740 Plainfield St, Providence, RI

Original Grocery Tenant: Almacs
Address: 740 Plainfield St, Providence, RI

Opened: between 1963 and 1970

Closed: by 1995

Later Tenants: call center > Americana Expo Center flea market

Photographed: November 19, 2023

Almacs might not be a name we all know these days, but once it was a big force in Rhode Island grocery stores. At its height, the chain had 43 stores across the smallest state in the union, and this 28,000 square foot location was one from about the mid-1960s through 1995, when the chain went under. These days, after becoming a call center, the former Almacs on Plainfield Street is an indoor flea market. I strongly regret not getting pictures inside, as the building still has some decor left up inside. Maybe on a future trip to Providence! There's a lot in and around Providence we're not seeing, but let's take a look at one more store in the city before we move to the southern part of the state tomorrow.