State of Food Lion in the Washington D.C. area

Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. No non-grocery posts.
Bradford011
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Re: State of Food Lion in the Washington D.C. area

Post by Bradford011 »

Bit late to the party...

At this time (September 2021) there are only four Food Lions left in northern VA:

One store in south Leesburg (the northern store closed, both stores had been Blooms)
Two stores in Sterling (one was a Bottom Dollar and the other a Bloom, both reverted back to Food Lion's)
One store in Herndon (actually halfway between Herndon and Chantilly, it had been a Bloom).

There were apparently five Bottom Dollars in northern VA:

One in Alexandria (closed)
One in Manassas (closed)
One in Woodbridge (closed)
One in Sterling (revamped back into a Food Lion)

I don't know where the fifth one was but it must be closed as well.

I regularly shop the Leesburg store, it's just a few blocks from my house...
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Re: State of Food Lion in the Washington D.C. area

Post by BatteryMill »

Bradford011 wrote: September 6th, 2021, 2:01 pm Bit late to the party...

At this time (September 2021) there are only four Food Lions left in northern VA:

One store in south Leesburg (the northern store closed, both stores had been Blooms)
Two stores in Sterling (one was a Bottom Dollar and the other a Bloom, both reverted back to Food Lion's)
One store in Herndon (actually halfway between Herndon and Chantilly, it had been a Bloom).

There were apparently five Bottom Dollars in northern VA:

One in Alexandria (closed)
One in Manassas (closed)
One in Woodbridge (closed)
One in Sterling (revamped back into a Food Lion)

I don't know where the fifth one was but it must be closed as well.

I regularly shop the Leesburg store, it's just a few blocks from my house...
There seem to be more than that. Food Lion still operates at nine locations in the Prince William orbit, and at three in Fauquier as well, and a Lorton site in Fairfax County.

Woodbridge had three Bottom Dollar stores, all of which are still operational and have received remodels on top of those they got upon returning to Food Lion. The Manassas store operated as Food Lion after that but shut down in 2018. There was also one short-lived BDF in Chantilly that closed several months after converting from FL.

By the way- seems as if the remodels around here have all completed. What could be next for the Lion, I wonder?
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Re: State of Food Lion in the Washington D.C. area

Post by Bradford011 »

Boy, did I miss a few stores!

Just out of curiosity was the Chantilly store, I don't remember any in the area - just the one halfway between Herndon and Chantilly in Floris (an unincorporated part of Fairfax County) which is still operational.
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Re: State of Food Lion in the Washington D.C. area

Post by BatteryMill »

Bradford011 wrote: September 7th, 2021, 2:47 pm Boy, did I miss a few stores!

Just out of curiosity was the Chantilly store, I don't remember any in the area - just the one halfway between Herndon and Chantilly in Floris (an unincorporated part of Fairfax County) which is still operational.
The Food Lion/Bottom Dollar was another site, located in the Chantilly Plaza Shopping Center off of US 50 where Gold's Gym is now. It was originally an A&P/SuperFresh, and then a Pennsylvania Dutch market prior to Food Lion moving in (they did not last long). After Bottom Dollar it was a Stein Mart for some time.
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Re: State of Food Lion in the Washington D.C. area

Post by Bradford011 »

I notice that this shopping center no longer has a grocery store, I thought this was where Giant was but I think that's in a plaza further to the east.

I am very anxious to go to the 2nd & Charles Bookstore sometime, and also stop at the Aldi where Shoppers Food Warehouse used to be...

Thanks for the information.
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Re: State of Food Lion in the Washington D.C. area

Post by BatteryMill »

Bradford011 wrote: September 8th, 2021, 8:23 am I notice that this shopping center no longer has a grocery store, I thought this was where Giant was but I think that's in a plaza further to the east.

I am very anxious to go to the 2nd & Charles Bookstore sometime, and also stop at the Aldi where Shoppers Food Warehouse used to be...

Thanks for the information.
Yes, although it'll be a tough draw now considering the new competition in Aldi, Walmart, and Wegmans. Giant once had another store in the Greenbrier center (now Marshalls) before moving to where they are now in the early 1990s. You are certainly welcome.
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Re: State of Food Lion in the Washington D.C. area

Post by mjhale »

BatteryMill wrote: September 8th, 2021, 9:47 am Giant once had another store in the Greenbrier center (now Marshalls) before moving to where they are now in the early 1990s. You are certainly welcome.
I had no idea that Giant has had a store going back as far as they have in Greenbriar. I knew the Greenbriar housing development was built in the late 1960s and early 1970s but I didn't know there was any retail in the area that early. Looking at Historicaerials.com I see the original Giant store as early as the 1974 view. The 1964 view shows an empty lot. I figured that folks out that way would be going to the then Super Giant at Camp Washington until the current Greenbriar shopping center was built in the early 1990s along with the current Giant.
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Re: State of Food Lion in the Washington D.C. area

Post by mjhale »

Bradford011 wrote: September 8th, 2021, 8:23 am I notice that this shopping center no longer has a grocery store, I thought this was where Giant was but I think that's in a plaza further to the east.

I am very anxious to go to the 2nd & Charles Bookstore sometime, and also stop at the Aldi where Shoppers Food Warehouse used to be...

Thanks for the information.
2nd and Charles was a Staples immediately prior. I'm curious to know if the building was originally a Dart Drug. The building kind of has that feel to it. Also there is an Advanced Auto next door to 2nd and Charles. Most of the DC area Advanced stores are former Trak Auto locations. Dart and Trak Auto were owned by Herbert Haft and were often together, sometimes with a Crown Books thrown in.

BTW, 2nd and Charles is an interesting store to look around. They have books, music, collectibles, that sort of thing. Pricing is on the high side in my opinion but the quality seems higher than an average used book and collectible store. Oh and they are owned by Books-A-Million of all people.
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Re: State of Food Lion in the Washington D.C. area

Post by Bradford011 »

Yes, the Haft's owned Dart Drug, Crown Books and Trak Auto. One of the sons had a temp agency, can't remember the name offhand. Herbert started Total Beverage but IIRC only two opened, one in Chantilly and one in Woodbridge. And of course Haft owned half of Shoppers Food Warehouse.

You are right that most of the Trak Auto's became Advanced Auto, I miss Trak and their good prices.

And thanks for the information on 2nd and Charles...
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Re: State of Food Lion in the Washington D.C. area

Post by BatteryMill »

mjhale wrote: September 8th, 2021, 6:30 pm 2nd and Charles was a Staples immediately prior. I'm curious to know if the building was originally a Dart Drug. The building kind of has that feel to it. Also there is an Advanced Auto next door to 2nd and Charles. Most of the DC area Advanced stores are former Trak Auto locations. Dart and Trak Auto were owned by Herbert Haft and were often together, sometimes with a Crown Books thrown in.

BTW, 2nd and Charles is an interesting store to look around. They have books, music, collectibles, that sort of thing. Pricing is on the high side in my opinion but the quality seems higher than an average used book and collectible store. Oh and they are owned by Books-A-Million of all people.
Said anchor spot was an F&M in the 1990s, so I could speculate it belonged to Dart as well. The spot where AAP/2&C are is pretty big anyway... I wonder if there was one whole anchor taking up the spot in the day?
Bradford011 wrote: September 9th, 2021, 7:30 am Yes, the Haft's owned Dart Drug, Crown Books and Trak Auto. One of the sons had a temp agency, can't remember the name offhand. Herbert started Total Beverage but IIRC only two opened, one in Chantilly and one in Woodbridge. And of course Haft owned half of Shoppers Food Warehouse.

You are right that most of the Trak Auto's became Advanced Auto, I miss Trak and their good prices.

And thanks for the information on 2nd and Charles...
For a time, prior to Richfood buying them out, the Hafts owned Shoppers whole. I do wonder where the Chantilly Total Beverage was.
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