Location: 100 Route 36, West Long Branch NJ
A few weeks ago we were treated to an old picture of the "Self Service" Acme Super Market in Red Bank. The post also include the ad seen below which listed stores in Red Bank, Fair Haven and West Long Branch. Thanks to Bill Haines' sharp eye, the Acme pictured in Red Bank post was not the one listed at the bottom of the ad. Pictures of that former Acme have been added to the Red Bank post. As for the West Long Branch location listed in the ad... you're looking at it! The Acme has been torn down and an office building now stands in possibly the same exact footprint. A tour of the exterior of this building showed no indications that any parts Acme building remain here. The Acme in opened in November 1959. Closing date is unknown. Satellite images reveal that it was long gone by 1995. ShopRite arrived on the scene back in the 70's and undoubtedly began stealing Acme's customers.
Ad courtesy of Patrick Richardson
Competition in the area...
ShopRite and Kmart through the years...
2002
ShopRite at it's current size having expanded out of both sides.
1995
Expansion out of the left side by 1995.
1979
ShopRite at it's original size.
Returning to the Acme...
2002
1995
1979
There it is! Clear as day. Had to dial back all the way to 1979. No historic images were available during the 80's which would have filled in a huge gap of the history here. With this store being gone by 1995, it was mostly likely not remodeled during the 80's. Could have been easily expanded. Comparing the number of cars at the Acme with those at the ShopRite in 1979, it's clear Acme was no longer the favored store in town. Check out the 3-sided sign in the front of the parking lot! (Another good view of it in the 1963 image).
1970
1968
1963
Very large store for 1959. I would guess it's around 25,000 square feet. In this clear image, you can really see the huge 3-sided sign in the front of the parking lot.
I believe that there was also a supermarket next to the Kmart. In the 90s that was a Rex Gene. I think that now the Kmart occupies the whole shopping center. Rex Gene did not usually build their own stores, so it was probably something else before that.
ReplyDeleteNext to Kmart was an A&P first. Closed in the mid to late 80's and then Rex-Gene moved in.
ReplyDeleteRex-Gene lasted until about 1999/2000. They had five stores at their peak. Basically sold to businesses and some retail. They could not survive the arrival of the warehouse clubs.
There is now an Aldi just about across the street from the Kmart. In the aerial showing the ShopRite and the Kmart and where the Acme was, it is across the street (Route 36) just to the east of the intersection (routes 71 and 36) The store on the corner is a Walgreen's.
Awww...I live in Clark, NJ, and we used to have a Rex-Genes nearby. I really miss it, having vague-ish childhood memories...it always makes me so sad to think of stores or restaurants or other places I can never go to again. My beloved Bradlees, the old ShopRite and A&P and Barnes & Noble that I was in so many times as a kid and will always remember, Park Place...etc. ;o;
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