Acme – Montclair, New Jersey

Location: 510 Valley Road, Montclair, NJ

The Montclair Acme has made an appearance on the blog but with very few photos. After visiting the store several times last year, I realized it need more extensive coverage. It's a relatively small store with the A&P fresh remodel crammed into the existing space creating a very unusual 
layout

Our fist look at the Montclair Acme after opening on October 11, 2015. Shockingly tiny sign most likely due to local ordinances. Fortunately, Acme was able to work things out and replaced the small letters with regular sized ones...


A&P's Pharmacy sign was also replaced.


The original barrel roof A&P can be seen towards the rear. The store was expanded out of the front and to the left side back in the 70's.






This I know for sure... the floral department here is top notch! Also relatively large considering the overall size of the store. It has never been less than stunning every time I have been in the store.


Produce extends across the front wall of the store with the far wall in the photo being the left side of the store.


The view along the front wall.


A quick look to the right of the entrance where you can see the front-end beyond the floral department.


Coffee bar is just across from Floral. Self-serve now. The pizza oven is completely shut down too. Sad to see A&P "fresh" additions now just dead space.






Never very busy when I've been here. This visit was on a late Saturday morning. I've actually seen the store busier on a weekday.






Jumping back over to Produce.




Some grocery aisles are located between Produce and the Bakery. Salad dressing and condiments are located here. The "fresh" remodel killed off a big chunk of the grocery department by having service departments moved from the perimeter to the sales floor.

Update 1.13.18: Comment left by TheCheckoutCounter
It wasn't the Fresh remodel which moved the service departments in Montclair to the middle of the store; it was the Futurestore remodel during the 1980's. The store retained most of its Futurestore layout until well into the late 90's, when it got The Food Market remodel. At that time, the pharmacy (and customer service) were moved to their current location from the front center (where floral is now). The Futurestores always tried to put the service departments around the center of the store.




Dairy is aisle 1 with Frozen taking up the right side of the store.






The first 3 aisles of grocery are a bit strange. Half aisles located behind the Deli and Cheese departments.


You have to zig zag your way around this place!


The wall on the left runs behind the Deli.


Very few full-lenght aisles in the store.






I was shocked to see this much of a mess on a prime shopping day. This wasn't the only aisle in this condition.


Frozen Foods line the right side of the store.


The Health and Beauty department is located in the front half of the store between Frozen and the Pharmacy.


The Pharmacy is located behind the Deli and faces Frozen Food. Hope this is all making sense. I'm not sure it would to me if I hadn't actually been to the store!


A small Customer Service counter is next to the Pharmacy.




I have't been here since October so I'm not sure of the self-checkouts are back. Lots of complaints over on yelp for the lack of open registers. Someone even included a photo of a very long line a the one open express register back in May. I'm glad I shop at the Edgewater Acme which consistently has TEN registers open and ready for shoppers!


Yep, no Acme sign on the wall. No Quality Built check out lights. You have to wonder what Acme's plans are for the stores that still have had no updates. It's been two years now. Every store should have had, at the very least, a décor swap by now.

ON A PREVIOUS VISIT...

Apparently there were issues with the barrel roof this past Summer. Supports were added throughout the original section of store. Looked like it was a pretty major project. They were all gone when I returned about a month later.


It was a little disconcerting. I asked a cashier if the roof about to cave in!

AERIAL VIEWS

From the air we see a hodge-podege of buildings, additions and expansions. The original barrel roof A&P with the Centennial Roof update still clearly visible. I wonder if A&P ever tried to get Kidville kicked out so it could expand even further.




Don't know what is going on with the brown roofed structure to the rear. Looks like a completely separate building and it appears to have existed in the spot long before the A&P expanded around it.

HISTORIC AERIALS

2002

1987

Big crowds in 1987!

1979

1970

1966

THE FORMER MONTCLAIR ACME

49 Claremont Avenue, Montclair, NJ
Opened late 50's
Closed June 2000

For additional coverage of the Claremont Avenue Acme, 

please click here. 

OTHER FORMER MONTCLAIR ACMES

Location: 220 Orange Road, Montclair, NJ

Opened June 13, 1951

Closed May 4, 1968 

Location: 565 Valley Road, Upper Montclair, NJ

Opened August 10, 1957

Closed August 6, 1966

NEARBY COMPETITION

Location: 650 Valley Road, Montclair, NJ 07043

Stopped in to have a look at Kings. Wow, what a nice store! About half the size of the Acme with twice the amount of customers. I've only ever seen 3 registers open at the Montclair Acme which has been more than adequate for the amount of shoppers. Kings had 5 registers open with lines.


Beautiful fresh food options here. After not being able to find anything decent for lunch at Acme, I came over here and spent too much for lunch because everything looked so good!

Carpeted columns to cushion crashes. 

ANOTHER SHOPRITE
COMING SOON? 

More competition might be coming to Montclair with ShopRite hoping to open a brand-new store at the Lackawanna Plaza, home to an abandoned Pathmark. Redevelopment plans for the property were revealed by the township last June and do include space for a new supermarket. You can read more about the plans and see a rendering at NorthJersey.com. Click the photo above for a look at the former Lakawanna Plaza Pathmark.