Search found 689 matches

by Andrew T.
12 Oct 2021 18:29
Forum: History: Department Store Chains
Topic: Wal-Mart stores with old signage
Replies: 20
Views: 13664

Re: Wal-Mart stores with old signage

Yet another "off the beaten path" Canadian example, courtesy of last weekend's 2200-kilometre Timmins trip: Kapuskasing, Ontario! This one even still has the old starless WAL-MART wordmark...although Wal-Mart's Canadian division kept the hyphen about a decade longer than their parent in th...
by Andrew T.
12 Oct 2021 08:26
Forum: History: USA Northwest/Rockies/Alaska
Topic: Sidney, Montana-Safeway store-Marina style-opened Oct. 1963
Replies: 3
Views: 1020

Re: Sidney, Montana-Safeway store-Marina style-opened Oct. 1963

Oh, that IGA definitely is a Marina-style building: You can make out the curvature of the roof and the placement of the side "wings" in the aerial imagery. The interior pictures on Google also reveal that the curved roofline and ceiling beams are preserved on the inside! Outside is another...
by Andrew T.
07 Oct 2021 20:39
Forum: History: USA Midwest/Plains
Topic: Mystery store: 3000 N Sterling Ave, Peoria IL
Replies: 6
Views: 1235

Re: Mystery store: 3000 N Sterling Ave, Peoria IL

Hi Rich, Stone accents were common for Kroger’s in the late 50s and early 60s, but not unique to them. The parapet drop is odd unless there was a sign on the side that needed to be serviced somehow from above. I checked my photos to see if I could find any images of Kroger stores with similar droppe...
by Andrew T.
03 Oct 2021 13:40
Forum: History: USA Midwest/Plains
Topic: Mystery store: 3000 N Sterling Ave, Peoria IL
Replies: 6
Views: 1235

Re: Mystery store: 3000 N Sterling Ave, Peoria IL

Is it possible that brick is not original to the exterior? This is more of a side shot but what little I could see of the front says this could be a 1950's pre-centennial A+P but they used a lot of stone for the exteriors on those so I'm wondering if that brick was added later in a renovation of so...
by Andrew T.
02 Oct 2021 14:01
Forum: History: USA Midwest/Plains
Topic: Mystery store: 3000 N Sterling Ave, Peoria IL
Replies: 6
Views: 1235

Mystery store: 3000 N Sterling Ave, Peoria IL

I was digging through some old photos today from road trips in years past, and I found one ripe with mystery: Although I've done a bit of research in Illinois, covering Bloomington-Normal and Waukegan for the site, I've never researched Peoria. Any guesses to what this could have been? It's a blonde...
by Andrew T.
02 Oct 2021 12:29
Forum: History: Department Store Chains
Topic: Wal-Mart stores with old signage
Replies: 20
Views: 13664

Re: Wal-Mart stores with old signage

(Bumping up a six-year-old topic...) Would Canadian stores count? On my travels through the wilds of northern Ontario, I've uncovered a few Wal-Marts off the beaten path that have evaded the post-2008 renovation train. In Fort Frances, Ontario (across the river from Minnesota:) And in Kenora, Ontari...
by Andrew T.
01 Oct 2021 20:51
Forum: History: USA Midwest/Plains
Topic: Sioux Falls, SD chain grocery/supermarket locations
Replies: 5
Views: 5613

Re: Sioux Falls, SD chain grocery/supermarket locations

Safeway apparently did have a presence in Sioux Falls: https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/02/18/Safeway-Stores-Inc-plans-to-close-68-stores-in/5143382856400/ You inspired me to give Sioux Falls another look. With a little digging, I managed to find another article , which says: "In March,1984, ...
by Andrew T.
01 Oct 2021 19:56
Forum: History: USA Midwest/Plains
Topic: NEW: MInneapolis, 1920-2020
Replies: 13
Views: 1888

Re: NEW: MInneapolis, 1920-2020

And...the table has been extended back to 1910.
by Andrew T.
01 Oct 2021 11:54
Forum: History: USA Midwest/Plains
Topic: NEW: MInneapolis, 1920-2020
Replies: 13
Views: 1888

Re: NEW: MInneapolis, 1920-2020

When did National Tea enter Minneapolis, and how did they enter the market? While researching the chain's origins, I found a newspaper ad from 1919 which confirms that they entered by acquisition: National Tea Company Successors to H. P. McBride Co. Why pay more? 13 Stores 1100 E. Franklin Ave. 101 ...
by Andrew T.
01 Oct 2021 11:05
Forum: History: USA Midwest/Plains
Topic: NEW: MInneapolis, 1920-2020
Replies: 13
Views: 1888

Re: NEW: MInneapolis, 1920-2020

Albertsons was very close to buying Rainbow Foods back in 2000. https://mtstandard.com/news/state-and-regional/albertsons-makes-rainbow-foods-buyout-offer/article_164ab273-002c-5dd8-9fd4-26b1e7427297.html Wow, that's an interesting "what if!" The timing is intriguing: July 2000 was when A...
by Andrew T.
30 Sep 2021 19:59
Forum: History: USA Midwest/Plains
Topic: NEW: MInneapolis, 1920-2020
Replies: 13
Views: 1888

Re: NEW: MInneapolis, 1920-2020

The Hennepin County Library has a number of pictures of old National stores in its digital collections. Some of them are quite old: A very old mid-block National at 3804 Chicago Ave., pictured in 1936. This location lasted through the early 1940s before closing. Another very old B&W shot of an e...
by Andrew T.
30 Sep 2021 18:44
Forum: History: USA Midwest/Plains
Topic: NEW: MInneapolis, 1920-2020
Replies: 13
Views: 1888

Re: NEW: MInneapolis, 1920-2020

So...what grocery chains have risen and fallen in Minneapolis over the last century? While eyeing over the data, National Tea is a name that stands out. Minneapolis was one of the incredibly rare places where this laggard company was actually a first mover; sweeping into the market in advance of oth...
by Andrew T.
29 Sep 2021 23:06
Forum: History: USA Midwest/Plains
Topic: NEW: MInneapolis, 1920-2020
Replies: 13
Views: 1888

Re: NEW: MInneapolis, 1920-2020

Oh, and there's more! The Minneapolis city directories of the 1930s had somewhat shoddy classified listings, with lots of omissions. But by doing a full text search , I was able to scrounge up 57 additional National, Piggly Wiggly, A&P, Red Owl, and C. Thomas chain grocery locations! All of thes...
by Andrew T.
28 Sep 2021 23:18
Forum: History: USA Midwest/Plains
Topic: NEW: MInneapolis, 1920-2020
Replies: 13
Views: 1888

Re: NEW: MInneapolis, 1920-2020

BIG news: Big updates to Minneapolis! https://www.groceteria.com/place/us-minnesota/minneapolis/ Yes, it's been 21 months since I did my initial research in the stacks of the Minneapolis Central Library in December 2019...and that cold day in the city now feels so distant it might as well have been...
by Andrew T.
28 Sep 2021 19:56
Forum: History: Canada
Topic: Mystery store, 500 Park Ave, Beausejour, MB
Replies: 3
Views: 1129

Re: Mystery store, 500 Park Ave, Beausejour, MB

More updates. This article from 1970 lists Shop-Easy as one of the 60 discrete companies then owned by George Weston Ltd...which links the chain to Loblaws. (Geez, is there a single Canadian grocery brand of the last 50 years that Loblaws, Sobeys, or Metro don't control?) Furthermore, the Loblaws Fr...