Refreshed Acme! Clayton, New Jersey

Photos courtesy of Stephen G

Location: 20 S Delsea Dr, Clayton, NJ

Premium Fresh and Health version 3.0 strikes another classic store! Not that it looks bad here but come on, why didn't they go with Quality Built? Classic photography was added around the store which isn't an element included in this décor package. While the Neighborhood Market décor was in need of a refresh, stripping ALL personality out of this store wasn't the way to go. Puzzles me why 3 classics... Manasquan, St. Michaels and Clayton, did not get the Quality Built refresh. It is what it is, and it's not bad, just could have been a whole lot cooler.

BEFORE>>>

"Before" photos courtesy of John on Flickr

The drab walls were in need of some more color. 

Possibly new cases for the deli pantry. No change to the floor. The Clayton Acme is one of the very few stores with a true corner deli. Why it's not branded as such is a real shame. "market deli" is a royally lame leftover from SuperValu.


The aisle markers are definitely dramatic but they've been hung backwards. Most stores have the flat side facing into the aisle.

BEFORE>>>

The "before" photos taken when the store was getting a new roof.


Another fail.... no "Lancaster Brand" signage on the wall.


The ceiling looking bright and clean now after being redone in 2011.


The Lava-lamp Acme sign thankfully still intact!


The "Thank You For Shopping" sign does look pretty cool with exterior light shining through it.

Stephen reports the only change to the exterior is new sliding doors for the entrance.

Thanks to Stephen for getting a look at the refreshed Clayton store!

Update on Former Paulsboro Acme!

The Lava Lamo Acme sign was inside the whole time!
Click on the photos to jump over to facebook for larger views.

A surprise return to the Clayton Acme!

Photos courtesy of John aka JSF0864 on Flickr

Well this was an unexpected arrival in Acme Style's inbox... pictures of one of the greatest and most classic Acmes still in existence . I have been hoping to get back here myself to put together a more extensive post than was originally done on the Clayton store back in Acme Style's early days. While those plans are still in the works, in the meantime we're being treated to spectacular photos that John took just this week. He  posted on his flickr photostream and kindly allowed me to post them here as well.  Please check out John's collections by clicking here for fascinating pictures and ads from such classic chains as Two Guys, Nichols, Kmart, Clover...  A&P/Super Fresh fans most definitely need to to click here. 

The ceiling inside is covered with plastic while work is being done on the roof. Creates a cool lighting effect in these photos. 

Fantastic shot of the interior sign. Hard to believe this sign is still going strong after 47 years!

This photo brilliantly captures the grandeur of the pitched-roof stores. Clayton remains the only structurally unaltered pitched-roof store in the entire chain. 

Thanks again to John for sharing these photos with us. You can visit his Clayton collection here and which includes additionally commentary for each photo. 

Abandoned Acme! South Plainfield, NJ

I am using satellite photos for this store since the building has already been transformed into another business. Luckily these pictures show the store prior to being completely converted. What's even more interesting is that the facade has been mostly removed exposing the interior mod-Acme tiles. The photo below is cropped tighter to show the sign. The exterior sign has already been removed...


Even more amazing... the next photo is of the actual tiles from this very store...


Wish they were mine but they're not. These pictures were sent in by an Acme Style fan who wishes to remain anonymous and Acme Style is happy to oblige such requests. When Plainfield closed in February of 2002, he contacted Acme headquarters in Malvern to see if he could get the tiles from the store. But Acme said the fate of the tiles would be decided by the new owners of the building since they provide structural support and cannot be easily removed. A produce market moved into the location but left the tiles in place covering them over with their own signage.

Our Acme fan then turned his sights on the store in Haddonfield as it was being converted to a CVS. Unfortunately, he was too late and the tiles had already met their demise.

Years later the produce market at the former Plainfield store closed our Acme Style fan set out once again to obtain the tiles. He was lucky enough to arrive just as the store was being converted to an Aldi and asked the demolition manager to save the tiles for him. He did and the tiles are forever saved from being destroyed! Now if I can only get my hands on a set... keeping my eye on that store in Clayton.

UPDATE 2.10.10: Thanks to Rob Ascough, the Plainfield post no longer relies solely on satellite photos. Check out these incredible pictures taken back in 1998...

Images above courtesy of Rob Ascough

Former Acme – Morrisville, PA

Here is a lucky find! I stumbled across this store completely by accident. Not even sure now where I was headed to but it was a day without my GPS and I spent most of it lost while trying to track down some abandoned Acmes. This former Acme is located on West Trenton Avenue and North Pennsylvania Avenue in Morrisville PA. A replacement store is located about 10 blocks away on the very same street.

The big question here was... "Will the Acme sign still be on the inside?" It sure was!


Used my cell phone for these pictures so the quality is lacking a bit. But check this out... they left the Acme sign up on the inside. And it looks especially dramatic with the windows around it now covered up.


The bright light on the ceiling is a bit of a buzzkill. But still... an incredible sight... well for me anyway.


Here's a look to the back of the store. Still very Acme-like inside. The place was packed with shoppers and employees so it was tough getting pictures. The store is aisles and aisles of produce with just a small selection of grocery staples.


Here's an aerial shot of the shopping center. Notice how the store is cut off at an angle in the back due to the road. Must have been tough with deliveries. Very little space for trucks in the back of the store. Interesting building there in the middle. Looks like it might have been some sort of department store.

UPDATE 7.30.09: Turns out the store in the middle was a department store... Lit Brothers. The chain was based in Philadelphia and was a lower end version of Gimbles and Strawbridge & Clothier. The chain closed in 1977. Thanks to an Anonymous reader for tip!


Here is the replacement store for the old pithced-roof model down the street. Located on West Trenton Avenue at Route 13. Sadly, the parking lot was about this full when I was stopped in on an early Saturday afternoon. Looks like the Acme is being hit hard from a Giant a block down the street. There was hardly a shopper inside... never saw anyone in Produce as I toured the store several times. The former Acme may be giving this newer Acme some serious competition with it's produce. The Garden Farm Market had every register open with lines several people long.

This Acme still has the 90's American Stores decor... the red, white and blue theme. Great looking store from the outside. The Produce alcove and arched windows are still intact. Many of these models have had the Produce department moved and the windows covered over. Notice how this store is cut of on an angle just like the old pitched-roof store.

Classic Acme! Somers Point, NJ

The following pictures have been kindly provided to Acme Style by Michael Lisicky of Baltimore Maryland. They are absolutely incredible and I am very grateful for his contribution. A classic pitched-roof store with minimal changes from it's very first day of business. These pictures are the only ones I have seen that show off the 60's/70's colonial style decor. If you look closely you can see store signage with the "Check it out Acme Style!" tagline... the inspiration for this blog! Michael's most excellent story of this store follows the pictures below....

(Images above courtesy of Michael Lisicky)

I spent my earliest years growing up in the Somers Point, NJ Acme. For years it was the only game in town. Somers Point is located across the bay from Ocean City, NJ, home of its own 2 Acmes. However Ocean City had its famous blue laws and even to this day is one of NJ's famous dry towns. During the height of summer, Ocean City retail would shut down on Sunday and hundreds of people would flood Somers Point for groceries at the Acme. I'll always remember that for years the Acme was open Sundays from 9am until 2pm. By 1:50pm, people would be literally running to the doors of the store hoping the manager was not there to turn them away. (Why wouldn't they stay open longer?, I used to think.) This style of Acme, my personal favorite, didn't have regular doors. In fact, it only used its doors when the store would close for the day. Even in the height of winter, Acme's doors were always open. And then you would enter that famous wind tunnel where all of the sudden temperatures returned to normal.

I could go on for days about my love for that particular store. In the mid 70s, Starn's Shop-Rite opened across the street and took Acme's business right out from under it. However, Starn's also did not open on Sundays. So it seemed that the Acme stayed in business just because it made enough money on Sunday to cover its sales goals for the whole week. Soon the store stayed open later until 3pm, then 5pm and soon it was 9pm. Eventually Ocean City relaxed its blue laws and Starn's opened their doors on Sunday. And for some reason, the Acme, which seemed quite small by the 1990s, somehow stayed open. My mother always preferred the Acme to Starn's. It was just easier to shop there. Not many cars. Not many people. It was a large scale version of a convenience store. And oh that smell. Not an unpleasant smell but definitely a grocery store smell. Some older Acmes still have it.

By the 1990s, Acme decided that it wanted to stay in Somers Point but not at that location. So it built a mega-Acme across the parking lot. It would finally hope to truly compete with Starn's but they too would build a newer and bigger store 10 years later. Starn's, now just Shop-Rite, still gets more of the business. Its prices are probably a little better but its parking lot is still just awful. Even the new Acme is easier, and quieter.

The new Acme opened just after Thanksgiving 1994. While I was visiting my father that year I dropped by the old Acme to say 'good-bye'. I spoke to the manager and he gave me carte blanche to take whatever pictures I needed. I'm so glad he did. It brings back fond memories. Memories of another era, whether it be style or just simplicity. I hope you enjoy my farewell pictures of the Somers Point, NJ Acme.

Michael Lisicky
Baltimore, MD

Classic Acme – Clayton, New Jersey

Here is... what I believe to be... the very last pitched-roof Acme still open for business. Other pitched-roof locations still exist but have had additions put on and renovations done that disguise their former distinct features. I think the only other pitched-roof store that is still open is in Cape May, NJ. But renovations to that store have covered up the glass facade. This store may be the only one to remain virtually intact since it first opened.

Neighborhood Acmes like this one have always offered all sorts of gardening and lawn supplies (as you can see lined up in front of the windows). Back in the 80's, Acme was famous for it's half-priced plant sales. Stores would be filled with plants just before the sale and would easily sell out in just a few days. The green doors to the right are for produce deliveries.


Just a couple of opaque panels have been put up over the entrance. Most pitched-roof stores had many more put in. You can see an example of this of the abandoned Acme in the NJ: Yardville post. There are only one set of doors to walk through when you enter. Once in the front doors you are completely in the store. A massive blast of air from above greets you as you walk in to keep the outside air out.


The outside sign appears to just be a canvas sheet pulled over the frame of the old fish-eye logo sign. I personally think this new logo looks much better with white letters on a red background. The parking lot signs are done that way as you can see in a photo down below.


The greatest design feature ever for a grocery store? Why yes, yes it is! All pitched-roof Acmes had this design treatment on the inside. Just incredible. I was so excited to see this one still intact. Possibly the very last of it's kind. I believe I read somewhere that Acme had commissioned a well known artist in the 60's to design this sign. The areas around the abstract lettering are silver in color but appear brown here due to the sun shinning on the sign. I hope to get back to this store sometime after sunset to get more pictures. This sign would look very different when it's dark outside.


Here's an interior shot just to show the decor package this store has. Many smaller Acmes have this look. Old black and white photos of the town are hanging on the walls instead of department names. The Deli is the only department with it's name on the wall. The orangish picture on the right wall there said something like "Oven Fresh Bakery", yet this store has no fresh baked goods. The aisle signs say something like "Clayton New Jersey, Acme Markets" around the numbers. I believe those spot lights to the right have been there since the store first opened. They weren't on and I doubt they are used anymore. I have seen these above the produce departments in many pitched-roof stores.

Image courtesy of Barry Caselli

Update 10.25.11: Barry sent in this great shot of the interior roof. My interior shots are lacking since I was a little nervous taking pictures inside of stores in the blog's early days. I plan on getting back to Clayton for more extensive interior coverage. Clayton one of the all-time most visited posts on the blog. 

Image courtesy of Michael Lisicky

This amazing photo comes to Acme Style from Michael Lisicky. He took this picture of the Clayton store back in the 80's. I don't know if this store was remodeled later in the 80's along with most other Acmes or not. Hopefully someone familiar with this store can let us know. I will be posting other incredible pictures that Michael has sent in the near future. Stay tuned...


Isn't this a better look than the red letters on white?


One final look at this classic Acme. And one final note... I spent about 30 minutes in this store, roaming all the aisles. It has been at least 10 years since I was in an Acme like this one. Just had to take it all in. I left the store incredibly impressed with how clean and well stocked it was. This location clearly has a dedicated team. There were alot of employees in the store getting it ready for what as hopefully going to be a very busy Saturday.


Here is a look from Live Maps. Interesting how large the property is compared to the size of the store. Would there ever be a need for that much parking? Wonder too if there was once a building next door where that area of grass is now and why Acme hasn't expanded this location.