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Old supermarkets of Elizabeth City
Old supermarkets of Elizabeth City
Elizabeth City has always been a wonderful place rich in all kinds of history. I am already acquainted with many details of that history. A few years ago, I stumbled across a website called Groceteria.net that featured the history of different supermarket chains. Groceteria focused mostly on West Coast chains, but had a rather large section on Colonial Stores, a chain that originated practically in our backyard. It was started in the late 1800s in Tarboro, NC, eventually settling its headquarters in Norfolk, VA. Colonial persisted for many years and was prevalent in this region and through most of the southeast. Before I discovered Groceteria.net, I had read through a recently published book about the History of Elizabeth City and just took note of a replicated lithograph - a grand opening flier for Colonial about the city's 'first modern supermarket'. The ad did not give a location nor were there any discernable landmarks in the background of the picture. This year, in 2005, I finally found the store. Judging from pictures of other Colonial stores from the 1950s, I figured out the store was where Coastal Office Equipment was on Church Street. To confirm this, I asked some of the old-timers around town, and it turns out that my theory was right. Other stores that I identified long before this are two 70s-era Colonials, a possible 50s-era Winn-Dixie and an A&P.
50s-era Colonial
501 East Church Street
Almost identical Colonial Store in Atlanta in 1951. (From Groceteria.net. No copyright infringement is intended.)
The back of the store. Note that the original lighting, windows, storeroom exhaust vents and delivery door are still intact. The only modification is the addition of a second door off to the left since the building is now subdivided for two businesses.
Side of the building. Note the gutters. Many Colonial stores of this era strangely had gutters on the sides of the building, something most other chains did not have.
Note the original light fixture which once had illuminated the Colonial logo on the side of the building.
Front of store.
Front of store.
Front of store.
Front of store. Note that the original storefront is still intact. Also note the off-center door, which is situated more toward the right side of the building in this case. For some odd reason which escapes me, most Colonial stores of the 50s and 60s always seemed to have off-center doors, almost always segregated into two separate doors rather than the more common side-by-side form. (By the 70s though, Colonial seemed to have gone mainstream, placing their doors just like everybody else.) Notice the green 'marbleized' block beneath the windows, another Colonial trait from the era.
Front of store. Note the rounded corners of the awning. Most other grocers (and other stores) did not employ this design. From what I've seen, only Colonial did.
Note the electrical conduit snaking its way from the awning. If you look carefully, the outline of the diamond-shaped lighted logo sign is still visible along the wall, as well as some leftover pieces of mounting hardware still stuck in the wall.
Side of the store again. Colonial stores were usually much deeper than they were wide, but in this location, it is almost square. This probably is due to its location, both geographically and socioculturally. In the 1950s, a canal occupied where Dyer Street is now, and on the sociocultural front, Elizabeth City was a relatively large community, so the extra width was probably better for business.
To 70s-era EC Colonial stores
Groceteria.net
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This section last updated 24 March 2007.
