Shaw's
There are two Shaw's here in Brockton today -- along with one that closed about 15 years ago -- but in the late 1800s, the big food name in town was the Brockton Public Market. Eventually, Brockton Public Market became a chain, then acquired George C. Shaw's grocery business based in Portland, ME in the 1910s. Brockton Public Market and Shaw's stayed separate brands, though, and Brockton Public Market eventually became BPM Grocers before finally switching to Shaw's in the 1970s. The following decade, this somewhat wide and squat Shaw's was constructed, today spanning 55,000 square feet.
It appears that this was a replacement for an older location to the north of here. More on that soon. This store is also right across the street from a former Fernandes Supermarket, a southeastern MA chain that's now defunct.
This Crescent Street store is a bit smaller and about two decades older than the Belmont Street store, but it was remodeled to the current decor package before Belmont was. My pictures are from my 2019 visit, when it had recently been remodeled to this decor package.
As you can see, just because this store was older didn't mean it was neglected. In fact, it was looking really good when I visited years ago. I haven't been back since, though.
The grand aisle is on the right side of the store under a lower ceiling, with produce in the front and deli/prepared foods behind it. Meat and seafood are at the back, with dairy and frozen on the left side. Bakery and floral are on the left side. There's no pharmacy here.
I don't know what decor package this store previously had, as I can't find any pre-renovation pictures of it. We do know, though, that it was originally branded Super Shaw's, so it probably had this decor package inside originally.
The day I visited Brockton back in 2019 was near 100 degrees all day, so you'll see a fair amount of condensation on all the refrigeration in these pictures.
Meats line the back wall, and there's a higher exposed ceiling over the grocery aisles.
This store didn't have a separate natural foods department like Belmont Street did, but it did have these designated natural category markers throughout. I don't know if it still does, and I can't recall seeing these in other locations. Because of this store's proximity to the headquarters, it may have been one of the first to get this decor package.
I would assume the renovation was pretty extensive, since I don't see too many remnants from a prior decor package. On the other hand, the lighting bar running along the wall here is probably left over from the Super Shaw's decor.
The freezers may have been new in the renovation, too.
I believe the flooring throughout the store was replaced in the renovation -- or if the flooring in the grocery aisles wasn't replaced, it was at least refinished.
Bakery in the front corner.
Like the Belmont Street store, this one has two entrances and exits.
It's fascinating that Brockton was incorporated as a city in 1881, as this sign reminds us, actually after the Brockton Public Market's opening. (Brockton has been an incorporated municipality since the 1820s, when it became a town.) Still, it's a weird thought to consider that Shaw's is actually older than the city it started in.
A look across the front-end...
I assume this express checkout setup has been switched over to self-checkouts by now, but this was during the time that Albertsons Companies was pulling all the self-checkouts out of their stores in favor of staffed registers that were never staffed. Not sure that was a great idea.
Opened: ca. late 1980s
Owner: Albertsons Companies
Previous Tenants: none
Cooperative: none
Location: 715 Crescent St, Brockton, MA
Photographed: July 6, 2019
But this is a very nice store and it's good to see even the older stores being taken care of well. On Monday, we'll see the older store that this one replaced!
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