Grocery Archaeology

Original Tenant:  A&P Address:  25 S Broad St, Downtown, Elizabeth, NJ Opened:  ca. 1970 Closed:  1996 Later Tenants:  Supremo Foodmarket Photographed:  1994, June 2020 Today's snapshot is a 1994 image of (sign of) the A&P Sav-A-Center in downtown Elizabeth! The 33,000 square foot store was built around 1970, probably as a replacement for multiple smaller locations in downtown Elizabeth. Two years after this picture, following the A&P's closure, it was subdivided into a 22,000 square foot Supremo Food Market and an 11,000 square foot Rite Aid (now a Walgreens). We've previously toured the Supremo here . Unfortunately, the above photo is the only one I have -- in my defense, the Supremo predates me. And the photo was more intended to show the St. Elizabeth's hospital before it was demolished, given that most of my father's side of the family was born here. Today it is Trinitas Medical Center and looks rather different . Similarly...

Original Tenant:  ACME Markets Address:  214 Rahway Ave, Downtown, Elizabeth, NJ Opened:  1950s Closed:  unknown Later Tenants:  CVS/subdivided Photographed:  June 2020 Just to the southwest of downtown Elizabeth is this former ACME that has now been subdivided into an Advance Auto Parts and a CVS. Other than probably the loading docks , there's basically nothing left over from ACME unfortunately. Until maybe 10 years ago, it seems there was an ACME trailer complete with the 1970s logo parked behind the store that was visible from the train line which passes behind the store. I am unaware of an older ACME here in Elizabeth, though there likely was at least one older store in the city, and this store probably closed in the 1980s with no replacement. Up next we have a really interesting photo here on Grocery Archaeology!