The Food Emporium (Now Closed), Upper West Side, Manhattan, NY
These etched glass pictograms of fruits and vegetables were inspired by A&P's Futurestore decor, and created for The Food Emporium. A&P Futurestores were famous for their black and white decor which had no department wording on the walls; instead, they used only food icons to show the various departments. They called these icons "pictograms" and installed these etched glass versions into The Food Emporium. There is a light source above which makes them pop--very 1988. These decor pieces are original to the store opening and every new Food Emporium had these installed in the late 1980's.
Note here how the space below the produce cases was where trash bags and paper products were located. No space was wasted! (Note: Inventory looks low, reflecting the company's precarious credit situation, but liquidation had not yet begun. I believe I was here the night before the liquidation began)
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Continuing our look at a few of the over 60 stores which still lie vacant one year after A&P's bankruptcy, we come to a rather swanky neighborhood--The Upper West Side of Manhattan.
On the corner of Broadway and 90th, two blocks from Central Park, we arrive at the carcass of a once premium New York name--The Food Emporium. It was so premium that calling it simply "Food Emporium" wasn't good enough; it had to be branded "THE Food Emporium". After A&P acquired the company in 1986, it became the company's upscale banner and A&P expanded it throughout New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
This particular 20,000 sq. ft. store in Manhattan was opened in 1988, the third brand new store to open after A&P acquired the chain. The store was split over 2 levels (connected by escalators) and it had interior features combined from A&P's FutureStore and Food Bazaar concepts.
In the early 2000's, as A&P repositioned its A&P, Waldbaum's and Superfresh stores into its upscale Fresh Market format, the plan for The Food Emporium was to push it even more upscale to a gourmet audience. Many Food Emporiums outside of New York City were converted to A&P Fresh Markets, but inside Manhattan, a core group of 20 or so Food Emporium stores remained. Those stores slowly were refreshed with a newer logo, better merchandising, and a new interior package featuring bright orange, lime green and (for some reason) yellow and white daisies. The results were huge increases of $85 per sq. ft. in sales. (from $758-$843/sq. ft.)
Even though the chain was a cash-cow for the company, A&P was desperate to raise money, and in 2013, the company put the entire chain up for sale. Unfortunately, no one wanted to take the whole thing, so A&P sold off its most valuable stores one-by-one. By A&P's final days, The Food Emporium chain was down to 14 stores, 12 of which were sold during the bankruptcy auction.
There are only 2 The Food Emporium stores which were not picked up by other operators during the auction--this Upper West Side store and the stunning Bridgemarket store, which was built underneath the 59th Street Bridge. The two stores remain empty today.
-------------------
The complete "A&P Abandoned Banner" Photoset:
•A&P
The Food Emporium (Now Closed), Upper West Side, Manhattan, NY
These etched glass pictograms of fruits and vegetables were inspired by A&P's Futurestore decor, and created for The Food Emporium. A&P Futurestores were famous for their black and white decor which had no department wording on the walls; instead, they used only food icons to show the various departments. They called these icons "pictograms" and installed these etched glass versions into The Food Emporium. There is a light source above which makes them pop--very 1988. These decor pieces are original to the store opening and every new Food Emporium had these installed in the late 1980's.
Note here how the space below the produce cases was where trash bags and paper products were located. No space was wasted! (Note: Inventory looks low, reflecting the company's precarious credit situation, but liquidation had not yet begun. I believe I was here the night before the liquidation began)
--------------
Continuing our look at a few of the over 60 stores which still lie vacant one year after A&P's bankruptcy, we come to a rather swanky neighborhood--The Upper West Side of Manhattan.
On the corner of Broadway and 90th, two blocks from Central Park, we arrive at the carcass of a once premium New York name--The Food Emporium. It was so premium that calling it simply "Food Emporium" wasn't good enough; it had to be branded "THE Food Emporium". After A&P acquired the company in 1986, it became the company's upscale banner and A&P expanded it throughout New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
This particular 20,000 sq. ft. store in Manhattan was opened in 1988, the third brand new store to open after A&P acquired the chain. The store was split over 2 levels (connected by escalators) and it had interior features combined from A&P's FutureStore and Food Bazaar concepts.
In the early 2000's, as A&P repositioned its A&P, Waldbaum's and Superfresh stores into its upscale Fresh Market format, the plan for The Food Emporium was to push it even more upscale to a gourmet audience. Many Food Emporiums outside of New York City were converted to A&P Fresh Markets, but inside Manhattan, a core group of 20 or so Food Emporium stores remained. Those stores slowly were refreshed with a newer logo, better merchandising, and a new interior package featuring bright orange, lime green and (for some reason) yellow and white daisies. The results were huge increases of $85 per sq. ft. in sales. (from $758-$843/sq. ft.)
Even though the chain was a cash-cow for the company, A&P was desperate to raise money, and in 2013, the company put the entire chain up for sale. Unfortunately, no one wanted to take the whole thing, so A&P sold off its most valuable stores one-by-one. By A&P's final days, The Food Emporium chain was down to 14 stores, 12 of which were sold during the bankruptcy auction.
There are only 2 The Food Emporium stores which were not picked up by other operators during the auction--this Upper West Side store and the stunning Bridgemarket store, which was built underneath the 59th Street Bridge. The two stores remain empty today.
-------------------
The complete "A&P Abandoned Banner" Photoset:
•A&P