Winchester/Front Royal: Martin's Monopoly?

[Bradford011]

Correct, considering the town would have likely been large enough for a standard grocery then. Just an FYI, Safeway's last building in Purcellville was constructed in 1968. It is likely that the chain had a smaller store closer to the town center. I'm surprised the Leesburg store is running the way it is considering there's larger competition out there.

Did some digging:

According to THE WASHINGTON POST article the Purcellville Safeway had been open for almost 50 years in February 1992, which would make its opening around 1943-44. It seems odd that a store like that would open during WWII with all the wartime rationing going on so I'm guessing late 1945 (post-war) is a more likely opening date. My father (who was nine at this time) lived in NE Pennsylvania and told me of shortages of things like flour and sugar continuing until 1946. at least in his neck of the woods.

You are right about locations. The ex-Town Hall in the center of town was built in 1957 as a Safeway. And according to an 2011 LOUDOUN TIMES MIRROR article I found Safeway moved to the Loudoun Valley Shopping Center when it was built in 1966 and where it remained until it closed and became an IGA. So I wonder where the store was located between 1945 when it was built until 1957.


The Leesburg Safeway apparently was once located further inside town @ South King and Loudoun (it's now at South
King and Catoctin Circle SW). And it does have a lot of competition now. When I moved to Leesburg in 1990 it was just Safeway and one Giant. Now there's two Giant's, a Food Lion (a second closed years ago as did Shoppers Food Warehouse), a new Aldi and a Wegman's. Both Wal-Mart and Target have large grocery sections. Plus there's a Harris-Teeter in nearby Landsdowne as well as a second Aldi and two Lidl's in nearby Ashburn.

ETA: Forgot there's both a Trader Joe's and a Whole Foods in Landsdowne as well...


As an aside I found a January 2021 article on THE ANNANDALE BLOG that says the Safeway in Crossroads Center (Route
7 and Columbia Pike) at Bailey's Crossroads is to be torn down so that the Shopping Center can get a makeover. An
Amazon Fresh will take its place. Demolition was scheduled to start in May.


Also Herndon VA had a Safeway back in the 1950's, a very small building on Spring Street between Elden and Locust.
It later became a carpet store which left and as of a few years ago the building was empty. A new shopping center
(Herndon Marketplace) was built back in 2004 a few blocks to the east and is anchored around a new, much larger Safeway.

[BatteryMill]

Did some digging:

According to THE WASHINGTON POST article the Purcellville Safeway had been open for almost 50 years in February 1992, which would make its opening around 1943-44. It seems odd that a store like that would open during WWII with all the wartime rationing going on so I'm guessing late 1945 (post-war) is a more likely opening date. My father (who was nine at this time) lived in NE Pennsylvania and told me of shortages of things like flour and sugar continuing until 1946. at least in his neck of the woods.

You are right about locations. The ex-Town Hall in the center of town was built in 1957 as a Safeway. And according to an 2011 LOUDOUN TIMES MIRROR article I found Safeway moved to the Loudoun Valley Shopping Center when it was built in 1966 and where it remained until it closed and became an IGA. So I wonder where the store was located between 1945 when it was built until 1957.


The Leesburg Safeway apparently was once located further inside town @ South King and Loudoun (it's now at South
King and Catoctin Circle SW). And it does have a lot of competition now. When I moved to Leesburg in 1990 it was just Safeway and one Giant. Now there's two Giant's, a Food Lion (a second closed years ago as did Shoppers Food Warehouse), a new Aldi and a Wegman's. Both Wal-Mart and Target have large grocery sections. Plus there's a Harris-Teeter in nearby Landsdowne as well as a second Aldi and two Lidl's in nearby Ashburn.


As an aside I found a January 2021 article on THE ANNANDALE BLOG that says the Safeway in Crossroads Center (Route
7 and Columbia Pike) at Bailey's Crossroads is to be torn down so that the Shopping Center can get a makeover. An
Amazon Fresh will take its place. Demolition was scheduled to start in May.


Also Herndon VA had a Safeway back in the 1950's, a very small building on Spring Street between Elden and Locust.
It later became a carpet store which left and as of a few years ago the building was empty. A new shopping center
(Herndon Marketplace) was built back in 2004 a few blocks to the east and is anchored around a new, much larger Safeway.

I might have read another article that speculated it was around 1941-1942. I don't remember however, but even then it sounds quite feasible. Hope we definitely know when exactly it open.

Great stories anyhow. Too bad Amazon Fresh is popping up everywhere, and I do wonder where the next Safeways were in Herndon.

Oh, okay.

I just know how they think having been on the inside.

Unless leadership has adjusted their ideology.

If so, what do you think about sending Publix out to Winchester/Front Royal? Trying to stay on topic here, sorry.

[Bradford011]

If so, what do you think about sending Publix out to Winchester/Front Royal? Trying to stay on topic here, sorry.

I would say Publix would have a far easier time of it in Winchester/Front Royal than they would in Northern VA.

[veteran+]

If so, what do you think about sending Publix out to Winchester/Front Royal? Trying to stay on topic here, sorry.

I would say Publix would have a far easier time of it in Winchester/Front Royal than they would in Northern VA.

I agree!

[BatteryMill]

I would say Publix would have a far easier time of it in Winchester/Front Royal than they would in Northern VA.

I agree!

Indeed. It might seem a bit more out there, but given how suburban these towns have become, they can certainly fit Publix in. Plus it gives a good refresher compared to the conventional/discount stores given the sought after upscale option mentioned here. Now I do wonder what hurdles Publix will have to jump through first to cross the Blue Ridge.

[Knight]

If so, what do you think about sending Publix out to Winchester/Front Royal? Trying to stay on topic here, sorry.

Publix coming to Winchester is possible. "How could it be done?" remains to be seen.

[Knight]

Indeed. It might seem a bit more out there, but given how suburban these towns have become, they can certainly fit Publix in. Plus it gives a good refresher compared to the conventional/discount stores given the sought after upscale option mentioned here. Now I do wonder what hurdles Publix will have to jump through first to cross the Blue Ridge.

Publix is constructing its Greensboro (North Carolina) Distribution. The distribution center is projected to open in 2022. It should create space at other distribution locations to support additional stores. The nearest distribution center would be in Dacula, Georgia.

Where does Publix begin in the Shenandoah Valley? Roanoke should be obvious. Expansion southwest toward Tennessee and in Lexington and Staunton would place Publix against existing supermarket competitors Kroger, Food Lion, and Food City. Harrisonburg and Winchester would put Publix against Martin's.

[BatteryMill]

Indeed. It might seem a bit more out there, but given how suburban these towns have become, they can certainly fit Publix in. Plus it gives a good refresher compared to the conventional/discount stores given the sought after upscale option mentioned here. Now I do wonder what hurdles Publix will have to jump through first to cross the Blue Ridge.

Publix is constructing its Greensboro (North Carolina) Distribution. The distribution center is projected to open in 2022. It should create space at other distribution locations to support additional stores. The nearest distribution center would be in Dacula, Georgia.

Where does Publix begin in the Shenandoah Valley? Roanoke should be obvious. Expansion southwest toward Tennessee and in Lexington and Staunton would place Publix against existing supermarket competitors Kroger, Food Lion, and Food City. Harrisonburg and Winchester would put Publix against Martin's.

Good point. Publix has recently opened a store in Johnson City to start, and had plans for Bristol when they first touched on entering Virginia. They should have some experience with that kind of situation, of course. Many of these towns , but at least they have familiar faces within Kroger and Food Lion. Now I do wonder if they can get to Winchester via NoVA first as there's more potential for them winning that market.
It's also funny to think that they would face off against the chain they took over in the Richmond area.

[BatteryMill]

https://www.winchesterstar.com/winchest ... fdf69.html

Late but here are some interesting revelations along these lines. Publix, Kroger, Wegmans, Whole Foods among others have shown interest in locating to Winchester sometime in the future.

[buckguy]

https://www.winchesterstar.com/winchest ... fdf69.html

Late but here are some interesting revelations along these lines. Publix, Kroger, Wegmans, Whole Foods among others have shown interest in locating to Winchester sometime in the future.

I doubt that anyone will give them a flat "no", but the hedges are interesting. I wonder if Kroger is the "e-commerce" and Publix or possibly Wegman's is the one with the strategic mumbo jumbo.

The other stores they're courting is interesting, too. MOM's seems to be moving in a different geographic direction (Philly and now exurban NYC) and has been opening urban stores. They recently moved their original College Park store to an old REI in the same plaza (itself an old A&P that had brief lives as an Acme and a Shop-Rite), although hey occupy only part of the space--it added some new departments that are meant to try out new concepts like expanded prepared foods.

Trader Joe's seems not to open in satellite town-type locations---that area would have the retirees and empty nesters (all those weekend houses) who shop at TJs, but not so many of the young singles and couples. Sprouts does have some satellite-type town locations such as Murfreesboro near Nashville.