Today's post has us stepping inside
the 3rd & Oregon Ave Acme
circa late 70's/early 80's!
We'll have a stunning view of the front-end and the newer section of the store including the Dairy wall. Check out the aisle markers! So much cooler than the awful plastic ones Acme switched to in the late 70's. (You can see one in the Mantua store by clicking here) The ceiling lights you see see were standard issue in Acmes in the 70's to early 80's. And check out the old "Your store for low prices" signage!
Ready to be transported in time?
Just click here!
(The link has been fixed)
(The link has been fixed)
The photo you are linking to is part of an extraordinary collection from Temple University. The collection has been discussed a few times in the comments sections over the years but, despite plans to do so, I never got around to giving the collection its own post. Thanks to Marc B for leaving the link under February's Discussions this week. Today the link officially goes up on the blog. Enjoy!
For photos of Acmes in the collection, please click here.
For all sorts of vintage supermarkets in Philadelphia,
Why does Pathmark stay in business in rough hoods such as South Philly by 95, yet Acme has pretty much fled most rougher areas? Even the former Acme on Aramingo in North Philly, which was a rare case of a 33M Acme being expanded and remodeled in the early 90's, closed in the early 2000s and now is a Pathmark. The store deserved better... I'm glad it still is a supermarket at all, but it would be a perfect Acme to have been given Albertsons bells and whistles, even as basic as the green repainting given to the ceilings at many stores.
ReplyDeleteAlso why didn't Acme move to where Pathmark opened instead? It wasn't uncommon for pitched-roof Acme stores to be relocated to a 33M. And almost always, Kmart paired their 70's stores in Greater Philly with Acme 33M stores.
Albertsons wanted Acme out of those areas of Philly when they were in charge in the early 2000's.
DeletePathMark has a long history of pioneering into urban neighborhoods with large supermarkets and being successful in these neighborhoods. Despite our love of "decor" and "bells and whistles" here on the style blog, I don't believe these things are what keep most people loyal to supermarkets. (If this were true, then ShopRite would not be as successful as it is). People shop at a store which caters to their needs-- understands what they want to buy, and then stocks those items at fair prices. Supermarkets General and Pathmark have, since the 1970's under the leadership of Leonard Leiberman, made an effort to understand and cater to urban communities. Going to the Pathmark on Grand Street in Jersey City or the Weehawken stores? --they have huge Goya and Caribbean food sections. Pathmark in Clifton/Passaic? --you will encounter large Polish and Mexican sections. In the Bronx, almost half of the produce section in the New Horizons store is Caribbean produce, the likes of which you won't find in any Acme. Despite its decline in the suburbs, Pathmark is still the largest grocer in New York City, with 20-25 stores operating there. These stores survive round after round of store closings and are very successful because they reflect the communities in which they operate. I am not sure Acme (or many other conventional supermarkets) have been especially good in these diverse urban markets.
DeleteA couple questions after looking at the ACME picture tab: The ACME at 15th and Spruce: it looks like it closed and reopened in '77. What happened there? Also, What is/was the ACME building? Is it still there?
ReplyDeleteIt later became Food Rite, but as of 2006 is now a CVS: https://www.flickr.com/photos/62355920@N00/4443995485/
DeleteReally neat about "Victoria Square" (the tiny "mall" that takes up the oldest section of the former Acme at 3rd and Oregon) is that it seems to have been inspired by the Pathmark malls of the 70's, such as in Avenel, NJ. Pathmark in Avenel is still open (and now the only of three supermarkets left in the neighborhood, after both Food Fair/Pantry Pride and Stop & Shop closed stores) but I'm not sure if the mall part still exists or not. Acme had a store in Neptune, NJ with a similar arrangement, but that Acme is long gone, and the whole building is now offices.
ReplyDeletehttp://ready%20to%20be%20transported%20in%20time/? Just click here! - This is what I get clicking the first link - Doesn't work?
ReplyDeleteMarc - Said mall did still exist as of a year or so ago when last I was in the area. A few smaller shops that you walk between to get into the Pathmark. Entering, to the left is mostly a $ store, the right had 3 or so small shops (I think one was food, maybe Subway, not sure about the others).
Where were the other two stores (I know there was something across the street, not sure what, though)?
The New York Sports Club fitness center (in the same shopping center as the Jo-Ann Fabrics in Colonia) is the former Food Fair/Pantry Pride. Also, most of the Home Depot in Colonia (across from Pathmark and Kmart) was a Bradlees, with the rest a Stop & Shop that closed sometime in the 80's. I believe Bradlees (still owned by Stop & Shop at the time) expanded into the former Stop & Shop but am not sure.
DeleteThanks - I'm only familiar with the area in the last 10 years or so, so wasn't sure what was where prior to that.
DeleteThe "click here to be transported" link doesn't work; just a heads up.
ReplyDeleteI have family not far from this ex-Acme. I took a photo of it a few years back.
ReplyDelete