Location: 1077 Route 34, Matawan/Aberdeen NJ
Opened in December 1964. Closing date unknown. May have closed by the 80's. The parking lot seems eerily empty in 1979. The images also reveal that a ShopRite may have opened in the early 70's just down the road. I planned to stop here on my last outing but didn't make it. The location wasn't high on the priority list since it's been significantly altered from it's original state. Wound up pulling it from the tour since it's a bit too far in land and west of the Parkway to be a true Jersey Shore store. Then GUman sent in some great pictures of the back of the store which has had only minor alterations which put the store back on the tour!
"Back of the store" images courtesy of GUman
A relatively small pitched-roof store similar in size to the Parkesburg store, if not smaller!
The shopping center as it is today. The Acme is subdivided with a Mahzu Japanese restaurant to the far right (I believe), Gallo's Wine Cellar in the center and Livoti's Old World Market to the left side. Click here for interior images of Livoti's. I can't spot any views of the former pitched-roof. Looks like the pictures are taken in the area of the store that resided in the flat-roofed buildings to the left of the former Acme. One thing is for sure... that place had a nice budget for the interior design! Impressive looking for an independent market. The large building to the left is a bowling alley.
Nearly every time I see a Stop and Shop in New Jersey I think, "that should have been an Acme". The Stop and Shop building here started out as something else. The ShopRite is a relatively new building but may have been a replacement for a smaller ShopRite that was built on the property in early 70's. Piecing all of this info together by what can be seen in the historical aerials down below.
2002
1995
1979
1969
1963
2002
Over to the Stop & Shop and ShopRite. (Former Acme in the upper right corner). Looks as though S&S has yet to open here The store closest to Route 34 is currently a Bed Bath and Beyond. May have started out as a grocery store. The original ShopRite still standing. Hoping someone can fill in the blanks here for us.
1979
1970
1969
ShopRite under construction here.
1963
There is also a former Acme in Keyport which is just North of Matawan and much closer to the shore. Haven't been able to confirm the exact address of the store and if the building is still standing.
I'd forgotten that space was an Acme! All of this development occurred for the huge Levitt community that surrounds this area called Strathmore. The center with the Stop & Shop has morphed a lot over the years, though the Stop and Shop itself was vacant for a long time.. originally a GRANTS, then a NICHOLS, I think it might have gone a decade without a tenant until S&S stepped up.. (I could be forgetting someone inbetween). The BB&B space was definitely a Grand Union (and a great Milton Glaser designed one at that with the "red dot" theme).
ReplyDeleteAcme Style, these aerials are great, and as Matchjames said, the Bed Bath& Beyond was built as a Grand Union and remodeled in the early 80's with the nice wood maple/red dot theme and all the extra service depts. The GU was to take over the space that was Grants & Nichols and was also a Jamesway for a short while. When Grand Union went under, this was a building site that Stop and Shop took over, and they occupied the old store for a few years until the new store was built. Shortly after that new S&S store opened in early 2000's, ShopRite built the new store to the right of its old store so they were in business until that new store opened and then knocked down the old store for more parking.
ReplyDeleteLike you said, Acme could have had that building site just like they did with Clifton and Randolph locations!
One store I know Acme took over from GU as a building site is the Freehold store on Rte. 9 north which was built as an A&P centennial store, and was a billiards store and then became vacant for years. When GU was trying to add locations just before they went bust, that was one of the few locations Acme scooped up! Still looks pretty nice as an Acme, about 40,000 - 50,000 sq. ft.
That Freehold A&P was also a la-z-boy store before the pool table store. I bought a recliner there. Before they knocked it down, the drug fair moved in temporarily while they renovated their store.
ReplyDeleteIf Grand Union built there, would they have closed the Howell store?
Grand Union is another store that has former stores all over the place. Some that I know of are Freehold (formerly Funtown, now Freehold Music) and Manalapan (formerly Norkus Foodtown, just bought by Stop and Shop)
I used to go to that strathmore bowling alley in the 80s. I am pretty sure that the acme was not there at that time.
I'm wondering if the Stop & Shop might've been an Edwards, or maybe a Super G before?
ReplyDeleteMR.TSW, in 2000, Stop&Shop took over that GU in Matawan which occupied the space where the BedBath&Beyond is now, and in 2003, they re-opened in that larger building that was the old Jamesway dept. store. By 2000, when GU went bust, Royal Ahold had already changed the Edwards banners to Stop & Shop so all the stores they took over from Grand Union became S&S by then...
ReplyDeleteahhh right-- Jamesway.. I'd forgotten about that era !
ReplyDeleteAcmeStyle, there is a section inside of the Livoti's Old World market that shows the pitched roof of the old Acme... it's painted the bright yellowish gold color and looks great. I'll try to get photos and send them along!
ReplyDeleteJust wondering...were there ever any Acmes in NYC or on Long Island?
ReplyDeleteI know there were a few in Staten Island at 1 time, but not sure about the other boro's... I remember an Acme as far up as Bath, NY. Used to pass it on my way to Rochester, NY to visit friends and it was just about where rt. 17 meets I-390 in Bath, NY, I believe Sullivan Cty. New York. It probably was an off-shoot of the northern PA division and that store was shut down in the early 1990's. It was taken over by P&C Foods, probably built in the 70's and seemed kind of out of place for an Acme!
ReplyDeleteThe former Acme in Keyport is now a Stop and Shop.It is located between State Highway 35 and 36.My father was a warehouseman for Acme in South Kearny NJ and growing up in Hazlet we would shop there in the late 60's early 70's.
ReplyDelete