HERE TO STAY!
Photos courtesy of PlazaACME
Location: 309 South 5th Street, Philadelphia, PA
Former Superfresh
Opened as Acme: November 18, 2015
Will continue as an Acme for at least the next 10 years!
Will continue as an Acme for at least the next 10 years!
Additional exterior views courtesy of Google maps
A wrecking ball will not be knocking down this Acme after all! The store was to shutter about a year from now to make way for a 5 story condo building. The developer of the proposed building faced fierce opposition from the community and has officially abandoned the project. Acme now has a 10 year lease in place as well as plans to expand the 13,000 square foot building. You check out an article on Curbed.com for more details.
The store has A&P's "funky fresh" remodel. Not an official name, just the one I gave it due to the absurd layout A&P used in the stores. Society Hill kept a traditional layout due to its small size but clearly received extensive upgrades throughout. For a look at the official version of this remodel, checkout the Holmdel A&P by clicking here.
No idea what the condition of the store was prior to the remodel. A&P certainly spared no expense.
The ceiling is now white courtesy of Acme.
FINAL DAYS OF
SUPERFRESH >>>
Photos in this portion are courtesy of Will on flickr
I love the black ceiling. I hate the black ceiling. I honestly cannot decide.
HISTORIC IMAGE
1979
The historic images for this location are pretty terrible. Including just one showing the store had been built by 1979.
You can check out another interesting article on the property owners website by clicking here. Long live the Society Hill Acme!
Thank you!
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that they are not only going to stay open, but expand, too. :)
Thank YOU for the pictures!
DeleteI've been calling that decor package "Funky Fresh" since the first time I saw it! Thought I was the only one.
ReplyDeleteGreat minds...
DeleteSurprised that it is that small, as it didn't seem that way.
ReplyDeleteWe were in Philly with a Scout group with 18 people total (staying at a hostel just a couple blocks from the main area with Independence Hall and the bell) and walked over there to get groceries for two days of meals with no major issues getting everything that was planned for (cooking breakfasts and dinners and bag lunches).
This was quite a while back (2004) when it was Superfresh, but since it hasn't changed much (besides the name)...
The whole interior changed! From floor to black ceiling. Do you remember what it looked like back in 2004?
DeleteIf I'm not mistaken this store was renovated the same time 10th ans South was. I think 10th and South also got the "Funky Fresh" look, but I'm not sure. Wasn't really paying attention when I was there....
DeleteNo, I don't remember much about the design - too busy keeping the Scouts finding what they were looking for and out of the way of others shopping in the store :)
DeleteWhen I said not changed, I was referring to the size of the place rather than the design, that it didn't seem as small as it is (per the info given).
Perhaps it's just that, having been in other city areas where it's hard to find a grocery store that is more than a (traditional) convenience store size, it just seems larger than it really is.
I went to Holmdel when I heard about that crazy remodel, just to check it out. It was truly awful. The layout reminded me of what Whole Foods did when they opened in Marlboro, but the black everywhere made it so drab. It feels like if the people at A&P thought something was a good idea, do the opposite.
ReplyDeleteThis store must’ve been a money maker for A&P in order for them to invest that much money into it. Was this store originally an A&P before Superfresh? Also a side note, NO A&P branded New York stores ever received the “funky fresh” remodel, most if not all A&P stores in the Bronx, Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess Counties all received the original Fresh remodel, or the very last Fresh remodel (Golden’s Bridge)
ReplyDeleteThis store opened as A&P back in 1968
DeleteThey remodeled Holmdel, and that store was in the very first group closed in 2015. It feels like they threw darts at a dartboard to figure out what stores would be remodeled or driven into the ground.
DeleteA&P remodeled Holmdel long before ShopRite took over the Foodtown in nearby Hazlet. Prior to that the A&P was doing very well. Holmdel and Park Ridge were the first two stores to get the Funky Fresh remodel. I don't think it made it's way into many stores. Maybe 10? If that?? I can think of about 5 off the top of my head.
Delete@mtn: The Harrison, NY A&P Fresh got the Fresh Decor version 3, and it looked great in such a small stores (similar to the 2 center-city Superfresh stores). The Harrison store was originally a Shopwell and a Food Emporium. The Briarcliff Manor A&P (an Acme now) still has the decor and the Croton-on-Hudson store (now Foodtown) also had it, I believe.
DeleteA&P In Briarcliff Manor did get the funky fresh remodel. The ONE A&P store in that did! I completely forgot about Briarcliff.
ReplyDeleteIntersting that they did this remodel in smaller locations. Did Briarcliff have the dark ceiling before Acme took over?
DeleteWow time flies since I took those photos. The dark ceiling certainly gave the store a unique look. The South Street store also got this decor, but since has been given a full renovation inside since Acme took over.
ReplyDeleteI believe so. One complaint was that the store was very dark. Briarcliff was originally a Daitch Shopwell then converted to a Food Emporium before being purchased by A&P. The A&P many years later then changed all Westchester County Food Emporium stores into A&P Fresh. Some stores like Yorktown Heights were less than a five minute walk from one another. Briarcliff is an upscale town so I’m assuming folks may have missed the Food Emporium.
ReplyDeleteIn the end A&P had 5 stores in Connecticut. At one time they were market leader ahead of Stop&Shop! Greenwich received the funky fresh as did Stamford. Stamford even closed for several months in order to renovate! They did not expand but renovate. Both Greenwich and Stamford are under 20,000 sq.ft if that! Greenwich is across the street from a Grand Union / S&S and is just as small! Big money in this town and the Stamford store was in a remote part of town. New Canaan was the last Food Emporium outside of NYC, now sporting quality built and looking good.
ReplyDelete