Former Acme – Bath, New York

Courtesy of John from WISL1480.com

Location: 380 West Washington Street, Bath, NY

I came across the former Bath, New York Acme way back in 2009. It was among the very first former stores I really wanted to visit. The perfectly preserved exterior had me imagining the interior would be virtually untouched as well. Add to that, a former pitched-roof store is located just a couple doors away! All these years later, pictures of the store arrived in the Acme Style inbox thanks to John who has brought us tons of Acme treasures over the years. Turns out the interior is as awesome as I was hoping it would be!  

A classic 33M store here, although the actual square footage is certainly less. I would guess it is more in the 25,000 to 28,000 range. Most likely an earlier model as the interior doesn't have many of the design features that became standard in the 33M models.

Delivery door/emergency exit in the Bakery department.


Pretty sure there was a speaker for outdoor paging of employees or a fire alarm. Not sure at all.


Classic entrance and exit with the brown and beige panels in between. The weekly circulars would have been posted in the center panel.


Acme's flooring is still intact! We're getting a glimpse of the classic Produce floor here with many more views to come.


Magic carpets still in place inside the vestibule but have been removed from the outside.


Wow! You can change the name on the front of the store but it's always going to be an Acme!




Pretty great shape all these decades later.


The Produce aisle was pretty narrow here. Notice the ceiling height is consistent throughout the store. In the official 33M stores, the ceiling in Produce and the Bakery were lower, often with curved corners.




Heading back to the Corner Deli spot. Notice the gray strip on the Produce floor. Most likely a scar from cases being removed.


I suspect a new rear wall was constructed here. Probably bumped further up from the original location to hide all the scaring on the floor from the various cases that ran along the back.


Looking from the former Dairy side over to Produce.


Heading to the Bakery Department in the front corner.


No sign of an in-store bakery here. The floor in this area would not have survived so nicely especially in the far corner had there been one. Acme was pretty late to the in-store bakery game. They were generating such high profits from their centralized bakery, there wasn't much point in having each store bake their own. Of course they had a change of heart by the time the 80's remodels were rolled out.










Along the side and back of the store...

AERIAL VIEWS

By today's supermarket standards, the newer store is extremely small, yet from this vantage point appears huge compared to the original store. Looks about 3 times the size! I would say the pitched-roof store here was one of the smallest models Acme used probably topping out at 6 aisles.


The pitched-roof now totally disguised.

HISTORIC IMAGES

1992

Unfortunately, 1992 is the furthest back we can go with historic imagery. Acme was still in business at this point and probably remained open until 1994 when Acme sold 45 of their New York and Pennsylvania stores to Penn Traffic. 

2002

The newer Acme building abandoned in 2002.


Thanks to John for delivering yet another classic Acme for our enjoyment!

Is the Snyder Place store struggling?

Photos courtesy of John P

Location: Front and Snyder, Philadelphia, PA
Opened September 8, 2017

I've seen comments on various sites claiming the Snyder Plaza Acme is performing well below expectations. I wouldn't normally pass on such claims but I have been wondering about the store myself and can't find any information to the contrary. Every picture I've seen of the interior shows a beautiful store completely void of any shoppers. Just curios to hear from anyone in the area who may have been to the store. Is ShopRite's replacement store in Whitman Plaza too much for the brand-new shiny Acme to take on?

P.S.: Does anyone know the store number for this location? I would like to add it to the blog's running store list. My previous source of store numbers is no longer available. 

Acme – University Plaza, Newark, Delaware

Photos courtesy of Jacob V

Location:1 University Drive, Newark, Delaware 

Just when I think I've seen it all, along comes the University Plaza Acme in Delaware. I believe this is a one-of-a-kind location. Originally built sometime in the late 70's/early 80's as a classic 33M store.  It was then expanded in the late 80's and given an entirely new facade which I thought had only ever been used for newly built stores.

Things get even weirder on the inside. First off, there are remnants from no less than five décor packages. Stranger yet... the store maintained its classic 33M layout after being expanded in the 80's. I don't know of any other location that could be said for.  Not sure how things played out here but my guess is the store was expanded and remodeled before new store construction really took off in the late 80's. Acme must not have fully committed to the new layout that was being used in new stores like Dover and Hockessin and decided to stick with their tried-and-true layout here. Kinda messes with my mind looking around this place because I know of no other Acme like it.

We'll be enjoying photos provided by Jacob V along with additional embedded photos from catnapped retail central.


The checkerboard floors from the 80's remodel remain in place. Some mixing of the colors which we have also seen in Cape May.


Customer Service in the front corner! Virtually in the same spot it would have been in before the late 80's expansion and remodel. Not sure why there's a black strip of tiles along the floor.


We've got some aisle Premium Fresh and Healthy aisle markers... at this side of the store. Hold tight for a mismatched batch on the other side. Odd line up of displays running along the first aisle and there's that black stipe of tile again.




The Deli and Seafood are swapped compared to the standard 33M layout. Notice the keystones left over from the 90's Red/White/Blue remodel above the Seafood sign.


The layout gets a little wonky here. A strange alcove in the Meat Department due to the expansion. Aisle 11 looks to be the start of the newer section of the store which extends further back than the original section.






These frozen food cases date all the way back to the 80's.


Aisle markers left over from the Alberstons Marketplace remodel. Premium Fresh and Healthy category markers along the top shelves.




Yet another strange twist... the Dairy has the Bakery flooring throughout rather than the light blue tiles used in all other 80's remodels.




Fresh Bakery in the front corner! Once the standard placement for the department but completely done away with once the 33M layout was retired in the mid 80's.




Qualty Built checkout lights! Just to add one more element from yet another décor package. I believe this store is officially the most hodge podged store ever seen on the blog.


The front all of windows is oped to the whole front-end.


This area serves as an enclosed vestibule at most the stores with similar facades.

AERIAL VIEWS

You can clearly see here the expansion that happened to the right side of the store. You can also see where the mansard roof was located on the original store, now disguised by the updated facade.

HISTORIC IMAGES

2007

1992

1982

1970

Thanks to Jacob and catnapped for their photos of this most unusual Acme!