Acme and Former Acme – Yardville, NJ

Next stop... the Yardville Acme! You can't miss the place. Signs everywhere directing you to the store... 

Location: 4400 South Broad Street, Yardville/Trenton NJ

Overcast and interior photos courtesy of AceJay

This post marks a return of sorts to Yardville. The old pitched-roof store made an appearance on the blog back in March 2009. I had yet to visit the location so the post relied on a photo from flickr along with some satellite images. I've since been to Yardville several times but never got the best collection of photos together to do a worthwhile post. AceJay sent in an excellent sent of pictures about a year ago but I am only now getting them up on the blog. There was one key shot still missing from the collection that was holding up our return to Yardville. More details on that down below. 

From all indications, Yardville is a premier Acme location. Certainly one of the best looking 90's stores from the outside. Signage has been switched over to white but this store does not have the "Premium Fresh and Healthy" interior. 

"FOOD" labelscar.  The sign was removed back when the Sav-on Pharmacy signage was added to the front of the store. 

An unusual set-up for the receiving docks at the side of the store.

UPDATE: I originally reported this store as having an extensive remodel in the early 2000's as it's interior decor was used at that time. In a surprising twist, thanks to information suppiled by Bill Haines int the comments section, the Yardville store opened on October 9, 2001. Turns out this model of store lived on longer than the 90's. I thought it had been phased out by the end of the decade and was officially dead after Albertsons took over the chain in 1999.

Fun fact: A customer recently hit is big at the Yardville Acme! The store sold a $250,000 winning lottery ticket back in February. You can read about it here.   

In for some great interior photos...

Acme Theme Park Decor aka "Grocery Palace" (it's official name which I was informed of after I came up with the nickname for the decor package). Remodel not done at this location! The store opened with this decor package.  

One thing is for sure... this decor package is not cheap! Yardville does lack some of the props that are seen in other Acme Theme Park stores but Yardville's interior is extremely deluxe nonetheless. Besides Yardville and Milltown, does anyone know of other stores with this interior? I believe they are few and far between.

Milk mural is one of the only decent shots I was able to get of the interior. Stores built with "Grocery Palace"decor have a 3D barn up on the wall. Check out Milltown's milk department. 

Drop ceiling added over Frozen and Dairy.

I swear the first time I was in Yardville there was a giant town clock standing near the Floral Department. It was gone the next time I visited the store. Either that I was seeing things. 

Yardville does have the "Premium Fresh and Healthy" aisle and category markers.

The aerial images still show the front signage in red. 

Lack of room at the back of the property for the receiving docks.

Windows on right side of building also covered over, although these windows only serve as exterior decor.

2007

1995

And now over to the former pitched-roof store which is now... you guessed it... a CVS.

Location: 1 Sunnybrae Boulevard, Yardville NJ

Photos courtesy of AceJay

Sunny-day photos are from my last trip to the area. One of things holding up this post was a lack of interior CVS shots where the very front of the store still has the pitched-roof section in tact. This post would not have been complete without a closer look...

The registers line the front with the area above exposed all the way to the top of the peaked roof...

Very cool of CVS to keep the glass front here. Certainly adds some interesting atmosphere to the store. Looks like they did replace the old Acme interior tiles with glass panels. 

The building still screams "I used to be an Acme!"

A before and after look...

Image courtesy of subliculous' photostream on flickr

2002

1995

1979

1970

I don't have an opening date for this store but from the date of this aerial shot we can see that this store was built near the very end of the pitched-roof era.

Former Acme – Yardville, New Jersey

Image courtesy of subliculous' photostream on flickr

Location: 1 Sunnybrae Boulevard, Yardville NJ

A closed pitched-roof Acme on Sunnybrae Boulevard in Yardville NJ. Not sure when the location closed but it looks like it made it well into the 90's, if not the 2000's.


Here's a look from Live Maps. The right side of the store was being converted to a CVS while the left side was broken up into some smaller shops.

Here's the CVS after the conversion.


And finally the replacement Acme that was built just down the street from the old pitched roof Acme.

UPDATE 5.27.09: I visited this Acme a few weeks ago. It's hard to miss... signs all over the highways leading you to the store. Looks to be one of Acme's most successful stores. The interior is radically different than any other Acme I have been in. Classic 90's/American Stores building but has been drastically remodeled since it first opened. The arched windows in Produce (on the left side) have been covered over. The Deli and Cheese departments are where Produce used to be. The Bakery is in the back with the Produce cases facing the service departments. The layout of the rest of the store is similar to the 90's floor plan. But the decor? Very over the top. Not Acme's usual style at all. If I had only seen the interior I would swear Acme took over the building from another supermarket. The signage on the outside is now white instead of red... a very recent... and necessary change... that Acme has made recently The red lettering read very poorly on brick facades. The white lettering, although not attractive in it's own right, pops nicely on the brick. I snapped a couple of phone pics while I was inside but have lost them.