Albany, GA - Southgate Plaza

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BK31
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Albany, GA - Southgate Plaza

Post by BK31 »

Anybody have some info on what grocer may have been located at 303 S. Slappey Blvd in Albany, GA? EdricFloyd, you seem to know a ton about the area, maybe you can shed some light?

I was measuring a vacant space for a client and the interior screamed it was an old grocery store. Terrazzo floor in much of the space, slab depresses and huge floor drains for coolers / butcher areas around the back and sides and one of the electrical panels had a circuit labeled "meat saw" The original space would've been around 16,800SF, but the space has been divided up some. There's a Save-a-Lot next door now, in what could've easily been a pharmacy or 5&10 space originally. There look to be remnants of an incinerator and bottle room off the back of the structure and one of the exterior doors had a couple of door labels that looks to have once said 'Market Office' & 'Market Receiving'

It's been a retail store for awhile it seems. The exterior canopy had some great concrete panels with a little bell curve at the bottom and shallow ribs about every 4'-0" on center. I don't know if its some store's prototype carried out on the whole shopping center or just some swinging architect's design of the time. I'm just curious. Here's a pic from the property manager - its the space in the picture just past the save-a-lot. They had the tallest parapet so I figure they were the main anchor when the center opened.
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Edric Floyd
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Re: Albany, GA - Southgate Plaza

Post by Edric Floyd »

I didn't realize that it was over 3 months since I last visited this site. Sorry for the delay in answering this post.

I don't have official confirmation about this location but based on "newer" retail locations very close by this shopping center and a look inside a 1970's Albany phone book, there was a Winn Dixie on this stretch of Slappey as well as an Eckerd Drug store. The grocery originally in the "Bargain Town" space (now split) and the drug store in the current Save-A-Lot space. Both would move a few blocks north, the Eckerd into a free standing location across the street (now Rite-Aid) and the Winn-Dixie into a larger space at the corner of Slappey and Broad Ave. That Winn-Dixie didn't have a very long life and that retail space is now divided and the front exterior un-recognizable as a former supermarket due to renovations to the center.

In the early 2000's there was a lablescar near the Dollar General in the shopping center at Broad and Slappey from the "Marketplace" portion of the Winn-Dixie sinage.
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BK31
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Re: Albany, GA - Southgate Plaza

Post by BK31 »

No worries in the delay. I'm just happy my curiosity has been calmed. I just figured you seem to know a ton about the area, or know where to look for info at least. That whole area of Slappey Blvd was a trip back in time with all of the old restaurant and retail prototypes. Off the top of my head I remeber old IHOP, Taco Bell, KFC and Long John Silvers restaurants all within a couple miles of each other. I wish I had more time to stop and explore, but I had to get back to the office.

Thanks for your help!
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