Ambler residents remember the Acme supermarket on Butler Pike that closed down years ago, and was replaced by CVS Pharmacy. But does anyone know Acme was located somewhere else in the Ambler borough prior to the 1950s? We'll dive into the history of Acme came to be, and how it expanded rapidly in the United States.
History of Acme Markets
It started in 1891 when Irish immigrants Samuel Robinson and Robert Crawford launched a grocery store at the corner of 2nd and Fernon Streets in South Philadelphia, displaying a slogan on their window saying, "The House That Quality Built." The business immediately became a success.
In 1917, Robinson established the American Stores Company, later on known today as Acme. It was Acme that revolutionized the idea of how people shop at a grocery store: from customers presenting their grocery lists to clerks who retrieve the items, to open floor plans and wheeled carts for customers to use.
As the company began to expand their stores, and the rise in automobiles, Robinson bought land surrounding his stores to provide parking spaces for the customers.
With its new company, they brought 1,223 grocery stores and totaled close to $50 million a year in sales.
In the 1930s, the number of stores increased to 2,728 with 13,000 employees. The expansion occurred in areas outside the city of Philadelphia in Wilkes-Barre, New Jersey, Washington, DC, Baltimore, and Johnstown.
After Samuel Robinson retired as president, William Park took over in 1937.
"As the new president, Park was beset with three thorny problems in redirecting his company: guiding the transition from corner stores to supermarkets; addressing personnel concerns (a strike by butchers and clerks in 1940 closed the stores for a month and led to unionization); and finding capable people to staff the stores during the World War II years when more than 40% of the employees served in the armed forces. At the same time, gasoline rationing slowed significantly the trend toward supermarkets. Nevertheless, the company had established 576 Acmes by 1942."
- Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society
Fun Fact #1: the American Stores Co. were the pioneers of establishing a pension plan and providing life, health and accident insurance coverage for all employees.
Refrigeration and frozen foods became popular in post-war supermarkets, introducing the second generation Acme supermarkets to arrive in Berwyn and Paoli.
Under Park's presidency, the average weekly sale was $5,600 with the total sales of $461 million.
Acme Opens in Ambler
The Acme supermarket originally opened at 133 Butler Avenue on December 8th, 1938; with Harry Ott as the store manager, Harvey Jones running the fresh meats department, John Brady at the fresh fruit and produce department, and Joseph Tyron at the dairy products department.
It is unknown how long the garage existed, but it was reused for the new supermarket.
20 years later, Acme relocated closer towards Bethlehem Pike with a larger space for more food items and more cars to park around. Over time, the Acme building was in desperate need for repairs and renovations. Unfortunately, the supermarket couldn't hold on for much longer when it closed in 2009.
Acme was replaced by CVS which the company expressed interest in the location.
Today, Weavers Way Co-op serves as the main grocery store since 2017. Ever since Bottom Dollar closed down in 2014, the Ambler Food Co-op (AFC) considered partnering with Weavers Way as they were in desperate need to provide goods for the community.
Bibliography
Austin, Josh. "Acme - Ambler, PA." flickr. Last modified June 11, 2005. https://www.flickr.com/photos/62355920@N00/2862191908/in/photostream/.
"Former Acme — Ambler, Pennsylvania." Acme Style (blog). December 1, 2009. https://acmestyleblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/former-acme-ambler-pennsylvania.html.
Franklin Survey Company. Montgomery County 1949 Vol D, Plate 014, 1949.
Fry, C. Herbert. "'The House that Quality Built' : A Brief History of the American Stores Company." Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society History Quarterly Digital Archives. Last modified December 27, 2009. https://tehistory.org/hqda/html/v29/v29n2p043.html.
"Google Maps Area Calculator Tool." DaftLogic. Accessed November 28, 2021. https://www.daftlogic.com/projects-google-maps-area-calculator-tool.htm.
Hong, Albert. "Why Ambler Food Co-op is becoming a part of Weavers Way to open a community-owned grocery store." Generocity. Last modified March 3, 2017. https://generocity.org/philly/2017/03/03/ambler-food-co-op-weavers-way/.
"Samuel Robinson (1865-1958)." Causeway Coast & Glens Borough Council. Accessed October 4, 2021. https://www.causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk/see-do/arts_museums/museums-services/ballymoney-museum/famous-people/samuel-robinson.
Volk, Steve. "Acme Was Once the Dominant Supermarket in Philly. What Went Wrong?" Philadelphia Magazine. Last modified June 1, 2019. https://www.phillymag.com/news/2019/06/01/acme-philadelphia-supermarket/.
"Whitlock’s Whitpain." Wissahickon Valley Historical Society. Accessed November 28, 2021. https://www.wvalleyhs.org/whittocks-whitpain/.
"Wissahickon Valley Public Library's Ambler Gazette Collection." POWER Library: Pennsylvania's Electronic Library. Accessed October 4, 2021. http://digitalcollections.powerlibrary.org/cdm/landingpage/collection/wivp-gazett.