NEW: Macon GA 1925-2020

[Groceteria]

Saturday night. Party on!

https://www.groceteria.com/place/georgia/macon/

This one was a challenge due to a major street renumbering about 1949.

[BatteryMill]

Great to see this addition to the Groceteria roster.

1000 block of third street (1950's) Now plumbing supply store

Which Kroger would this be? I don't see anything close enough on the map.

One of the first Krogers in town was also addressed at 513 Forsyth St. I wonder if this translated into 1512 with the renumbering.

[Groceteria]

My guess is that he was mistakenly referring to the one at 680 2nd St., which is actually an electrical supply store now. When I have a chance, I’lil make sure what else may or may not have been in the 1000 block of 3rd, but that seems a little too close to the 2nd Street store to have been an additional location.

I would imagine that the Forsyth Street store was re-numbered; I think that was the first one in Macon. Its first appearance in my research was in the 1950 directory, which was right after the renumbering, but it seems like the right pattern. Numbers on Forsyth Street seem to have increased by 900 or 1000. Again, if I have time tomorrow I’ll look back at 1946-1949.

[Groceteria]

Edric's reference has to have been to the 680 2nd Street location, which opened in 1951. I can't find any evidence that there was much of anything in the 1000 block of 3rd Street but a drive-in restaurant.

The Forsyth Street store opened in 1948 and was indeed listed as 513 until the renumbering a year or two later. It only lasted until 1957 and then became a bowling alley.

Interestingly, both are still standing and both currently house electrical supply businesses.

[BatteryMill]

Thank you for the clarification. It's a bit tricky when it comes to unfamiliar cities.

[Groceteria]

It's very sad that Edric Floyd, who was from the area, apparently passed away several years ago. He probably could have shined some light on all this.

[Steve Landry]

It's very sad that Edric Floyd, who was from the area, apparently passed away several years ago. He probably could have shined some light on all this.

Oh WOW!

That is awful news.

He was a GREAT guy with loads of information. I enjoyed his contributions especially about the Food Fair Empire!

[Groceteria]

He was a GREAT guy with loads of information. I enjoyed his contributions especially about the Food Fair Empire!

Incredibly nice and very knowledgeable.

[EDEW]

Very good info. Piggly wiggly on Napier relocated in 1977. A casual observer wouldn’t know Piggly Wiggly had Publix like power until @ 1985. Cleaner stores, Better Service; People used to drive by other stores to get to Piggly Wiggly. Piggly wiggly also had more stores over 30,000 sq feet prior to 1985 than anyone.

The Kroger Stores; there was probably not a location on third street. 1000 third street would have been the site of the old Farmers Market; which had a wholesale grocer on the broadway side of that lot; but history sites and other means of researching specific to Macon cannot verify such information, plus Macon Newspaper clippings have just recently become easier to Access, in 1994 when Edric first moved to Macon, there were few people doing this research, Edric was a property appraiser who had extensive access to building records and such, and who’s contribution was substantial. But as a non native, certain details were beyond his scope.


Anyways, Kroger on 165 emery highway was a “Tudor” superstore opened in December 1973 next to Revco and Zayre.

Kroger on 2495 Pio Nono was originally a Kroger in the Kmart foods section of the building. (Kmart foods major partners in Georgia both had stores in Westgate mall in late 1963 when this Kmart opened.


Kroger had to chop up the dense clay and have it removed to build a new building next door that opened in December 1974.

I have a soft spot towards the Tudor Kroger to this day. The manager would open the bagboy doors and let me walk in. At 4 that was like being a king.