Not much to see here at the former Garfield Acme. It's big claim to fame is being the only pitched-roof store in North Jersey... as far as I know. The next closest pitched-roof store would have been way down in Princeton Junction. North Jersey is littered with the 50's and early 60's styled stores. Many of which to be shown here on Acme Style as we continue touring the North Jersey region.
UPDATE: I stand corrected... Plainfield is the closet former pitched-roof store.
I don't have any info on the closing date of this store. Guessing it closed in the late 80's to very early 90's.
Notice the Acme's windows are still intact at Food Village. You can tell for sure by looking along the bottom of the windows. All stores now located in the former Acme have drop ceilings. The columns of cinder block give the shopping center a distinctive unfinished look. The bright blue siding regretfully disguises the pitched-roof.
Midland Square is located at 247 Midland Avenue. The shopping center sits down a hill from the main road. The entrance and exit are located to the far right of the shopping center.
A side shot to show the roof line. I should have taken more pictures while I was here but the property was very unappealing and I had more interesting North Jersey locations to get to that day.
Like many pitched-roof stores... the location did not seem ideal. Midland Ave is not as major of a road as it appears to be here. The Acme was tucked away in a neighborhood area without much other shopping options nearby. Great for the people living nearby but the store probably didn't draw big crowds from the surrounding areas.
Extremely limited parking which is common to pitched-roof stores. Well... it can go either way. Some pitched-roof stores had massive parking lots.
From the back... undeniably Acme!
Great update! I never knew there was a store in Garfield. I wonder if the Acme was expanded with the section next to the original pitched-roof structure or that was always additional stores?
ReplyDeleteHowever, don't forget another pitched-roof store in northern NJ- Plainfield. That's closer than Princeton Junction, which was expanded in a way similiar to what I suggested might have been the case here, correct?
Right! North Plainfield is closer. I did forget about that store... which is featured on this very blog. Garfield does remain the only pitched-roof building in area once filled with Acme Markets.
ReplyDeleteI doubt the Acme was expanded. Pretty sure it wasn't even remodeled during the 80's.
Hey Acme Style,
DeleteActually, there's a bread delivery door right next to the Food Village. There is also a produce delivery door next to Jersey Dollar.
A little further south than plainfield, but still north of princeton junction, The old bridge store was a pitched roof.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the location of the Old Bridge store your referring too? According to my records the Old Bridge store is now a Drug Fair on Rt. 516 and is a flat roofed building.
ReplyDeleteThe location is on Rt 9 S a little south of rt 516 on an exit ramp. I think it now a gym.
ReplyDeleteThe coordinates are 40.397649,-74.308457
What year are your records from?
To all,
ReplyDeleteAnother pitched-roof Acme was located on Bloomfield Avenue in Verona, North Jersey; I visited the store a few days before its closing in the 1980s. It was later converted to the headquarters for Celantano Foods, and currently is De Cozen Chrysler-Plymouth. The building has been heavily remodeled for the dealership, but the pitched roof can be seen through the front windows.
PennFruitFan
The Garfield store was never very successful. It must have opened in the early 60's, but was closed September 30, 1967. I agree, it's not a pretty location.
ReplyDeleteI'm from garfield... that store was called STAFF GOOD DEAL before it closed for good, I think in 1979.
ReplyDeleteYes, the comment about the pitched roof store in Old Bridge is accurate... it's just down from the Bridge Way diner and it's on a service road off of Rt. 9 south. I think it closed in the early or mid 80'S and was subdivided into a gym (taking most of the space) and some other smaller stores. There's a facade on the front that disquises it from the street so you do need those coordinates to get the aerial view to see it.
ReplyDeleteActually, the Locker School of Dance was built in Garfield in late 1988 and probably opened in 1989.
ReplyDeleteI went to this location this afternoon. The building is quite odd, to say the least. The Food Village store was incredibly tight, with only 4 [very narrow] aisles. Oddly enough, they had signs from Pathmark's "Save all over the place" campaign hanging on the meat cases, with the Pathmark name in plain sight. They did keep some things from the Acme inact, like the "magic carpets" [although the doors use sensors, but the carpets are still there] and the exposed ceiling [as opposed to adding a drop ceiling]. I didn't check out the dance school, but I assume they did the same thing. On a side note, the dollar store [the store furthest to the right] appears to have been something else, and has some rather interesting floor tiles in the back, being a mix of light brown and checkerboard. Would anyone happen to know what it was?
ReplyDeleteEither way, seeing the plaza was quite... interesting.