Original Tenant: ACME Markets
Address: 281 NJ-10, Succasunna, Roxbury, NJ
Address: 281 NJ-10, Succasunna, Roxbury, NJ
Opened: 1970s
Closed: 1998
Later Tenants: Linens N Things > vacant/subdivided
Photographed: July 2020
We arrive at the Roxbury Mall in the Succasunna section of Roxbury Township for two stores today, the first being this approximately 36,000 square foot former ACME that was built with the strip mall in the 1970s. As JoshAustin610 explains, this store replaced an older one on the same property that was closer to the highway but burned down. I didn't feel the need to go too deep into this store and its history, since it actually hasn't changed a whole lot since Acme Style visited more than 10 years ago back in 2009. The only big change is that the right half of the space, where Linens N Things' entrance would've been, has become an outdoors store. The brick on ACME's sign column (under the pyramid) has also been covered over with new stucco facade. But our other store in the Roxbury Mall is a gigantic, nearly 80,000 square foot ShopRite at the other end of the store. Check it out here! Tomorrow we're going up to the Ledgewood section of Roxbury to check out a store on 46 on The Independent Edition.
If you would like to read up on a TON of information for this former ACME, check out the comments section under the post at AcmeStyle. An anonymous commenter left a lot of interesting information. Link below...
ReplyDeletehttps://acmestyleblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/blog-post_10.html
Acme Style, thanks so much for providing that link.
DeleteOn Newspapers.com, I was able to ascertain the following:
*Acme Style mentioned that the strip mall was originally located much closer to Route 10. This original Roxbury Shopping Center opened no later than February 27, 1959 (as that was the date a Rickel store opened).
*On March 23, 1960, a ShopRite actually opened in this original shopping center.
*The original Succasunna Acme opened on May 14, 1968.
*On November 5, 1968, a fire destroyed the original Succasunna ShopRite, as well as other stores in the Roxbury Shopping Center. I do not know if the original Acme was destroyed in this fire.
*It appears that ShopRite chose not to rebuild after the November 1968 fire, though I cannot get confirmation of this. The Acme continued to operate, however.
*On October 25, 1973, another fire broke out in the Roxbury Shopping Center, destroying three stores. (I'm not sure if the Acme was destroyed, as it's possible that it continued to operate while the new Roxbury Shopping Center was being constructed.)
*As Acme Style mentioned, the new Roxbury Shopping Center was constructed much further back from Route 10. The new Acme opened sometime between September 15 to 18 of 1974. (A great photo of this Acme appears on Page C3 of the September 15, 1974 edition of the Daily Record.)
*ShopRite (of course) decided to open a supermarket in the new shopping center. This store opened on October 2, 1974.
*In the 1979, 1984, and 1987 views on HistoricAerials.com, you'll notice that there still was a shopping center located much closer to Route 10 (than the newer Roxbury Shopping Center). I was unable to ascertain whether the closer shopping center was occupied by stores during these years. It's possible that this center was actually the part of the original Roxbury Shopping Center that survived the 1974 fire, and it's also possible that it was vacant during this time. In any event, you'll see that in the 1995 view, those buildings were gone and replaced by a new shopping center.
*The Succasunna Caldor opened on July 26, 1990. Thus, we know that this new shopping center--closer to Route 10 than where the Acme and ShopRite were/are located--opened no later than that date.
--A&P Fan
You're welcome, A&P Fan! Thanks for another thorough report of all the info you found. Wish I knew about Newspapers.com back in the days of Acme Style. I would have been able to provide so much more info about the stores I covered.
DeleteThanks to both of you for the extensive history!
DeleteWhen I started working for Acme in 1995, I spent a day training in this store. I remember it having an odd layout- the break room was off to the left of the entrance, and I think the stock room was alongside as well (I was used to the Morris Plains store with the stock room in back). Also odd (to me, at the time) was two grocery stores in the same shopping center. Little did I know that was once very common!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting, thanks for the memories here!
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