot magic of it all...

Here we see the expansive front-end with the famous light boxes above. Back in the 80's, this was a fascinating feature in Grand Unions. Some variations were used in this area as you can see here. The original front of the store would have been located where the column is to the left, next to the shopper in red. 

The produce alcove is on the right side of the store. This is one of the only areas where we'll see some upgrades in cases since the GU days. Even so, the layout has not been changed at all. The beautiful wood paneling from the 80's remodel has been untouched throughout the store.

Unfortunately, the department signage has not. 

Now the floor is very confusing. The tiling is from the late 90's remodels yet this store didn't get the 80's remodel until the early 90's. Did the flooring deteriorate so much that it needed to be replaced in less than 10 years? I can't imagine but that is what appears to have happened. 

The floral department has already shut down. This area seems to have been upgraded from the GU days since it is no longer red and white which are the ONLY two colors Grand Union worked with in the 80's.  

A quick look at the front-end with S&S registers. No self-checkouts here, yet a total surprise to see five available cashiers for a store that is clearly flatlining. 

S&S lighting over the aisles. In the photos, the store looks bright and well-lit but in person, it is surprisingly dark and moody, especially in the aisles. 

Judging from the exterior, I was surprised how small the store felt inside. While it has decent width, the aisles feel extremely short. 

Stop & Shop's rather unattractive repurposing of Grand Union department signs. I'll never forget seeing these for the first time, thinking, wow, what a downgrade. 

With only 6 weeks left until closing, I was surprised to see no going-out-of-business sales happening here. They are letting the inventory run out. There is also a complete lack of random displays, which actually gives the store a sleek and organized feel. An interesting note: S&S has announced all inventory that is not sold here by the closing date will be donated to a local food bank. 

Most cases throughout are left-over from the GU days, now painted over, yet chips and scrapes reveal the cases' original red color. 

The lighting here is not typical for an 80's remodel, but since this store appears to have been remodelled in the following decade, the company may have switched to new light fixtures. I've never these sorts of lights directly above the department signs before. 

The deli cases do appear to have been upgraded since Stop & Shop took over, now with a scaled-down selection. Of course back in the 80's, Grand Union's selection in their deli departments skyrocketed beyond all the competition. The chain however, did not add in hot foods which were trending at the time. 

This red tiling confuses me. More 80's than the late 90's flooring. 

This place has the old supermarket vibe nailed with perfection. 

There was hardly a soul shopping here when I visited and the few that were here, were grabbing just a handful of items. 

Always an interesting aspect of Grand Unions is the dairy aisle being a part of the grocery department instead of lining the far wall. It was pretty standard procedure to move dairy into the aisles and away from the walls in the 80's remodels. Frozen, which was often in the center of the stores, was relocated to the perimeter. 

The frozen food cases are terribly dated and in very rough shape. 

Seafood no longer with a service counter. 

A peak behind the cases. 

Here's a throwback... upright freezer cases with no doors! Hard to believe these ever existed. The freezers to the left, apparently a leaky mess. I decided not to include photos of sagging ceiling tiles with what appeared to be black mold. The store is sorely in need of a renovation, far beyond aesthetic improvements. 

Grand Union added bakeries to their store during the 80's remodels. They went from having none, to running the absolute best supermarket bakeries of the time. Their baked goods had a homemade taste and feel to them. Not at all like mass-produced supermarket baked goods, which is exactly what S&S brought in when they converted the stores. 

Looking down the dairy aisle from the front of the store. 

Customer service was also revamped by Stop & Shop, with a built-in clock added to the wall.  

Those of you two young to remember Grand Union in the 80's probably can't understand how high-end these remodels felt at the time. During the 70's, GU was dying a miserable death, teetering on bankruptcy for years. Often times the company was unable to pay vendors which left shelves bare of merchandise. Things got so bad, stores were reset to eliminate general merchandise that was never going to get restocked. New management was brought in in the 80's. World-renowned graphic designer Milton Glaser came on board to reinvent Grand Union's look from floor to ceiling, to private label packaging and advertising. In what seemed like just a few short years, Grand Union went from being on its way out to the head of the pack! 

A bit of overkill with front-end photos but GU had a vibe like no other store out there. Truly ahead of its time. Hard to believe it wouldn't be long after their rebirth in the 80's, which brought record-breaking sales and profits, when the chain would stumble and fall back into failing mode. This was largely attributed to Grand Union's avoidance of building replacement stores. They insisted on upgrading existing stores, which were getting dwarfed by competitors and no longer able to draw shoppers with nothing more than shiney new décor. 

Here we can see where the original store ended on the right. The entrance and exit were new here after the front wall was extended to the left. 

Stop & Shop's sign is virtually invisible. Don't get me started on the fruit-bowl-era. We'll be here all day!

A look at the 9,000 square foot addition to the right side. 

This is actually a very attractive shopping center. Looks to have had some nice upgrades in recent years with the addition of stonework around the columns and store exteriors. Very nice landscaping as well. 

Word is the Stop & Shop won't be abandoned for long. A new food store has already been approved, and extensive renovations are undoubtedly planned. Banners mentioned online are Fresh Market and Fresh Grocer. Whatever becomes of the place, we'll always be able to jump back to GU's glory days of the 80's and early 90's by stopping by this post! 

1970

Here we see the store still under construction in 1970. 

1979

A nice crisp image of the shopping center in 1979.

1995

By 1995, the store had been expanded. The 1991 view shows no changes so this store was upgraded very late into Grand Union's 80s floor-to-ceiling makeovers. 

Funny how the original building still stands out to this day, having never been painted white. 

A look at the surrounding area with no other shopping centers close by.