Another Vacation Kroger Tour

 NOTE: This post comes from outside the blog's coverage area.

    While I wasn't planning on visiting this Kroger on vacation, things worked out for me to visit it since it was only 1/2 mile from my hotel. I decided to get a walk in after a day of riding in the car and take some photos. I didn't know what decor was inside, but as it turns out, the growing ever rarer Kroger millennium decor was out in full force.

    I know some people will likely enjoy this little look around. Hopefully you did too!

Kroger; In the Northeast?

---------------------------------------------  NEWS STORY ------------------------------------------------------

In a rather interesting turn of events for the Walgreens/Rite Aid merger, Kroger has evidently expressed an interest in buying some of the excess stores that will be created once the merger FINALLY goes through. This news is actually rather interesting because it not only brings Kroger into the northeast, but also creates the possibility of a new prototype for the company. 
The question is (assuming the deal were to go through) would Kroger operate a smaller supermarket within or just run a Kroger-branded drug store chain?

Being right in the middle of it all, I may just have a front row seat if Kroger does indeed get access to the 500-1,000 locations expected to be sold off.

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/08/29/kroger-could-be-looking-to-snap-up-walgreens-rite.html?ana=yahoo&yptr=yahoo

My Getaway to Gassaway

NOTE: This entire post comes from the mountainous state of West Virginia. While the June 23 floods hit the state hard physically, I hit the state hard on my vacation taking pictures of retail. The weather didn't stop me. And of course, I also took weather pictures. I'll save my stories from this trip for later after we take a look at this very special small town Kroger.

Located just off I-79 in the small community of Gassaway, West Virginia, lies a small Kroger which is the right size for the area. While there is no pharmacy here, customers do not have to travel far for their perceptions as a CVS is located right across the street. The store is of the superstore design and has the millennium decor. My apologizes in advance for some of the blurs in the store caused by the rain. I didn't realize that it was there until now.

Looks like the trash can has been weathered.

Under the superstore exterior ceiling.

Services and carts are on the right upon entering the store.

Transition from Seasonal to produce

Produce

Front of the stores with checkout lanes on the right. 

Meats along the back wall

Example of signage for frozen foods

Dairy

Deli

Counter for the bakery

The Manager upstairs

Small town Information center, brought to you by Kroger. 

Another view of the outdoor ceiling

The Kroger cube and CVS across the street.

         Although I was aware that Flash Flood watches had been issued for northern and central West Virginia, I used experimental future radar to estimate if I would run into rain. While it said I wouldn't, I did. And, boy it is no wonder why some parts got hit hard. While I was riding along I-79, which runs at a higher elevation than local roads, I could start to see some flash flooding starting to occur in some of the valleys below. I didn't realize how hard some of these same valleys got hit until the next day upon hearing the news via my electronic tablet. Clendinin and Elkview were two towns that I actually traveled through that got hit hard by the high water. There is a plaza in Elkview that people became stranded at after flash floods washed away the bridge connecting the plaza to the road. I was at that plaza just hours before the bridge washed out! All in all it was a very interesting experience to have gone through. I hope for the best for all the victims from the flooding.

This a shot of the road of the mentioned plaza. While my intention was to capture the Kmart banners lined along the road, it now doubles to serve as a before photo. If you search Google you can easily see why people became stranded here.

Despite encountering the bad weather, I did manage to visit many Kmart locations, in addition to Kroger stores. It was, quite literally, a vacation that I won't forget!

Warren's Kroger Supply

I had mentioned in one of my very first posts that Kroger once had a presence in the Twin Tiers coverage area. I can confirm that were also locations in the towns of Clarion, Clearfield, DuBois and Meadville. Kroger also had locations outside the blog coverage area surrounding the Pittsburgh region. Kroger completely left Pennsylvania in 1984 due to increased costs to operate just nine stores after having labor disputes in the Pittsburgh area:
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2002&dat=19840315&id=SlsuAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ZNoFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1306,2698866&hl=en

Warren apparently either closed as part of the 45 stores mentioned, or it just closed on its own. The second seems more likely as Warren is the furthest city to the north- with at one time having a Kroger presence- away from Pittsburgh. I do plan on doing another post or two on PA Krogers, but it may be a while before I do.

This store, now split between a Salvation Army thrift store and a Tractor Supply, was a shadow anchor of the now dead Warren Mall. Although I have no idea when this store opened or closed, I do know it was a greenhouse style of store.1  Going in I didn't have much of an idea of what I was looking for so I kind of looked for anything that seemed out of place for a Tractor Supply:

These greenhouse windows is what give this building's days a Kroger away. At least Tractor Supply kept them intact. Nowadays it seems Tractor Supply does actually do exterior work for at least some of the newer locations.

Some miscellaneous views from under the greenhouse windows.

Now for some interior details:

First sights upon entering.

Original Kroger doors have been blockaded off, but there still here!

Newer doors in place.

Greenhouse windows as viewed from the inside.

Open back wall.

Different ceiling heights. The higher ceiling is actually a hallway that leads to the restrooms here.

Peeking into the stockroom at the end of the mentioned hallway.

So while Kroger no longer operates in PA, its memory still does even if I only discovered it within the past few years. Interestingly enough, the former Indiana, PA Kroger is also a Tractor Supply.

I would like to thank Flickr user Mjhale for bringing my attention to the google newspaper link in this article. He has a picture of the former Grove City and Clearfield Kroger locations on his photostream. I plan to eventually visit Clearfield myself.

Footnotes:
1. Thanks to multiple Flickr users (you know who you are) and Mid-South Retail Blog's series of post about Kroger decors.