Can you believe THIS is an Acme?
Photo of the original buidling which is on display at the Haddonfield store
Image courtesy of Barry Caselli
Image courtesy of John Flack
The two story section was the original building on the property and served as the Friends Meetinghouse. Acme purchased this property back in 1954 but was required to keep the original building intact. Acme essentially built a grocery store around the old building closely matching the original design. The above image and history come to us from John's photostream over on flickr. Lots of great things to see there, especially for A&P fans.
This is how it looks today...
This appears to be Acme's original script logo. It is not. Similar but not an exact match. Acme re-introduced the script version on some smaller neighborhood stores during some 90's remodels.
Sidewalk view from the rear of the Acme. The section on the right half of the photo added on years after the Acme opened in the mid 50's. In the old black and white photo you the building ends just beyond the windows. Check out this arial shot from HistoricAerials.com... it's the Acme in 1963. Looks like a house was sitting here back then...
Click on image above to see larger version.
You can see the area where the steeple was removed. The white sign on the wall reads "F. M. 1851".
The interior of the store is not nearly as interesting as the exterior.
Looks like an old photo here but really just a weird cell phone picture.
Entrance to the left, Exit to the right. Checkout stands line the sidewalk side of the store. Let's head inside...
Chalkboard Market decor with black & white photos added on the walls which are more often seen in the Neighborhood Market decor.
Fishermen's Net opened for business in Haddonfield!
This is a look at the other side of the Grand Aisle. The Bakery is at the front of the store, Deli to the rear.
Only 7 aisles in this store. There were probably 9 or 10 aisles before the Grand Aisle was created. The wall decor here has a nice balance of photos, chalkboards and department names.
Health and Beauty Aids are in the front corner on the Dairy side. Was the Bakery located here before the Chalkboard Market remodel?
This store appears to do a healthy business considering it's size no doubt to it's ideal location in town.
Second most unique Acme coming soon...
This is still a nice store, but that steeple is a gem. I wonder why it was taken off the roof.
ReplyDeleteAre the breakrooms and office upstairs?
ReplyDeleteThe steeple was probably taken down due to the aging roof not being able to support it anymore. The roof looks to be in pretty bad shape and probably needs to be replaced.
ReplyDeleteI doubt the second floor of the Friends Meetinghouse is being used by the Acme. The windows appear to be covered over and the ceiling in Produce is so high there probably is no second floor left in the original structure.
What an interesting store, or at least the facade is interesting. I'm sure the Friends Meetinghouse structure is mainly decorative at this point, likely having been gutted at some point so a grcoery store could exist on the first floor. If there is still a second floor above produce, it's probably used for mechanical equipment.
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed a store like this still exists... and was even constructed in the first place, since Acme appears to have always desired a common look for their stores. I guess the location was too good to pass up and the company was more than willing to meet the town's demands for the site?
The chalkboard market decor looks very nice and upscale. Fits this store like a glove, given the area it's in.
ReplyDeleteThe upstairs of this store is breakroom and restrooms and mechanicals. Believe it or not, when it was remodeled in the late 90's, a Starbuck's was added near the entrance.
ReplyDeleteI drove to Haddonfield a week ago after I discovered that one of the Friends Meeting Houses in that town had been converted into an Acme. I needed to see it for myself, and get some pictures. I was impressed with the conversion. From the parking lot you can't tell that there is a supermarket hidden behind that facade. I was also surprised at how long ago the meeting house was converted. Very cool Acme!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the steeple is gone. A Friends Meeting House would never have one, so it would not have looked correct.
This is a wonderful area and this Acme is very special because of this area.. They could not have pulled this Acme off at many other areas.. Haddonfield is magical..
ReplyDeleteI love going here, it's one of the true historical sites that brings a warm feeling. I do remember the Starbucks in the store, but can see why they chose to close it since the downtown Starbucks is in walking distance on Haddon Av. Now they just have a regular coffee stand where the deli is.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Acme has succeeded in Haddonfield they never got much traction in neighboring Cherry Hill. They had a script-logo store at Kings Highway and Route 70, facing Kings Highway with one of the tall highway signs on the 70 side. It was in a small plaza that got far less business than the Ellisburg Shopping Center across Kings Highway; Ellisburg had a Food Fair, later Pantry Pride and ShopRite. The Acme was closed by the mid-'70s; an I. Goldberg army-navy store moved in (and used the big sign). Not long after that Acme took over the former CloverMarket next to the Clover store a few miles to the east on 70. I was in there once and for some reason I remember it as a singularly unappealing store. I think they may have had a robbery there after which Acme went over the top with security, which probably scared customers away. Acme left well before Clover went out of business in 1996.
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ReplyDelete