Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Abandoned Acme! Clifton, New Jersey



Location: 467 Allwood Road, Clifton, NJ 


These photos were taken back in August 2015. Stopped by the store this past weekend to find it in the same exact state as you see here with one exception... the lights have finally been turned off.


This store opened February 3, 2004 and closed on February 19, 2015. Reasons for closing are a bit sketchy. Word came in that the rent had been raised significantly and Acme couldn't justify the increase with the amount of business they were doing. At this point, that doesn't seem to be true as Acme still holds the lease and is apparently looking for tenants to take over the space. Several comments and emails came in naming retailers clamoring to get into this space. That doesn't seem to be true either as the store has sat empty for nearly a year now. The whole situation puzzles me a bit since business here seemed to be as strong as ever since Albertsons took the reigns. This location also would have benefited from the massive amount of advertising now going on in the area with Acme's triumphant return to North Jersey.


The new gray and red carts at the converted stores make so much more sense for Acme than these green ones.
Acme Markets
The self-checkouts main terminal was still on 6 months after the store closed. All lights one as well.


I'll never understand why Acme closes stores and just leaves everything behind. Can none of this equipment be used elsewhere? Can't it be sold off if they don't want it? Seems like such a waste. Not to mention all of the wasted electricity.






When this store closed, it was the very last Acme that was within any reasonable distance from where I live.


For full coverage of the former Clifton Acme, click here.

9 comments:

  1. I agree. ACME could re-use their carts, checkouts, decor, and shelves. Giant and Stop&Shop do reuse their carts. It would be nice if this store opened back up.

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  2. When it was announced that this store was closing, I was upset because I worked nearby and would make stops every so often....I thought going foward I would only be able to shop at Acme when vacationing down in Cape May....Who would of thought that nearly one year later I would have an Acme only 1 mile from my house!!

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  3. So wait...the store closed almost a full year ago and they never bothered to gut the store? Even kept the carriages locked in the one vestibule?

    I gotta say, I don't know how much business they were doing but like I always said, there never seemed to be any real rush any time I went in there. And I would be in there at various times when you'd expect a rush of people.

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    Replies
    1. They did much the same at a store here (a Grand Union, but one that closed after the main chain bankruptcy when C&S owned the stores).
      In fact, some of the gear remains today as the building is now an Ocean State Job Lots and they obviously use whatever they can get cheaply.

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  4. For Sale signs posted outside the abandoned New Britain acme. Went up a few weeks ago... thought they were using it as a warehouse. Anyone know what's up with this?

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  5. With the recent closures of both Clifton NJ Pathmarks is there any chance Acme will reopen this store?

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    Replies
    1. I sure hope so, it's a bit dated but I think this would be an acceptable candidate to reopen.

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    2. Not happening. Acme corporate said the store wasn't meeting sales goals. Some customers implied the reopened Allwood Stop & Shop and the Trader Joe's that opened up the road siphoned away a lot of business they couldn't afford to lose.

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  6. For some strange reason, I thought of something. There's a bus stop across the street from the Styertowne center where a lot of people dragged carts from the various places that had them (Acme, CVS, ACMoore, and even Dollar Tree) so they could sit on them...I wondered if any Acme carts were still there because they were very slow on the ball in retrieving those.

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