Acme | Clifton Heights, PA

 

5300 W. Baltimore Pike

Welcome to the Clifton Heights Acme!

It's time for another Acme! This store opened on October 29, 1995 as the chain's largest store at the time, with 60,287 square feet featuring special amenities like a dry cleaner, Max Pak wholesale food department, and a UPS depot (none of which it still has today). However, Acme originally opened on this property on May 15, 1957. The previous store closed in 1993, and was demolished along with the Bazaar of All Nations next door to make way for a new shopping center with a large new Acme as well as a The Home Depot. You can read more about Acme's history in Clifton Heights, and tour this store as it looked in 2014 by visiting its Acme Style profile. On this blog, though, we'll be seeing how it looks in 2024!

This hanging welcome sign is usually seen in older remodels, but I guess they figured this was better than putting the letters on a brick wall. This store only got the QB remodel a few years ago, and before that had the PF&H 3.0 decor.

This store's grand aisle is on the left side, beginning with the large produce alcove. Unlike many other Red White & Blue stores which had their produce windows either removed or covered with mirrors, they were left untouched in this store, and through them we can see the abandoned Modell's Sporting Goods next door.

Bakery is behind "Fresh to Go" in the produce department. They spelled Liscio's correctly in this store!

Lancaster Brand Meats are in the corner on the left side of the store as we transition to the back wall.

Fresh meat and seafood, as well as the corner deli, are on the back wall. I had a hard time getting photos in this area, as it was surprisingly busy for 10 AM on a Tuesday.

Health and beauty products are in aisle 16. The aisles on this side of the store are much smaller than the ones on the other side. Also, the category markers on the shelves are left over from the previous decor package.

Dairy fills out the right side of the store.

I don't know if I've ever taken a photo of the split down the aisles that was put into several Acmes in the 90s. Apparently this was popular on the West Coast, but it's definitely not common to see on this side of the country.

The pharmacy and floral departments are in the corner, just inside after going through the right entrance.

A look at the front end, with an extremely high ceiling. This store has windows looking up to the store offices and employee lockers.

And, before we go, here's a look at the 50s Acme sign, which has been reused by the shopping center, who apparently doesn't think Acme is the star of the show.

Other Images of Interest

Street View Images

2017

At this time, the store still had the "Premium Fresh & Healthy 3.0" decor.

Nearby competition

1 mile away: GIANT of Aldan

The GIANT of Aldan wasn't looking great when we toured it last May, with missing signage on the exterior and a terrible decor package inside. I hope it looks better now, but I haven't been by it since so I don't know.

1.3 miles away: Lidl of Clifton Heights

Last week, we headed to the Lidl in Clifton Heights, which opened in 2022 in part of a former Kmart.

1.3 miles away: Price Rite of Secane

The Lidl and this Price Rite Marketplace are equidistant from the Acme. This store opened in 2005 in what was originally an A&P (and later SuperFresh), and is the only Price Rite in the Philadelphia region following the closure of the Camden store in 2021.

Well, that is all for this post! This was a pretty big store, even for a 90s Acme, and it was very nice inside. The decor looks great in here, too. Thanks for reading, and see you next week down the shore! Sincerely, The Retail Connection.

Lidl | Clifton Heights, PA

 

713 E. Baltimore Ave

Welcome to the Clifton Heights Lidl!

We're back at a Lidl! This particular store is a newer location, having opened just over two years ago on June 22, 2022. It operates in a former Kmart (open from 1980 to 2019) along with a Big Lots, Icon Beauty, and Dollar Tree. This is Lidl's second Delaware County location, after Folsom (their first Pennsylvania store, and also the first store we toured on this blog). This store has their more recent layout, also seen in Egg Harbor Township. With all of that introduction out of the way, let's take a look at this store!

Here we see the Pennsylvania flag in the heart as opposed to New Jersey's as was seen in Egg Harbor (it would be pretty odd if they had a New Jersey flag anywhere in this store, though...).

The bakery is straight across from the entrance doors. The treats may be sweet and they may be hot and fresh daily, but they don't seem plentiful.

The produce department is across from the bakery in the first few aisles. I like Lidl, but they definitely have the most unappealing produce department out of pretty much all grocery stores.

Frozen foods and packaged meats are in the cases on the left side of the store. I really like the freezers these stores have; I haven't seen them anywhere else.

Cheese is on the back wall.

The general merchandise section is in the middle of the store, as usual. I feel like the selection here is disproportionate to the actual food in the store. Especially since I'm sure you could get a lot of this stuff at Big Lots next door.

Aisle 2, which comes out of the produce market.

It's a summer of savings here on the right side of the store, with more frozen foods.

A look at the checkouts. Unlike my local Lidl, this store doesn't have any self-checkouts.

Other Images of Interest

Street View Images

2022

The store was only a few months old at this point.

2020

Here, Kmart had closed but work hadn't begun on transforming it into multiple stores. Unlike Holmes, which closed on the same day, Clifton Heights never became a regular Kmart again after being remodeled to the Big Kmart format.

2012

And here's the store during normal operation, back when Kmart still had over 1,200 stores in the United States. You can also see here how the garden center was in the front of the store due to space constraints.

Nearby competition

1.3 miles away: Acme of Clifton Heights

Next week, we'll be touring the other grocery store in Clifton Heights, this Acme, which opened back in 1995 on the site of a former mall, the Bazaar of All Nations. The interior is a pretty typical 90s layout, but the facade is different than any other Acme I've seen before.

1.7 miles away: GIANT of Aldan

We toured the GIANT of Aldan last May, and, as you can see in the photo, it was more like a GIA T. I hope the signage has been fixed at this point, but I don't know. I also hope the store's been remodeled again, because the decor in it when I visited was horrible.

2.2 miles away: Price Rite of Secane

Lidl's closest competitor in Clifton Heights is probably this nearby Price Rite, another discount grocery store. Price Rite is owned by ShopRite, and this is the only location in the Philadelphia area; the majority of the stores are in ShopRite's non-core areas. This store opened in 2005 in a former A&P/SuperFresh.

Thanks for joining me on this tour! Personally, I wasn't totally impressed with this store. There wasn't anything particularly bad about it, but I didn't like it as much as I do my own Lidl. Also, I really don't like the look of the concrete flooring here. Next week, we're headed up the street to the Clifton Heights Acme! See you there! The Retail Connection: Rethink grocery.