The Atlanta Kroger they forgot to remodel

Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

Moderator: Groceteria

Post Reply
Edric Floyd
Veteran
Posts: 206
Joined: 27 Dec 2005 02:21
Location: Warner Robins, Georgia
Contact:

The Atlanta Kroger they forgot to remodel

Post by Edric Floyd »

Kroger in Atlanta Georgia area across from South DeKalb Mall (Candler Road?) with a mix of old and "not so old" sinage. With many Kroger stores having been replaced or remodeled in most of Atlanta, I was surprised to see this store.

I have never seen this store before, so I ask the Kroger experts what "style" was this store if any and I also wonder if it was a separated Grocery and drug store operation. I did not go inside the store but it appeared that there were once separate entrances and a small part of the wall was opened to transfer between the original drug store into the grocery.

It was NOT easy to see inside store because there was a wall behind the entrance doors. It looked like the interior had an upgrade in the past few years.

Photos were taken at 8pm, just getting dark, so please forgive the quality.

Street sinage, the Kroger "Cube" sign
http://www.fileden.com/files/2006/11/28 ... /krogerSDK

Side of building facing the main entrance.
http://www.fileden.com/files/2006/11/28 ... krogerSDK1
http://www.fileden.com/files/2006/11/28 ... krogerSDK2

Front corner of building
http://www.fileden.com/files/2006/11/28 ... krogerSDK3

Front with bank sinage
http://www.fileden.com/files/2006/11/28 ... krogerSDK4

Old "prescriptions" and new "Pharmacy" sinage
http://www.fileden.com/files/2006/11/28 ... krogerSDK5

Front of store
http://www.fileden.com/files/2006/11/28 ... krogerSDK7

Was this the former separate drug store entrance?
http://www.fileden.com/files/2006/11/28 ... krogerSDK8
krogerclerk
Veteran
Posts: 274
Joined: 05 Nov 2005 01:47
Location: Northwest Georgia

Re: The Atlanta Kroger they forgot to remodel

Post by krogerclerk »

South DeKalb Mall opened in 1968, and Kroger launched the superstore format in 1972. The exterior looks like that of some early-70's pre-superstores, but all the signage until recent was superstore. I suspect it's a store planned prior to the launch of the superstore, but modified during construction to the new format. The store still had a superstore interior into the early 90's when it got the "grid" decor and then the millenium package came with the expansion. There was an adjoining SupeRx that became a Tresury Drug then Revco when JCPenney acquired Eckerd. The drugstore never became a CVS, and Kroger finally expanded into the space, gaining a clinic and a pharmacy. The store was slated to close around 98 when a new store opened south on Flat Shoals, but community action kept the store open, the closing of the Emory store had already created negativity in DeKalb County by then. In all it's a relic to another era. Not to vear off topic, but the JCPenney at South DeKalb was one of the few ATL JCP to have the cool 1960's Penney's logo. Fitting given the whole strip is something of a timewarp along this stretch of Candler Road.
Edric Floyd
Veteran
Posts: 206
Joined: 27 Dec 2005 02:21
Location: Warner Robins, Georgia
Contact:

Re: The Atlanta Kroger they forgot to remodel

Post by Edric Floyd »

There is a supermarket in the corner of the South DeKalb Mall's parking lot across from the former JCPenney. I didn't take a photo of it but I think it was called "Food bazaar" or something like that. It looked like a former Winn-Dixie. I was wondering if that was the case.

And I can picture the vacant anchor with the vintage JCP sinage. And if Macy's were still Rich's, that mall would look exactly as I picture it would have DECADES ago when I first/last traveled down Candler Rd.
krogerclerk
Veteran
Posts: 274
Joined: 05 Nov 2005 01:47
Location: Northwest Georgia

Re: The Atlanta Kroger they forgot to remodel

Post by krogerclerk »

The Food Bazaar was Winn-Dixie, which was unaltered most of its life. I believe it closed in the first Atlanta round of closings in 2000 that preceded the conversion to Save Rite. It was bascially unaltered most of its life and had a decor similar to a Kroger superstore, if somewhat less detailed and more basic. It likely opened before the Kroger because it had what would have been the more prime location at the time of being a mall outparcel. I can't remember if a drug store adjoined the store, if so, it was likely and Eckerd Drug which were common in many WD shopping centers built in the 1970's.

DeKalb had its share of Kroger superstores beyond the Rainbow Drive store, as Georgetown Shopping Center at Peachtree-Dunwoody Road exit off I-285 in North DeKalb is the first Atlanta area superstore to open in 1973. It is still operating but expanded and heavily altered, removing all traces of the original design. Evans Mill in Lithonia had a superstore until it closed in the early 90's, The Skye Hill Kroger on Buford Highway has a blend of Superstore and Greenhouse exterior elements from a 1980's remodel, Memorial Drive in Stone Mountain was expanded to a greenhouse design, and closed when Kroger relocated to the former Big Star/A&P at Memorial and Hairston. Snapfinger Woods was a superstore/SupeRx combo visible from I-20 east of South DeKalb Mall that was replaced by a greenhouse. Scott Boulevard in Decatur was replaced by a late-90's post greenhouse store with the omnipresent "millenium decor", and on LaVista Road near Northlake is another superstore that was morphed into a greenhouse store in the 80's and has been given a late 90's makeover that doesn't completely obscure the greenhouse decor, but the last time I was at Northlake the rest of the shopping center still had superstore design elements.
rich
Veteran
Posts: 673
Joined: 15 Nov 2005 20:51
Location: Washington, DC

Re: The Atlanta Kroger they forgot to remodel

Post by rich »

Tthe South DeKalb Winn-Dixie was a Winn-Dixie after 2000 and was part of the cohort of Atlanta stores that stayed open until the bitter end--it was very popular. I think they did two rounds of conversions to Save-Rite in Atlanta in fairly rapid succession and this was in the second, perhaps because it had been doing decent volume as a W-D. The W-D on Church St near Scott Blvd. was in the first wave and also was among the first to close in the end--that one had few customers.
Edric Floyd
Veteran
Posts: 206
Joined: 27 Dec 2005 02:21
Location: Warner Robins, Georgia
Contact:

Re: The Atlanta Kroger they forgot to remodel

Post by Edric Floyd »

krogerclerk wrote:The Food Bazaar was Winn-Dixie, which was unaltered most of its life. I believe it closed in the first Atlanta round of closings in 2000 that preceded the conversion to Save Rite. It was bascially unaltered most of its life and had a decor similar to a Kroger superstore, if somewhat less detailed and more basic. It likely opened before the Kroger because it had what would have been the more prime location at the time of being a mall outparcel. I can't remember if a drug store adjoined the store, if so, it was likely and Eckerd Drug which were common in many WD shopping centers built in the 1970's.
The Food Bazaar looked like a free standing building without a drug store attachment. Again I wish I had taken a photo of it but I was rushing and made myself late for the event I was headed to that evening.

Thanks guys for the quick answers.
EDEW
Contributor
Posts: 22
Joined: 19 May 2009 14:19

Re: The Atlanta Kroger they forgot to remodel

Post by EDEW »

The winn dixie at the Gallery at South Dekalb was opened in 1971. It was a free standing building built on the outparcel of south dekalb with no surrounding stores. It was in fact a regular winn dixie as late as 2001, then was converted to saverite. It was in fact one of the most neglected Winn Dixie stores because it was patroned by blue class lower income workers, but still maintained high volume nonetheless, much like Kroger in Rainbow Center. There is an image post below that is identical to this store. (Courtesy of Pleasant Family Shopping).

This location is currently operating as a Big Bear Supermarket (independent grocer).
Attachments
winn-dixie 1975 pleasantfamilyshopping[1].jpg
EDEW
Contributor
Posts: 22
Joined: 19 May 2009 14:19

Re: The Atlanta Kroger they forgot to remodel

Post by EDEW »

Tonight I was researching big star locations in Decatur, Ga and found two locations near the South Dekalb Winn Dixie.

2738 Candler Road. I remember a Big Star near South Dekalb Mall, this one was right across the street. Big Lots and Roses Stores are in the former location.

Candler McAfee Shopping Center. about 2 miles north of the mall, housed another Big Star,
Probably and older location that may have been opened as colonial. This store resembles an old store in Macon, GA, in which the exit door is not near the enter door on the right of the front window area, but usually comes out of the corner in the far left and is the only automatic door in the store. Wayfield Foods operated in this location for 20 years prior to closing in late January of this year.

There is a full Big Star locations list as of Oct 3, 1987 in the Google news archives. The information is from the Calhoun Times and Gordon County News.
Post Reply