Farmer Jack

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submariner
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Farmer Jack

Post by submariner »

Now that it's no longer savings time at Farmer Jack, (It was my first job back in '96) Does anybody have any photos from them?

Architecture-wise in the 90's, the Farmer Jack stores were essentially clones of A&P's design, Some even were simply rebranded A&P stores from the 80's, but is there any further insight into the design and architecture history?
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submariner
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Post by submariner »

Here's a Farmer Jack in Warren, Michigan.

This is the interior style of the one I used to work for in Allen Park, does anybody know if this is an A&P corprate style, or one specific to the Pre-A&P Farmer Jack? The Exterior is A&P's style, so I'm leaning towards the first thought.

An unbelievable cache of photos for this type, 51 total. I might download them for reference.

http://www.grafeauction.com./auctions/i ... 9&State=MI
Rimes
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Post by Rimes »

I have a few photos that I took in 2006-2007 of some local Farmer Jack stores that I will get around to sharing eventually... (when I have more time).

A few days ago, I finally found out the opening date of the Farmer Jack in Riverview, Michigan that I'm nostalgic about. It opened on Nov. 16, 1967, located at 20800 Fort Street, as a Farmer Jack, a Yankee Department Store, and Arnold drugstore.

I found it interesting that some of the ads in the late 1967 newspapers that I looked at sometimes had the logo of the store as "Farmer Jack's" (note the apostrophe & s at end). A Dec. 13, 1967 Wyandotte News-Herald ad listed the Downriver Farmer Jack stores as being at: the aforementioned 20800 Fort; 14550 Southfield, in Allen Park (I have Farmer Jack listed at 14640 in 2006); 3647 Dix in Lincoln Park (currently a CVS Pharmacy; I have it listed as a Food Fair in 1962); and 22700 Goddard in Taylor.

A Dec. 27, 1967 ad says "Now! 83 Farmer Jack Supermarkets... are all celebrating the grand opening of 31 New Farmer Jack's!" These Downriver addresses were in this ad but not in the earlier one: 14441 Eureka in Southgate (a Food Fair in the early 1960s, a Lucky Drugs by late 1970s, and currently an Aco Hardware) and 12860 Sibley in Riverview (I have this address as a Riverview Drugs in 1956, both Riverview Drugs and Food Fair in 1960, still Riverview Drugs in 1970 and 1975, and Liquor Station from 1980 to present). Looks like they just converted a lot of Food Fairs to Farmer Jack in 1967.

Incidentally, an item in the paper the same month, on Dec. 20, 1967, noted that there were 21 Chatham supermarkets in Michigan at that time and apparently only two Downriver: "one is in Southgate [Fort & Pennsylvania, next to Korvettes] .... A new one is now being constructed in Lincoln Park."
ohc
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Re: Farmer Jack

Post by ohc »

Its still always All-Star savings time at Farmer Jack this was the best supermarket chain in the Detroit area
rich
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Re: Farmer Jack

Post by rich »

The first Farmer Jack's were Food Fairs (no relation to Philly) converted to a "discount" format with no S&H green stamps. They probably had few modifications. The Farmer Jack's on Rosa Parks would have been one of the first they opened as a "new build" FJs and it lasted almost to the end of the A&P ownership---it would be an indication of what they did over time. They redid a Topps in Toledo on Secor Road around 1975 which lasted over a decade. They never opened another store in Toledo (A&P did bring FJ's back for a brief unsuccessful try just before they gave up on the chain). It was double the size of their normal stores and emphasized service departments as much or more than pricing.
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