Acme – Media, Pennsylvania

Location: 1067 W Baltimore Pike, Media PA

Today we're visiting Media's second operating Acme location. A unique 70's model that has been expanded and extensively renovated over the years. The other location, a former Colonial Cottage model about 6 miles east, was covered on the blog back in May 2013. The Acme seen here is located at the Granite Run Mall and has been a source of fascination for me for years. Way back in the early 2000's when I would search the internet for Acme pictures, the shot below would always be among the first to come up... 

Photo courtesy of mrambojr's flickr photostream

One of the strangest Acmes I had ever seen. Seems like the sign was just thrown up on some random building. And where are all the windows along the front that were so common to Acme's of the 70's?
The pieces of the puzzle starred to come together back in August 2011 when I was preparing the Ocean Township post. The former Acme there was located at the Seaview Square Mall. At the time, there were still some old satellite images available showing the store as having the very same facade as the Granite Run Mall photo! The abandoned Seaville Square photo is right below...

Zoomed in close-up of the former Acme entrance. Compare this store to the old one in the Granite Run Mall. Nearly identical!

Now let's compare a current view of the Granite Run store with the Seaview store...

The similarities are quiet astonishing. Aside from and angled back corner and new facade at the Granite Run store, the two buildings are virtually identical. Both stores originally shared space with Thrift Drug. Seaville Square also had a JCPenney catalog center. According to Bill Haine's comment in the Ocean Township post, the Granite Run Mall Acme opened in 1976 with the Seaview Mall location opening in 1977. Seaview closed in 1993.


Not the best looking Acme from the outside. Surprising considering the inside is rather deluxe. The decor package is a version of the Albertsons Marketplace. I'm guessing it was an early version since most other Marketplace stores have a simplified version of what's seen here. Just wait until you get a look at the frozen food aisles!


Starting off with a look across the front-end.


It was a challenge getting good pictures in "The Marketplace". Strange lighting, odd layout and a ton of customers. The arches above the produce cases are very cool. Grocery is on the other side.


This is the front corner to the left of the entrance. The displays on the left seem to be filling in an area that might have been Starbucks. Preparred foods cases are on the left and continue to the salad bar...




The Deli comes after the salad bar.


The department signs are not backlit here. Very strange. You can barely see them. I wonder if there are lights up that aren't turned on.


The Bakery is just beyond the Deli...




A shot from the back of Produce towards the front.


Meat and Seafood signage with some more bad lighting.






Shop the World in aisle 1. Sound have circled back for a customer-free shot.




Aisle signs have not been updated with the Premium Fresh and Healthy signs.


Nice Dairy signage! Most remodels got nothing more than the letters, as seen below in the Runnemede store…



Now check this out…


This is some budget-busting decor!


Have you ever seen anything like it? It's as awesome as it it crazy.


Seems like they've lost some of the category signs along the way.


No signage above milk.


Dairy runs along the right wall leading to the Pharmacy...






Customer Service is in the corner. Seems like an after thought here. It's about a mile away from the front-end.


Floral here as we had over to the registers. Wish I got a better shot of that clock!




It would made more sense to have Customer Service here in the left between the entrance and the registers.

Aerial Views...

Acme used to have an entrance on this side as well. I unfortunately did now swing around back to look for scars.




The Granite Run Mall.


Both Media Acmes shown above. Both located on Baltimore Pike.

Historic Aerials...

2008

Not much to see here. Only two years available that show the store. No images available in the late 70's or 80s.

2002

The store appears to be in it's current form back in 2002.

1971

Finishing up with a before and after…

Classic Picture of American Stores Co. —Media, PA

Photo provided by Greg P.

Greg shares another classic photo he's found. We had a look at his picture of an old Acme in Wilmington Delaware back in June. He shares the following details of this old store in Media Pennsylvania...

Another one I've come across, a badly damaged photograph showing the interior of the Media, PA American Stores Co. market (pre-Acme!) located at State & Plum streets in Media. According to the writing on the back of the picture, it was store No. 1400, and the picture was taken February 19, 1932. You can see Louella Butter and other brands advertised on the back wall. Plum St. no longer intersects with State St.; it has been replaced with a pedestrian walkway on the north side and a building on the south. Deals Variety Store is located at that intersection, and still has historic interior details such as the tin ceiling, though I don't believe it quite matches the ceiling shown here. Still, the exterior of Deals does look like one of the old American Stores so I wonder if it could have been it? 

Photo from Beth Lennon's photostream on flickr

Acme — Media, PA

Location: 527 East Baltimore Pike, Media PA

One of two Acmes in Media Pennsylvania. The other location is the famed Granite Run Mall store. You can see a picture from back in the day on flickr by clicking here. That picture used to be the first, among very few images, to come up when I would google pictures of Acme back in the early 2000's. Full coverage of the Acme at the Granite Run Mall will be happen sometime in the future. For now, we'll back to the Acme on the west side of Media...

Opening date here is unknown. The historic aerials reveal that it arrived sometime between 1958 and 1965. The original store was a Colonial Cottage model which would put it's opening closer to 1965. For a look at what this store would have looked like, jump over to Manasquan for the most gloriously preserved Colonial Cottages still in operation. I'm always surprised to see Colonial Cottages, (as I've knick named them... not an official company used term to describe the style of this old model) popping up so early in the 60's. When I began this blog, I thought these models came at the end of the pitched-roof ear which would have been the late 60's. Turns out the two models were both built simultaneously  during the 60's which seems a bit odd since they could have not been more different. I wonder what the reasoning was for choosing one over the other for any given location. The Colonial Cottages were built primarily in Acme's core market area while the pitched-roof models sprung up near and far.

The Media store remained in its original form all the way until 2002. It was that year that a major expansion and remodel began. The store was expanded on both sides with and entirely new front added, which looks more American Stores than it does Albertsons. Even with the extensive expansion, the store remains relatively small.


Industrial Circus version 2.0. Surprised here yet again to see this version of the decor happening so early in the 2000's. I thought this refined look came a bit later in the 2000's. (You can compare it to it's much bolder version in the Tukerton store.) Someone read me the riot act in the comment section of some post about how I've tried to pinpoint dates for the Alberstsons decor packages. According to said commenter, multiple decor packages were being used throughout Albertsons reign with no package being retired in favor of another. (Please note that I exited the Acme world in the early 90's and was rarely in an Acme in the first half of the 2000's) I would be interested to know why Alberstsons had no desire to form a cohesive shopping experience throughout the chain. Not to mention saving the expense of continually developing new decor packages. Among the packages... Industrial Circus versions 1 and 2 (seen here), Alberstons Marketplace, Acme Theme Park, Blue and Green Awnings (terrible name, I know), Neighborhood Market and Crates and Stripes (which is in just one store as far as I know). So I get it... different looks for different markets and demographics. Just seems like a whole lot of looks to burn through in about 8 years.


A lot of blurry shots here which I apologize for. I've been cramming too many stores into my road trips which have me making a mad dash around the interiors to get some pictures.


The Farmstand sign in the center of produce has lost its square with fruit illustrations. The sign below still has it...


Old version of the Wild Harvest sign above the organic selections. You can see the newer version at the Tukerton store by clicking here.








Media is still waiting for the Premium Fresh and Healthy aisle and category markers. The upgrades have happened in stores regardless of the current decor package. Mays Landing has had the new signage while keeping the Industrial Circus decor.




Flat treatment of this decor element in the 2.0 version. Click here for a look at the full 3D version, including corrugated steel panels, in the 1.0 version.

Aerial Views...

The original building outlined in red. As you can see in the photos above this one, the seams between old and new are very visible.

Historic Aerials...

2010

2008

2002

Colonial Cottage still going strong in 2002. Hard to believe it took so long to have any kind of expansion with the empty lot just next door.

1971

Plenty of parking!

1970

1965

Looks to have gotten some good crowds in its early years.

1958