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If you could bring a defunct store back.....

Posted: 13 Jun 2010 21:47
by werememberretail
If you could bring a defunct grocery store back to life who would it be? Colonial/Big Star,Penn fruit, Food Fair, Bohack's, Alpha Beta, Farmer Jack, the REAL Grand Union?
what say you?

Re: If you could bring a defunct store back.....

Posted: 13 Jun 2010 22:55
by shane
Being from Southern California I would probably bring back Thriftimart with the giant T on the side of the building, and definetly GEMCO that was a great place to shop.

Re: If you could bring a defunct store back.....

Posted: 14 Jun 2010 15:29
by jamcool
In PHX,it would be Smitty's

Re: If you could bring a defunct store back.....

Posted: 14 Jun 2010 20:47
by submariner
shane wrote:Being from Southern California I would probably bring back Thriftimart with the giant T on the side of the building, and definetly GEMCO that was a great place to shop.
I agree with GEMCO. During my tenure in Michigan, I learned the value of a well-run supercenter (Meijer). I think it's time Southern California had a competitor to the Walmart blight.

Re: If you could bring a defunct store back.....

Posted: 14 Jun 2010 21:34
by maynesG
Hi,That would be easyFinast/First National Stores and Lyods of Orange County ny, Good Places to work and shop.

Re: If you could bring a defunct store back.....

Posted: 14 Jun 2010 23:13
by tbmjdf
Smitty's in Phoenix for sure!

Re: If you could bring a defunct store back.....

Posted: 15 Jun 2010 21:45
by VibeGuy
D'Allesandro's in Boise, no question. By far the best all-around grocer I've *ever* shopped, and that includes living in Portland, Austin and Seattle, cities that were (and, I maintain, still are) way more serious about food.

I like their approach to sale circulars (post the competition's, mark everything down further), their exquisite in-store bakery, fresh seafood in a city where the standard had been Mrs. Paul's, and a variety of produce the likes of which Boise hadn't seen before. They died, a victim of union protests (including trucking companies that wouldn't deliver across pickets), along with a serious economic downturn in general.

Re: If you could bring a defunct store back.....

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 01:56
by Super S
VibeGuy wrote:D'Allesandro's in Boise, no question. By far the best all-around grocer I've *ever* shopped, and that includes living in Portland, Austin and Seattle, cities that were (and, I maintain, still are) way more serious about food.

I like their approach to sale circulars (post the competition's, mark everything down further), their exquisite in-store bakery, fresh seafood in a city where the standard had been Mrs. Paul's, and a variety of produce the likes of which Boise hadn't seen before. They died, a victim of union protests (including trucking companies that wouldn't deliver across pickets), along with a serious economic downturn in general.
I'll second that. D'Alessandro's was truly a great store that was ahead of its time. One other thing that did them in, I seem to remember on the news that there was an employee or two stealing large amounts of money toward the end.

Re: If you could bring a defunct store back.....

Posted: 16 Jun 2010 13:59
by klkla
I think there have been discussions about it on here before but Sage's was a chain that operated in San Bernardino/Riverside Counties in Southern California and was way ahead of it's time in offering one stop shopping. They had great customer service and a great restaurant/bakery. I actually didn't mind being dragged to the grocery store with my mom as a kid as long as we were going to Sage's.

Re: If you could bring a defunct store back.....

Posted: 17 Jun 2010 22:15
by werememberretail
VibeGuy wrote:D'Allesandro's in Boise, no question. By far the best all-around grocer I've *ever* shopped, and that includes living in Portland, Austin and Seattle, cities that were (and, I maintain, still are) way more serious about food.

I like their approach to sale circulars (post the competition's, mark everything down further), their exquisite in-store bakery, fresh seafood in a city where the standard had been Mrs. Paul's, and a variety of produce the likes of which Boise hadn't seen before. They died, a victim of union protests (including trucking companies that wouldn't deliver across pickets), along with a serious economic downturn in general.
That's sad. A store like that deserved to last forever and it kind of reminds me of the famed Wegmans stores in upstate New York and other areas and the Harris Teeter chain in the Southeast. when did they (D'Allesandro's) go belly up?

Re: If you could bring a defunct store back.....

Posted: 21 Jun 2010 17:07
by VibeGuy
werememberretail wrote: That's sad. A store like that deserved to last forever and it kind of reminds me of the famed Wegmans stores in upstate New York and other areas and the Harris Teeter chain in the Southeast. when did they (D'Allesandro's) go belly up?
I'd guess around 1985ish, give or take a year. Earlier than Smith's left the market, but I think *after* Safeway fled.

E

Re: If you could bring a defunct store back.....

Posted: 27 Jun 2010 12:09
by Super S
VibeGuy wrote:
werememberretail wrote: That's sad. A store like that deserved to last forever and it kind of reminds me of the famed Wegmans stores in upstate New York and other areas and the Harris Teeter chain in the Southeast. when did they (D'Allesandro's) go belly up?
I'd guess around 1985ish, give or take a year. Earlier than Smith's left the market, but I think *after* Safeway fled.

E
I lived in Boise from 1984-88. Safeway was already gone from Boise and Albertsons was operating in the former Marina Safeway at Overland & Vista. It must have been right after Safeway left as Albertsons actually kept the Safeway interior and cash registers for another year or two until it was remodeled around 86 or 87.

I want to say Smith's left in 1986. The rather small store at Broadway & Boise Ave. which did not have a bakery, deli, or pharmacy, closed about a year or two before the others. I have never been able to confirm this, but this store's suspended ceiling often had tiles removed and you could see an arched ceiling above which resembled a Safeway.


As for D'Alessandro's that timing (1985) seems right on, as I remember going into Maxx Food & Drug several times after D'Alessandro's closed before we moved. Maxx installed the NCR cash register setup that had the red digital displays that most of the Boise Albertsons stores used during that period. However, when Albertsons remodeled the Vista store, they removed the Safeway cash registers and installed a newer model of NCR cash register system. It was also around that time that Buttrey left. Three stores became Albertsons, and as I recall, Buttrey used the same model of NCR registers as Albertsons. Albertsons did install their checkstand counters, but might have re-used the Buttrey registers.

Re: If you could bring a defunct store back.....

Posted: 04 Jul 2010 14:12
by Jeff
Gemco and Zodys. We need something else besides a Wal-Mart superstore and Target. Both would compliment them.

Re: If you could bring a defunct store back.....

Posted: 10 Jul 2010 15:12
by Dean
Mervyn's

Their private label brand was always well-made.

I still have a number of fleece shorts that I wear in the yard and to workout.

The floor mats in the house have held on for YEARS.

I STILL have from my college dorm room...plastic drawers that I still use.

Yup...Mervyn's

Re: If you could bring a defunct store back.....

Posted: 10 Jul 2010 23:12
by werememberretail
Dean wrote:Mervyn's

Their private label brand was always well-made.

I still have a number of fleece shorts that I wear in the yard and to workout.

The floor mats in the house have held on for YEARS.

I STILL have from my college dorm room...plastic drawers that I still use.

Yup...Mervyn's

Well, Dean I wasn't expecting a non-food store to appear on the list,as my original intention was to name old grocery stores only, but I'll give you a pass as that was an interesting story/