20769 Dupont Blvd, Georgetown, DE

Original Tenant: Safeway

Address: 20769 Dupont Blvd, Georgetown, DE

Opened: unknown

Closed: 1987

Later Tenants: unknown

Photographed: January 2020

This is a very interesting building here in Georgetown. It's about 20,000 square feet, built around an 11,000 square foot Marina Safeway. Gotta love that arched roof! So this was built by Safeway but closed in 1987 after a dispute with the union. Safeway wanted to cut benefits and a few other things for their union employees, which the workers voted to reject; at which point Safeway decided to close six stores that would become unprofitable. This was one of the six. Shortly after that announcement was made in early 1987, Safeway walked back the decision, announcing that three of the six were not to close (and Georgetown was decided to stay open).

After some further negotiations between Safeway, the union, and various local governments and organizations, Safeway agreed to not close any but to sell them all. Some went to Meatland, some to A&P's SuperFresh division, and some to Fleming Foods, all of which were non-union. Georgetown went to Fleming. Now, I am not the expert on this geographic area nor that time period, but I know that by the time of their bankruptcy and subsequent dissolution in 2003, Fleming was supporting the Thriftway/Shop n Bag group, but I'm unclear whether they themselves ran the cooperative. In other words, if this store was sold to Fleming, was it then turned over to a member-owner of Thriftway/Shop n Bag and, presumably, named one of those banners?

Anyhow, it's been a lumber/construction provider for at least the last 15 years, but the arch is still standing! That's all for Georgetown, and next we're heading about 10 miles south to Millsboro over on The Market Report.