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10748 Buckley Hall Rd, Mathews, VA

Posted: 31 May 2017 17:17
by VirginiaRetail
Trying to figure out what this Best Value Supermarket could have formerly been. Their website claims they have been in operation as Best Value since 1985. This store is awfully similar to the Foodway (former Grand Union) in Alexandria, Virginia and shares many features such as the visible second story office in the front (which I don't have a photo of here, but I have seen in person). Does anyone have any idea where this decor package with the script font could be from? Appears as if it's been in place since the 1980s. My suspicions are a former Grand Union or IGA of some sort but I can't quite place it. The main thing discounting the Grand Union theory is that their footprint never came this far (except for some former Colonial Stores in the Hampton Roads metro) but it does share some features with other former Grand Union grocers I've seen.

As for the store itself, Mathews County doesn't have an online GIS system but if I had to guess I'd say the store is about 40,000 sqft in floor space and features a full produce and meat department. I've shopped here a few times when I was in the Mathews area and it's a nice (if a little dated) hometown grocery store. I can't place a build date on it, but wouldn't be surprised if the building is at least from the 1970s. Any input is appreciated! I'll try to post more photos if I can get more or find some.

Re: 10748 Buckley Hall Rd, Mathews, VA

Posted: 31 May 2017 17:54
by wnetmacman
Using Google Maps' legend as a guide, this store is only roughly about 110'x120'. That makes it around 13,200 sq. ft.

I would say based on that and its appearance as a prefab metal building in a very small town, it may very well have been built for its current occupant. It doesn't look like any major chain's design.

Re: 10748 Buckley Hall Rd, Mathews, VA

Posted: 31 May 2017 18:19
by VirginiaRetail
wnetmacman wrote:Using Google Maps' legend as a guide, this store is only roughly about 110'x120'. That makes it around 13,200 sq. ft.

I would say based on that and its appearance as a prefab metal building in a very small town, it may very well have been built for its current occupant. It doesn't look like any major chain's design.
Thanks for the info. My estimate must have been off, thinking about it you're probably right. Definitely possible but it does share signage with old Grand Union locations like the aisle markers (but they could have just been generic for the time).

Re: 10748 Buckley Hall Rd, Mathews, VA

Posted: 01 Jun 2017 11:43
by TW-Upstate NY
I would've said GU as well but could it have been an Acme in an earlier life? The reason I even think this is that second floor office mentioned. I've seen that feature in one of their stores in the Philadelphia area.

Re: 10748 Buckley Hall Rd, Mathews, VA

Posted: 01 Jun 2017 20:48
by BillyGr
Any hint as to what they sell (in terms of a "store brand"), if any?

If they are supplied by one of the larger groups (like IGA, SuperValu or similar) perhaps it's a décor they had available for stores that dealt with them to get for the store, either at the time it opened or became this store?

Of course, it could also be some other supplier that no longer exists that they dealt with in the 1980's, so the current info may (or may not) help.

Re: 10748 Buckley Hall Rd, Mathews, VA

Posted: 02 Jun 2017 23:20
by VirginiaRetail
BillyGr wrote:Any hint as to what they sell (in terms of a "store brand"), if any?

If they are supplied by one of the larger groups (like IGA, SuperValu or similar) perhaps it's a décor they had available for stores that dealt with them to get for the store, either at the time it opened or became this store?

Of course, it could also be some other supplier that no longer exists that they dealt with in the 1980's, so the current info may (or may not) help.
They have Best Yet as their private label, from my research Best Yet is the private label of C&S Wholesale which sells to a variety of chains but does have a decent past of their own. Best Yet is supposed to be one of the oldest private labels around from what I gathered. Many smaller grocers use them in place of the "store brand".

Re: 10748 Buckley Hall Rd, Mathews, VA

Posted: 03 Jun 2017 09:13
by rich
I don't think Grand Union ever went that far South in VA; Acme certainly didn't--both were in the DelMarVa peninsula (Acme still is, but not in VA). Safeway would be the best candidate among chains with a DC presence to have a store here. Having a mansard roof was an almost universal design from the mid/late 60s into the early 80s, but primarily a 70s thing--this could have started w/o the buildout over the entrance and then added it later moving the office upstairs to open up the floor space and better control shrink and manage what employees did with their time.

A lot of decor items (lane markers, checkstands & markers for them), esp. in the past were used by a great many different chains. There's also just so many things you can do with a layout and not many suppliers of refrigeration equipment and displays.

Re: 10748 Buckley Hall Rd, Mathews, VA

Posted: 03 Jun 2017 23:37
by VirginiaRetail
rich wrote:I don't think Grand Union ever went that far South in VA; Acme certainly didn't--both were in the DelMarVa peninsula (Acme still is, but not in VA). Safeway would be the best candidate among chains with a DC presence to have a store here. Having a mansard roof was an almost universal design from the mid/late 60s into the early 80s, but primarily a 70s thing--this could have started w/o the buildout over the entrance and then added it later moving the office upstairs to open up the floor space and better control shrink and manage what employees did with their time.

A lot of decor items (lane markers, checkstands & markers for them), esp. in the past were used by a great many different chains. There's also just so many things you can do with a layout and not many suppliers of refrigeration equipment and displays.
I was thinking about the fact that Grand Union didn't come out this far but I had some suspensions the store was a Grand Union based on its layout and a few other unique features (such as the second store office with a visible stairway from the store). Safeway is definitely a possibility but it would be small even for a Safeway (which averaged around 40,000 sqft. at the time). Does make you wonder...

Re: 10748 Buckley Hall Rd, Mathews, VA

Posted: 04 Jun 2017 11:25
by pseudo3d
It is very possible it was home built, try contacting the local historical group in town and see if they can turn anything up (also see if the city's newspaper was digitized at some point in the past).