First Look at Ortely Beach's New Facade!

Location: 5 Ortley Plaza, Ortley Beach, NJ

The new exterior is just about complete and is looking great! Ortley Beach now has a similar look to Beach Haven and Sea Isle City. The interior remains the same with no remodel happening at this time.

MORE PHOTOS JUST IN >>>

Daytime photos courtesy of Milltown Shopper

Milltown Shopper sent in some daytime pictures of the store along with a couple of interior shots of the new front-end.

Still under construction but looking great!


Surprised to see this store only has 8 checkouts, and they're still sporting the A&P lights. The interior is not getting remodeled at this time but I'd be willing to bet it will be done by next summer. Perhaps they didn't want to cause any additional disruption so close to the holidays.

Lincrott Remodel Update...

Photos courtesy of Dan Asnis

Location: 616 Newman Springs Road, Lincroft, NJ

Quality Built is up on the walls and the remodel is in its final stages.


Brand-new flooring for the Grand Aisle! And very nice to see Acme has finally decided to upgrade the fresh baked roll cases.




This is a little strange. Looks like it should say "FROZEN FOODS to go".


Tight fit for "This Is Your Acme"


The 10,000 category markers are gone!






The former spot for seasonal merchandise is being transformed into a Starbucks!






Customer Service has been relocated from the alcove along the front-end to the former spot for self-checkouts.




The signage in the foyer has yet to be swapped out.

Extensive Remodel Underway in Audubon!

Location: 100 Black Horse Pike, Audubon, NJ

One of the coolest Acmes out there in undergoing an extensive remodel. You can see here that significant work is being done in the service departments section of the store. Lots of new cases are being installed as well. The new lighting and removal of the hanging lattice was probably done a while ago.

One common change that seems to be happening in these remodels is the removal of the fresh bread displays that used to face the entrance in favor of cake displays.


Chalkboard Market décor coming down with Quality Built going up!


This store began it's life as a Penn Fruit which explains the arched ceiling over the grocery aisles. Here we see an aisle has been removed to make way for a double wide. Acme has been doing this in some of the converted stores. One side is chips and snacks with the other being water and energy drinks. Plenty of room for displays down the middle.


Full coverage of the Audubon Acme can be visited by clicking here.

Our Audubon contributor will be sending in more pictures when the remodel is complete.

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!

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Acme – Freehold, New Jersey

Location: 3241 U.S. 9, Freehold, New Jersey

Taking a break from all the converted stores for a look at a regular ol' Acme. This location has been requested numerous times over the years but I just haven't gotten to it. The pictures you'll be seeing here were taken a year and a half ago. No idea if any significant changes have happened here since then. I had planned to get this post up last year but then the A&P acquisition happened and the course of this blog, and Acme Markets, was forever changed.

Freehold was the home of 2 brand-new Acmes in the early 2000's. This location managed to survive and apparently does pretty decent business. The other location on 200 Mounts Corner Drive lasted a miserable 13 months. If you're not familiar with that store, you can catch up by clicking here.


You can see a Starbucks/Seatle's Best/Bucks County Coffee? label scar to the right of the Acme sign. This store apparently never had "Save-on" added to front. Funny how Acme yanked the branded coffee bars out of their stores in recent years and now can't seem to open them up fast enough in the former A&P stores.




No Pharmacy or Save-on signage. I should have looked closer for label scars.

Update: No I shouldn't have. This Acme doesn't have a Pharmacy!






Typical Alberstons Marketplace layout and décor package...














Dated signage in the Wild Harvest aisle. Probably all removed by now since Acme is all O Organics these days. Side note: O Organics commercials have been running very frequently on the New York City TV stations. They're very well done. Completely generic until the end when the announcer says you can find the products at Acme. The "Organics For All" tagline is very catchy and a nice slam against Whole Foods whole paycheck perception. It worked on me. I've shifted nearly all of my Whole Foods shopping over to the six new Acmes in my area.




It's funny with these Alberstons Marketplace stores... I usually like them in person but in pictures, they always look painfully dull. I think the photos tend to capture more of a warehouse feel than actually exists when your in the store in person.










Hair Care sign is still up! These were standard issue for these new stores back in the early 2000's.




Nit picking here but one thing I don't like about the Alberstons Marketplace stores is the Dairy alcove. I prefer an aisle over an alcove in this part of the store. Alcoves tend to get junked up with displays and interrupt the flow of the store.


Strategically placed floral arrangement to help cover up some mismatched paint on the wall. These dust collectors used to appear above the cases throughout theses stores back when they opened.






Center aisle looking over toward the Produce side of the store.




World's worst aisle markers. They tell you virtually nothing.










Blurry look a the front-end.


Self-checkouts may have been removed by now.


Flat screen TVs were getting added to stores back in 2015. The screens feature slideshows of the store's employees. They have not been installed in the converted stores.

AERIAL VIEWS

Judging by the parking lot in various aerial views, the store attracts a decent crowd. ShopRite is located about 10 minutes away and Wegmans about 15 minutes.

HISTORIC AERIALS

2013

2006

2002

The Acme was built in the exact spot of a former A&P which is clearly seen in 2002.

1979

1970

1963