The location pictured here is one of the nicer stores. Located at the northeast corner of Vaughn and Bell Roads, It looks very similar to a since repurposed location in Alpharetta, GA that closed sometime in the 90's. The design here leads me to wonder if this might not have been an Ogletree's location since I had suspected that Alpharetta store was originally Ogletree's. Perhaps Ogletree's also was in Alabama? That might explain the 1987 acquisition if so. While I cannot confirm that, it was nice to find this store with the logo still on the outside. I wish I had done a little better job photographing more of the abandoned Food World/Bruno's locations, but I covered this one specifically because of its distinct 80's-style Charleston architecture that made me wonder if it was always a Bruno's.
Pictured above is the whole front of the store and here is a close-up of the front entrance and logo. In all reality, Bruno's does not sound like a store you would think would be from the South. This is a very swanky looking store even today.
Looking inside the old Bruno's reveals a store that is pretty well trapped in the 1980's, but very nice for the time it opened. Note the brick-like brown linoleum tiles in the front.
In all, Bruno's is one of the most significant tragedies of retail. Once a giant in the Deep South along with Big "B" Drugs, this store serves as a reminder of what once was. I have covered a couple other former Bruno's locations on this blog here and here.
My first thought when I saw this was of the old Bruno's in Alpharetta next to the Provino's on Hwy 9. It's a dead ringer except for the sign location. I thought I remembered the one in Alpharetta being built as a Bruno's. I don't ever remember that one being an Ogletree but my memory may be faulty. What are they doing with the Alpharetta location these days?
ReplyDeleteWe had a Brunos almost identical to this one in Huntsville, AL at the southwest corner of Memorial Parkway (US 231) and Drake Avenue. I remember it being a nice store for its time. I think it's an Ashley Furniture Store now.
ReplyDeleteIf you're interested I have some interior and exterior pictures of the old Food World at Eastwood Place in Montgomery. I was inside to document the space for potential new tenants. The place was mostly gutted, but the signage was still up in some parts inside.
ReplyDeleteThere using to be a Bruno's Food and Pharmacy anchoring a community strip mall right on McGhee Road across from Montgomery Mall not far from the Eastern Bypass. As the demographics of the area changed, the nameplate of the supermarket went from Bruno's to the discount Food World brand and then to the closure of the store.
ReplyDeleteFood World's entry in to the Mobile/Gulf Coast markets in the late '70s and early '80s did much to cause local chain Delchamps to transition to much larger 24 hour 'super store' operations.
ReplyDeleteBruno's closed at most stores around the Birmingham area mostly notably in the Summit location.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I've heard, Bruno's was relatively upscale (very similar to Randalls, prior to acquisition by Safeway). They even were co-partners with Kmart in American Fare, a pre-Super Kmart hypermarket with upscale merchandise.
ReplyDeleteThis location was NEVER an Ogletree's...never even heard of that chain. It was a very nice Bruno's built when the Chantilly Parkway was built from I-85 to AL 110 (Vaughn Road) around 10 years ago...it didn't make it too many years as Bruno's went South...REALLY NICE store, used to love going there when I lived out that way in Montgomery...there's another one kinda like it Auburn that is vacant also...
ReplyDeleteAll Bruno's had REAL brick in the front of them. They had stuff over them that made them that shiny. I worked at 3.
ReplyDeleteThis store in Montgomery was never Ogletrees, nor was the store in Alpharetta, GA that you mentioned. The former Ogletrees locations were interesting stores. The former Bruno's (Ogletrees locations) were very small and suffered from major disrepair - Leaking ceilings and rodent problems. Before my time with them, the roof caved in at the Dunwoody, GA store #160 and during rain storms/snow storms all of the wet floor signs and buckets would have to be pulled out at the Sandy Springs, GA store #161. (Both near Atlanta) I had the pleasure of working in both in the late 90's. #161 was eventually replaced by Supercenter #172 in across the street. The old Ogletree's/Bruno's location became a hardware store if I remember correctly. When Bruno's pulled out of Atlanta, Kroger purchased the Supercenter. As far as I know, nothing ever went into the Dunwoody location - probably torn down, but I could be wrong. As for other Ogletree's/Bruno's locations, there was one in Norcross that closed before I worked for them and another in Conyers. The store in Norcross was carpeted (as were all of the Ogletrees at one point) and had Chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. I would have loved to have seen that store. Bruno's primarily built Foodmax (eventlually name changed to Bruno's) stores in the counties south of Atlanta and Bruno's Supercenters in the more affluent areas of Metro Atlanta. A couple of the Supercenters were opened as Foodmax Supercenters, but changed to Bruno's Supercenters. Alpharetta and Marietta both had Bruno's stores, however they were not Supercenters.
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ReplyDeleteIn Montgomery, two stores were built in the style pictured above. Store 5 (above) once the top store in Montgomery and store 87 on McGehee Road across the street from the once thriving Montgomery Mall. In 1998, I came to Montgomery when the Atlanta stores were closed and Bruno's purchased the Delchamp's stores in Montgomery and Prattville. The two in Montgomery on Atlanta Hwy/Bell Rd and Perry Hill Road became Bruno's bringing the count to 4 stores. The store at Atlanta Hwy/Bell Rd was never very successful as it was only a couple miles down Bell Road from store 5 pictured above. The store was also plagued with TERRIBLE customer service from the first day. The Atlanta Hwy store was a replacement store for Bruno's store 69 which was a former Albertsons. Store 69 was located across the street from Eastdale Mall and was very profitable. Unfortunately, the best employees and managers were hand picked to open the Perry Hill store which was considered to be a new store opening. A few years later, store 595 would open on Chantilly Parkway as part of the Shoppes at EastChase, a new retail development that was catering to an upscale clientele in the growing east side of Montgomery. 595 was Montgomery's first Bruno's Supercenter (although a slightly smaller version than what the company had used previously in Atlanta and Birmingham). The store at Perry Hill Road and 595 became THE top grocery stores in Montgomery, but both experienced competition from Wal-Mart and Publix. Eventually both stores were placed on the closing list as the company was sold to Southern Family Markets when Bruno's declared bankruptcy in 2009.
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ReplyDeleteFood World stores were also a major factor in Montgomery. In 1998, there were 2 Food World stores in Montgomery. #112 on Atlanta Highway and #28 on the Southern Blvd. Store 28 was originally an Albertson's store. Store 112 was a traditional Food World store by design. Additional Food World stores in the area were in Prattville (traditional design store, closed and moved into the former Delchamp's location) and Wetumpka (traditional design store). A new location was also built in Millbrook which featured an updated Food World design. The store was very busy for some time until the Winn Dixie relocated next door and a Super Wal-Mart opened a couple miles away.
In Montgomery, two of the Bruno's stores were converted to Food Worlds due to poor sales as Bruno's and changing demographics. The Bruno's on McGehee Road and the Bruno's at Atlanta Hwy/Bell Road (former Delchamp's) both operated as Food World stores for a short time before closing permanently. Store 112 on Atlanta Highway also closed due to poor sales, leaving Montgomery with only one Food World - store 28 until the company was sold and all of the remaining Montgomery area stores were closed.
Any idea what the square footage is on the old Brunos store on Bell Road and Vaughn Road in Montgomery AL and who manages the property?
ReplyDeleteThe old Brunos store on Bell and Vaughn Rd was to be converted to a G-Mart (Oriental) Market but never did open. Next iteration it is to be an H-Mart (Oriental) Market, maybe fall 2017. The one on McGehee is still empty.
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