Albertsons - At Your Service

Here's a 1966 photo showing an Albertsons store crew - an eager bunch, poised and ready to deliver a superior customer experience. The woman to the far left does appear to be somewhat anxious - perhaps she was new on the job. In the background is an archetypal "marina-style" Albertsons, as referred to in an earlier post.

By this time, Albertsons' market presence had grown to cover nine western states, with over 170 stores at year's end, adding 20-plus new stores a year. Interestingly, company founder and board chairman Joe Albertson continued to maintain his offices in a second-floor loft above the company's first store, which opened in Boise in 1939. By the mid-60's, this first store had been expanded to 25,000 square feet from the original 7,500.

Albertsons - Before and After

This Albertsons store, located in Lewiston, Idaho, opened in 1950 and sported architecture typical of many supermarkets of the era. In 1962, the store was expanded and remodeled in order to accomodate increased business and a growing selection of non-food items. The original store's arch-trussed roof (and a portion of the original facade) is still clearly visible behind the new facade. The "Albertsons" lettering here is an unusual variation -it almost looks as if they tried to emulate the font style of the original store sign.

Their Own Private Idaho

Long before Albertsons became a national name in grocery retailing, it was a powerhouse in the Pacific Northwest. The history of Albertsons started in Boise, Idaho in 1939 when former Safeway manager Joe Albertson formed a partnership with L.S. Skaggs (of Safeway founding family fame) and accountant Tom Cuthbert. Though the partnership would not last long, Albertson would build his company at a rapid clip in the coming decades, racking up a store count of nearly 100 units by the time the store pictured above was opened in 1961.

Probably the most common design associated with early 60's Albertsons stores is the arched-roof "marina" style of architecture with the "Albertsons" name rendered in old west-style lettering against individual white rectangular backgrounds across the expansive glass facade of the store. The fact is that the company used quite a number of prototype designs during this period, including this beauty, which was located in the Franklin Shopping Center in Boise. It's a nice pre-opening shot -note the glass manufacturer's stickers still attached to each pane!

(Note: A reader has kindly updated us on the current status -the Franklin Shopping Center, at the NW corner of Orchard and Franklin Streets, has been demolished and a swank Fred Meyer occupies the site today.)