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Kroger closing 1958 store in Indiana

Posted: 01 Mar 2007 23:03
by storewanderer

Posted: 02 Mar 2007 12:31
by Groceteria
That's the store I featured on my front page a few months back:

http://www.groceteria.com/journal/2006/10.html#103006

Posted: 02 Mar 2007 13:14
by storewanderer
I figured this was that store, but failed to check.

Oh well. 49 years is a nice long run.

Posted: 02 Mar 2007 22:35
by rich
The store looks more mid-60s. The white lettering with blue piping and the corrugated metal background were common among Kroger stores in that era. In the mid- to late 50s, they favored neon on letters that usually were painted blue or red. In a shopping center, the walkway most often would have been in front of the store facing (instead of right under it). The Kroger lettering often was set toward the front of the walkway covers with brackets holding back to the facing of the actual building front. In the 50s, Kroger usually used brick--normally red, sometimes buff, and that was the norm for most shopping centers of the era, as well. Colonial's corrugated metal fronts (which went back to at least the mid 50s) were an exception.

Until well into the "greenhouse" era, Kroger favored replacing stores rather than remodeling old ones. They replaced most of their early super markets (pre- and just post-WWII) with new ones by the late 50s. The new stores in the 60s often were little bigger than the 50s stores they replaced. Kroger also tended to do little cosmetic or technological remodeling---there were 1950s Krogers that had never gotten a coat of paint or even new refrigeration or freezer cases 20 years later. There were a few exceptions to the no-remodeling pattern in the early superstore era (typically stores that opened shortly before the super stores that were enlarged to super store size). It's doubtful that this was a mid- or late 60s remodeling.

Posted: 03 Mar 2007 02:45
by Edric Floyd
I actually went to that store ONE time about 10 years ago as I was visiting Indianapolis for the first (and only) time.

I was driving around the city as I had several hours to kill after checking out of a hotel before my flight. I was fascinated with the older store and the "charm" of the older neighborhood it was in and I wish I had thought to take pictures of it. But I doubt I had any film. I took so many photos of the wedding I attended that weekend.

What caught my attention first was a vertical Kroger street sign that looked like something out of the 40's.

Posted: 03 Mar 2007 13:02
by rich
The vertical blue signs with white lettering signs continued at least through the 50s. The earlier version of the oval logo dates from the early 60s, but it usually didn't replace the vertical signs. At 16K sf, this store could be anywhere from mid-50s to late 60s.

Posted: 05 Mar 2007 11:21
by Groceteria
<<Moved to Specific Locations/Commercial Archaeology.>>

Re: Kroger closing 1958 store in Indiana

Posted: 30 Jan 2009 18:24
by Andrew T.
When I passed through Indianapolis two weeks ago, I decided to check out this store to see what had become of it. As it turned out, the location is currently being used for Teacher's Treasures, a nonprofit educational outfit sponsored by the Kroger company. The sign now looks like this:

Image

I tried taking a picture of the store itself, too, but it didn't turn out.