Madison, Wisconsin chain grocery/supermarket history

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

Moderator: Groceteria

User avatar
Andrew T.
Veteran
Posts: 689
Joined: 18 Oct 2007 14:26
Location: Minnesota's attic, Canada
Contact:

Re: Madison, Wisconsin chain grocery/supermarket history

Post by Andrew T. »

Here's something I happened upon today: https://old.reddit.com/r/madisonwi/comm ... ison_1960/

Footage of the Westgate Mall on Whitney Way upon its 1960 opening, including some shots of an arch-roofed Piggly Wiggly store! By 1972 (per the table) this had converted to being an Eagle store. I don't really know what happened to it after that: The address wasn't listed at all in the 1985 Madison city directory, and it surely never was a Kohl's in spite of what the Reddit thread says.

The building itself still stood as late as summer 2011: The Google car captured it in this shot, with the curved roofline barely visible behind a false front. It was gone by the time I moved to the city a year later, and a brand new Hy-Vee was in the midst of being erected on the same spot.
"The pale pastels which have been featured in most food stores during the past 20 years are no longer in tune with the mood of the 1970s."
Andrew Turnbull
User avatar
Groceteria
Great Pumpkin
Posts: 1927
Joined: 04 Nov 2005 12:13
Location: In the breakroom
Contact:

Re: Madison, Wisconsin chain grocery/supermarket history

Post by Groceteria »

At the risk of stepping on to Andrew T's turf, I have filled in some of the missing years for Madison with data from my my last trip to Fort Wayne, where all the city directories live:

https://www.groceteria.com/place/us-wisconsin/madison/
User avatar
Andrew T.
Veteran
Posts: 689
Joined: 18 Oct 2007 14:26
Location: Minnesota's attic, Canada
Contact:

Re: Madison, Wisconsin chain grocery/supermarket history

Post by Andrew T. »

Is the new sheet live yet? I'm still seeing the old version on the embed.
"The pale pastels which have been featured in most food stores during the past 20 years are no longer in tune with the mood of the 1970s."
Andrew Turnbull
User avatar
Andrew T.
Veteran
Posts: 689
Joined: 18 Oct 2007 14:26
Location: Minnesota's attic, Canada
Contact:

Re: Madison, Wisconsin chain grocery/supermarket history

Post by Andrew T. »

Ah, the sheet has been updated! That's better. Now, to dig into deciphering the post-1960 mysteries of Madison's supermarkets...

4515 W Beltline Highway is a bit confusing. The spreadsheet says this was the site of a Del Farm or National in the 1970s and a Kohl's from 1980 to 2000. But, Google places the location south of the highway on a site that's currently home to a University Bookstore warehouse. It takes considerable imagination for me to picture this building as a food store.

Meanwhile, the Wisconsin Historical Society places the store north of the highway in a pylonated building that's currently a hardware store, with an address that currently resolves to Midvale Boulevard.
This store, at least, looks like a National. But the description says that Dorn Hardware has inhabited the building since at least 1973, and National was still operating out of 4515 W Beltline Highway in 1974!

My best guess is that National relocated from the north-side (Dorn Hardware) building to the south side of the highway when it adopted the Del Farm banner in the 1960s. Historic Aerials shows a shopping centre appearing on that side of the intersection between 1957 and 1969, behind where the University Bookstore warehouse is today. Around 2000, the centre was demolished and a Home Depot store was built on the site, and this is what remains today.
"The pale pastels which have been featured in most food stores during the past 20 years are no longer in tune with the mood of the 1970s."
Andrew Turnbull
User avatar
Andrew T.
Veteran
Posts: 689
Joined: 18 Oct 2007 14:26
Location: Minnesota's attic, Canada
Contact:

Re: Madison, Wisconsin chain grocery/supermarket history

Post by Andrew T. »

* All the Piggly Wiggly stores that didn't become Millin's by 1965 became Eagle by 1970. And Eagle didn't last in Madison until 1985. (Wisconsin anti-Illinois chauvinism strikes again?) The ex-PW on 1313 Northport Drive is typical of the lot: It's been renovated to oblivion in the front, yet the original barrel roof rises eerily above the facade to this day!

* Looks like Sentry unleased its Super Saver concept upon its 2151 Royal Ave store in Monona in the 1990s. There's nothing to see of it now, though: It was paired with a short-lived Kmart store, and both stores became vacant during the Kmart and Fleming bankruptcies! By 2008 the entire site had been razed, and an unusual Wal-Mart Supercenter with underground parking was erected on the spot. (It's worth noting that Wal-Mart was precluded from opening Supercenters in Madison proper due to city and community opposition, so its grocery endeavours have been limited to the east-side suburbs.)

* Another short-lived Sentry Super Saver was erected at 4629 Verona Road. This one also met a quick end at the hands of the Fleming bankruptcy and wrecking ball, and apartments now stand on the site.

Thanks, this is great.
"The pale pastels which have been featured in most food stores during the past 20 years are no longer in tune with the mood of the 1970s."
Andrew Turnbull
User avatar
Groceteria
Great Pumpkin
Posts: 1927
Joined: 04 Nov 2005 12:13
Location: In the breakroom
Contact:

Re: Madison, Wisconsin chain grocery/supermarket history

Post by Groceteria »

Andrew T. wrote: 22 Feb 2020 10:07My best guess is that National relocated from the north-side (Dorn Hardware) building to the south side of the highway when it adopted the Del Farm banner in the 1960s. Historic Aerials shows a shopping centre appearing on that side of the intersection between 1957 and 1969, behind where the University Bookstore warehouse is today. Around 2000, the centre was demolished and a Home Depot store was built on the site, and this is what remains today.
That seems to be exactly what happened. The address of the original National across the street was 4470 Nakoma Rd (now Dorn Hardware at 1348 S. Midvale Blvd.), part of the Brookwood Village Shopping Center that opened in December 1957. I was able to cross-reference that in my 1964 shopping center guide.
9thStreetRedOwl
Member
Posts: 4
Joined: 11 Sep 2019 10:54

Re: Madison, Wisconsin chain grocery/supermarket history

Post by 9thStreetRedOwl »

Andrew T. wrote: 22 Jun 2018 13:09
kohls-illustration.jpg
There were formerly four Kohl's arch-roofed stores in and around Madison:
* 4207 Monona Dr, Monona (opened 3/20/68)
* 1312 S. Park St (opened 10/30/68)
* 3700, 3710, or 3770 University Ave (opened 10/27/66 - newspapers and directories aren't terribly consistent about the number.)
* 2525 Winnebago St (opened 11/30/66)

Two still stand:

Image
4207 Monona Dr., which housed a furniture store at the time I took this photo and which now houses a Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

Image
1312 S. Park St., which still sells groceries as a Roundy's-owned Copps store (remodeled and rebranded as Pick 'n Save by Kroger in 2017).

3710 University Ave and 2525 Winnebago St were both demolished after A&P shut down the Kohl's division in 2003, though I think David caught video captures of the latter in the '90s.
Andrew, I appreciate your dedication to Kohl's history! I thought this February 2003 article from the Milwaukee Business Journal might be of interest. It sheds a little more light on the end of their tenure in Madison: https://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/s ... aily9.html

According to the article, their Madison metro locations at the time were:
2525 E. Washington Ave./Winnebago Street, Madison - Closed when A&P pulled out of Madison. As of 2020, the site has been completely redeveloped and consists of apartments, retail, and a UW Health clinic.
2921 N. Sherman Ave., Madison - Listed incorrectly as 2125 in the article. The store was included in the sale to Roundy's, but immediately closed to protect their nearby store on Shopko Drive. As of 2020, the store has been parceled off and now consists of a Goodwill and a gym.
261 Junction Road, Madison - Converted to Copps; still operating in 2020 as Pick N' Save.
1312 South Park Street, Madison - Converted to Copps; still operating in 2020 as Pick N' Save.
3010 Cahill Main, Fitchburg - Converted to Copps; still operating in 2020 as Pick N' Save. This store isn't on the spreadsheet yet.
6310 Century Ave., Middleton - This store isn't on the spreadsheet either. According to the article, it was going to be converted to Copps, but I'm not sure if it ever was. A Google Streetview image shows the store closed in 2007. By 2018 the store had been demolished and a Goodwill stands there now.
6540 Monona Drive, Monona - Converted to Copps; still operating in 2020 as Pick N' Save.
3650 University Ave., Shorewood Hills - Converted to Copps; still operating in 2020 as Pick N' Save. The spreadsheet only lists this one as a Copps/PNS, but it appears to have been built as a Kohl's (it likely replaced the store at 3710 University.)
Mainebadger
Member
Posts: 6
Joined: 06 Feb 2021 00:14

Re: Madison, Wisconsin chain grocery/supermarket history

Post by Mainebadger »

Andrew T. wrote: 12 Jan 2020 13:12 Here's something I happened upon today: https://old.reddit.com/r/madisonwi/comm ... ison_1960/

Footage of the Westgate Mall on Whitney Way upon its 1960 opening, including some shots of an arch-roofed Piggly Wiggly store! By 1972 (per the table) this had converted to being an Eagle store. I don't really know what happened to it after that: The address wasn't listed at all in the 1985 Madison city directory, and it surely never was a Kohl's in spite of what the Reddit thread says.
I grew up a few miles away from there, and you are right: in spite of the curved roof, that was never a Kohl’s. There were Kohl’s Supermarkets not far away at the north end of Midvale Boulevard just north of University Avenue, and another at Nakoma Plaza (Verona Road at the Beltline), which was originally built as a Del Farm when Nakoma Plaza opened in 1969.

I am not precisely certain when Eagle left that spot, but my best guess is around the late 1980s or early 1990s. Afterward, most or all of that space became a Dunham’s Sports. It, and all of the stores in that section of Westgate Mall, were torn down to build the large, fancy Hy-Vee that is there now.
Mainebadger
Member
Posts: 6
Joined: 06 Feb 2021 00:14

Re: Madison, Wisconsin chain grocery/supermarket history

Post by Mainebadger »

9thStreetRedOwl wrote: 25 Apr 2020 19:06 3650 University Ave., Shorewood Hills - Converted to Copps; still operating in 2020 as Pick N' Save. The spreadsheet only lists this one as a Copps/PNS, but it appears to have been built as a Kohl's (it likely replaced the store at 3710 University.)
You’re right on both counts! Kohl’s built what is now a Pick ‘N Save to replace the previous 3710 University Avenue store, which was a classic curved roof Kohl’s. The old Kohl’s building had a few other stores in it alongside Kohl’s. At various times, there was a Stein Drug (which I think later became part of the Kohl’s), Felly’s Flowers and Rocky Rococo Pizza with Kohl’s. When the new store was opened across the parking lot, the old store building was torn down to build a two-story Borders Book Store. I believe it now is University Credit Union.
Mainebadger
Member
Posts: 6
Joined: 06 Feb 2021 00:14

Re: Madison, Wisconsin chain grocery/supermarket history

Post by Mainebadger »

    Groceteria wrote: 23 Feb 2020 12:39
    Andrew T. wrote: 22 Feb 2020 10:07My best guess is that National relocated from the north-side (Dorn Hardware) building to the south side of the highway when it adopted the Del Farm banner in the 1960s. Historic Aerials shows a shopping centre appearing on that side of the intersection between 1957 and 1969, behind where the University Bookstore warehouse is today. Around 2000, the centre was demolished and a Home Depot store was built on the site, and this is what remains today.
    That seems to be exactly what happened. The address of the original National across the street was 4470 Nakoma Rd (now Dorn Hardware at 1348 S. Midvale Blvd.), part of the Brookwood Village Shopping Center that opened in December 1957. I was able to cross-reference that in my 1964 shopping center guide.
    Yes. When Nakoma Plaza opened on the other side of the Beltline from Brookwood Village (now Dorn Plaza) in 1969, both National and Ben Franklin moved there, with National changing to Del Farm.
    There was a picture, posted by David Muskat, of their grand opening recently on the Historic Madison WI Photos Group on Facebook:
    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... 903&type=3

    Nakoma Plaza was a L-shaped strip mall. The Del Farm/National/was on one end of the L. Where Home Depot is now is roughly on the other end of the L. That was the site of Arlans, which was a Midwestern discount department store. The University Bookstore warehouse was and is a separate small building just off the property.
    User avatar
    Andrew T.
    Veteran
    Posts: 689
    Joined: 18 Oct 2007 14:26
    Location: Minnesota's attic, Canada
    Contact:

    Re: Madison, Wisconsin chain grocery/supermarket history

    Post by Andrew T. »

    Wow, new replies!
    9thStreetRedOwl wrote: 25 Apr 2020 19:06 3010 Cahill Main, Fitchburg - Converted to Copps; still operating in 2020 as Pick N' Save. This store isn't on the spreadsheet yet.
    6310 Century Ave., Middleton - This store isn't on the spreadsheet either.
    I think the Madison city directories always omitted coverage of the surrounding suburbs, and those are my and David's primary research sources.
    Mainebadger wrote: 06 Feb 2021 21:38
    9thStreetRedOwl wrote: 25 Apr 2020 19:06 3650 University Ave., Shorewood Hills - Converted to Copps; still operating in 2020 as Pick N' Save. The spreadsheet only lists this one as a Copps/PNS, but it appears to have been built as a Kohl's (it likely replaced the store at 3710 University.)
    You’re right on both counts! Kohl’s built what is now a Pick ‘N Save to replace the previous 3710 University Avenue store, which was a classic curved roof Kohl’s. The old Kohl’s building had a few other stores in it alongside Kohl’s. At various times, there was a Stein Drug (which I think later became part of the Kohl’s), Felly’s Flowers and Rocky Rococo Pizza with Kohl’s. When the new store was opened across the parking lot, the old store building was torn down to build a two-story Borders Book Store. I believe it now is University Credit Union.
    I still have access to Madison newspaper archives, so I dug around and discovered that the "new" Shorewood Hills store opened on January 16, 2002 under the Kohl's Food Emporium banner. (A&P was notorious for mixing and matching disparate chain names together.) The store was sold and converted to Copps in May 2003, a scant sixteen months later!
    kohls.jpg
    Mainebadger wrote: 06 Feb 2021 22:03 Yes. When Nakoma Plaza opened on the other side of the Beltline from Brookwood Village (now Dorn Plaza) in 1969, both National and Ben Franklin moved there, with National changing to Del Farm.
    There was a picture, posted by David Muskat, of their grand opening recently on the Historic Madison WI Photos Group on Facebook:
    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... 903&type=3

    Nakoma Plaza was a L-shaped strip mall. The Del Farm/National/was on one end of the L. Where Home Depot is now is roughly on the other end of the L. That was the site of Arlans, which was a Midwestern discount department store. The University Bookstore warehouse was and is a separate small building just off the property.
    Grr, not Facebook! Thanks for the background info on the shopping centre, though. Would have loved to see this store while it was still open for business.
    "The pale pastels which have been featured in most food stores during the past 20 years are no longer in tune with the mood of the 1970s."
    Andrew Turnbull
    Mainebadger
    Member
    Posts: 6
    Joined: 06 Feb 2021 00:14

    Re: Madison, Wisconsin chain grocery/supermarket history

    Post by Mainebadger »

    Andrew T. wrote: 26 Jun 2018 20:20 Here's the status of Kroger's 1960s and early 1970s Madison store locations today:

    * 525 S. Midvale Blvd: The store stood more or less intact until being demolished for a mixed-use development about ten years ago.
    That was one of our neighborhood grocery stores where I grew up. I remember when it was Kroger that they had various Kroger-related characters at the top of the light poles to mark different parts of the parking lot (like Toppy, the Top Value stamps elephant). Those were all taken down when it became an IGA (later Food Country IGA). A significant portion of what had been parking lot south of the store toward Tokay Boulevard was converted to what I think was a dental office building circa the mid to late 1970s.
    Food Country IGA closed about 10 years before its shopping center, Midvale Plaza, was torn down to build the new Sequoyah Commons. Bergmann’s Pharmacy then moved from a smaller location in the shopping center into the old Kroger/IGA. As that area no longer had a grocery store, Bergmann’s devoted a portion of its new space into selling groceries, meats, etc. Roughly the southeasternmost 20% was turned into a video store—I think Hollywood Video.
    Last edited by Mainebadger on 11 Feb 2021 00:10, edited 1 time in total.
    Mainebadger
    Member
    Posts: 6
    Joined: 06 Feb 2021 00:14

    Re: Madison, Wisconsin chain grocery/supermarket history

    Post by Mainebadger »

    9thStreetRedOwl wrote: 25 Apr 2020 19:06
    Mainebadger wrote: 06 Feb 2021 21:38
    You’re right on both counts! Kohl’s built what is now a Pick ‘N Save to replace the previous 3710 University Avenue store, which was a classic curved roof Kohl’s. The old Kohl’s building had a few other stores in it alongside Kohl’s. At various times, there was a Stein Drug (which I think later became part of the Kohl’s), Felly’s Flowers and Rocky Rococo Pizza with Kohl’s. When the new store was opened across the parking lot, the old store building was torn down to build a two-story Borders Book Store. I believe it now is University Credit Union.
    I still have access to Madison newspaper archives, so I dug around and discovered that the "new" Shorewood Hills store opened on January 16, 2002 under the Kohl's Food Emporium banner. (A&P was notorious for mixing and matching disparate chain names together.) The store was sold and converted to Copps in May 2003, a scant sixteen months later!

    kohls.jpg
    Kohl’s only converted some stores to be Kohl’s Food Emporium. They were intended to be a more upscale version of Kohl’s, and were deployed in more prosperous areas, like this one. They did not convert stores in less upscale areas, like their Park Street and Winnebago Street stores, whose name and format went unchanged.
    Post Reply