TOUR: Berger's Market - Pine Grove, PA

Berger's Market

Owner: Paul Berger

Opened: 1973-2021

Cooperative: none
Location: 30 Lovers Ln, Pine Grove, PA

Photographed: November 29, 2019

Welcome to Bergers Market! This supermarket is the larger of two in Pine Grove, although at just 29,000 square feet, it's not all that large. And I suppose I should stop talking about this store in the present tense -- after almost 50 years, the supermarket was sold in 2021 to Boyer's, whose stores we've seen around this area in Lansford and Tamaqua (with more in the next few days).

Although this store had only been open for about 50 years, the history goes back farther than that. The Reading Eagle did an excellent piece on the store's history two years ago when it was sold. The store has also been expanded multiple times, most recently in the 1990s, which this website captured in its picture.

We're going to tour the store as it was when I visited in late 2019, although I understand Boyer's has remodeled the store. I'm not sure how extensive the changes were, but the store certainly could use a freshening up. That said, it was a very pleasant small-town supermarket with a little bit of everything.

We enter and turn right along a sale area to enter the produce department, which is on the right side of the store. Dairy is also in the first aisle. (I wouldn't be surprised if this gift area in the front right corner was originally a floral department.) Bakery, deli, and meat/seafood are on the back wall, with frozen on the far left side. The store was expanded at some point into what used to be a small restaurant in the front left corner.

This decor (as I comment rather loquaciously on the Coal Region Canary page) is very similar to ACME decor of the 1970s, although I don't believe there's any actual connection. It is possible, I suppose, that this decor was in the Pine Grove ACME about 3/4 of a mile away (now BG's) and was moved to this store at some point, but that is a stretch. Plus, the decor is not identical. I can't quite find a picture of the 1970s "colonial cottage" decor, as Acme Style called it, but it looked vaguely similar. Here's what a repainted version looks like -- and we'll see another one soon.

Here's a look down the right side of the store towards deli/bakery in the back, with meat to the right of it.

There's some great classic fixtures here, although I doubt Boyer's kept much if they renovated the place. I can't find pictures online of what it looks like these days.

Looking out from the meat department alcove -- what I assume used to be backroom space -- into the produce department.

Some nice unusual touches, too, such as these house-smoked meats.

I don't believe there was a bakery service counter here, but they did seem to bake items in-store. This signage is also very similar to 1970s ACME signage, but again, not identical. I would guess this decor is from the 70s, but probably original to the store.

A service deli is to the left of the bakery/meat area.

The grocery aisles are unremarkable, but well-stocked and clean. The store sold Best Yet and Full Circle products, and Boyer's now sells Essential Everyday and Wild Harvest items.

Here's a look at the frozen foods department. Looks like the cases were probably replaced during the expansion in the 1990s.

And looking back across the store towards produce.

It's unusual to see ice cream cases built into a rear-stocked display like this, which makes me wonder if this was ever a milk cooler. This is the only set of freezer cases like this, the rest are your typical freezers. Dairy is now in the first aisle, and I wonder if it was ever here on this side.

Nonfoods are at the end of the store, with the rest of the nonfoods department in the front left corner, where the restaurant used to be.

Another look at the frozen foods area.

I believe this area with different flooring was originally the restaurant, but I could be wrong. It's possible (or likely) that the flooring came in after the restaurant closed and was used as a supermarket expansion, since there weren't any visible scars from any movement of walls or fixtures.

Here we can see where that area connects to the rest of the supermarket. I have to assume this was previously something else, since it wouldn't make much sense for the flooring to switch here otherwise.

There's a few more aisles in this front area.

And here's a look across the front-end. You can see the produce wall and the entrance from here.

And here's a look at the customer service counter in the front corner, which is likely where the store originally ended before the expansion.

And one more look across the registers before we move on!

I mentioned this store is now a Boyer's, which is the most common supermarket out in this area. They've got quite a few small-town locations in former chain supermarkets, and, well, our next two days are small-town Boyer's in old chain supermarket buildings. Head over to The Market Report tomorrow for Ashland!