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Pictures of '50s-'80s Albertsons Stores

Posted: 25 Dec 2012 22:35
by StoreLiker2006
Could you please try to find some vintage pictures of Albertsons stores dating from the 1960s through the 1980s?

Why do I ask? Because, many of the pre-1976 Albertsons exteriors were false-fronted with the 1976 and later storefronts, removing the "A-L-B-E-R-T-S-O-N-S" lettering (whether red on white, or white on blue). Only a few pre-1976 stores in the Portland, OR area kept their original exteriors... and all of which ceased to exist after January 1989 (the 39th & Belmont store became a Thriftway and is presently a Walgreen's), while the 39th & Holgate store became a Trader Joe's more recently).

Between circa 1961 and 1972, the ALBERTSONS text was red on white, and in late '72 it became white on blue. The present logo, with minor changes in recent years, dates to 1976.

Trying to find a pre-1976 Albertsons store exterior is tough.

~Ben

Re: Pictures of '50s-'80s Albertsons Stores

Posted: 26 Dec 2012 00:37
by Brian Lutz
I think I've posted this before, but here is a picture of an Albertson's exterior circa 1969 in downtown Bellevue. I believe this store lasted until sometime in the late 80s or early 90s, and is now a Cost Plus World Market (There's a photo of the parking lot and sign with the 1976 logo in the same archive dated February 1987, but it does not show the storefront.)

Re: Pictures of '50s-'80s Albertsons Stores

Posted: 26 Dec 2012 23:49
by Super S
Albertsons, over the years, (Pre SVU/LLC of course) seemed to do a better job than many chains as far as making their older stores look modern from the outside. They usually paid attention to details as well, updating exterior signage, even updating things such as light poles in the parking lot and adding landscaping during remodels. A good example is the Broadway store in Boise, Idaho. Although it does show its age a bit inside, it looks like a typical store on the outside with the exception of the newer "Broadway Market" signage. There are a few scattered Albertsons "marina" stores still in operation, but most don't look like it on the outside.

In the thread below, a few years back, I posted a picture of the Broadway store I mentioned which I took right after its first major remodel in the 1980s.

http://www.groceteria.com/board/viewtop ... ons#p14937

Re: Pictures of '50s-'80s Albertsons Stores

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 00:00
by StoreLiker2006
In particular, I'd be curious to know what the exteriors of the following southeast Portland area locations used to look like:
3232 SE Harrison St., Milwaukie (this location was falsefronted around 1978)
4330 SE 82nd Ave.
940 SE 39th Ave.
4715 SE 39th Ave.
2323 SE 82nd Ave.

~Ben

Re: Pictures of '50s-'80s Albertsons Stores

Posted: 27 Dec 2012 03:29
by Brian Lutz
A little more digging in that photo archive found a couple more pictures of the Bellevue store:

Side view of the building, including the sign

View showing the side of the building (right side of the photo)

Another thing to look at if you know approximate opening dates for stores is that frequently when new stores opened (not specifically Albertsons stores) you'd see drawings of the storefronts in newspaper ads. I know Safeway tended to do it in their 1960s ads for grand openings, so it might be worth a look.