Shaw's Opened: 1980s Owner: Albertsons Companies Previous Tenants: none Cooperative: none Location: 11 Traders Way, Salem, MA Photographed: March 29, 2025 The time has come to make a visit to Salem! Yes, that Salem . This nondescript strip mall outside of downtown Salem probably isn't the first place that tourists go, but it's definitely the regional retail center, with Shaw's, Market Basket, Home Depot, Planet Fitness, TJ Maxx, Target, PetSmart, Town Fair Tire, a liquor store, and numerous fast-food restaurants within a couple blocks. This 60,000 square foot Shaw's actually dates back to the 1980s, although it appears to have been renovated and expanded in the early 00s. When I visited last spring, it had just celebrated its latest grand reopening, with a fresh coat of paint outside and much more extensive changes inside, as we'll see. Until this remodel, the store still had the old Shaw's logo and slogan out front. The remodel was pretty extensive,...
Crosby's Marketplace Opened: late 1990s Owner: Chris Crosby Previous Tenants: Penni's Market (closed 1995) Cooperative: Associated Grocers of New England Location: 118 Washington St, Marblehead, MA Photographed: July 14, 2019 Here in Marblehead's Historic District, a quaint New England downtown street is hiding a surprise: a full-service supermarket tucked away behind (and under) the main business district. Crosby's Marketplace opened in downtown Marblehead in the late 1990s in a newly-built building behind, and at a lower level than, the main downtown strip. But there's an interesting history here that goes beyond the current 15,000 square foot supermarket. For decades, actually since the early 1900s, Penni's Market was located at 120 Washington Street in Marblehead. The store was originally a full-service grocer, later becoming a self-service supermarket and expanding out the back, facing a parking lot. By the 1990s (or possibly earlier), the smal...