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New article: Krogering in Greensboro

Posted: 01 Dec 2018 22:54
by Groceteria
The history of every Kroger location ever opened in Greensboro NC, 1952-1999:

http://www.groceteria.com/place/north-c ... reensboro/

Re: New article: Krogering in Greensboro

Posted: 02 Dec 2018 18:11
by wnetmacman
It's always amazing to me how a company can last so long in a town, just to leave, then come back again under an acquisition, and act like nobody notices. (See Safeway-Randalls and Safeway-Tom Thumb in Texas for the book on how NOT to do this, by the way)

That store at 2710 N Church looks very A&P-ish. At least a later A&P for that matter.

Re: New article: Krogering in Greensboro

Posted: 02 Dec 2018 21:07
by Groceteria
To Kroger's credit, they have largely left Harris Teeter alone; their private label and decor remain separate and about the only change is that my Kroger Plus card now works at Harris Teeter. Even after five years, there has basically been no hint of "Krogerizing."

And now that you mention it, I see what you mean about the Church Street store. It amazes me how much they invested in new stores around 1997 only to leave two years later. I was living on the west coast at the time, so I have no real idea what their operations in the Triad were like at the time.

Re: New article: Krogering in Greensboro

Posted: 03 Dec 2018 23:47
by klkla
Interesting article. It seems strange that they made their biggest expansion right before they sold out.

Re: New article: Krogering in Greensboro

Posted: 08 Dec 2018 15:51
by Andrew T.
This is a great feature! Kroger's history in Greensboro wasn't as entrenched and early-established as A&P's, but it still makes for a compelling story and a nice summary of 1950s-to-1990s architectural trends.

I'm surprised that 1615 Spring Garden Street didn't spend time as a SupeRx, given how it started off as a Kroger and became a Revco and CVS later on.

More contrasts: The early greenhouse store at 2965 Battleground Avenue is a beauty that's maintained its architectural integrity with tasteful renovations, while its down-the-street replacement at 3357 is a complete eyesore! HT completely removed the slanted-glass structure (why?), then plastered over the resulting hole in the facade with a cheap brown wall with all the aesthetic appeal of scar tissue. Maybe they could have done an exterior remodeling that was worse, but I don't know how.

Re: New article: Krogering in Greensboro

Posted: 11 Dec 2018 18:07
by Groceteria
Thanks.

I don't think there were ever any SupeRx stores in Greensboro, though I know there were a couple in Winston-Salem.

3357 Battleground is an odd case in a center with an odd history. It seems a little bigger than the standard 1985 greenhouse. Kroger may have done some remodeling/expanding over its 14 years at the site; I honestly don't recall as I was not living here for most of that time. Harris Teeter did a major renovation when they took over in 1999 and never did a subsequent one, so its decor was pushing 20 years old upon closing.

The center opened with a Bradlees during that chain's very brief flirtation with the south. It flipped to Kmart pretty quickly (I think Bradlees lasted about a year here) and ultimately became a Kohl's. The center has a great location, but a really bad traffic pattern, making it extremely challenging to enter or exit.