I know I said in my last blog post that I wouldn't have a post for April. Luckily, that was an anticipation rather than a fact, and my commitments have aligned in such a way that I'm able to do this post for you guys tonight! And boy am I glad: after finding all these pictures from around the web, I've been wanting to share them ASAP.
Consider this a 'missing' décor post of sorts. My "O Kroger, Where Art Thou" series has heretofore covered every Kroger décor package to grace the walls of its Mid-South stores, at least since the Bauhaus days. The key word there is Mid-South. Around the country, while Kroger's décor packages have mostly been similar, exterior designs have certainly varied by market. There's also one elusive interior design, scarcely used and even harder to find today through remodels. Its short lifespan and exposure has also made it rather hidden on the internet. But I've managed to track these photos down, so, with all due respect to their owners, here goes!
Mid-South Retail Blog contributor 11110 left a comment on
the neon/wannabe neon décor post describing the décor featured in this post. The text in italics throughout this post is from his/her comment, and is accompanied by pictures of the described elements that either he/she linked me to or I've dug up.
Between the Neon and Millennium eras in the 1990s, Kroger (Particularly the Atlanta KMA) came up with an art deco inspired décor complete with Grid Patterns, Neon Lighting, and corrugated metal. It's been discussed on RetailWatchers and Groceteria as the Olympic Spirit décor, but I like to term it as the 'For Goodness Sake' décor after the slogan Kroger Atlanta used during that era.
From the outside, most of these stores looked similar to stores built during the millennium era. I actually think that millennium exteriors in the Mid-Atlantic and Atlanta KMAs were somewhat inspired by this décor instead of the actual Millennium package.
Anyway, in this décor package we start off with the Produce department. The Produce department would have a large marquee size neon sign in the center of the produce department while the walls would be painted hunter green. Floral would have a smaller black sign with yellow 'Flower Gallery' neon laid against a grid pattern feature.
Meat and seafood had separate signs but I don't recall the meat department having actual neon (I could be wrong, though) The Seafood sign had a picture of a fish that was lit up in neon. Lunch meat had a white Neon 'Meats' sign the same size as the one used in Produce.
In the Deli and bakery department, you had large props (Kinda like Albertsons uses in the theme park décor) like a giant rotisserie over the rotisserie oven or a stack of donuts over the donut case. Both the deli and bakery had neon signage. These and the meat & seafood department would be outfitted with corrugated metal trim.
The Dairy department would have a neon sign like the two found in meat & Produce, but Kroger would have a large "Kroger milk house" sign over the walk in dairy cooler where milk and yogurt are sold.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSVGXZ0QDxBnBgRabWznXotyGYD3EQT9fTBaWRwcIWbIpL2pQ6L3bKflpcXEckNAccim_B2tkJLJ2FnQC2UgCKOnru3_eLzOXGhsmi9O9jdDxGmexaEW2TuH2RTD69YsfBsdt3hweabY4/s320/t.jpg) |
Smyrna, GA, Kroger. You can see the "Milkhouse" on the left edge of the pic. Courtesy Yelp. |
Frozen foods would have a large marquee size neon sign too, but in this department, instead of it being a word, it would be a picture of a penguin with frozen foods letters on the bottom. A separate, more colorful sign for Ice Cream also gets used with this on occasion.
The Natural Foods section has a small Black and Yellow neon sign and what looks like a millennium era Nature food banner.
The Pharmacy would be outfitted with purple crown molding and white tiles. The pharmacy sign would be neon as well although unlike the marquee sized signs, this sign is mounted on the wall and not suspended from the ceiling.
The cases are white with white trim and the checkouts are stock millennium registers (although the store I went in had its checkout lights 2012'd). The aisle signs seemed to vary by store.
So thanks again 11110 for leaving that comment and providing us with a detailed description of this décor - hopefully these pictures have brought it to life as well! As for its alter ego, Olympic Spirit décor, the RetailWatchers forum is to be credited. Below in quotes are some details taken from their members' discussion at
this post about the Greenville, NC, store back when it closed, along with some additional pictures thrown in for good measure.
The Greenville store "has a little used decor package that was in use between the teal/mauve grid and neon package and the millenium/spirit decor package. This art deco inspired decor was rarely used outside the Atlanta KMA."
"This is the first case I know of this décor package being used outside of the Atlanta KMA, unfortunately most have already been converted to the last Ralphs inspired décor. Here we referred to this package as the Olympic Spirit décor, due to its being used in stores that first opened when the 1994 Olympics came to Atlanta and Kroger sponsored the Spirit of Atlanta blimp. While unconfirmed, I've been told the décor was used in the Houston market, and the last example I know of being built was 1999 when the millennium package was introduced.
The downtown Savannah store had this package along with 3 Alpharetta locations, a Dunwoody location, the Vinings greenhouse remodeled, one in Peachtree City, and maybe Tucker. The customer service counters and other counters were dark red or hunter green depending on location and stainless steel was the other primary color. It was a natural evolution as the replacement for the mauve grid neon package which made the millennium package look like a step backwards."
While many of the stores with this décor reportedly were built with what is majorly considered to be the millennium-style exterior design (though not in the Mid-South), it was in other store types as well, such as the remodeled greenhouse pictured above. I'm thinking its introduction into the Houston market came with an entirely new exterior look to match: judge for yourself with the photos below.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkXv-j5rypEdnG2giSVwHYaLOycRO_5eny4wwuz8I2qAlZf03ixC56wk_riRqaN5S7jzF9ZXIWeSVJiJLQdNIe_6wj7REYai3uUoUDLFBXbh9vyawcZjy_X2EfOgm_YLyveBIJc0gwLsQ/s320/zi.jpg) |
Possible For Goodness Sake exterior at Houston, TX, Kroger. Courtesy Yelp. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih4FvO_8VnOer1DgHdUTQAyDOU9auBp5NQh_3YfmVnhRJ5NtpPJyuH6SX3uIkzjlldFIdR8v-ecAXHOUSTv-1fAms5vCxhNeHWeXKtgWkNUedMK1QdlvhDDuI-o1s6GoGMuViZsG7uSyg/s320/zj.jpg) |
Possible For Goodness Sake exterior at Houston, TX, Kroger. Courtesy Yelp. |
Well, now that we've covered this décor I'm fairly certain we've covered them all, haha! I would like to once more note that all photos in this post belong to - and are linked back to - their respective owners, and are featured here with no malicious intent. In fact, some of the places I found these pics surprised me - for example, several of them come from a
Good Eats fan site that covers places Alton Brown visited on the show, so in theory you might be able to see some of this décor if you ever happen upon a few
Good Eats reruns, which I thought was pretty cool!
Anyway, to close off this special post, here's a special badge to wrap up this series - I believe we've earned it. ;)
Until next time - which should be in May - have fun exploring the retail world wherever you are!
Retail Retell
Great post! I like that decor package; very unique!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I vaguely remember reading about Olympic Spirit décor a relatively long time ago but didn't think about it again until 11110 left that comment. I think I stumbled upon the Online Athens picture Googling something else, and then I went on a hunt for more photos of this décor to possibly do a post with. I agree that it is very unique - I'd love to be able to see it in person one day!
DeleteYou're welcome.
ReplyDeleteYou described it better than I could; This decor package was pretty elusive, and honestly, when I first walked into a Kroger store with it, I thought I was somewhere else.
The store I went in had a marquee style message board above the customer service desk (like the one seen in Athens, but it got ripped out and replaced with the generic Guest care and money services sign seen today at virtually every Kroger store.
Another element of this decor (One that could be found in the Memphis area) is the sign, which also has art deco & neon elements.
https://www.google.com/search?q=kroger+sign&client=ms-android-coolpad&prmd=ismvn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwimssiy2YnMAhWFXB4KHfp-B0MQ_AUICCgB&biw=320&bih=452#imgrc=iRA3yDGRZefrrM%3A
Hey, you wrote most of this post, so I can't take much credit for describing it better, haha! But thank you for the compliment anyway. I was very excited to find all of these photos online aside from the ones you already linked me to.
DeleteThat sounds boring. On that topic, though, would you happen to know how old those Guest Care and Money Services signs are? Over on flickr l_dawg and I have been trying to determine how long the Hernando, MS, millennium store has had it. I swear something else was there before it but for the life of me I can't remember what it looked like or said...
Good point, I hadn't even connected the elements of those signs with art deco and this décor package! Hernando got little monument signs, but the Southaven store at Goodman/Getwell has one of those. It's a happy medium between those monument signs and the giant cube ones!
The signs came up around 2013, about the same time Mid-Atlantic started its New Lower Prices campaign.
DeleteI wish we had cube signs in my area myself.
There's only 2 more decors left across the KMAs that you haven't covered. One is Fresh Fare V2 and the other is the Food4Less decor, which made its way into the "hood stores"
Thanks! And sorry to hear you don't have any cube signs. They're a pretty cool sight!
DeleteNice, thanks for the info! Not sure I've seen what either of those looks like myself. I have seen a few glimpses of Kroger's latest, post-2012 décor though.
The Houston Kroger pictured opened in 1994. It was opened as a Weingarten originally, then became a Safeway (when Safeway purchased a majority of the Weingarten supermarkets), then became an AppleTree (when Safeway spun off the Houston Division), then became a Kroger (when AppleTree announced it would sell off its stores and wind down business). I believe its exterior was built to match the surrounding areas (it's in one of the richest parts of town).
ReplyDeleteThanks for the confirmation on that! Incidentally I ran across a picture of that store the other day and noticed that the caption read it was built to match the architecture. Still, it rather well matches this décor, in my opinion!
DeleteWanted to update that it was actually rebuilt as a Kroger (Kroger rebuilt a few of the Safeway/AppleTree stores soon after acquisition, and later phased them out or closed them after they also bought a bunch of AppleTree stores...as a result, very few stores are left in Houston that have flown under the Kroger and Safeway flags alike).
DeleteThanks for the update!
DeleteCome April, there will be one less store with this decor package:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.13wmaz.com/mobile/article/news/local/kroger-on-pio-nono-avenue-to-close-next-month/93-532143686
https://www.google.com/search?q=kroger+pio+nono&oq=kroger+pio+nono&aqs=chrome..69i57.6023j0j4&client=ms-android-att-us&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#lkt=LocalPoiPhotos&trex=m_t:lcl_akp,rc_f:nav,rc_ludocids:7820676021646672863,rc_q:Kroger,ru_q:Kroger&viewerState=ga
That's sad news. But thanks for sharing anyway. The décor looks to be pretty well documented at that Google page, at least! (I wish there were a way to save photos from Google, as those are all going to disappear from access when the store is marked as closed...)
DeleteI still hope to visit one of these stores one day and document the décor package. I almost had the chance a couple of months ago, but the trip fell through. I can't remember if this store was one of the ones I had earmarked for a potential visit or not.
I think i may have found a store with a unique decor and one with this decor but far different signs both in the Atlanta KMA. I have a hunch that they may have to do with those two being former H-Ts but i'm not positive, they are 2036 Johnson Ferry Rd in Atlanta and 720 Commerce Drive in Decatur. In the meantime Atlanta KMA has definitely started Putting the Fresh & Local decor in our area's stores along with a very colorful decor which can be seen at 2685 Metropolitan Pkwy. Just thought id let you know! Cheers!
ReplyDeleteSweet finds, thanks for sharing! Those definitely are some unique stores, which is quite cool and unusual considering this décor package seems to have been used sparingly to begin with! I'm not sure I'm reading this part of your comment correctly: are you saying that both stores were actually former Harris Teeters, or do you just think they were based on the interiors? In any case, I think the décor in that Decatur store looks more HT-like to me (of the two), but then again, that store also has large posters advertising Kroger's Private Selection store brand on the wall, so it could just as easily be an even rarer Kroger décor package. Johnson Ferry, on the other hand, no doubt has For Goodness Sake décor, but I agree, some of the signs in there look different from the ones I've seen online in other FGS stores. If either or both of these were former Harris Teeter stores, then Kroger must have purchased them a long time ago for them to have gotten these décor packages!
DeleteAs for that Metropolitan Pkwy store, was it remodeled this year by chance? Because the photos I see on Google of that store actually have yet another décor package, besides Fresh & Local! I didn't feature that décor in a post here on the blog, but it belongs (I believe) to Kroger's Food4Less division. It has been used in some Kroger-branded stores in the past, however, which explains its presence in that store. (I have no doubt that Fresh & Local is expanding within the Atlanta Division, however!)
Again, very interesting finds, and thanks for sharing and for reading the blog! Oh, and if you're interested, here are the three stores I was able to find last year in my research for stores with FGS décor: 1690 Powder Springs Rd in Marietta, 2300 Holcomb Bridge Rd in Roswell, and 4715 S Atlanta Rd SE in Smyrna. There are also two others in North Carolina, but those will be closing soon as Kroger exits that region. Glad to know there are more surviving FGS stores out there than I was able to find in my research!
I’m not the person you responded to, but I can confirm that both stores are former Harris Teeters.
ReplyDeleteLooking at the Commerce Drive store in Decatur, it’s almost completely Harris Teeter’s decor. The Deli-Bakery area isn’t consistent with what they put in the stores but I wouldn’t put it past HT if they one offed it since they have done it before.
The store on Johnson Ferry is actually a mix of FGS and Harris Teeter’s late ‘90s/Early ‘00s decor. Delicatessen, Bakery, Meat/Seafood sign and register lights were definitely HT artifacts from that era. Produce, Dairy, Pharmacy signs, and all corrugated metal/grid patterns were added by Kroger.
Exterior wise - There are at least two still-extant Harris Teeters with the exact same entrance design as Johnson Ferry. The Decatur store was also pretty typical for Harris Teeter but odd in the sense that they don’t usually use much Stucco. The Edgewood Kroger was probably ground up built but it also has a Harris Teeter-like exterior.
Thanks for the confirmation! That's pretty interesting that Kroger would only half-remodel the Johnson Ferry store (but cool nonetheless!). I suppose Kroger took over those Harris Teeter stores quite some time ago, then.
DeleteI visited the Atlanta Road, Smyrna store recently and it was an interesting experience. This decor package definitely has more character than the post-2012 packages and I really enjoyed the neon look. Interestingly, it looks like this store was built in 2003 so I guess this styling had a fairly long life for being so rare. Most of the signage looked like it was in good shape and I only noticed the pharmacy needing some neon repair. If you look, you can still find some pre-2012 stores out there. "Disco Kroger" in the Buckhead suburb of Atlanta still has the Fresh Fare package (although its days are numbered) and a store in Perry, GA still has a version of Millennium. The Perry store also still has "For Goodness Sake" on the front of the building.
ReplyDeleteVery cool, thanks for sharing! Yeah, I agree, the For Goodness Sake décor definitely has a lot going for it. I'm not a huge fan of all of Kroger's post-2012 packages either, though I think I might rank some higher than FGS -- that's just personal preference though. Good point about the build date, that would indicate the package lasted several years indeed.
DeleteStores with décors older than the 2010s are still out there, but getting fewer and farther between every day, it seems. Here in Mississippi, all but one store have been remodeled since 2010, many of them actually twice since that time (2012/bountiful décor itself may well be extinct around here, there's only one store left that I can't confirm the status of).
Yeah, I saw a store in Perry, GA that still has the Millennium decor and I haven't been in one of those in nearly a decade. I guess I wasn't really looking for one either though so I'm sure there are a few more in the Atlanta area.
ReplyDeleteI know there are others that have been remodeled twice in the area though. Howell Mill Road Kroger is an old Greenhouse store that looks like it has been added on to over the years. I remember it having bountiful a few years ago but it has since moved on. Due to the addition, it has a hodge-podge layout and is harder to navigate than newer stores. The self-checkouts always feel cramped too because I think they are under the lower ceiling of the old pharmacy. Many of the inner-metro Atlanta Krogers are a stark contrast to the many Publix in the area where every store seems to be Classy Market 3 or newer.
Agreed -- it's always interesting to see certain markets, like inner-metro Atlanta, where many Kroger stores remain unremodeled (even though others have been remodeled twice or more). Lots of stores in the Memphis area used to be that way until the early to mid-2010s, when practically all of them were remodeled. I would have to imagine the stores being older and expanded so many times plays a role (alongside other factors) in the lack of remodels. I assume it's harder to deal with such nonstandard layouts, ceiling heights, and expansions, as opposed to a chain like Publix whose stores are mostly much newer than Kroger, who has been around for much longer in Atlanta.
Delete