Groceries, Grocery stores, & Supermarkets (Philadelphia, Wall: bankrupt, authority, title)

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by southbound_295

I remember when Thriftway & Shop n Bag seemed to be everywhere. They couldn't keep up with ShopRite & Pathmark & seemed to retreat to areas that weren't well served by the big chains.

One of those stores was the Holiday Thriftway at Frankford Avenue and Pratt Street, opposite the end of the Market-Frankford Line.

AFAIK, this store was the last original Penn Fruit Co. store still operating as a supermarket. Penn Fruit was the region's dominant supermarket chain in the 1950s and 1960s, and its stores had distinctive parabolic arched roofs that cause visitors from the Western US to mistake them for Safeways. (Safeway built similar stores with much shallower arched roofs from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s.) Many survive in other guises - they're real easy to spot.

Its owners closed the store last fall. I don't know whether the Philadelphia Historical Commission voted to add it to the city's historic register or not; the nomination was before the commission at the time of closing. Rite Aid Corp. owns the property and (surprise!) opposed the nomination.

The store's interior still looked much the way it did when Penn Fruit was around.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

One of those stores was the Holiday Thriftway at Frankford Avenue and Pratt Street, opposite the end of the Market-Frankford Line.

AFAIK, this store was the last original Penn Fruit Co. store still operating as a supermarket. Penn Fruit was the region's dominant supermarket chain in the 1950s and 1960s, and its stores had distinctive parabolic arched roofs that cause visitors from the Western US to mistake them for Safeways. (Safeway built similar stores with much shallower arched roofs from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s.) Many survive in other guises - they're real easy to spot.

Its owners closed the store last fall. I don't know whether the Philadelphia Historical Commission voted to add it to the city's historic register or not; the nomination was before the commission at the time of closing. Rite Aid Corp. owns the property and (surprise!) opposed the nomination.

The store's interior still looked much the way it did when Penn Fruit was around.

Penn Fruit & Dales. . .I remember them well. I think that when my family ended up in Cherry Hill in '64, the grocery store at Ellisburg Shopping Center was something like Food Town. This was across Kings Highway from a good-size Acme & diagonally across from a local discount store, Garwoods, that had a food store, the Big W. Within a couple of years, the store at Ellisburg became Penn Fruit, & a couple of years later later, Garwoods closed & was replaced by Dales. Later, the Penn Fruit became a ShopRite, later Genuardis & now Whole Foods. The Dales became a Pathmark, & the building was recently torn down & is a Lady of Lourdes facility.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by FamousBlueRaincoat

I was too young at the time to know - closed right around the time I graduated high school. My parents shopped there almost exclusively, which probably meant it was the cheapest. The other store in town was an IGA. There was a Shurfine in the next town down the road. Food Lion was the first to close up, followed by the Shurfine. The IGA is still in business, and there's a Redners (local chain) now near the old Food Lion location.

Thanks. I had seen speculation that Food Lion had attempted to enter Pennsylvania at one point.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by southbound_295

Penn Fruit & Dales. . .I remember them well. I think that when my family ended up in Cherry Hill in '64, the grocery store at Ellisburg Shopping Center was something like Food Town. This was across Kings Highway from a good-size Acme & diagonally across from a local discount store, Garwoods, that had a food store, the Big W. Within a couple of years, the store at Ellisburg became Penn Fruit, & a couple of years later later, Garwoods closed & was replaced by Dales. Later, the Penn Fruit became a ShopRite, later Genuardis & now Whole Foods. The Dales became a Pathmark, & the building was recently torn down & is a Lady of Lourdes facility.

Somewhere out there on the 'net - I think it may be linked from the Groceteria web site - is a feature the last CEO of Penn Fruit wrote for the mag I write for now back in the mid-1970s, after Penn Fruit declared bankruptcy and liquidated itself. It's titled "How Penn Fruit Checked Out," and it's rather fascinating reading, especially for someone like you who has deep knowledge of and interest in supermarkets and supermarket history.

Found it - on Groceteria. The facsimile of the article is part of the site's entry on the chain:

Penn Fruit

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by southbound_295

Penn Fruit & Dales. . .I remember them well. I think that when my family ended up in Cherry Hill in '64, the grocery store at Ellisburg Shopping Center was something like Food Town. This was across Kings Highway from a good-size Acme & diagonally across from a local discount store, Garwoods, that had a food store, the Big W. Within a couple of years, the store at Ellisburg became Penn Fruit, & a couple of years later later, Garwoods closed & was replaced by Dales. Later, the Penn Fruit became a ShopRite, later Genuardis & now Whole Foods. The Dales became a Pathmark, & the building was recently torn down & is a Lady of Lourdes facility.

If you're interested in the architectural side of the subject, you might also want to check out this Penn Master's in Historic Preservation student's thesis from 2013; it focuses on Penn Fruit's store construction program in the 1940s and 1950s and explores preservation strategies for the surviving stores, "particularly the Frankford and Pratt location."

I don't know whether it landed in the Historical Commission's or Preservation Alliance's hands, but it probably should have.

Penn Fruit and the Everyday Modern: Interpreting the Mid-Century Supermarket

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

If you're interested in the architectural side of the subject, you might also want to check out this Penn Master's in Historic Preservation student's thesis from 2013; it focuses on Penn Fruit's store construction program in the 1940s and 1950s and explores preservation strategies for the surviving stores, "particularly the Frankford and Pratt location."

I don't know whether it landed in the Historical Commission's or Preservation Alliance's hands, but it probably should have.

Penn Fruit and the Everyday Modern: Interpreting the Mid-Century Supermarket

Thanks for the links.

I promise that I'm not nuts about grocery stores, but when you've been around long enough, you remember these things. I'd be happy if someone came on the thread & said "I just moved here, where can I buy _____."

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

One of those stores was the Holiday Thriftway at Frankford Avenue and Pratt Street, opposite the end of the Market-Frankford Line.

AFAIK, this store was the last original Penn Fruit Co. store still operating as a supermarket. Penn Fruit was the region's dominant supermarket chain in the 1950s and 1960s, and its stores had distinctive parabolic arched roofs that cause visitors from the Western US to mistake them for Safeways. (Safeway built similar stores with much shallower arched roofs from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s.) Many survive in other guises - they're real easy to spot.

Its owners closed the store last fall. I don't know whether the Philadelphia Historical Commission voted to add it to the city's historic register or not; the nomination was before the commission at the time of closing. Rite Aid Corp. owns the property and (surprise!) opposed the nomination.

The store's interior still looked much the way it did when Penn Fruit was around.

Nope, not all of them had that roof. The eastern building of Haverford Sq ,379-385 Lancaster Ave in Haverford, was originally a Penn Fruit. The existing tower, on the building, was there when it was a Penn Fruit. Probably being on the Main Line, the company wanted something more distinctive. And, yes, my family shopped there when I was a child.

[Carolina Knight]

Originally Posted by southbound_295

I remember when Thriftway & Shop n Bag seemed to be everywhere. They couldn't keep up with ShopRite & Pathmark & seemed to retreat to areas that weren't well served by the big chains.

I recall Thriftway and Shop 'n Bag in Atlantic County, New Jersey, 25 years ago.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by Carolina Knight

I recall Thriftway and Shop 'n Bag in Atlantic County, New Jersey, 25 years ago.

That would make sense. A lot of areas in Atlantic, Cumberland, Salem, & Cape May counties had few supermarkets. Thriftway & Shop n Bag also settled into areas that the big chains overlooked in Philadelphia & the suburbs.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by southbound_295

Thanks for the links.

I promise that I'm not nuts about grocery stores, but when you've been around long enough, you remember these things. I'd be happy if someone came on the thread & said "I just moved here, where can I buy _____."

They were running a really great special on _______ at the Fresh Grocer last week.