Sue Farmer stopped by the Acme Fresh Market in Stow on May 4 to take advantage of the Akron-area grocery chain’s “Mega Meat Sale.”
Her cart was filled with bargains.
But next time, she’ll have to travel a little farther from her Stow home to get another Acme deal.
The Acme Fresh Market in Stow is permanently closing at 9 p.m. Tuesday, May 5, according to a recorded message on the store’s phone system.
“I’m sorry to see it go,” Farmer said. “I have been shopping here since I first bought a house here, in 2017. It’s very convenient. It’s close. There’s no crowds, no lines.”
The pharmacy will remain open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through May 19, according to the message. After that time, prescriptions will be transferred to the Acme Fresh Market location on Bailey Road in Cuyahoga Falls, said Katie Swartz, vice president of marketing.
Customers who have prescriptions through the Stow Acme can call the pharmacy at 330-673-1559 before May 19 to transfer their prescriptions to another locations. After May 19, customers should call the Bailey Road Acme at 330-923-5766 with questions.
Stow Acme faces increased competition in recent years
The Stow Acme, located in the Fishcreek Plaza between Fishcreek and Kent roads, has been been facing increased competition in recent years, with Aldi, Giant Eagle and Meijer operating within a mile radius.
Swartz blamed the store’s financial performance for the closure but declined to share details.
She encouraged Stow Acme shoppers to continue shopping at other nearby locations.
“There are three great stores – Kent, Bailey Road and Hudson – within a 10-mile radius of the Stow Acme,” Swartz said. “We encourage customers to shop these three great Acme Fresh Market stores.”
The move comes after Albrecht Inc., which owns the local Acme chain, closed its RSVP store in the Fishcreek Plaza earlier this year. At the time, Swartz said the nearby Stow Acme would upgrade and offer an “unmatched selection of balloons and party goods.”
The Stow store is the second location in the local chain to close within the past five months.
In December, Acme Fresh Market exited Cuyahoga County with the closure of its Parma store.
“The Parma store location’s financial performance compelled the decision,” Swartz said at the time.
Swartz said she did not have any information about whether a new tenant has been lined up to fill the Stow Acme space.
Shoppers express surprise, sadness at Acme closing
Amy Powers, a Munroe Falls resident who shopped at the Stow Acme on May 4 with her daughter, said she was surprised to learn the store was closing.
“I’ve shopped here for 12 years,” she said. “We came to see if it was actually true. This seemed to be a pretty popular Acme.”
Powers would find out it was true, remarking on how empty the store and the shelves were.
Rob and Marie Kaufman of Stow, who have been married for 57 years, said they liked coming to the Stow Acme because of its convenient location.
“We’ve been here 20 years − no, 30 years,” Marie Kaufman said. “If another store didn’t have it, Acme usually did.”
She said she wished she had known more in advance about the store closing.
The history of Acme Fresh Market in Stow
The F.W. Albrecht Co. founded Acme in 1891 as a one-room dry goods store at Buchtel Avenue and Center Street in Akron. The number of stores peaked in the 1930s with 126 small stores.
In 1965, the company announced it would establish a new chain called Click that would combine a supermarket with a department store.
The first Click store opened Nov. 10, 1965, at 4445 Kent Road adjacent to the Stow-Kent Shopping Center. It cost $1.25 million (or $12.5 million today). The John G. Ruhlin Construction Co. was the general contractor.
The 20-department superstore was 70,000 square feet and had parking for 800 cars.
In 1992, Albrecht announced it would rename its 10 Click locations as Acme SuperCenter stores. Five years later, the chain rebranded as Acme Fresh Markets. The Stow store, once known as No. 50, became No. 17.
In 1993, Acme boasted 40% of the local grocery market and was the sixth largest employer in Summit County.
The Stow location closed for three months during remodeling in 1999. The Kent Road site downsized from 200,000 square feet to 70,000 square feet as part of a $20 million renovation project at 15 stores.
“We’re always trying to figure out exactly what customers want and how we can give it to them,” President F. Steven Albrecht said at the time.
Beacon Journal staff writer Mark Price contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Acme Fresh Market in Stow closing permanently this week
Reporting by April Helms, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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