Attention Norristown residents

[wardwhirlboromarlpool1955]

Honestly I am no more than a concerned citizen who thinks Greater Norristown (especially East Norriton, which I understand is not part of the "city" of Norristown) looks like a dump right now. But a little bit of freshening up the shopping centers would brighten up the area a lot. Either Sam's Club or Home Depot I would really like to see where the Kmart was. This is really the only point I feel that strongly about. Also, Giant would do very well where the Kmart in Eagleville was. And the Jo-Ann Fabrics in East Norriton is really dumpy. Perhaps it actually could be replaced by one where the Genuardi's was in Eagleville.

[wardwhirlboromarlpool1955]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

Especially since the majority of the locations the OP is going on about are not even in Norristown.

Interesting... you remind me a lot of people in my life all around the world who took it very literally when I referred to my home as being "Philadelphia" even though I actually don't live there. That got me thinking perhaps I shouldn't use that word anymore to describe my residence, because I only recently realized just how bad an impression most people in the USA seem to have of the city, understandably. From what I heard, part of North Philadelphia ranks as one of the poorest congressional districts IN THE NATION.

Especially sad when you consider the fact that Philco (the name was a contraction of "Philadelphia Company"), a division of Ford Motor Company, made TVs there in the 50's and 60's, but stopped in the very early 70's when so many Japanese companies first started importing TVs. It's a shame they couldn't have at least waited to quit until the 80's when the Japanese took over the auto industry. But we have to not forget just how bad Detroit ended up when its auto industry collapsed, leading to the decline of the great company which owned Philco. While Detroit has been ranked as the most dangerous US city, perhaps it ranks far from the poorest due to the auto industry still limping along there. And hey it almost makes North Philly look good considering Ford declined a bailout (or maybe I'm wrong but they definitely stayed out of bankruptcy) even though GM and Chrysler both begged for it.

[wardwhirlboromarlpool1955]

Apparently the former Kmart in Flourtown, abandoned for over a decade, is being torn down for a Giant to replace the Genuardi's/Giant conversion next door. I hope Giant takes over the ex-Kmart/Sears Outlet in East Norriton someday, but that might not happen just because of the poor visibility that building has from Germantown Pike. Surprisingly though Giant bought neither the former Genuardi's in East Norriton (now a Weis) or the former Clemens (now a Super Fresh) in Blue Bell, even though the current Giant in between them has no interesting stores surrounding it, and is facing the wrong way to get noticed by people leaving Norristown (heading north toward Lansdale).

[Ohiogirl81]

Well, the Giant in Blue Bell has a big-ass sign on the side. If you can't see it, it's not the store's problem.

[wardwhirlboromarlpool1955]

Wouldn't an ethnic (perhaps Hispanic) supermarket where the Acme was on DeKalb Pike have been nicer than Big Lots?

[Ohiogirl81]

There are plenty of ethnic markets in the area; there is no other Big Lots.

[wardwhirlboromarlpool1955]

If/when wine and spirits begin to be privatized in PA, wholesale liquor stores will be privatized first. In many other states, wholesale clubs such as Sam's Club, Costco, BJ's, etc all sell liquor. Most likely all of them would love to sell liquor in PA, but it would be a huge challenge for them to cram it into their existing stores without expansions. This really has me wondering about how the BJ's in Oaks (in Greater Norristown) will accommodate the opportunity. Assuming they don't try to expand their existing store, it would be great if the Genuardi's in Audubon could close and become a BJ's liquor store. Later on, the existing PLCB Wine & Spirits store next door would most likely be bought by a private owner. The Genuardi's there will most likely close months before privatization begins, and BJ's may want to wait for the existing liquor store there to change. Also, while it is/was a very small Genuardi's, it still might be a little bit too big for a BJ's liquor store. But possibly two thirds of the Genuardi's could become a Total Wine, and one third of the Genuardi's along with the existing Wine & Spirits store in its entirety could end up being combined for the BJ's liquor store.

OR here's another possibility: Gold's Gym has a location next to The Dump in Oaks, both of which establishments were there long before the Target/Lowe's/BJ's/Regal shopping center next door. This is a very uninviting Gold's Gym, because it sits in a small industrial park despite most Gold's Gym branches being in shopping centers. The Genuardi's would also be the perfect size for a Gold's Gym, so perhaps a move would be in order. And then the current Gold's Gym could become a BJ's wholesale liquor store. The PLCB already has a number of wholesale stores spread throughout PA, including ones in Broomall and in the Grays Ferry section of Philadelphia. Ones in Broomall as well as in Lancaster and Wilkes-Barre are in industrial parks, so it seems reasonable for BJ's to adopt the same format here in Oaks.

[wardwhirlboromarlpool1955]

Oops, I didn't realize how long ago Gold's Gym closed here: Oaks Gold

Does anyone know if it was replaced by anything yet?

[slsharris]

Whyever would Giant even consider opening a new Norristown store when they already have one just over the line in Blue Bell? There are already competing stores -- Shop Rite, Weis, Aldi and Sav-a-lot already there. Demographically, the population over the line does not have the kind of money that Giant wants. And so far as the supermarket shuffle is concerned -- I like Weis. I'm not sure why you don't nor do I think that Shoprite is interested in picking up and switching locations that don't have the same parking space OR convenience.

And, frankly, JoAnn Fabrics is used by a huge amount of people -- even if YOU aren't one of them. There isn't another fabric store for miles (Montgomeryville is the closest).