Old School Stop & Shop - Cranston Parkade - Cranston, RI

Old School Stop & Shop - Cranston Parkade - Cranston, RI

  March 17, 2018    Robby S.

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SUPER STOP AND SHOP
CRANSTON, RI
204 GARFIELD AVE
CLOSING APRIL 2018

It's about time that I got around to doing a post on Stop and Shop.

How I found out about this awesome store is actually quite funny. I was travelling to Cranston in February to get some pictures for a Kmart right down the road (post coming soon), and while I was taking pictures a cop pulled up to my car. So at first I was thinking that he was going to tell me I had to leave and all that, but he actually thought I was trying to find Kmart and asked if we wanted to know where the nearest one was! So, I explained to him that I ran this blog and how I was documenting it, and he told me that the Stop and Shop which was also in the plaza was going to be closing in April. I originally anticipated on just taking pictures of the outside, but seeing the inside through the window I knew I had to go inside! The store hasn't been updated a bit since its opening in 2001!



This is one of three Stop and Shop locations in Cranston, RI, which is a suburb to the state's capital city Providence. Stop and Shop is located in the Cranston Parkade, a small strip plaza located right off exit 4 on RI-10. The plaza was anchored by a Stop and Shop, Kmart, and A.J.Wright (which later became T.J.Maxx).

The cop that I was talking to earlier informed me that the whole plaza was slated to be demolished in April 2018 to make way for some new condominiums, and that Stop and Shop would be moving to a new location a few blocks down

The outside of the store was your standard 1970s-to-mid-2000s freestanding Stop and Shop look, with the trapezoidal facade.

Right from the get-go, entering the store you're greeted with a big 'Welcome to SUPER STOP & SHOP' sign that still sports the logo discontinued in 2008



The general in-store signage continues this vibe of the early 2000s, with most of the store's signage not being replaced since the store's opening in 2001.

A fully illuminated Pharmacy sign 

Looking down the store's main walkway

Much like the cash registers of the time, the aisle signs were green as well. Notice the old SUPER STOP & SHOP logo still present at the bottom of each aisle marker

In the early 2000s, Stop and Shop started to label each of their departments as The [DEPARTMENT] Shop. For instance, the Bakery may have been The Bake Shop or the deli would've been The Deli Shop. In most locations, the signage has been updated, simply saying Bakery or Delicatessen respectively. Those old signs are still in use here, and really make the store feel out of date with its early 2000s vibe.

A mix of old and new signage. I believe at one time there may've been a Dunkin' Donuts Express somewhere in the bakery, as many stores of the time did.

Looking down a frozen food aisle. The freezers actually look like they could be relatively new.

The bread aisle was on the far right of the store. This actually makes a lot of sense being that it's right next to the bakery.

Look at how faded those signs are above the bread. It just goes on to show how old-school this location is.

Another discontinued store aesthetic: S&S would have these little labels above much of their product

How often do you think that water fountain is used?

Looking down the store's back aisle

"The Kitchen Shop"

I always liked the wave tile pattern in the seafood department. It's a shame it was removed in most of the stores during the renovations that came after the new logo was introduced in '08

S&S has already begun to start clearing some inventory despite the store not closing until April... An empty cheese cooler

Cranston Cheese Shop at SUPER STOP & SHOP... Somehow missed this gem of a sign while I was there ©Twulio D' via Google

The awesome fruit-and-vegetable mural that most Stop and Shop stores had of the time. Another great aesthetic lost during most store renovations.

For an older store they had a pretty good Natural Foods section

Florist department

The store's left entrance

Checkout lanes

The customer service sign here was pretty old-school

A cone bearing the old Stop and Shop logo. These are still pretty common at stores across the board.

A better picture of the tiling pattern. It's reminiscent of the 'red-yellow-and-green' pattern at many stores from the Bradlee's era, but instead its all green

These displays probably haven't been updated since the store's opening in 2001

More checkout counters

There have been at least some updates to the store as the bagging carousel for some of the checkout counters have been updated. S&S started adding this type of bagging station in 2017

This particular store featured a Citizens Bank branch

A more traditional checkout lane

Leaving the store you're greeted with another SUPER STOP & SHOP sign.

What a find! It's fantastic to see that there are still some old-school stores in operation. It's a shame that in April it'll be closing, and I'll do my best to get back up there once its vacant.

Be sure to stay tuned for my other upcoming post on the Kmart in the Cranson Parkade

Until next time,