Lorain Gets an A&P Super Market – July 1951

A&P has a history in Lorain going back to July 1919, when the first two stores in the city opened – one at 859 Broadway and the other at 500 E. Erie Avenue.

Over the years, the chain had outlets all over Lorain. During the 1920s, thirteen A&Ps opened in Lorain. But these were the small, old-fashioned neighborhood stores that competed with the independent Mom-and-Pop grocery stores and small chains like Food Fair.

The first, modern A&P supermarket in Lorain was at 3809 Broadway, the subject of the teaser ad above. It ran in the Lorain Journal on July 12, 1951.

The ad is quite charming with its use of illustration. It has a children’s book vibe to it; you half expect to see Curious George floating over the building, holding a balloon.

It’s interesting that A&P selected that location for its first supermarket in the city. I guess the decision makers thought that it was centrally located, and would draw customers from the East side as well as South Lorain. 

Eventually, A&P opened more stores in the area, including the one on the East side on Kansas Avenue (1957), Shoreway Shopping Center in Sheffield Lake (1959); the main West Side store at Lorain Plaza (1960); and Vermilion (1961).

Perhaps because the chain became so ubiquitous in the area, the Broadway location was unable to attract enough customers. It was closed by the early 1970s. 

And today, the mighty Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company (or A&P for short) is no more.