Retail Forever

For today's post, we have quite a few things to take a look at, including a unique former Tom's Convenience Store. To start, let's take a look at the history of Hess in Lancaster County, plus how CR's Friendly Markets fueled Hess' Central Pennsylvanian expansion. Part 1: Hess in Lancaster County Lancaster saw its first Hess service stations, at 5 Hartman Bridge Road and 1704 Columbia Avenue, in the 1960s. Grand Opening ad for the Columbia Ave location - Lancaster New Era - May 5, 1967 Just over two decades earlier, in 1942, Carlos R. Leffler, Inc was founded in Richland, PA as a fuel and propane distribution business. In 1981, the company opened its first convenience store, known as CR's Friendly Market, around Reading, PA. By the late 1990s, Hess operated three locations in Lancaster County, the aforementioned Hartman Bridge Road and Columbia Avenue locations as well as a station on Furnace Hills Road in Lititz (more on that later on).  By 1999, Leffler had gro...

For our next holiday post, we've got yet another  store you may recognize -- CVS #2297 . This store has about an aisle and a half dedicated to Christmas merchandise. In this photo, you can see one side of the half-aisle... and here's the other side of the half-aisle As well as the full aisle, from both sides.

Giant #6004, located at 1008 Lititz Pike in Lititz, Pennsylvania opened in 2000 with a variation of the standard Giant exterior model (it was changed so it would fit into the shopping center, but that didn't really matter because Target opened a store there 11 years later with their own design). Anyway, this Giant competes with the Lititz Weis and the Lititz Stauffers  and features its own gas station. Retail in Lancaster County, PA The gas station, which was formerly a Citgo. Quick Information: Opened: 2000 Address:  1008 Lititz Pike Photographed:  January 2021 / March 2021

Stauffers of Kissel Hill's Lititz location, located at 1050 Lititz Pike in Lititz, Pennsylvania was previously located at 813 Lititz Pike, where it opened in 1937 (the original building is now the Stauffers Corporate Offices). The current store opened in 1985. By this point, it's basically the same as the Rohrerstown store, although it lacks things like a pharmacy and self-checkout registers that the newer Rohrerstown store features. One of the store's unique price tags. Despite the fact that there are only three Stauffers locations, everything is unique enough to the point where it feels like a large chain.  The original Lititz location, while in operation (From Stauffers Website) The original location, now used as corporate offices (Google Maps Streetview) This location when it first opened in 1985 (From Stauffers Website) Quick Information:  Opened: 1937 / 1985 Address: 1050 Lititz Pike Photographed: February 2021

Pet Valu #5142, located at 1024 Lititz Pike in Lititz, Pennsylvania opened in 2013 or 2014, replacing a Wine & Spirits Shoppe in the Shoppes at Kissel Village (which relocated to a former Fashion Bug store a few doors down). It closed in January 2021 and was converted to Pet Supplies Plus #4403, which held its grand opening on May 22 & May 23.  Interior of Pet Valu. The flooring and fixtures have been held over to PSP, although the emphasis on pet food and treats has changed with the new store. (Photo from businessyab.com) Pet Valu #5142 (businessyab.com) In all, it's nice to see a new store opening, especially in an era where so many closing or going out of business entirely. Quick Information: Opened: Around 2013 / 2021 Address:  1024 Lititz Pike Photographed: May 2021