[TheStranger]

This looks to be a downtown area pair of stores, late-1950s pylon...

http://www.desoto58.com/street/index.html

[wnetmacman]

Those two have appeared here before. If memory serves, the Safeway is still open, although heavily remodeled.

[TW-Upstate NY]

Judging from the vehicles parked in front of the two stores paying particular attention to the one behind the station wagon in front of the Safeway, would I be correct in saying that the picture itself dates from probably about the mid '70's?

[rich]

I live a few blocks from these stores. I'll try to get a pic of the current view.

The Giant began as a Grand Union and then was bought by Giant when Grand Union left the market. The pci dates from at least the 80s. It closed in '89 or '90 and the space was reconfigured into smaller shops. The parking area on the Right is now part of the Safeway, which has an underground parking area in back. The Safeway was enlarged around 1990 and now includes a small pharmacy and service deli. The view is from the 1800 block of Columbia Road NW, at the corner of Ontario Rd NW in the Adams Morgan section of DC, not far from 16th Street.

[TheStranger]

Here's an overhead view of the area from Google Maps:

It appears the one I've labeled #1 is the ex-Giant/Grand Union, and #2 is the Safeway.

EDIT: See Jeff's correction below on my labeling. Thanks Jeff! :)

http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/8618/columbiardoo1.jpg

According to the Euphemistic Safeway Map of Washington DC, this is the "Spanish Safeway":

http://vilimpoc.org/research/map-safeway/

A slice of Latin America in the heart of Adams-Morgan

.

http://vilimpoc.org/research/map-safeway/?imgid=1

Photo of course only shows the remodeled Safeway facade, and not the old Giant next door...

Interestingly, this guide to the Washington DC Safeway nicknames - http://notfortourists.com/upload/tracts ... 352691.pdf - lacks any mention of this long-running store.

[Jeff]

I'm thinking where you have the #2 is the Giant, and right to the right of it is the expanded safeway. if you look closely at the roof of the safeway, its lighter and darker and looks like the center part is where the store was expanded out. In fact, looking at it closer on Google Maps, the #1 you have is a tall apartment building.

[TheStranger]

I'm thinking where you have the #2 is the Giant, and right to the right of it is the expanded safeway. if you look closely at the roof of the safeway, its lighter and darker and looks like the center part is where the store was expanded out. In fact, looking at it closer on Google Maps, the #1 you have is a tall apartment building.

Looking at it again...yeah, that makes a lot more sense (because the Giant (#2 in the googlemap photo) and Safeway were built directly side by side and you can see a distinct change in roof color between the old Giant and the existing Safeway).

[rich]

You beat me to the pic and the mislabeling on the map. #1 is an apartment bulding with commercial on the 1st floor. #2 is the old Grand Union/Giant.

BTW--I've lived within blocks of this store twice: '90-95 and now for the past 6 months. No one calls it "the Spanish Safeway". The clientele, over the last 15 years, has tended to be young, mostly Caucasian adults from Adams Morgan and nearby Mt. Pleasant (which has poorly kept small stores). Some of the staff speak Spanish, but tend to be African-American. The "ethnic" items in the store are pretty limited and like most Safeways, you can buy Kosher food for the Jewish holidays, as well as Joya garbanzos.

The "Soviet Safeway" is aka the "Socialist Safeway", a play on the "Social Safeway" in Georgetown that was known more for beinga pick-up place ("social") than for an elite clientele. People with real money shopped at Dean & Deluca long before Whole Foods ever showed up.

[TheStranger]

Here's a screenshot of a Live Local birdseye view of the old Giant and the still-existing Safeway...

[TheStranger]

BTW--I've lived within blocks of this store twice: '90-95 and now for the past 6 months. No one calls it "the Spanish Safeway". The clientele, over the last 15 years, has tended to be young, mostly Caucasian adults from Adams Morgan and nearby Mt. Pleasant (which has poorly kept small stores). Some of the staff speak Spanish, but tend to be African-American. The "ethnic" items in the store are pretty limited and like most Safeways, you can buy Kosher food for the Jewish holidays, as well as Joya garbanzos.

Here's a great blog post on those DC-area store names...

http://www.dcist.com/archives/2004/09/0 ... olitic.php

And the take from that site on the Adams-Morgan location:

actually, we're the one misnomer--the Spanish Safeway. it was accurate 20 years ago, but the barrio has been pushed back from 18th to 16th street, and is now leaping out into the suburbs. remaining salvadorans shop largely on Mt. Pleasant and northern 14th.

---

Edit, November 3rd: A night shot on Flickr of this store:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/coeller/287377162/

[Bearhawke]

Judging from the vehicles parked in front of the two stores paying particular attention to the one behind the station wagon in front of the Safeway, would I be correct in saying that the picture itself dates from probably about the mid '70's?

Late 1977 at the very earliest judging by the 1978-93 Dodge B series van backside. :)