ACME – Voorhees, New Jersey

Location: 700 Haddonfield Berlin Road, Voorhees, NJ

Today we're stopping by the Voorhees ACME to see the store's very nice Quality Built remodel. This did include some fresh paint for the exterior, which helps the sign pop off the facade much more than it did previously. The sign itself was not updated, which is often the case, and the "Savon" branding remains, which has been removed from most stores. These photos were taken back in 2024, the same day I visited the Haddonfield ACME. 

BEFORE>>>

LOVE the windows in these '90s-built stores! 

Wall sign not updated in remodel but looking totally fine. 

Quality Built décor inside and looking pretty fantastic! Other changes were made that take a bit of a sharper eye to detect. Improved lighting as well. 

We've all discussed many times that these Quality Built updates/remodels are not the most impressive things we've ever seen but I do love how ACME. as well as other Albertsons' banners, are going for a super crisp, organized look. The company as a whole has made impressive upgrades to their produce departments in recent years, making them superior to many of their competitors, IMHO anyway. 

The newly installed hardwood flooring extends out further than the previous produce flooring. 

BEFORE>>>

Have to say the Alberstons Marketplace décor is my least favorite in the history of ACME. It's not unattractive, but I don't think there's ever been a décor package that has been less representative of ACME Markets. A bit too generic and a sameness throughout the whole store. Also left behind far too many remnants of the 90's Red/White/Blue package. 

BEFORE>>>

The ala carte station was to the rear of the store within the meat department. It was totally removed for the QB remodel. 

All new flooring in this area where the ala carte station was as well as the Wild Harvest and Shop the World aisles. Gone are the days of all nooks and crannies of specialty items, with fancy flooring and high-end lighting. We've gone back to straight-up, streamlined, no-nonsense aisles. Kinda like the way supermarkets were in the 70's.

BEFORE>>

The keystones from the 90's décor have been removed! So strange they were left behind during the Alberstons Marketplace remodel.

Some crazy floor patching on the opposite end of the store. They HAD white tile. Why didn't they USE white tile?? Baffles me every time.

I want to be ACME's remodel manager to make sure this doesn't happen. Also someone needs to monitor the typesetting on the walls which has gone horribly awry in many QB stores. 

Doors added to dairy cases. (Not sure if the cases are brand-new or if doors were added like they have been in many stores)

BEFORE>>>

Some décor elements from the 90's remain in place!

Really nice remodel here at Voorhees. Not the most deluxe but it does get the job done. For previous coverage of the Voorhees store, please click here. 

Closing: ACME – Edgewater, NJ

IT'S A WRAP IN EDGEWATER!

Location: Location: 481 River Road, Edgewater, NJ

Stopped by Edgewater yesterday to do a little shopping and was shocked to see the store is rapidly calling it quits. No longer being stocked and circular not being honored. Most of the store is 30% off but that's not as exciting as it sounds as ACME has pulled much of the merchandise out of the store. With four other ACME's very close by, merchandise has most likely been moved to those stores to avoid taking the 30% hit. While an official announcement has yet to be made, it is believed that ShopRite was able to obtain the lease here which was set to expire in August. So ACME is sadly out and even sadder, an Inserra ShopRite is on its way in. The last thing this area needs is another filthy, failing, Pharmacy-free Inserra ShopRite but looks like that's what we're gonna get. 

ACME is reminding shoppers that 3 other stores are very close by, with West New York being the closest. That store remains one of ACME's very last stores to be remodeled since the A&P days. 

ACME's produce department here has been outstanding, having improved dramatically in recent years. Not looking forward to ShopRite's moldy and bruised produce, which they are famous for. ACME also did an excellent job promoting healthier supermarket food options, while ShopRite fills its stores with endless displays of Doritos and Ding Dongs. 

The store will be closing "on or about" August 15th. I can't imagine it making it that long, considering how low inventory is 2 months out. 

Pharmacy signage both inside and out has been removed. I didn't see any signs saying where the prescriptions have been moved to. I would assume West New York but perhaps that's too far, considering the amount of pharmacies close by. 27 years later and this store will no longer have a pharmacy. Inserra shuttered all of their in-store pharmacies after failing to make them profitable. 

Closed – Classic ACME, Manasquan

CLASSIC ACME GONE!

Location: 71 Taylor Ave, Manasquan, NJ 

The most classic ACME in all the land closed on December 4, 2020. While reports circulated that ACME was "unable" to renew its lease, the official statement from ACME read more like "yeah, we're outta here." It would be interesting to know if CVS, which now operates on the site, made a better offer. Back in 2015, the store received a robust remodel, which would indicate ACME's success and desire to continue running this location for many years to come. 

This photo dates back to the 60's with the cursive logo on the awning. Courtesy of the Asbury Park Evening Press archives and the Monmouth Memories facebook page. 

Photos above are from Google Maps street view. Store looking fantastic here. 

Back in 2015, the last remaining fish-eye sign was replaced with the block-letter logo. While updating the sign was a step in the right direction, it was tough to see the old one finally go. 

As the store is today>>>

A ho-hum CVS not exactly loved by locals, with its meager 3-star review. 

 Revisiting ACME's interior>>>

Roughly 20 years of the Checkerboard Arch décor. 

Aisle markers from the Industrial Circus era were brought in at some point. 

2015 Remodel>>>

The remodel of 2015 had the PF&H version 3 décor brought in as well as numerous new cases. While not the most dramatic of remodels, the overall updates were extremely well done. The floors remained untouched with the classic produce tiling continuing on. 

For additional coverage of the Classic Manasquan ACME, click here. 

Closed: Stop & Shop – Paramus, NJ

APOCALYPTIC STOP & SHOP!

Location: 859 South State Route 17, Paramus, NJ

A few weeks ago, I passed by the old Stop & Shop in Paramus. Was stunned to see it still standing and in such disrepair. I tried to stop and take some photos but the parking lot entrances were chained off. When I got home, I checked Google Maps and found excellent views of the store! All the images you see here are screenshots from Google Maps, which is kinda lazy, but you know what they say... safety first! 

Stop & Shop acquired this location from Grand Union back in 2001 and as you can see, little was done to the exterior during the entire run of the store. Same with the interior where GU's 80's remodel lived on. At the time of the conversion, I was convinced that S&S would hold onto some of GU's strengths but this was not the case and a little naive of me to even hope for that. S&S stripped out the best of GU and was satisfied being as mediocre as they could be in comparison. The store would last over two decades with zero updates, closing on January 3, 2022. At the time, reports were that S&S was going to build a brand-new store on the property once the strip and former Kmart were torn down. Still not clear what happened with these plans, but they never materialized. Costco was given the green light last October to build a new store here, but doesn't seem to be in any kind of a hurry. It is pretty crazy to see this abandoned shopping center on the insane retail juggernaut that is Route 17 in Paramus. 

Back entrance is chained off. 

The strip mall to the left and the former Kmart all abandoned. 

In better days. Still.. that sign is a typesetting disaster. This store always seemed to do decent business despite being extremely outdated. 

And in the good ol' day! Loved me some Grand Union back in the day. For additional coverage of this store, click here.

For an extensive tour of the former Kmart, click here. 

Former ACME – Turnersville, NJ

Location: 2091 Black Horse Pike, Turnersville, NJ

Today, we're once again stepping back in time to visit the former Turnersville ACME. Built as a 90's Superstore, the store appears to have been extremely successful during its run. It was located in a U-shaped shopping center directly across from Walmart. The store was closed in the early 2000's with the Sicklerville location opening as its replacement. 

I believe this may be the only 90's Superstore model of this kind in New Jersey. Perhaps there's another. My mind is a little foggy on that matter. In the late 80's as ACME had exhausted its 80's Remodels of smaller, somewhat outdated stores, the company finally began building larger stores. While several different styles were created during this era, this particular model was the most eye-catching and was used often in TV commercials. Once the 90's were in full swing, ACME abandoned these Superstore models and began building even larger stores. By this point, the red oval logo was gone and stores were given the new block-letter signage. 

The 80's Remodel flooring remained with the décor having been updated to the 90's Red/White/Blue.

This is how the ACME looks today, now split between two stores. You can see the area where the sign and glass atrium used to be in the center is still somewhat intact. 

2002

This is the last available view of the ACME still in business. Below you can see how the building was split into two stores. Looking through the historic aerials, you can see the ACME as well as the whole shopping center did some huge business back in the day. 

 

2004

To jump to coverage of the Sicklerville store, click here. The store now has the Quality Built décor and appears to be doing well depsite a ShopRite directly across the street.