Former Big Star/Colonial Locations Still Selling Groceries

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Groceteria
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Former Big Star/Colonial Locations Still Selling Groceries

Post by Groceteria »

Just curious as to how many former Big Star and Colonial locations still house grocers.

A few I'm aware of that do:

-- Charlotte NC (Park Road Shopping Center): Now Harris-Teeter.
-- Charlotte NC (North Graham Street): Now Wayne's Supermarket.
-- Charlotte NC (Eastway Plaza): Now Save-a-Lot.
-- Winston-Salem NC (Reynolda Manor Shopping Center): Now about a third of Lowes Foods.
-- Winston-Salem NC (Northside Shopping Center): Now Food Lion.
-- Raleigh NC (6661 Falls of the Neuse): Now Fresh Market.
-- Wilson NC (309 W. Nash): Now Piggly Wiggly.
-- Hamlet NC (Hamlet Ave.): Now Piggly Wiggly.
-- Laurinburg NC (229 E. Church): Now Piggly Wiggly.
-- Atlanta GA (Peachtree Battle Shopping Center): Sold to A&P in 1992, currently Publix.
-- Atlanta GA (237 Johnson Ferry Rd NE): Now Kroger. May have originally been Richway Foods.
-- Atlanta GA (3100 Washington): Now Galaxy Foods.

Others?
rich
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Post by rich »

The current Publix on Ponce de Leon near Highland in Atlanta is a new building on the site of a former Big Star that later became an A&P. Publix bought the A&P, but replaced the building with one that's about the same size.

I've heard different histories for the Publix at Ansley Mall in Atlanta, but they tend to converge on the original tenant being Colonial/Big Star. The store was either rebuilt or substantially aletered when it became a Publix, depending on the account.

The Albers on Reading Road in the Cincy suburb of Reading has been a long running IGA.
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Dave
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Post by Dave »

For Richmond, we have:

5174 Nine Mile Road - Big Star, now Save-A-Lot

2201 Columbia (Bellemeade) Street - Colonial, now Gene's Supermarket

3522 W. Cary Street (Richmond S.C.) - Colonial, now Ukrop's

The Carytown Ukrop's may be a newer build on the Colonial site, however. I don't recall if the old Colonial was expanded or razed.

By the way, for these posts, I'm not listing by site, but by surviving building. There are existing grocery stores on the sites of older chains where the original buildings were torn down that I'm not including.
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Post by terryinokc »

i was in Dublin, GA last summer. There is a Piggly Wiggly in an old Colonial. Lots of the fixtures and interior could be original........
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Post by krogerclerk »

The first supermarket in Peachtree City, GA was Big Star, which opened around the time Grand Union acquired the chain. It was the first Big Star with Grand Union decor and the "Red Dot" that I had seen, very upscale for Georgia at the time with gourmet cheeses and bulk foods and candy. The store has been an A&P, then Harris-Teeter who heavily remodled and updated the store and finally Kroger.

Publix has made use of the Big Stars in Decatur at Clairmont Dr at North Decatur Rd and Spalding Drive in Dunwoody. Chastain Village in North Atlanta has Publix in a former Big Star, the Big Star exterior has been retained but the interior was gutted and completely rebuilt leaving no resemblance to Big Star. Publix has the Thompson Bridge Big Star location in Gainesville, but a virtual rebuild of the store.

J&J Foods is in the 1970's era Big Star in Dahlonegah, Ga.

Harvey's uses the old Big Star in Montezuma, Ga.

Without naming specifics, many South and Middle Georgia Piggly Wiggly/FoodMax/SFM/Piggly Wiggly's originated as Big Star or Pantry Pride. Ditto for BiLo and Harvey's. Remodels have made determing which former supermarket operator some of the these stores were difficult.
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Post by rich »

Clairmont & North Decatur was an A&P Future Store.

There are pictures of a long ago Colonial across the street in a strip on N. Decatur, probably in the space that was a long running book store.

There was a very old Colonial in Inman Park on Euclid Ave. that was a natural foods co-op until a few years ago. Now it's a futon & furniture store.
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Post by Groceteria »

krogerclerk wrote:Without naming specifics, many South and Middle Georgia Piggly Wiggly/FoodMax/SFM/Piggly Wiggly's originated as Big Star or Pantry Pride.
Same for eastern NC. Seems like almost every small town Piggly Wiggly I check turns out to be a former Colonial/Big Star. Most of these haven't been altered much at all.
rich wrote:Clairmont & North Decatur was an A&P Future Store.
Correct. I even have a picture of that one on the site:

http://www.groceteria.com/ap/gallery/pages/Image94.html

And also correct about the old Colonial across the street. I think I have that picture as well, but I can't find it right now.

EDIT: I found it:

Image
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Post by NewsLynne »

Former Colonial in Charlottesville, VA is now a Kroger.

Former Big Star in Clarksville, TN is now an independant.
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Post by Edric Floyd »

rich wrote: I've heard different histories for the Publix at Ansley Mall in Atlanta, but they tend to converge on the original tenant being Colonial/Big Star. The store was either rebuilt or substantially aletered when it became a Publix, depending on the account.
For 2 years now I frequently visit the Ansley area of Atlanta. And when staying overnight I shop at the Ansley Publix or Kroger.

I do remember personally that the Ansley Mall A&P was demolished around 1997-1998 and replaced with the current Publix. It was after the Publix was built that the Kroger next door remodeled.
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Post by Edric Floyd »

krogerclerk wrote:
Without naming specifics, many South and Middle Georgia Piggly Wiggly/FoodMax/SFM/Piggly Wiggly's originated as Big Star or Pantry Pride. Ditto for BiLo and Harvey's. Remodels have made determing which former supermarket operator some of the these stores were difficult.

Former Big Star in Macon Georgia on Rocky Creek Rd is an independent ROCKY CREEK FOODS

What I have confirmed locally.....
Former Big Star's now HARVEYS
Albany, Ga (many locations)
Dawson, GA
Montezuma Ga
Fitzgerald, Ga- Harveys moved next door to Foodmax, replaced with Dollar General which burned down a year ago. Shell of building remains
Cordele, GA- moved to former foodmax leaving big star vacant
Fort Valley, Ga- Harveys in former Big Star recently renovated and moved a few blocks east to former(and larger) Piggly Wiggly/Foodmax that closed in 2005 The former Big Star building is now vacant.

Former BigStar/Colonial now (independant) Piggly Wiggly: Dublin GA, Sylvester GA

Warehouse Foods in Albany GA

Hometown Foods IGA in Cochran, GA

Former BigSTar now Lewis Jones Food Market
Manchester, Ga
Columbus Ga
Thomaston, GA, store now Piggly Wiggly

(off topic) Former Colonial/big Star NOT operating as grocery
Farmer's Furnature (local chain) uses many of these stores.
also
Salvation Army store in Perry, Ga
Laundrymat in Columbus, Ga
BIG LOTS (former Michael's) in Macon, GA
Advance AutoParts in East Macon
CitiTrends clothing store in South Macon, Ga
K-Mart in Warner Robins, Ga- expanded into former Big Star space
ACE hardware in Griffin, Ga, now closed
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Post by Edric Floyd »

terryinokc wrote:i was in Dublin, GA last summer. There is a Piggly Wiggly in an old Colonial. Lots of the fixtures and interior could be original........
I remeber that trip!

:)

And the Dublin Piggly Wiggly is still intact while Southern Family Foods has closed one of their stores in town.
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Post by krogerclerk »

Mea culpa about the Clairmont/North Decatur store, it was a FutureStore with the Sav-a-Center decor inside, green with wood tones instead of the black graphics on white. I think I let the merger of the A&P and Big Star(in Atlanta) and its current use as Publix throw me on that one.

Back to topic, the Sav-a-Lot in Holly Hill Mall in Winder between Atlanta and Athens is a former Big Star.

Wholesale Food Outlet in Calhoun is a former Big Star. I think a new name is in the process of being used as one of the co-owners passed away and a new business entity has been created to operate this and the other stores they owned.

The Kroger at Memorial and Hairston in Stone Mountain was one of Big Star's last new constructs in the Atlanta area.

Publix on Bells Ferry at I-575 is also in one of the later constructed Big Stars, built a few years before Grand Union sold the stores to A&P.

Kroger in downtown Decatur is a former Big Star, turned A&P, then Harris-Teeter. It may not be open much longer as the former Harris-Teeter stores are slowly being closed.

There was an Asian market in a former Big Star on Jimmy Carter Boulevard in Norcross, but I haven't been through the area recently, so it may not be open.

The Ingles' in Merchants' Festival Marietta is a former Big Star, to A&P, and then Bruno's. It has been closed a couple of years and it think it's still empty. It has the late 80's Grand Union facade.

The Alpharetta Winn-Dixie Marketplace was a former Big Star, that was divested when A&P took over Big Star. I'm not sure it survived until the 2005 closure of SaveRite/Winn-Dixie in the area.

I know the last two are venturing off topic since they no longer sell groceries, but the ownership changes and their relatively recent closings were the reasons I chose to add them. They are relatively modern and could still serve as a viable grocery store location.
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Post by Swifty »

Edric Floyd wrote:
Former BigSTar now Lewis Jones Food Market
Manchester, Ga
Columbus Ga
Thomaston, GA, store now Piggly Wiggly

(off topic) Former Colonial/big Star NOT operating as grocery
Farmer's Furnature (local chain) uses many of these stores.
also
Salvation Army store in Perry, Ga
Laundrymat in Columbus, Ga
BIG LOTS (former Michael's) in Macon, GA
Advance AutoParts in East Macon
CitiTrends clothing store in South Macon, Ga
K-Mart in Warner Robins, Ga- expanded into former Big Star space
ACE hardware in Griffin, Ga, now closed
I'm fairly sure that none of the former Big Star locations in Columbus are currently grocery stores. Of the three locations I remember, one's a gym, one's a laundromat, and one is Badcock furniture.

The only remaining Lewis Jones store in Columbus is in a former A&P. Not sure about Manchester, though.
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Post by Edric Floyd »

Columbus Ga, the former Colonial/Big star now Laundrymat

http://www.edricfloyd.com/dscn1558.jpg

I do have other photos from Columbus, Manchester and other Georgia towns that I will post when I have the spare time.

Other former Colonials and Big stars posted on this thread
http://www.groceteria.com/board/viewtop ... r+colonial
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Post by Groceteria »

Thanks. Again, though, this thread is focused on former Colonial/Big Star stores that are still operating as grocery stores of some sort. That's the pivotal difference :)
Edric Floyd wrote:Columbus Ga, the former Colonial/Big star now Laundrymat

http://www.edricfloyd.com/dscn1558.jpg

I do have other photos from Columbus, Manchester and other Georgia towns that I will post when I have the spare time.

Other former Colonials and Big stars posted on this thread
http://www.groceteria.com/board/viewtop ... r+colonial
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