Quick Look: DiOrio's Supermarket

DiOrio's Supermarket

Opened: June 1996; 1976 previously

Cooperative: IGA

Location: 2938 New York 28, Old Forge, NY

Date Photographed: July 5, 2024

Today's post takes up deep in the Adirondack Park, into the tourist hamlet of Old Forge.

This metal-clad building is home to DiOrio's Supermarket. They were originally located in the busier part of the hamlet, in one of the spaces next to Old Forge Hardware. Within 20 years they outgrew that store and moved here in June 1996. The building was expanded to its present size in 2005.

Produce lines the right-most wall of the store.

Back corridor. Storage bags are being displayed on the side of the produce cooler.

A row of coolers line the front wall. Housed here are frozen foods. Orange juice is visible at the very end.

Cart Tax: A set of Technibilt 2638 shopping carts will round out this little tour. It appears these ones were acquired judging by the aftermarket trim pieces.

Market32's other former ShopRite stores + extras

Today's post takes us to the Capital Region's non-replacement ex-ShopRite stores, as well as a replacement store from an entirely different chain.

RENSSELAER 54

This was the newest of the former ShopRite stores, built in 2017. The grocery pickup and bottle return are on the far left side of this building.

To be honest, the grey paint scheme makes this interior resemble the old ShopRite interior.

Bakery is on its own island, while Foodfare and Deli are on the back right wall.

NISKAYUNA 47

The media darling Market32 was the oldest of the ShopRite stores, opening in 2011. Both of these stores have had their long vestibules split into shorter ones.

Amusingly enough this store has a right-handed grand aisle despite it facing further into the shopping center.

That concludes the Market32 tour, but we have an extra from Rensselaer:

This large, modern ALDI store is located in the Bloomingrove Commons across from Van Rensselaer Square. This store replaced a much older store on Columbia Street (U.S. 20) that was featured in The Good, Bad, and Ugly of 2019.

Inside the store it looks like a typical ALDI, except the floor covering which is a rubbery anti-slip kind of flooring which resembles pebbled concrete.

This cart was not meant to be included, however one thing sets this one apart: the presence of exposed straps as opposed to a module with retractable straps. It seems kind of regressive given this cart was manufactured in February 2023.

Summer Solstice Supermarket Special: A Look Inside Delmar Marketplace

In this summer special, we start the season with a look at a small grocery store in the Albany suburb of Delmar.

The John & Mary's Grocery in Delmar Marketplace has been owned by John and Mary Hooper since September 2011, though this store is certainly much older. If anything, the vinyl siding seems to hide the bones of a much older building, as this was a store called Empire, as shown in the Albany Suburban  Chain Grocery/Supermarket locations, 1925-2005 under the 1956 and 1960 sections. Also present within is McCarroll's The Village Butcher and Deli, which originally in 1921 on Central Avenue in Albany, moving here many decades later. Four Corners Frame Shop on the left rounds out the tenant list.

This Subway was formerly Cyndarella's Subs until about 2009, and before that it was a Mr. Subb.

Front of the store. Curiously the entry doors are manual while the exit doors are automatic.

McCarroll's was not open at the time of this visit. Also of note is the deli, meat, and seafood service areas used to be a yellow-orange color while the wall next to it (where the butter and eggs signs are) was a dark brown. At some point all of these walls were painted green, with most of the signage removed altogether, while other signs were replaced with monochrome ones.

A quick look at produce to conclude this tour. But before we go, we need to collect the cart tax.

As you probably saw in the first interior picture, the store's carts consist of two older models from two different manufacturers. The top one is a Unarco with the Delmar Marketplace name on it from 1996 and the bottom one is a United without provisions for child seating and a blank yellow handle insert, which was manufactured around 1984.

Newer store, older look

Price Chopper #164

Opened: 1999

Location: 6025 New York Route 5, Palatine Bridge, NY

Date Photographed: June 18, 2024

I decided to return to this rural Price Chopper as it resembles the Spencer, MA location, as documented by The Market Report. Definitely check that one out and compare it to this store!

Also of note are the full drop ceilings and pink floor tile, both are odd features for a store of 1999. The drop ceiling may be due to the store's smaller size.

One obvious difference you will notice here is the presence of a pharmacy, something the Spencer store does not.

Produce takes up the entirety of what would be the "grand aisle". Seafood is right up ahead.

Fresh Bakery, which for some reason uses orange letters that almost blend into the yellow wall they are on.

Frozen foods, which bears some unique tile striping that was once very common in older stores.

Deli, which just happens to be next to the registers and in the front right corner as well.

Alcoholic beverages and dairy line the right hand wall.

Bread aisle. Instead of condiments and canned vegetables lining the other side of the aisle, cereal does.

Front end, which has the self-checkouts labeled as 1/2, 3/4 as opposed to 7 and 8. The Guest Services area is on the wall between each entrance/exit.

The right side of the vestibule, which has a strange door leading in and out of the checkout area. If anything, it should have been an exit only. So that concludes our comparison store.

Replacements on Central Ave

In today's special blog post, we will be covering two newly-opened Market 32 stores on Central Ave in the Albany area and the stores they replaced.

COLONIE 52

Today marks the grand opening for our four ex-ShopRite turned Market 32 stores. Not not many shoppers were around at 8 a.m., and with CBS 6 Albany being distracted by the Niskayuna store opening near their studio, no media was present, which made for a serene scene.

Apart from the oddly-placed Market 32 logo, there is a lot of empty space on the facade. The vestibule was split between both entrances. Each vestibule has its own cart bay. Also of note is that the cart corrals were recycled from ShopRite. The actual carts are your standard Market32 plastic Versacart TT-100 and V-Series 172L models.

Foodfare is on an island, like it had when this space was occupied by ShopRite.

Produce (not shown) is on the right-hand wall, with bakery taking the diagonal corner.

The kosher department is attached to the back of the service island, before the health and beauty aisle.

Health and beauty, with the pharmacy being on an island, a feature retained from the ShopRite layout.

Front end, with plenty of checkouts open.

Parts of the 12th, 13th, and 14th aisles house frozen foods.

Dairy is located along the back wall and the 14th aisle.

Back at #224, it is mostly empty as the store closed the day before. As it is early days, the signs have not been taken down yet. As this store is now empty, the Colonie Plaza is now left with only a Dollar Tree and Retro Fitness (which was Price Chopper #104, which got replaced with this store in June 2009).

ALBANY 43

Like what we saw in Colonie, this store has the same problem with empty space on the facade. The placement of the logo on the left gives you a good idea on which side of the store has the grand aisle.

Produce and baked goods line the left-hand wall at this store.

Unlike Colonie, this one does not appear to have a Kosher section.

Health and Beauty. This store does not have a pharmacy.

Dairy lines the back right wall and 14th aisle of this store.

As for Westgate #133, it is the end of an era. The store with an expanded International section and green Rehrigs is no more. Goodbye, my old friend.