Photos courtesy of Andew K.
Location: 49 Old Highway 22, Clinton, NJ
A second Bonus Store for October! Andrew is treating us to these pictures of an old school A&P in Clinton NJ. I was in this store once years ago. It was the early 90's. I have no recollection of the interior but remember the exterior being rather odd looking for an A&P. I believe this exterior was more commonly used for Super Fresh stores in the 80's. The A&P relocated to this location from a building that now serves as a Rite Aid just a stone's throw away.
Let's take a look at the funky decor inside...
They've taken a tip from Acme and converted the Bakery into a watering trough.
Is it just me or do these old, retro-type stores ALWAYS have those balls? Usually in the Dairy or Frozen aisle. I never see them in modern grocery stores.
Andrew pointed out that some cases in the store appear to be updated due to no shortage of extra cases kicking around from all the closed stores. This store also has the green "fresh" aisle markers. No doubt from a closed fresh market. Interesting how some "fresh" remodeled stores have already been shut down while this sorely outdated store continues on. Quite sure this is the original decor.
Former A&P location now a Rite Aid.
Aerial shot of both stores. The A&P must have been painted brown just recently. This is how I remember the store looking the one time I stumbled upon it.
Thanks to Andrew for the pictures!
Those first two exterior photos look fairly similar to the A&P we lived near (Westbury, NY) when we lived by on Long Island, just with a shopping center attached on the right side along with an extra set of doors where the bricks on the right side are (where the bench is). If it's of the same vintage, that one (photos) opened in the late 1970s.
ReplyDeleteStrange but the decor of this A&P reminds me of the Acme Chalkboard market decor.
ReplyDeleteA&P stores always sell those balls ( at leart all of the ones I've ever been in)
ReplyDeleteThe older store, the current Rite Aid, looks to have the curious 'barrel', as in some early '50's stores, right before the Colonial period. Add to that the obviously grafted on, out of scale Colonial brick, and we're looking at a possibly sixty year old store!
ReplyDeleteI want to comment about playing in a modern supermarket. I know that Weis always have them in the frozen food and dairy area at the stores around by me. And they are Modern Supermarkets.
ReplyDeleteThose balls remind me so much of old A&P stores.
ReplyDeleteI would have never guessed the Clinton A&P would sport such an old interior decor package. Does anybody know of an A&P with an older decor?
The only other A&P in Hunterdon County is in Califon. It is a 1970s store that has an exterior identical to the Atlantic Highlands store. I wonder if the A&P in Warren, New Jersey looked similar to the Clinton store (on the outside) when it first opened. The Warren store opened circa 1979 but received a major facelift in the late-90s (when it was given the 90s Centennial facade).
When did Acme's last store in Hunterdon County close, and what was it? I recall that the Flemington store was still open in 1996 (as I was a passenger in a car that traveled past it). It looked like a contemporary store, but I was surprised to later learn that it dated back to the 50s (so it was expanded and renovated over the years).
Not sure if it closed before or after Flemington, but Acme had a very old store in Lambertville that lasted into the 90s. There are a lot of pictures on the web of that store now. It is some sort of local government building.
DeleteThe a&p in clinton was remodeled to what it looks like now in 1984, i was working there at the time. It was opened in 1979 with red,green, orange& yellow colors
ReplyDeleteI was working there during the remodel in 84 too
DeleteI believe Martin's puts out the balls in the Spring/Summer.
ReplyDeleteHere is an article about this store closing
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nj.com/hunterdon/index.ssf/2015/10/ap_in_clinton_closing_after_no_buyers_come_forward.html