Groceteria.com

When Bi-Lo first started in SC, the stores had these big larger-than-life cows on top. It was a huge deal in our home for students from a local university to steal them as pranks. Everybody would find them in unusual places! Any memories of this?

Unfortunately that was before my tenure in South Carolina...but I'd love to see a picture!

Matt

I remember these stores being relics, but they had them in North Carolina. I remember one that used to be along Rt. 74 through Hickory, as the "Big Cow" store, and I always identified the cow to Bi-Lo at the time, moreso than the logo seen today.

I think the switch to the current logo happened around AHold's purchase in 1980, but that I'm not sure on.

I also believe the cow was removed from the BiLo logo after Ahold took over. As to the cows on top of the stores, the original location on North
Avenue in Athens, Georgia which dates from before 1972 had them, as did the stores in Winder, Monroe, Commerce, and other area locations. I was speaking to a manager of a former BiLo (now a Southern Family Market) in Athens, and he mentioned that the cows were originally indicative of the sales level of the store...more sales, more cows...up to two cows. I took him at his word on that. BTW, that North Avenue store was built in a shopping center co-anchored by Revco and Sky City. Around Northeast Georgia and many other locales, Sky City usually tied in with Ingle's.

I remember the cows on the tops from a trip to Myrtle Beach as a pre-teen. We returned through Greenville because my mother has family in the Clemson-Senaca area of Pickens and Oconee Cos. I remember the corrugated metal facades with BI "the giant plastic cow" LO and the metal was usually painted turquoise or pink or some other 1950's car color. The cow looked like a giant toy cow from a childs plastic farm toy kit.

The first BiLo's constructed near my area, Canton and Cartersville, GA used the current logo but had a cow between Bi and Lo. Both these stores are closed recently and were both next to still operating Kmarts.

krogerclerk wrote:The first BiLo's constructed near my area, Canton and Cartersville, GA used the current logo but had a cow between Bi and Lo. Both these stores are closed recently and were both next to still operating Kmarts.

As I mention in the Charlotte section of the site, about 75% of Bi-Lo's initial entry into that city was through former Kmart Foods locations as well. I've heard there were cows on some of the Charlotte stores too (maybe one or two new builds only?) but I'm not sure.