Original Grocery Tenant: Price Chopper
Address: 88 W Park St, Lee, MA
Welcome to Massachusetts! Our first stop is in the far western part of the state, in the Berkshires. We're not quite 10 miles east from the New York border.
This building of around 17,000 square feet was a Price Chopper until 2017, when the small-format store closed. In fact, Price Chopper used this as one of a group of test stores for this smaller format setup back in the 1980s-90s or so. I don't know if it's been a Price Chopper for its whole life.
The supermarket has, to my knowledge, remained vacant since it closed. I don't think anything has happened with it.
In fact, when I visited in 2021, it still looked like the store had just recently closed.
The store was cleaned out, though. The fixtures were probably sent to other stores or sold.
Price Chopper signage remained around the store!
The property is set to be redeveloped, including housing and a new food co-op.
Price Chopper has very few of these small-format stores in their fleet these days, although a few remain.
It looks like this little overhang in the back was used as a loading dock.
A few blocks south in Lee is this building, which looks like it could have previously been a supermarket (it's around 10,000 square feet). Today it's a liquor store. A 19,000 square foot Walgreens across the street from this Price Chopper was previously an Adams Supermarket.
Address: 88 W Park St, Lee, MA
Opened: unknown
Closed: 2017
Later Tenants: vacant
Photographed: May 28, 2021
Lee still has one supermarket, though, just across the highway from these buildings. We'll be touring it tomorrow!
They have gotten rid of many of the smaller stores (including the one up in North Adams/Williamstown area).
ReplyDeleteThe one that comes to mind that is still open is in Cohoes (NY) - I think that one dates back to the days that they were known as Central Markets and just hasn't ever been replaced.
Could also include the couple in the city of Albany, and those have both been remodeled to the Market 32 setup, even being on the smaller size.
In Wikipedia, it mentions that they bought a chain called Giant Value in the 1970's, which consisted of most of the (only about a half dozen) locations in New England (MA and VT only) as late as 1990, so it may have been one of those originally (or not). Never heard of that brand, and unfortunately the PC site itself no longer seems to have much on history as it once did.
Not quite sure how shelving and such can be closed, but... ;)
Sounds like tomorrow's post will have a big ydea within (since you said across the highway - if it was on the same side it would be more of an express idea) :)
Very interesting. I don't know enough of Price Chopper's history the way I should. Thanks for some of these details! The Delaware Ave Market 32 is a good friend's local supermarket, so he's sent me a few pictures. I've been to Cohoes myself, so I'll post those pictures eventually!
DeleteThe shelves have been closed for business! I fixed it, I meant sold. Thanks!
And that's right... I think that'll be our first Big Y tour! They're really good stores in my opinion, including this one.
Another one comes to mind - the store in Lake George, which most likely stays around in its current form to cater to tourists. Oddly enough, it appears that both LG and Cohoes got repainted to the terra cotta paint scheme PC was known for in the mid to late 2000s. There is also a smaller store in West Rutland (VT) that was converted to a Market 32.
DeleteTrue - tend to forget that one (LG) is still even there :)
DeleteI think (at least in the case of Cohoes) they'd like to replace it but just can't find a spot to do so, thus they do maintain it reasonably well (but haven't yet gone to the major cost of redoing for M32).
Sort of like they would have had the same issue (finding space) in Watervliet, but happened to luck into the church being closed down and were able to get that spot (even if many in the area weren't too happy).
Not exactly as bad as some of the stores posted here in NYC, but still areas that don't have a ton of open land if one wants to be right in the city.
True, thanks for that description. That makes sense!
DeleteThis store originally opened in 1972, so it could have easily been Giant Value like BillyGr stated.
ReplyDeleteThat said, this store closed the same day as the Cooper Street store in Glens Falls (on July 29, 2017).
Thanks for the details!
Delete