Groceteria.com

From the eastern panhandle town of Keyser, West Virginia in 1984 (from the sponsor section of that year's Keyser High School yearbook): Obviously, this started out as a 1960s ranch-style Acme (of Philadelphia) store. But I'm impressed that with the conversion to IGA, this owner was actually able to retrofit the Acme sign. And seamlessly, too! The red IGA oval looks like it belongs there.

This building was located at 580 S. Mineral Street. It still stands intact today, although it's no longer a supermarket (and the colourful sign is gone).

Safeway had a store in Keyser also back in the 80s but I have never been able to nail down the exact location. I believe it was where the Martin's is just up the street from this Acme but I am not certain.

Safeway...in West Virginia? *mind blown* This city sounds worthy of further research. Trouble is, I'm unclear how you'd do further research...Keyser is a small place, and I don't know if it ever had directories published.

Safeway probably had stores in Martinsburg, Cumberland, Hagerstown and Winchester, so Keyser isn't outside the realm of possibility. Newspapers from larger towns might have mentioned locations or store openings---Cumberland being the most likely candidate.

What is now Dunham's Sports in the LaVale Shopping Center was originally a Safeway. I read in some retail message board somewhere that after Safeway closed the location became the first Martins (Giant-PA) location in Cumberland. Martins moved across I-68 to a 1990s mirror front store that is now Gabe's. They then built a modern store next to the old Wal-Mart on site after Walmart built a Supercenter at the mall.

If there was a Safeway in Keyser, WV one possibility is that when Ahold purchased the old Safeway in Lavale they purchased the Safeway store in Keyer at the same time. Looking at historicaerials.com available aerials there was nothing on the site of the current Martins location in 1971. The next view in 1986 shows a building that appears to be a different shape on the front as compared to the current mirror front Martins now in Keyser. It is hard to tell for sure because the 1986 view and the views into the 1990s are blurry. Ahold was building black mirror front stores in the 1980s so the Keyser Martins may be new construction or it could be a renovation of a Safeway store that Martins purchased. I have a subscription to newspapers.com through Ancestry. I can't find anything that would link Safeway to Martins in Keyser. I think as Andrew T. said it is a small town and likely didn't get much coverage even from the Cumberland, MD newspaper.

By the way has anyone been in the Keyser, WV Martins recently? As of a few years ago when I was in there the store was still straight out the 1990s. Decor, layout, aisle markers were standard 1990s mirror front Giant-PA store.

It would make sense that there was nothing in the 70s photo, I first heard about the plans to build the store in the early-mid 80s. Then, after the LBO it was probably in the first round to closures/sales.

The Safeway in Keyser was at the current Martin's location. Opened 4/23/1986 and was sold to to Giant-Carlisle about a year later along with the LaVale and Front Royal locations. "Unfortunately not enough people are coming in to the stores at this time" according to the Safeway spokesman in the Cumberland paper. Closed as Safeway in Mid-April 1987 and reopened as Martin's on 6/23/1987.