It's the last day of our Spring Memorabilia Extravaganza and we're going out with a bang with a whole lot of different stores we haven't seen yet!
Associated Grocers of Colorado
Associated Grocers of Colorado is not a name I'm familiar with, but it looks like they were in business until bankruptcy in 1992. Today, Associated Food Stores has locations in Colorado.
Clover Farm
We've discussed Clover Farm when it comes to memorabilia before, but it's a long-defunct group of small, independent grocers, many of which seem to have been located in small towns.
Food Club
We saw Food Club a few days ago from a Shaw's, but I don't know where this one came from. It looks to be around the same age as that one. This one was spotted in central PA, so I doubt it came from Shaw's!
Great American
This appears to be a package from The Great American Tea Company, a predecessor to A&P (the brand was switched to The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company in the late 1860s. Now, I'm not positive that a random antique store in the Hudson Valley of New York would have a ca. 1860 can of Great American pepper, so it's also possible it's some form of reproduction. I don't know, though, and if this was in fact an original I really regret not buying it!
Walmart
Walmart redesigned the Great Value brand packaging around 2008-2009, meaning this (from my grandmother's house) dates back to before that time.
I mean, tea doesn't exactly go bad but I would expect it to lose its flavor and potency. Although, to be honest, it's Walmart tea so who knows how potent it was to begin with.
Hollinger's
I don't have any information about Hollinger's AG (Associated Grocers), but they were just northwest of center city Lancaster. The building, I assume, is long gone, but there is still a building at that address. Here are 1973 and 1975 calendars from the store.
Market Basket
Market Basket, or at the time, DeMoulas Market Basket! The famous New England chain that gives you "more for your dollar" has long been popular in eastern Massachusetts.
Beaufort Grocery
It looks like this mug may not actually be from a grocery store, but instead a restaurant in a former grocery store in North Carolina.
Safeway
Safeway used the Crown Colony brand for spices until 1995, when the products were all brought under the Safeway and Safeway Select brands. I would estimate the above tin is from the 1950s or so, and the one below is probably from closer to the 1960s...
The circular-S logo is displayed on the side of the package, but not right on the front.
National Tea
One example of a National Tea Company spice tin, a company with a fascinating history. I'm not sure how this tin ended up in an antique store in central PA, though! Notice the Food Club tin in the background.
Nation-Wide Service Grocers
I truly have no information on Nation-Wide Service Grocers, and judging by the look of this one it could go back to the early 20th century.
An interesting list of offices, too, so while it looks like they're not exactly nation-wide, they certainly had a wide spread. Hard to tell, though, how dense the stores were between those offices.
Here's a later example of the same brand, I would estimate in the 1930s or so. The headquarters list expanded!
Jewel
I'd estimate this Jewel-branded vinegar dates to... well, not that long ago, post-2006 because we can see the Supervalu name on the back. I know much less about Fresh Finds, which is a Big Lots brand, but it wouldn't surprise me if it's the same age.
Popular
What appears to be a box from a box truck was sitting along the road near Palmer, MA. I don't have any information about the chain, though.
Staff
Long Island-based Staff Supermarkets brings us this can of paprika, possibly related to Staff-Good Deal that we've discussed.
We know this is from the late 70s or early 80s at newest, because of the large bar code on the package...
Although I can't say I've ever seen a spice tin that advises you to refrigerate it!
Shopwell
Coming to us from Yonkers, NY is Shopwell! Once again we have a needle book, this time courtesy of the New York area chain.
It's very similar to the Food Fair and Grand Union ones we've seen in the last week.
Piggly Wiggly
Not a historical item, but a purchase I made at the Piggly Wiggly in Summerville!
White Rose
I mentioned AWI on the Shurfine post the other day, and White Rose was AWI's Carteret, NJ-based counterpart. These packages were spotted in a convenience store in Connecticut.
Iandoli
Iandoli is a name we'll have to remember when we're in and around Worcester, MA in a few weeks!
Here's an S&H Green Stamps book from an Iandoli supermarket.
It was a great find at an antique store just outside of Worcester.
And on the back, we have a little bit of history with Iandoli and S&H Green Stamps locations listed on the back.
Purity Supreme
Purity Supreme was ultimately folded into Ahold (now Ahold Delhaize), but back when it was independent, they were from Billerica, right outside Lowell.
Other
Quite the collection of shopping baskets at a thrift store in Vermont!
An assortment of several decades-old spices, also from my grandmother's kitchen!
A flea market in a former Jamesway department store in northeastern PA had quite the selection of toy trucks from grocery stores...
And a find I was very excited about in a northeastern PA antique store is this Plasticville supermarket model (designed for an HO train layout).
You construct it from a few plastic pieces. I love the tower and the detail around the building!
Dinky's Blue Belle Diner just outside of Worcester has a few wonderful framed collages of some old store and business advertisem*nts and logos.
Check out that A&P!
And Big D is a name we'll again be seeing more when we get into Worcester.
That's all for memorabilia, and thanks for checking out these posts for the last couple days! Tomorrow, we begin our look at western Massachusetts!
