Thursday, February 17, 2011

Cinnaminson: The Final Days


The beloved Cinnaminson Acme now emptied of merchandise. The store is scheduled to close for good on Saturday February 26. The closing still remains a bit of a mystery as business here was better than other Acmes which will remain open. The original post of this store is one of the most popular posts ever at Acme Style, generating quite an emotional response. Judging from the comments left here and all over the internet, this store had a fiercely loyal following and was staffed by hard working, dedicated employees. Unfortunately there seems to be other forces at work that go far beyond the competition of ShopRite.... or even Acme itself. The next few months may offer some answers as to the grand plans for this location. For now, we can take another look at the extraordinary interior of the Cinnaminson Acme and wish all of it's employees the very best...





Update 3.4.11: Some additional pictures have come in this week...

Exterior signage now removed.

You can see a "Savon" labelscar here on the right side. The Acme logo being in two different spots over the years.


Skylights in one of the backrooms.





Update 5.14.11:  These pictures just in... the Cinnaminson Acme yet to be cleared out...










Wednesday, February 16, 2011

News Break:

A&P to close 32 stores

More bad news from A&P. 32 stores will be closing in April. The list of stores closings is now appearing at several news websites but has yet to be officially confirmed by the company. Several of the closings may benefit the business at nearby Acmes.

New Jersey
A&P:
Flanders
Barnegat
Manville

Pathmark:
Deptford
Gillette
Hillsborough
Livingston
Middletown
North Hackensack
South Plainfield
Whippany

Super Fresh:
Cape May Courthouse
Hamilton
Hammonton
Hightstown
Mt. Holly

New York
A&P:
Carmel
Greenburgh
New Rochelle
Portchester
Valley Stream

Pathmark:
Comack
Hartsdale
Nostrand Ave, Brooklyn

Waldbaum's:
Farmingdales
Smithtown

Pennsylvania
Pathmark:
Bethlehem

Super Fresh:
Lionville
Yardly

Connecticut:
Food Basics: Bridgeport

Delaware:
Pathmark:  Glascow

Maryland:
Super Fresh: Ocean City

Friday, February 11, 2011

"Trolley Square" Acme, Wilmington DE


Photos courtesy of Ben from Delaware

Location: 1401 North Dupont Street, Wilmimgton DE

This Friday is a 3 for 1 deal at Acme Style all in an effort to get some much delayed Delaware stores up on the blog. Ben, our Delaware contributor, has been sending in pictures for the past few months now saving me the trip down there. His collections will be making their way to the blog throughout the year and will include a wide range of current and former Acmes. My knowledge of these stores is slim to none so hopefully we'll be getting lots of informative comments.

We're starting off with the Trolley Square store in Wilmington which opened back in 1961. The store is going up a bit prematurely... only have a few pictures of how the store appears today with additional pictures from Google Street views. Ben might be getting more for us in the future and I will do updates to this if he does. Requests come in pretty frequently for this store so I decided to go with what I had for now. 

The picture above shows the current state of the store after a recent update to the Premium Fresh and Healthy decor. Probably the nicest upgrade of the old "SuperSaver" facade... ever.  And guess what you're NOT seeing in this picture? The pitched-roof! One of the last remaining in the whole chain. While no significant additions have been made to the store, most of it's original characteristics have been disguised. The front windows now covered over with the roof line completely hidden. And... what's worse... a drop ceiling has been added inside.  

The Google Street view image above with this Acme looking to have had a similar treatment as the Jersey City store with the dark green paint job. Judging from some of the current interior decor, this location looks to have had the Neighborhood Market decor previous to the recent remodel.

The black and white photos on the wall would have been left over from the last decor package. These local historic photos were also used in many of the Chalkboard Market decor stores. Notice the drop ceiling in the interior shots.


That's it for the inside. Hopefully we'll be seeing more of the interior in the future. For now, let's head back outside...

You'll notice a few additions that have been added to the building. All appear to be additional back room space. No word on whether or not the sales floor has been expanded. The press release from the 1999 remodel lists a lot of expanded services which would seem difficult to cram into this store's 23,000 square feet. Among others... salad bar, coffee bar and full-service Seafood. The press release is one of the most colorful I've ever read. Gets depressing towards the end when it's revealed that the the Trolley Square store is among 165 Acmes that were open in 1999. The chain is now down to 123 with 6 more closing by month's end.  



Update 3.2.11: Ben has sent in some additional pictures of the Trolley Square store...

Old logo still making an appearance on the outside.

Unlike the original pitched-roof set up, the Produce aisle is right through the entrance here. 

The apple windows seen on the front awning are repeated along the side of the building.


Pitched-roof stores usually had 9 aisles. This store may have lost one from an expanded produce aisle and market area. 





The location of the store right in the center of town is certainly a huge reason for it's continued success. Reviews of the store on websites such as yelp are less than kind. Two remodels done in within 10 years certianly proves that this location is quite successful despite it's age and size.

Former Acmes – Milford, Delaware

Photos courtesy of Ben from Delaware

Location: 117 South East Front Street, Milford DE

For the second part of our 3 for 1 Friday, we're heading over to Milford Delaware to look at two former Acmes. The first is a pitched-roof store tucked away in a neighborhood setting. This Acme opened back in 1964.


Views from the former meat department out into the store still looking very Acme-like...

The meat case flood lights still working! This view is from the former meat room. Ben reports that the Salvation Army sales floor extends all the way back to rear exterior wall.

There's a very good chance that the old mod-Acme sign is still behind the white paneling. The sign tiles offer support to the front of the store and cannot be removed easily unless other support options are put into place. Hard to know for sure but the old windows and sign may have just been covered over here. Certainly looks they way from the outside.

The old Produce spot lights still intact. Looking rather shinny and new here yet going unused. The Clayton Acme still has these lights but remain dark there as well.

The brick room in the front corner is the former bread delivery room. Customer Service would have been next to it with Dairy running along the right wall.

Acme's emergency exit door with the former Produce aisle just inside.

Produce receiving here. First time I've seen a platform in front of these doors. Usually the doors are level with the sidewalk. 

Back outside with a tour around the store...





Interesting location here. Pitched-roof stores were often built on the outskirts of town and included massive parking lots. Here there's parking for about 30 cars.





The image above show the pitched-roof store with a former A&P in a nearby shopping center. The second Milford Acme shown with the red-oval logo here although it probably had the fish-eye logo as well. The newer Acme looks to be the replacement store, which was certainly in a better location but not much larger than the old store. The original Acme may not have had a very long run with the replacement store looking quite old school as well.

The former A&P as it looks today. Now let's head over to Dupont Boulevard...

The former Acme is the last section on the left end. Ironically, it's now a Sav a lot...


Location: 696 North Dupont Boulevard, Milford DE





Looks as though the Acme took up the space under the darker section of the roof. Additional evidence of this can be seen in the photo above this one... if you look closely at how the windows and doors are set up. The image of the back reveals that all the loading docks are located within the dark-roof section. Looks as though the "SuperSaver" awning was located right where the wall is painted white. May have left behind those marks on the roof.