5300 Park Blvd.
Welcome to the Wildwood Acme!
The Retail Connection is back down the shore! Back in May, we saw the Acme of North Wildwood, but now we're in Wildwood proper to see their own grocery store, which of course is also an Acme. This location is very unique as Acme stores go, being one of many stores in Wildwood to have doo-wop style architecture. Despite its vintage design, this store only opened in May 2006 on the site of an older location, which was actually built in the 50's but had been upgraded over time (and was one of the first stores to receive the new block letter logo, coinciding with a Checkerboard Arches interior remodel in 1992). Let's take a look around!
This Acme has a small Beach Shoppe underneath the right tower, with a small selection of beach toys and supplies. I believe Beach Haven is the only other Acme to have this.
Like many Acme stores nowadays, Quality Built is on the inside. This store was built with the Santa Fe decor.
No counter here, but the baked goods are in cases and coolers next to the deli.
Fresh seafood and meat are in the back left corner. The backsplash is left over from the Santa Fe days, as is the floor tiling.
The rest of the grand aisle is occupied by a freestanding produce section, across from the fresh departments. Usually, stores with this type of produce department that get remodeled to Quality Built have no signage here, but this one did get a hanging "Fresh Organic Produce" sign.
Packaged meats are next to the meat and seafood counter.
Snacks and drinks are in the aisles across from Lancaster brand meats.
A look at dairy, located in the back left corner, and also a big display of Entenmann's donuts.
Even despite being twice the size of the old location, this store is still relatively small. It tops out at 10 aisles, with the last having dairy and frozen foods.
The customer service counter and general merchandise are in the front left corner. Like most shore Acme stores, this location doesn't have a pharmacy.
Two thank you signs in Wildwood. Hopefully, you're really welcome.
An awesomely retro road sign to match the exterior.
Other Images of Interest
The original Park Boulevard Acme
Photo courtesy of Wildwood Historical Society
Photo courtesy of unknown
Photo courtesy of The Sun By-the-Sea
The original Acme operated here from June 14, 1956 until late 2005. The first picture is from shortly after the store opened, while the latter two were taken sometime in the late 90's or early 2000's in the years before demolition. The store was remodeled in the 70's to the 70's Colonial decor and then again in 1992 to Checkerboard Arches, which it closed with. For more information on the history of Acme in Wildwood, check out this article from The Sun By-the-Sea.
Street View Images
2022
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Here we see the signage lit up.
2018
The parking lot is packed in this August shot.
2008
And the opposite was true in October 2008. Google Maps has few images from the Jersey Shore back in 2007-2008, but they did go here.
Nearby competition
3.1 miles away: ShopRite of Rio Grande
The Wildwood Acme doesn't have much competition, although there is this Village-owned ShopRite three miles away in Rio Grande. The exterior of this store is still pretty retro-looking, though the inside has been remodeled to Village's latest decor.
That's all for today's edition of The Retail Connection! This is a pretty cool Acme, although it's small and during the summer season it gets crowded. Either way, I'm glad I was able to bring this to you and complete the collection of Acme stores of The Wildwoods! Next week, we're staying in Wildwood proper to tour a non-grocery store. See you then! Sincerely, The Retail Connection.
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