College Station-Bryan grocery stores since 1980

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pseudo3d
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College Station-Bryan grocery stores since 1980

Post by pseudo3d »

Figured that I should do something like this since I have the resources (old phone books, etc.) and the local knowledge. Despite the area being dominated by H-E-B with a few Krogers to balance it out, the area has a history of other retailers including Albertsons, Safeway, and even Winn-Dixie. Like most other things, these are to the best of my research and knowledge.

Albertsons
All closed, three at peak.

301 South College Avenue (College Station): Opened 1971 as Skaggs Albertsons, converted to Skaggs Alpha Beta in 1979 and Jewel-Osco in 1991. Sold to Albertsons in 1992. Closed in 1997 when Albertsons bought the Randalls down the road. Remained vacant until demolition began in 2012.
2205 Longmire Drive (College Station): Opened 1991, closed 2008. Part of it was torn down for the expansion of the Wal-Mart next door, with the store occupying the rear half (for auxiliary storage). The front half was reopened as Altitude Trampoline Park in 2017.
615 University Drive East (College Station): Opened 1991 as a Randalls (Randalls New Generation store), closed and sold to Albertsons in 1997. In 2011, Albertsons LLC sold the lease to H-E-B, and it closed. The building was sold to an operator of a nearby tutoring facility, which uses the parking lot.
1901 South Texas Avenue (Bryan): Opened 2002 in Townshire redevelopment, closed 2006. Briefly served as a Walmart Neighborhood Market (the only one in town) between 2013 and 2016, but nothing since then.

Aldi
See "Safeway".

AppleTree
See "Safeway".

H-E-B / H-E-B Pantry
Currently five stores open.

1905 Old Hearne Road (Bryan): Opened 1991 as an H-E-B Pantry store (later rebranded to H-E-B). Replaced by 1609 North Texas Avenue in 2011, torn down soon after.
2031 South Texas Avenue (Bryan): Opened in 1991 as an H-E-B Pantry store, replaced by 725 East Villa Maria Road in 2004. Now Harmony Science Academy.
2026 Texas Avenue South (College Station): Opened in 1991 as an H-E-B Pantry, replaced by 1900 Texas Avenue South in 2002. Later Gattitown, now DSW.
1900 Texas Avenue South (College Station): Opened in 2002 to replace a H-E-B Pantry at 2026 Texas Avenue South.
725 East Villa Maria Road (Bryan): Opened in 2004 in Tejas Center development (replaced 2031 S Texas Ave location)
949 William D. Fitch Parkway (College Station): Opened in 2010 in Tower Point development (did not replace anything).
1609 North Texas Avenue (College Station): Opened 2011 to replace the 1905 Old Hearne Road store (right next to it).
11675 Wellborn Road (College Station): Opened 2018 in Jones Crossing development (did not replace anything).

Kroger
Currently two stores open (three at peak).

2104 South Texas Avenue (Bryan): Opened in 1977 as a Kroger Family Center (in a renovated Cooks discount store, the same one out of Ohio). Closed in 2005 (if records are right, before the Boonville store opened). 99 Cents Only and a few other stores are here today.
2412 Texas Avenue South (College Station): Opened in 1982 as a large Greenhouse store, renovated around 2001, closed 2016. Now Tru Fit Athletic Clubs. Notable as during the 1990s, built an expansion to a former Chuck E Cheese which contained a full video rental store (despite an interior entrance, both were separate stores with separate checkstands).
3535 Longmire Drive (College Station): Opened in 2000 as a "Kroger Signature Store" though recently that signage has been removed.
2303 Boonville Road (Bryan): Opened 2006 in the Colony Park development. Originally opened as Signature store, may or may not be still signed as that. Currently being expanded.

Piggly Wiggly
I'm not sure when these opened or closed, but these are their stores as of 1980. The local franchise was "Six Star Foods".

3516 South Texas Avenue (Bryan): Currently Aaron's.
200 East 24th Street (Bryan): Currently vacant?
2700 Texas Avenue South (College Station): Former Lewis & Coker (built as the "Kmart Foods" grocery store though it isn't clear if it was branded as that). Now BCS Asian Grocery.

Randalls
See "Albertsons"

Safeway
Four stores at peak, none remain.

201 North Texas Avenue (Bryan): Opened in the 1950s as a Safeway but was soon rebuilt in the 1960s with a parking lot in front of the store (why it was replaced so soon is unknown). Moved in 1986 to 2001 San Jacinto Lane, now the county health department
1010 S. Texas Avenue (Bryan): Opened in 1954 as a Weingarten, sold to Safeway in 1984, converted to AppleTree in 1989. Closed in 1992, later a furniture store, now divided between a bingo parlor, nightclub, and a restaurant.
1725 Texas Avenue South (College Station): Opened in 1976 as a Safeway, later converted to AppleTree. Closed in 2002. Currently home to HomeGoods and Spec's Liquor after shopping center redevelopment.
1805 Briarcrest Drive (Bryan): Opened 1977 as a Safeway, moved in late 1980s catty-corner across the intersection. Currently divided between a church and a bingo parlor.
2001 East Highway 21 (Bryan): Opened in 1986 as a Safeway. Converted to AppleTree around 1989, then closed in 2009 for a series of Mexican grocers. The current La Michoacana only takes up half the space.
1760 Briarcrest Drive (Bryan): Opened in the late 1980s to replace above store as a Safeway (may have even opened after division was officially spun off), later converted to AppleTree, sold, rebranded, and re-merchandised in late 2000s as "Village Foods". Closed 2016, now an Aldi and a trampoline park.

Others
1200 Harvey Road (College Station): A second Weingarten opened here in 1983. It only lasted three months before closing. It was reopened as the independent Mariel's Home Town Foods for about a year but spent most of the late 1980s vacant. It became a Hobby Lobby when the center was redeveloped in the early 1990s and today is Tuesday Morning and Burke's Outlet.
600 North Main Street (Bryan): Food Town, an independent, was located at 600 North Main. It closed sometime around 1990 (give or take a year). Demolished around 2009 (unknown if it was ever re-used again after it closed).
1405 Earl Rudder Freeway (College Station): Sam's Club opened in 1992.
701 East Villa Maria Road (Bryan): Part of the former Manor East Mall, opened as Britt's, but closed and reopened as JCPenney (late 1970s or early 1980s). After JCPenney left in 1985 to move to Post Oak Mall, it served as Food 4 Less in the late 1980s, closing around 1991. Today, this building serves as Life Church, Bealls (converting to Gordmans), and Jo-Ann Fabrics.


Walmart (Supercenter)
1815 Brothers Boulevard (College Station): Opened in 1988, after a 1995 expansion/renovation, became full Supercenter in 2010 after a second expansion.
2200 Briarcrest Drive (Bryan): Opened 1993 after an early 1980s regular store closed less than two miles away.
643 North Harvey Mitchell Parkway (Bryan): Opened in 2014.

Walmart Neighborhood Market
See "Albertsons".

Weingarten
Two stores at peak, none remain. See "Others" and "Safeway".

Winn-Dixie
Two stores at peak, none remain.

3991 East 29th Street (Bryan): Opened in or around 1984. Closed in 2002 when the chain pulled out of the area.
2501 Texas Avenue South (College Station): Opened in or around 1986 as Winn-Dixie Marketplace. Closed around 1996, later Lacks Furniture. Currently divided between an Ace Hardware and Planet Fitness.
Last edited by pseudo3d on 20 Feb 2020 10:19, edited 1 time in total.
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Groceteria
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Re: College Station-Bryan grocery stores since 1980

Post by Groceteria »

This is pretty thoroughly excellent. Thank you!
pseudo3d
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Joined: 24 Sep 2012 00:04

Re: College Station-Bryan grocery stores since 1980

Post by pseudo3d »

Groceteria wrote: 20 Feb 2020 00:04 This is pretty thoroughly excellent. Thank you!
Thanks! I was inspired by both wnetmacman's post and a much older list I had a different Internet forum, which I cleaned up and expanded. An edit I did this morning both added Food 4 Less and clarified the Wal-Mart expansion.
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