Turns out it was a Colonial after all...

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andysj500

Turns out it was a Colonial after all...

Post by andysj500 »

This store at 400 S. McMorrine St., Elizabeth City, NC, opened some time between 1966 and 1970 and joined another nearby Colonial at 1505 W. Ehringhaus St (in operation since at least 1966). The 400 S. McMorrine location acted as a replacement for the 501 E. Church St location (in operation since between 1950 and 1955.)

An 1105 W. Ehringhaus Colonial, in operation since between 1959 and 1960 'disappeared' from the directories in 1966, possibly replaced by the 1505 store.

1505 W. Ehringhaus persisted until 1980, replaced by a 1515 W. Ehringhaus location. 1981 was the last year that Colonial/ Big Stars showed up in the Directories. The 1515 W. Ehringhaus location became a Food Lion sometime between 1986 and 1988 (consistent with Food Lion's purchase of Colonials in NC and VA at the time). It is still operating as a Food Lion today.

400 S. McMorrine became a Piggly Wiggly in 1985, but people around here say that the store was short-lived, maybe a month or less. It has more or less remained vacant for years, although briefly occupied by a glass company for three or four years.

501 E. Church St has enjoyed varied tenants over the years from clothing stores to today's split combo of a computer shop and office supply store which have occupied the building for over a decade. The current tenants have preserved its historical character very well. The entire store facade was been untouched, painted only in the front, still retaining the original storefront, windows, awning and logo lights on the sides of the store, common to Colonials.

400 S. McMorrine St Colonial (photos from 2006)
http://ajsanjua.googlepages.com/IMG_0132-a.jpg
http://ajsanjua.googlepages.com/IMG_0197-A.JPG
http://ajsanjua.googlepages.com/IMG_0207-A.JPG

400 S. McMorrine St Colonial (archive from 1974)
http://ajsanjua.googlepages.com/fred-fe ... -scrap.jpg

501 E. Church St (photos from 2006)
http://ajsanjua.googlepages.com/IMG_0195-A.JPG]
http://ajsanjua.googlepages.com/IMG_0198-A.JPG
http://ajsanjua.googlepages.com/IMG_0199-A.JPG
http://ajsanjua.googlepages.com/IMG_0200-A.JPG
http://ajsanjua.googlepages.com/IMG_0201-A.JPG
http://ajsanjua.googlepages.com/IMG_0202-A.JPG
http://ajsanjua.googlepages.com/IMG_0203-A.JPG
http://ajsanjua.googlepages.com/IMG_0204-A.JPG
http://ajsanjua.googlepages.com/IMG_0204-A.JPG
http://ajsanjua.googlepages.com/IMG_0205-A.JPG
http://ajsanjua.googlepages.com/IMG_0206-A.JPG

http://www.geocities.com/ussenterprise1 ... rkets.html

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NewsLynne
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Post by NewsLynne »

Cool. Now I have a better idea of what the Barracks Road Colonial looked like when it opened here in Charlottesville.

It's a Kroger now, just renovated.
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Groceteria
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Post by Groceteria »

Very nice photos. Thanks.
NewsLynne wrote:Cool. Now I have a better idea of what the Barracks Road Colonial looked like when it opened here in Charlottesville. It's a Kroger now, just renovated.
I think you mentioned this store in another thread as well. Was it one of the stores Kroger took over from Harris Teeter? It would make sense, given (a) the Colonial >> Big Star >> HT path of the NC stores, and (b) the fact that Kroger took over so many southern Virginia HT locations when they did the big swap in 1999.

Either way, I'd like to see any store that's survived all the way from being a Colonial to a current Kroger. It must've been SEVERELY renovated.
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Dave
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Post by Dave »

Groceteria wrote:Very nice photos. Thanks.
NewsLynne wrote:Cool. Now I have a better idea of what the Barracks Road Colonial looked like when it opened here in Charlottesville. It's a Kroger now, just renovated.
I think you mentioned this store in another thread as well. Was it one of the stores Kroger took over from Harris Teeter? It would make sense, given (a) the Colonial >> Big Star >> HT path of the NC stores, and (b) the fact that Kroger took over so many southern Virginia HT locations when they did the big swap in 1999.

Either way, I'd like to see any store that's survived all the way from being a Colonial to a current Kroger. It must've been SEVERELY renovated.
Here's an article from the Cavalier Daily (University of Virginia daily) on Barracks Road Shopping Center (I believe that the article means Woolco, not Wilco):
http://www.cavalierdaily.com/CVArticle. ... 34&pid=953

Nifty picture of the Colonial at the upper right corner of the article. Click on it and enlarge it.

There are two supermarkets at Barracks Road - currently a H-T and Kroger. I seem to recall a Safeway at one time. In Richmond, we had the progression of Safeway-The Grocery Store (Farm Fresh)-Hannaford-Kroger. There was one store in Charlottesville (Barracks Road?), that went from Farm Fresh to Hannaford. The stores in Richmond that Hannaford bought from Farm Fresh that were later sold to Kroger were all newer stores - certainly nothing of the Colonial vintage. I know of at least one example in Richmond of a later-model Big Star that was sold to Safeway.

The Cavalier Daily article also mentions a Farmer Jack, which would have been an A&P. The Farmer Jack space is now an Old Navy.

My guess is the current Kroger and H-T are newer builds, with the possibilty that the Kroger was a COlonial once - but not a H-T.

Finally, another Cavalier Daily article mentioning the Barracks Road Kroger and H-T:
http://www.cavalierdaily.com/CVArticle. ... 10&pid=793
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