Sorry to be picky but I really would like the focus of this site in the future to be on the Philly area. Me and maybe a friend or two could help contribute. The "best" of Acme never really was in Central/North Jersey. But South Jersey, Philadelphia County, and Delaware County PA is Acme's true home. Any posts on A Frames/Super Saver in Central Pennsylvania, Upstate New York, or Northern Virginia/DC would be magnificent. There still is a lot of Maryland/Delaware to cover here too.
We still have some interesting stores to visit along the Jersey Shore. The ones mentioned and them some. This years tour won't be as long but will wrap things up for the most part.
To Anonymous, if you're not happy with the coverage here then go right ahead and contribute anything you like. The focus of this blog has been and always will be of my choosing.
Good news... it turns out Acme DID get to knock down the Jaguar dealership in Bryn Mawr after all!
This might just be me, but it seems Acme is a very underrated grocery chain. Even the owner of a relatively popular grocery chain history website (which I am afraid to name) seemed for a long time to have never even heard of it. A&P, Safeway, Kroger, and even Food Fair/Pantry Pride get plenty of attention on that site based on elaborate architecture and competitive might. So I don't know why the owner treats Acme like chopped liver. But I must say that Acme has fallen way behind Safeway, Kroger, and maybe even A&P in number of stores and other things. It seems to me that we have been living in the dark ages of Acme ever since 1980-something. They were victorious in the supermarket "wars" of the 60's and 70's in Philly, but fell on hard times in the early 80's not unlike what A&P has really been going through for a very long time. Union issues in places like the Baltimore area and Hershey caused Acme to exit those markets in 1982, the same year A&P had their big restructuring in Philly. Personally I think Acme's stores have fallen out of "style" aesthetically ever since that time due to financial problems. Maybe that explains why the logo seen on the truck trailer in Middlesex didn't catch on. Don't get me wrong I loved 90's Acmes, but inside they looked a bit cheap before Albertsons took over. But I hate the look of most modern A&Ps in the New York area too.
What is really strange is that Acme, A&P, Food Fair, and Penn Fruit each operated in a slightly different mix of cities/states, but all converged in Philly. Acme always had the most market share in the official Philly area in the 50's/60's/70's. Surprisingly Food Fair and not A&P maintained second place. And Acme's operations were limited to Greater Philadelphia/Baltimore/Washington DC along with the NYC suburbs in NJ and parts of New York state. But Food Fair was all over the East Coast. They dominated Florida, Virginia, and much of New York/New England. Their JM Fields department stores could be found from Florida to Maine. Penn Fruit was a true strictly Philadelphia chain. Their only stores outside the city were in Delaware County PA, the PA Main Line, and one or two each in NJ and DE. A&P of course had to be the largest but was New York's only dominant chain. Years ago A&P could be found throughout the South, Northeast, and Midwest. Maybe Acme has been neglected because Philly (including many suburbs) is like a poor stepchild to the New York empire culturally.
With Giant inching closer and closer in the city (Philly), it will be interesting to see what Acme does or doesn't do to try and compete. I wounder if there will be union drama going on as most non-union chains (Genuardi's for example) never took on the Big "3" at the time...Acme, Pathmark, and Super Fresh (also Shop Rite to some extent)
After the jersey shore tour why not try the Exton, Eagle, and Granite run ACMEs in PA. (by the way, is ACME an acronym for something, it's in all capital letters?)
When down at the Jersey shore. Not sure how far down you are going but you need to hit the North Cape May Acme by the Ferry Terminal. That store was built in the early 90's. The original store across the street was first turned into an indoor flea market and then around 95 or 96 it was converted into a multi-plex theater. I do remember as a kid there was a picture of the original Acme from sometime in the 60's hanging up in a the Lower Township Municiple Building hallway across from the tax office. I have not been down there in a while and have no idea if the theater is even open anymore.
On the topic of supermarkets, down there in Rio Grande there is another Multi-plex that was was once a Staples and before that a Super Fresh/ A&P. This location is the old Rio Mall next to K-mart. Just some more useless info. Just wanted to let you know if you are down in the area.
Thanks Wally. Rob photographed the North Cape May Acme last year. It will be going up on the blog this summer. As much as I would like to, I'm not sure if I will make it all the way down there myself.
@: ACME is not an acronym for anything. The company has used the all caps version since the fish-eye logo of the 60's. The word itself means "the point at which someone or something is best, perfect, or most successful"
That stinks :( Ah well, can't wait for the Jersey Shore tour! Enjoy your day off, haha.
ReplyDeleteYou did a lot of stores on last year's shore tour. What's left? Lincroft? Seaview Square? Shrewsbury?
ReplyDeleteSorry to be picky but I really would like the focus of this site in the future to be on the Philly area. Me and maybe a friend or two could help contribute. The "best" of Acme never really was in Central/North Jersey. But South Jersey, Philadelphia County, and Delaware County PA is Acme's true home. Any posts on A Frames/Super Saver in Central Pennsylvania, Upstate New York, or Northern Virginia/DC would be magnificent. There still is a lot of Maryland/Delaware to cover here too.
ReplyDeleteWe still have some interesting stores to visit along the Jersey Shore. The ones mentioned and them some. This years tour won't be as long but will wrap things up for the most part.
ReplyDeleteTo Anonymous, if you're not happy with the coverage here then go right ahead and contribute anything you like. The focus of this blog has been and always will be of my choosing.
Good news... it turns out Acme DID get to knock down the Jaguar dealership in Bryn Mawr after all!
ReplyDeleteThis might just be me, but it seems Acme is a very underrated grocery chain. Even the owner of a relatively popular grocery chain history website (which I am afraid to name) seemed for a long time to have never even heard of it. A&P, Safeway, Kroger, and even Food Fair/Pantry Pride get plenty of attention on that site based on elaborate architecture and competitive might. So I don't know why the owner treats Acme like chopped liver. But I must say that Acme has fallen way behind Safeway, Kroger, and maybe even A&P in number of stores and other things. It seems to me that we have been living in the dark ages of Acme ever since 1980-something. They were victorious in the supermarket "wars" of the 60's and 70's in Philly, but fell on hard times in the early 80's not unlike what A&P has really been going through for a very long time. Union issues in places like the Baltimore area and Hershey caused Acme to exit those markets in 1982, the same year A&P had their big restructuring in Philly. Personally I think Acme's stores have fallen out of "style" aesthetically ever since that time due to financial problems. Maybe that explains why the logo seen on the truck trailer in Middlesex didn't catch on. Don't get me wrong I loved 90's Acmes, but inside they looked a bit cheap before Albertsons took over. But I hate the look of most modern A&Ps in the New York area too.
What is really strange is that Acme, A&P, Food Fair, and Penn Fruit each operated in a slightly different mix of cities/states, but all converged in Philly. Acme always had the most market share in the official Philly area in the 50's/60's/70's. Surprisingly Food Fair and not A&P maintained second place. And Acme's operations were limited to Greater Philadelphia/Baltimore/Washington DC along with the NYC suburbs in NJ and parts of New York state. But Food Fair was all over the East Coast. They dominated Florida, Virginia, and much of New York/New England. Their JM Fields department stores could be found from Florida to Maine. Penn Fruit was a true strictly Philadelphia chain. Their only stores outside the city were in Delaware County PA, the PA Main Line, and one or two each in NJ and DE. A&P of course had to be the largest but was New York's only dominant chain. Years ago A&P could be found throughout the South, Northeast, and Midwest. Maybe Acme has been neglected because Philly (including many suburbs) is like a poor stepchild to the New York empire culturally.
With Giant inching closer and closer in the city (Philly), it will be interesting to see what Acme does or doesn't do to try and compete. I wounder if there will be union drama going on as most non-union chains (Genuardi's for example) never took on the Big "3" at the time...Acme, Pathmark, and Super Fresh (also Shop Rite to some extent)
ReplyDeleteAfter the jersey shore tour why not try the Exton, Eagle, and Granite run ACMEs in PA. (by the way, is ACME an acronym for something, it's in all capital letters?)
ReplyDeleteWhen down at the Jersey shore. Not sure how far down you are going but you need to hit the North Cape May Acme by the Ferry Terminal. That store was built in the early 90's. The original store across the street was first turned into an indoor flea market and then around 95 or 96 it was converted into a multi-plex theater. I do remember as a kid there was a picture of the original Acme from sometime in the 60's hanging up in a the Lower Township Municiple Building hallway across from the tax office. I have not been down there in a while and have no idea if the theater is even open anymore.
ReplyDeleteOn the topic of supermarkets, down there in Rio Grande there is another Multi-plex that was was once a Staples and before that a Super Fresh/ A&P. This location is the old Rio Mall next to K-mart. Just some more useless info. Just wanted to let you know if you are down in the area.
Thanks Wally. Rob photographed the North Cape May Acme last year. It will be going up on the blog this summer. As much as I would like to, I'm not sure if I will make it all the way down there myself.
ReplyDelete@: ACME is not an acronym for anything. The company has used the all caps version since the fish-eye logo of the 60's. The word itself means "the point at which someone or something is best, perfect, or most successful"