Great American Stores Upstate NY

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paysh
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Great American Stores Upstate NY

Post by paysh »

I used to shop at a supermarket called Great American Stores in upstate New York. I can't find anything about them on the internet. Does anyone know about their demise?

My guess is that Wegman's and Tops suffocated them many years ago.
BillyGr
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Re: Great American Stores Upstate NY

Post by BillyGr »

Many of them have closed over the years, some due to a bankruptcy in one of the ownerships, others due to competition.

There are still some left, including Afton, Bainbridge, Boonville, Bridgeport, Cairo, Cooperstown, Delhi, Fonda, Greene, Liberty, Lyons Falls, Oxford, Prattsville, Richfield Springs, Sherburne, Sidney, Tully, Unadilla, Watertown, West Winfield (this from a ad I kept - probably earlier in 2006). Not sure if that's it or not. No website that I have found - but you might check the Ames Forums at http://69.93.241.194/~amesfan/forum/index.php - there are some photos posted there.
paysh wrote:I used to shop at a supermarket called Great American Stores in upstate New York. I can't find anything about them on the internet. Does anyone know about their demise?

My guess is that Wegman's and Tops suffocated them many years ago.
TW-Upstate NY
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Post by TW-Upstate NY »

The Richfield Springs store closed sometime last year I believe when Price Chopper (Golub Corp) opened a new store probably around a mile from this store. Matter of fact, the store closed within days of Price Chopper setting up shop. It was a rather small store that seemed to have served the comminity well during its lifetime. As of this summer, the signage was still up. I noticed on the locations list that Ilion and Whitesboro were missing. Do both those stores "belong to the ages" as well?
valleyankee
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Post by valleyankee »

When I was a teen we use to shop at a Great American supermarket in New Paltz, New York. I remember their store brand was "Food Club" and was made by Topco who is still in business.

When the supermarket closed some dirty place too it over. eventually they closed and the location became a womans clothing store.

Since then an old Ames location was torn down and they built a new Super Stop and Shop.
carljohnson
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Re: Great American Stores Upstate NY

Post by carljohnson »

Great American also operated under the name Victory Markets. They had a period of expansion in the late '80s but competition forced them to pull back to their base. They had at least two stores in the Albany area, one on Western Avenue in Albany near the SUNY campus (which has been redeveloped into a small shopping center with the Uncommon Grounds coffee shop and other stores), and a part of the former Ames Plaza in East Greenbush, which they had left by 1991.

In 1994 their parent corporation, Victory, acquired the 26-store Almacs chain in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, but I don't see any further information on where that led.
BillyGr
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Re: Great American Stores Upstate NY

Post by BillyGr »

carljohnson wrote:Great American also operated under the name Victory Markets. They had a period of expansion in the late '80s but competition forced them to pull back to their base. They had at least two stores in the Albany area, one on Western Avenue in Albany near the SUNY campus (which has been redeveloped into a small shopping center with the Uncommon Grounds coffee shop and other stores), and a part of the former Ames Plaza in East Greenbush, which they had left by 1991.

In 1994 their parent corporation, Victory, acquired the 26-store Almacs chain in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, but I don't see any further information on where that led.
The ones in Albany & East Greenbush were former ShopRite locations - the ShopRite owners in this part of NY (at the time Big V Markets) had decided to close all their stores in & around the Albany area (excepting ones to the south in Hudson & Catskill - the Hudson one is still open and the Catskill closed later after a stint as CostRite (like PriceRite today)) - Big V went bankrupt also after this, and the stores today are corporate owned by WakeFern. I remember Great American opening in those, and I think one or two other of the former ShopRites (though not sure which ones). They had issues with hiring illegal workers at one point, along with the competition which forced them to close. The East Greenbush one was a bingo hall for a time (owners didn't follow state rules) and now is mostly empty. As you mentioned the Western Ave was divided into many stores, including an Eckerd (now Rite Aid), Boston Market, Pet Shop, Liquors and more.

As far as Victory stores in Mass & Rhode Island - I believe these were the ones bought out by Hannaford a couple years ago.
TW-Upstate NY
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Re: Great American Stores Upstate NY

Post by TW-Upstate NY »

I can recall Great American in at least two other former Shop-Rite locations as well: in Colonie, on Wolf Road directly across from Colonie Center mall and in Glenville, along State Route 50. The Colonie store is now a Bed, Bath and Beyond and the Glenville store became a Hannaford. Shop-Rite pulled out of the Albany area in very late '88 and/or very early '89 and Great American came in shortly thereafter. I don't think they lasted two years. And the Victory Markets that operated these stores was headquarted in Norwich, New York located in the Southern Tier. I seem to recall they were bought out by a foreign (Australian I think?) company along about or shortly before the time they went into the Albany market. Once the local ownership was lost, the chain was never really the same and pretty much withered away and died.
PS: As a follow up to a post of mine on this thread months ago, the closed Richfield Springs store is now a Dollar General.
maynesG
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Re: Great American Stores Upstate NY

Post by maynesG »

hi, I came across a great little article on the founding of Victory Markets/great American Stores in The daily Star http://www.thedailystar.com/opinion/loc ... 034523,htm? key word-secondary story. It tells of the founding of the company to its demise in 1995 and that the few remaining stores are independently owned.
TW-Upstate NY
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Re: Great American Stores Upstate NY

Post by TW-Upstate NY »

Somebody help me here and correct me if I'm wrong but the more you think about things, the more you remember. If I remember correctly, Victory operated at least one store outside New York State. It was located in Stroudsburg or East Stroudsburg, Pa. and originally opened as a Victory sometime in the 70's and eventually was rebranded as a Great American sometimes before I moved from the area in 1980. The store is either a Weis or Shop-Rite today. Was that their only venture outside New York? Not sure because I've never heard about any others. Also, doesn't C+S Wholesale have a connection to the remaining Great American stores because I think I've seen C+S supplied products on the shelves?
maynesG
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Re: Great American Stores Upstate NY

Post by maynesG »

hi,I checked C@S web site and they do list Great American as a customer. I do remember a Great American store in Stroudsburg or e. Stroudsburg. In fact I had a Buyer with Genuardis
who worked there one summer and met his future wife in that market as a college kid. If, I can think of it I will give him a call and ask him just to make sure that I remember correctly
maynesG
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Re: Great American Stores Upstate NY

Post by maynesG »

hi, I came across a web site for Pratt Great American Market. I passed this store several years ago on a trip, so I was deligted to stumble across some interior pictures. The Add is htpwww.prattmuseum.com/business/great-american.htm
autopaint-1

Re: Great American Stores Upstate NY

Post by autopaint-1 »

At one time Cooperstown and Richfield Springs had Victory Markets. I believe they became Great American Markets at some point.
TW-Upstate NY
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Re: Great American Stores Upstate NY

Post by TW-Upstate NY »

According to today's local paper, the Fonda, NY Great American will be closing its doors in about a week or so. Store was originally a Victory Markets and had been there forever. Surprised it lasted this long considering its size but it was the only full service supermarket in town. Closest Great American to me now would be in Cooperstown.
Hamster_On_Rye

Re: Great American Stores Upstate NY

Post by Hamster_On_Rye »

The Great American in Oxford, NY, closed about a year ago and has been replaced by a Dollar General. It was convenient as a grocery store for the people who lived nearby, but most people seem to prefer to drive 12 miles to the Wal-Mart Supercenter or Price Chopper in Norwich once a week instead. Now there are no grocery stores at all in Oxford.
maynesG
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Re: Great American Stores Upstate NY

Post by maynesG »

It is a shame that a small town like oxford hyas lost its only supermarket with four dollar gasoline( Perhaps five dollars) that 24 mile trip to buy a few grocery items is going to get kinder expensive.These smaller stores such as Great American could just make a comeback
in areas such as this.
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