New Uses for Grocery Stores

This is the place for general and miscellaneous posts on topics which might extend past the boundaries of any specific region.

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todd
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Post by todd »

There are lots of old grocers that are now gyms or fitness centers scattered around South Carolina. A little different, but a free-standing Belk store closed in a shopping center in Laurens, SC and it is now offices for Palmetto Bank. Unfortunately, the old small Ingles at Anderson Mall is now a bingo parlor.
parkave231

Post by parkave231 »

todd wrote:A little different, but a free-standing Belk store closed in a shopping center in Laurens, SC and it is now offices for Palmetto Bank.
I can't tell you how many times I've driven by that place and remarked how much it looked like a Belk store...and now I know! Thanks for clearing that up!

Matt
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Post by Super S »

In Kelso, Washington, a late 70's era Safeway is now "Hilander Family Fun Center' which has a bowling alley, kids play area/arcade, and restaurant. Also in Kelso, the marina style building Safeway used before moving in the 70s still stands, and is currently a thrift store, but the building's condition is deteriorating.
rich
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Post by rich »

One of the early Giant super markets in DC was in the Tenleytown neighborhood on Wisconsin Avenue, N of Albermarle. For years, it was a Hechinger DIY store and now it has a big box retailer (Staples or Office Depot, I think). It was an early example of a tight urban super market location with parking on the roof. The nearby c. 1940 Sears (where Hechinger moved) also had roof parking and may have been the inspiration.
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Dave
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Post by Dave »

I've seen quite a few call centers and gyms in old grocery stores. The one that "spoke to me" today when I passed by is a former A&P that's now Harbor Freight Tools and an Off Track Betting parlor.
rrr

Post by rrr »

One of the employees of our Steinmart (better off-price fashions) showed me how it's a not-very remodelled supermarket. Unfortunately, she couldn't recall the brand as it's been 15 or 20 years. But, men's suits still has the dropped ceiling with cedar shake valance that was the butcher & deli counter and alterations & men's fitting rooms occupy the closed off, linoleum floored area that was the butcher back room. They plan to finally remodel this summer, kind of sad to see the quirkiness go.

We also have a gym in an old Winn-Dixie plus a Burlington Coat Factory, the hyena of retail, in an old Bigg's Hypermarket. But more unique is the off track betting parlor in a remodelled Drug Emporium.
bigbubby
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Post by bigbubby »

The original Lucky in Tracy, CA became a furniture store. What makes it interesting is they kept the Lucky "Quality Guaranteed" signs intact, because they liked the slogan, which makes the store look kind of goofy.
todd
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Post by todd »

...it looks like the fate of most vacant grocery stores falls into a few certain categories: a start-up church, bingo parlor, discount funrniture, flea market, gym or Big Lots.
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Dave
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Post by Dave »

todd wrote:...it looks like the fate of most vacant grocery stores falls into a few certain categories: a start-up church, bingo parlor, discount funrniture, flea market, gym or Big Lots.
I used to do a lot of due dilgence property inspections for a company that bought distressed commercial mortgages and real estate. I learned pretty quick that I could find a property pretty easily if I looked for the Big Lots.

Yesterday I passed by two former Safeway locations - one is a scrapbooking store and church and the other is a very, very upscale women's clothing store.
terryinokc
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Post by terryinokc »

Several old Safeways/Tom Thumb/ Randalls in this part of the country are antique malls. I have seen some that were converted to Dollar General or Family Dollar taking half of the building, and some other retail taking the second half.
ieguy441
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Post by ieguy441 »

There is a former grocery store at San Jacinto and 3rd in Austin Texas that was used as a "house" for MTV's "Real World" series.
javelin
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Post by javelin »

runchadrun wrote:As a young kid, I remember a Safeway in West LA on Venice Blvd just east of Overland, between Keystone and Mentone. It was the type of building with the barrel roof (not a Marina, though) and a big tall sign, like the logo for the message board you see in the upper left. The Safeway closed and became a Carpeteria carpet store. Then it became "Baptist Temple." This would have all happened in the late 1970's. It was Baptist Temple for several years.
Reminds me of a bowling alley converted into a church in Rialto, CA. They used the 60's retro sign outside to save money. Apparently they didn't have enough money at first and left the original sign in place with a banner on the side of the building. So for a while it looked as if it were the world's first church and bowling alley.

A Lucky's (nee Alpha Beta) in Apple Valley, CA was converted into the headquarters for the school district and manages to keep the small strip mall afloat with small restaurants and a pharmacy (was Rexall, now Good Neighbor I think).

There was a small town chain of stores called Hartwick's and had a store in Barstow, CA. Several years ago I noticed the faded sign on the side of the building that now is used by Allied Signal.
hypernick1980
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Post by hypernick1980 »

Lets see , there is a former Albertsons in Pocatello ID that is now the Pocatello City Hall. A former Albertsons and Grand Central/Fred Meyer in Brigham City Utah that stood abandoned for years after the Fred Meyer took over the entire strip mall and then closed that is now a Utah State University Extension. A former Smith's in Clearfield UT that has been subdivided in to a call center, plasma bank, and what seems to rotate between a church and a cowboy night club.
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Dave
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Post by Dave »

The older (1920-1940) smaller chain grocery locations that I'm researching around here could be anything and everything by now, but it's interesting to note how many are popular local restaurants.

This really digresses because the center never had a grocery store, but there's one center near me that was anchored by Phar-Mor and Home Quarters - the Home Quarters is now an operations center for HCA and the rest of the center has been mostly converted to medical offices, a radiology center, and other medical uses. There's little actual retail left except for a Smart Tag (like EZ Pass) toll road customer service center and a lingerie/adult toy shop. It's not unusual to see medical and dental offices in a shopping center, but to have what seems like a whole retail center given over to those uses strikes me as sort of unusual.
fredmeyer100
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Post by fredmeyer100 »

The Buttrey on Fairview Ave. in Boise is being remodled and gutted for a Gold's Gym
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