Groceteria.com

For your Sunday evening viewing pleasure:

https://www.groceteria.com/place/us-iowa/sioux-city/

Ah, Sioux City...

* In Sioux City, National followed its expansion playbook to the letter: Buy out a local chain, rebrand all the stores, compete ineffectually for a decade or two, and withdraw from the market with a whimper. At least one ex-Council Oak store (1415 Villa) had a pylon. The '60s store at 3908 Floyd Blvd is kind of ugly, but well-preserved.

* While investigating the ex-Council Oak and National location at 206 38th St, I discovered the existence of a bizarre medieval-style towered building on the corner...that, alas, was torn down between 2012 and 2016. I'd really like to know what the story behind this was!

* The ranch-style Safeway at 1730 Pierce Street is still selling groceries as a Save-a-Lot! Of course it's been renovated to oblivion, but the roofline is still there.

* Sioux City will always be known to me as the founding city of Gateway 2000...yes, the company that sold mail-order PCs in cow-spotted boxes. After they bolted from the midwest in the late '90s and started opening "Country" stores (which weren't actually stores, but high-overhead showrooms), I knew they were doomed.

Andrew T. wrote: ↑14 Dec 2021 00:39In Sioux City, National followed its expansion playbook to the letter: Buy out a local chain, rebrand all the stores, compete ineffectually for a decade or two, and withdraw from the market with a whimper.

Pretty much. In some of these areas, they never even built a new store (or maybe just one or two at most).