TOUR: ACME Markets - Dresher, PA

ACME Markets
Opened: 1958

Previous Tenants: none

Location: 1825 Limekiln Pk, Dresher, PA

Photographed: July 30, 2021

It's our second day in Dresher, and we're here to tour what may be the oldest continuously operating ACME out there (it's certainly in the top 3, I believe). The 24,000 square foot store was constructed in 1958 as part of this small strip mall, then remodeled outside in the 1970s. It's a similar (but 1990s-updated) facade to the famous former Manasquan store.

As we see, there are any number of historic ACME characteristics around the property and outside. We'll see plenty more inside, too, but we can tell from the outside that the storefront got a major upgrade in the 1970s. Note the details, including around the windows and on the building itself, that match the Colonial Cottage model. I would link to Acme Style here, of course, but the blog seems to have moved to a supermarket upstate, if you know what I mean.

We enter to see the 1970s layout very much intact. It seems that this store has received plenty of cosmetic upgrades inside, but basically no substantive remodeling in the last 40-50 years. (It reminds me a lot of the Shaw's in Auburn, Mass, which we'll tour when we get up there. The difference is that the Auburn store was an Iandoli Supermarket until 1988 when Shaw's acquired it. It's the only acquried Iandoli that Shaw's hasn't yet replaced or extensively remodeled.)

Much like the Auburn Shaw's, this store has seen some Quality Built-era fixture updates, but the decor is PF&H 3.0. Notice, though, that the wall colors match QB, not PF&H 3.0. See Bryn Mawr.

The flooring, too, has been updated to QB flooring. It looks fresh and slightly more updated, but this is not a good decor package and there simply isn't enough decor around the store. More to come.

Not to mention execution of this decor package is not wonderful here. As we see, the signage has been installed with no apparent concern for centering or lighting.

Here's a look across the front end of the store. Aisles 1 and 2 do not have aisle markers. Aisle 1 is produce, bread, and cold cuts. Aisle 2 is beer and wine...

Now heading back to aisle 1, you can see that again the fixtures have been updated (and the flooring here, too) but there's no decor over the cheese/cold cuts cases.

There's only one sign, hung too high and with poor lighting, at the back. And who made the decision to paint that back wall like that? Why isn't the whole back wall blue?

The deli, of course, has been expanded from its original setup and we can see several eras of decor here, with the 70s layout and lighting (I assume), backsplash tiling from Industrial Circus (the previous decor package here), the PF&H 3.0 signage, and the blue painted wall from the QB decor package.

It's not the worst thing ever, but it's not exactly what I'd call a well-designed supermarket.

Meats are on the back wall. Notice that the fixtures have been painted, but it doesn't look like they're very new.

Unremarkable grocery aisles, but it does seem that there's been some updates like the lighting throughout.

To attach to the beer and wine department, a small cafe has been added to the front of the store. It's not bad, but there's also nothing to eat here so it's probably just to satisfy the requirements for the beer and wine department.

Frozen foods in the last aisle and a half, with dairy on the left side wall.

Once again, it's not an unattractive store, but it's just not well-designed. Why is that dairy sign hung so high up, and so far away from the wall?

Here we can also see that, although doors have been added to the dairy cases, they are older and have not been painted. The flooring is also left over from the Industrial Circus decor package.

And in the front corner is a very small bakery, which does appear to be fully functional but has no signage whatsoever.

And on the front-end, Industrial Circus signage remains!

Looking back over towards the bakery. We see again that the fixtures in the bakery have been updated, but no larger decor updates have been done. There are QB register lane markers, but PF&H signage elsewhere...

I can't say that the latest renovations have exactly improved this store, although they've certainly freshened it up a little bit. But it's nice to see that it's still so intact after all these years. However, if I lived in this area, I'd probably be shopping at the independent supermarket just across I-276 to the north. That's Monday's tour on The Independent Edition!