Original Tenant: ACME Markets
Address: 405 E Washington Ave, Washington, NJ
Our first stop in Washington is the 21,000 square foot former ACME, built in the late 1950s or early 60s and later upgraded in the early 90s with the facade we see today. It closed by the late 90s, and about 10 years after its closure Acme Style visited the location in 2009. Believe it or not, when I visited again more than 10 years later, it looked basically the same, and so far, there has not been a tenant to move into this space.
I don't have all that extensive a collection of pictures of the store because of Acme Style's coverage, but it is still extremely cool.
Here's a glance inside the entrance/exit foyer, where you enter on the right and then walk across the store to the first aisle at the opposite side. Produce would've been on the right side, with deli/meat on the back wall and dairy/frozen on the left side. Notice that the only change since Acme Style's 2009 visit is that the flooring and ceiling were removed.
Looking towards dairy/frozen on the left side with registers under the blue light bars.
Customer service/office to the left, and notice the clock that remains next to the exit.
On the right side we have produce on the perimeter wall. Unfortunately, since the flooring has been removed we can't tell exactly where the aisles and fixtures were.
A look up into the wiring in the ceiling; this section would've been over the registers.
And produce would've been under the green light bars here. If you zoom in below, you can see the remnants of department signage, but we can't exactly read what they would've said.
So this would be the first aisle with produce on the right.
Address: 405 E Washington Ave, Washington, NJ
Opened: late 1950s/early 1960s
Closed: late 1990s
Later Tenants: vacant
Photographed: March 2020
We wrap up with a cool shot of the strip mall, which is slowly getting in new tenants. Nobody for this former ACME for over 20 years, though. While we're in Washington, make sure to see the big supermarket in town here and another former supermarket just south of town in Hampton here. Tomorrow, we move east to Califon for a return to their supermarket on The Independent Edition!
Wow, hardly a thing has changed here since I visited back in 2010! Great interior shots Zach. I've always loved this décor package along with the light blue and green light boxes. Now that Middlesex has closed, there are no more ACMEs with it. Maybe a Star Market or two?? Probably not at this point.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteThe closest I can think of is the Beacon St Star Market in Somerville, MA, which has an incredibly lazy version of PF&H 2.0 (or something like that) painted directly on top of the checkerboard arches decor. Actually, checking out Google Maps now, it looks like it now has an incredibly lazy version of the new Star Market decor painted directly on top of the PF&H painted directly on top of the checkerboard arches.
That store is wonderful, and I can't imagine how it's still in business, but it is (despite what I assume was intended to be a replacement store opening less than half a mile north at Porter Square, and that's a really beautiful store).
Lazy is right! Guess they just weren't going to spend a single penny to patch any walls once that old décor got removed. Makes for a very interesting store for us supermarket fans! Really love the section over the deli/seafood area where previously décor is even more noticeable.
DeleteDefinitely! I wonder what the long-term plan is; since they did a refresh a few times, I assume the store is not approaching the end of its lease (like Middlesex, which was not refreshed in any way), and I assume it therefore is still profitable -- but probably barely. We'll see!
DeleteI visited this store, probably right before it closed, but don't recall a single thing about it. Back then film was expensive to buy and develop (for someone still in college) so I didn't take more than a few photos of each store I visited. Memory suggests this was a very neat and tidy little place because my assistant manager called it "The Dollhouse".
ReplyDeleteI do remember you writing about some of that when Acme Style posted about it a long time ago. I know you've been on my blogs before but it seems like it's been a while, so I'm glad to have you back. Thanks for your recent comments, always glad to hear from you!
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