Tag Archives: retail

Buffalo, Buffalo History, retail geekery

A&P in the suburbs of Buffalo/ Erie County (Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company)

A&P (Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company) filed (again) for bankruptcy. It sadly looks to be the end of the company that started in 1859. A&P has been out of the Buffalo & Western New York market for many years but the buildings often remain. This list dates from 1968 and I have included the most recent Google Street views. Today’s installment consists of A&Ps in the suburbs of Buffalo but still within Erie County.

One interesting thing I noticed about the list is that in a few cases it indicates a store is in one town but the address is actually in a different town. I’ve attempted to note these inconsistencies.

Amherst, NY

  • 1561 Niagara Falls Blvd- this is a correction to my previous address of 1566 which is across the street in the town of Tonawanda. The Famous Footwear building has since been torn down and Trader Joe’s sits in its place.

  • 6880 Main Street

  • 2375 Sheridan Drive. This location is another one the lottery ad claims to be in Amherst but is really in the Town of Tonawanda. It opened in May 1958 and I love that one of the gifts given out was Cigars for the men- try doing that today. The location later became a Sunview Nursery Center and would be the location of a massive fire in July, 1999. A Dollar General stands there now.
  • 1275 Sheridan Drive 1958
    1275 Sheridan Drive 1958
  • 5641 Main Street:

East Aurora, NY- 123 Grey Street (Bing maps birdseye)

Evans/ Angola NY: 35 South Main Street:

Cheektowaga, NY

  • 3870 Harlem Road
  • In 2007 there was no mistaking the building had been an A & P store.
  • By 2012 the store was under the ownership of Tops Supermarkets. They tore down the old A&P building for a new modern (but mini) Tops. The architects did keep a nod to the past history of A&P.
  • 2325 Harlem Road
  • 4160 Union Road. This plaza was also the site of a viral video of an extremely racist woman screaming outside of the Dollar General.

Concord/ Springville: 40 East Main Street

Lancaster: 33 Legion

  Town of Tonawanda/ Village of Kenmore: 3168 Delaware Avenue: Store torn down and Walgreens built on the land, now a Dollar General

West Seneca/ Orchard Park: 3170 Orchard Park Road

Lackawanna, New York

  • 1308 Abbott Road (between NAPA & Walgreens)
  • 92 Ridge Road
Buffalo, Buffalo History, retail geekery

A&P in the city of Buffalo (Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company)

Today A&P (Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company) filed (again) for bankruptcy. It sadly looks to be the end of the company that started in 1859. A&P has been out of the Buffalo & Western New York market for many years but the buildings often remain. This list dates from 1968 and I have included the most recent Google Street views. Today’s installment consists of A&P within the City of Buffalo.

The City of Buffalo:

Delaware District:

    • 202 West Utica Street:

Ellicott District:

  • 29 East Chippewa Street

  • 195 Jefferson

  • 415 South Park & 479 South Park are a bit difficult to determine what building had the A&P. The Family Dollar store looks like it was a gorcery store but is located at 438. The auto repair place across the street is at 407 which would mean 415 is the school.

438 South Park

There is this building in the 380 block of South Park used to be Loblaws

Fillmore-Walden District

  • 1482 Broadway (I believe)

  •  875 Genesee Street

Lovejoy District- 2059 Clinton Street

Masten District- 1265 Jefferson

Niagara District:

  • 118 Grant Street

  • 430 Niagara Street- A centennial A&P!

North District:

  • 400 block of Hertel Avenue- Address seems to be 426 but there is a house there.

  • 443 Tonawanda Street

South District:

  • 1183 Seneca Street

  • 2222 Seneca Street (the parking lot)

University District:

  • 1 Central Park Plaza

(prior to demolition)

(post demolition)

  •  2887 Bailey Avenue

  • 11-25 University Plaza (Main Street across from UB South). Plaza was half demolished and rebuilt in the 1990s. I need to verify this since technically the plaza was in the town of Amherst but the A&P is listed under Buffalo.

#tbt, Buffalo, Buffalo History, retail geekery

#tbt Loblaws in the Buffalo, NY area

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Loblaws today is known as a Canadian chain of grocery stores. For over 50 years though the company maintained a presence in the United States including the Buffalo, NY area.

 

Loblaw Groceterias Co Limited Toronto ca 1923
Loblaw Groceterias Co. Limted store, College St. and Palmerston Blvd., Toronto, postcard, ca. 1923

From the Buffalo Evening News, Thursday May 6, 1926:

Loblaw 1926 ad
Loblaw 1926 ad

The locations today per google street view:

128 Grant Street is now the location of an M&T bank

346 Tonawanda Street is empty:

2166 Seneca Street

1376 Fillmore points to being another empty lot:

1534 Genesse Street is continuing the theme of being an empty lot:

Finally 2878 Delaware Avenue in the Village of Kenmore:

From September 17, 1948 Courier-Express Ad:

Cooler days are here again and appetites are whetted for more substantial meals. Loblaws are again ready to serve you with a tempting array of helpful menu suggestions, that will save you money too.

There is Golden Maid Margarine, for Instance, at only 29¢. Then in our Cheese Department we have Swiss cheese at 69¢ a really outstanding price on this fine cheese. California light meat tuna at 41¢ is a good buy for making school lunch sandwiches. For something rather special for parties or luncheons why not buy a can or two of POMCO whole small Irish potatoes. They are very popular.

There are many other Interesting foods but space is limited to tell you about them. However, there Is still room to call your attention to the imported metal tea canisters. They are really beautiful and very practical. They can be reused in so many ways.

Loblaws September 17, 1948 Ad
Loblaws September 17, 1948 Ad

 

This 1950 ad is for the opening of Western New York’s Largest Supermarket in Tonawanda, NY. The building (as seen on the google maps street view) is still standing and now is occupied by the Bon-Ton Home Store.

You’ll have no parking worries when you visit the new LOBLAWS, even during GRAND OPENING DAYS, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. We know you are planning a pleasant value-filled shopping day next weekend during GRAND OPENING DAYS. The large parking area provides immediate parking with no loss of time. Next, you enter a completely air-conditioned store.
Loblaws 1950 Tonawanda NY
Loblaws 1950 Tonawanda NY

Friday, July 18, 1952, Buffalo Courier-Express:

FARM FRESH! That’s the way you like your foods, and that’s the way LOBLAWS brings them to you! Freshness is more important than ever in hot weather. Speed—from farm to store—is vital to freshness of today’s perishable foods, and Loblaws brings them to you FAST . . Refrigerated every stop of the way.

Loblaws July 1952
Loblaws July 1952

 

Loblaws celebrated the opening of the 200th supermarket in June 1958.

Loblaws 200th store opening
Loblaws 200th store opening

As it stands today

The year was 1959 and Mrs. R. M. Milton of Morris Avenue in Buffalo, NY was planning her summer vacation. She decided to shop at the Loblaws at 1770 Hertel Avenue where her $282 she spent went a long way. That $282 in 1959 is roughly equivalent to $2,200 in 2015. There was no indication what she spent her 2,820 in S&H Green Stamps on.

Loblaws 1770 Hertel Avenue
Loblaws 1770 Hertel Avenue

Today this store is still a supermarket.

At one time Buffalo had a basketball team- the Buffalo Braves. On Nov 4, 1970 for every $3.00 spent you could save 50¢ on a game ticket.

SAVE UP TO $1.00 ON BUFFALO BRAVES TICKETS DURING LOBLAW BASKETBALL NIGHTS With each $3.00 in purchases you will receive a Loblaw Certificate entitling you to a 50¢ discount on the purchase of any reserved seat or general admission ticket for the Buffalo Braves home games shown here. Two 50¢ certificates may be used on the purchase of one ticket, giving you a savings of $1.00

loblaws braves promotion
loblaws braves promotion
Buffalo, Buffalo History, retail geekery

The Wm. Hengerer Company #tbt Buffalo NY retail history

The William Hengerer Company traced its roots back to 1876. The store was merged with Rochester based Sibley’s in the early 1980s. The downtown location was closed in 1987. Eventually the store merged (again) with Pittsburgh based Kaufmann’s. Now the stores fly the Macy’s banner.

Store locations:

  • Downtown (now an office building)
  • Sheridan Drive (demolished, now a strip plaza)
  • Amherst/ Main & Eggert (office building)
  • Seneca Mall (demolished, lot empty expect for a Tops Supermarket & Kmart)- this mall was killed by the opening of the Walden Galleria & McKinley Mall
  • Eastern Hills Mall (now Macy’s)- only former location of a Hengerer’s that is still an operating department store
  • Boulevard Mall- space was originally a Sattler’s, now Macy’s
  • Walden Galleria- opened as Sibley’s in the late 1980s, now Macy’s
  • McKinley Mall- opened as Sibleys in 1989, now Macy’s

 

Hengerer’s ad, March 25, 1956

 

1956e

Hengerer’s 134th anniversary sale ad, October 4, 1970.

Hengerer's 134th anniversary sale
Hengerer’s 134th anniversary sale

 

 

Buffalo Evening News, July 5, 1921

 

 

Hengerer's 1921 logo
Hengerer’s 1921 logo

 

Finally an ad from the Brocton, NY newspaper 1904

Brocton NY Mirror 1904
Brocton NY Mirror 1904
Buffalo, Buffalo History, retail geekery

#tbt More vintage advertising from dead retail in Buffalo, NY

As always a big thank you to Fulton History where I find these great old scans!

Buffalo Courier-Express, Nov 15, 1967 Kleinhans Men’s Store at the height of the Man Men era:

Buffalo Courier-Express, Feb 18, 1968– Sample Shop:

Untitled

After asking people on Facebook the Sample Store at Main & Eggert was in the small plaza near where Ziggy’s is.

Thursday April 21, 1966: Jenss Department Store Home Store

Jenss
Jenss 1966

Buffalo-Courier Express, Sunday, May 4, 1969 Sample Ad. The Seneca Mall opened in 1969 & the Sample was there until 1989 (having opened a store at the new Walden Galleria Mall). The chain lasted until 1991.

1sample