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[[Image:Western logo.jpg|right]]
[[Image:Western logo.jpg|right]]
'''Western Supermarkets''' is [[Birmingham]]'s largest locally-owned grocery store chain. Currently, '''Western Supermarkets, Inc.''' operates stores under the Western Supermarket, '''FoodSmart by Western''', '''Food Depot''', and '''The Village Market''' brands. The corporate headquarters is located at 2614 [[19th Street South Homewood|19th Street South]] in [[Homewood]].
'''Western Supermarkets Inc.''' was a grocery store chain based in [[Birmingham]] which operated stores under the Western Supermarket, '''FoodSmart by Western''', '''Food Depot''', and '''The Village Market''' brands. The corporate headquarters was located at 2614 [[19th Street South Homewood|19th Street South]] in [[Homewood]].


Western Supermarket was founded in [[1948]] by [[Inos Allen Heard]] and [[Stewart Yerton]] with the opening of a store in [[Five Points West]].  In [[1987]], [[Ken Hubbard]] and [[Ed Goodwin]] bought the company from Heard.  Hubbard is currently the sole owner and CEO of the company. [[Darwin Metcalf]], previously manager of the [[Mountain Brook Village]] store, is president and chief operating officer.
Western Supermarkets was founded in [[1948]] by [[Inos Allen Heard]] and [[Stewart Yerton]] with the opening of their butcher shop in [[Five Points West]].   


In [[1998]], Western was the number three grocery chain in Birmingham.
In [[1987]], [[Ken Hubbard]] and [[Ed Goodwin]] bought the company from Heard. Hubbard, who started working as a bagger at Western in the 1960s, took over as sole owner and CEO of the company. [[Darwin Metcalf]], previously manager of the [[Mountain Brook Village]] store, was president and chief operating officer.


In [[2001]], in an effort to compete against the many larger grocery chains, Western began tailoring each location to its area. This began with the renaming of the [[Festival Center]] location in [[Eastwood]] to FoodSmart by Western. The store's floral, seafood and deli departments were removed while a "Dollar Smart" section featuring items priced at $1 or less was added. Other examples of this local tailoring are the [[Mountain Brook]] store's extensive wine shop and the [[Highland Avenue]] location's large, "New York style" deli. Despite these adaptations, Publix surpassed Western as the number five grocery chain in Birmingham in [[2003]].
In [[1998]], Western was the third largest grocery chain operating in Birmingham. In [[2001]], in an effort to compete against the many larger grocery chains, Western began tailoring each location to its area. This began with the renaming of the [[Festival Center]] location in [[Eastwood]] to FoodSmart by Western. The store's floral, seafood and deli departments were removed while a "Dollar Smart" section featuring items priced at $1 or less was added. Other examples of this local tailoring were the [[Mountain Brook]] store's extensive wine shop and the [[Highland Avenue]] location's large, "New York style" deli. Despite these adaptations, Western dropped to sixth among grocery chains operating in the city in [[2003]].


2001 also saw the loss of Western's then most profitable store, in [[Bluff Park]], after the landlord decided not to renew the store's lease. The location had been there since [[1967]].  
2001 also saw the loss of Western's then most profitable store, in [[Bluff Park]], after the landlord decided not to renew the store's lease. The location had been there since [[1967]].  


In [[2016]], the Mountain Brook Village store moved to a new location in the [[Lane Parke]] development. The original store, opened in [[1959]], closed at the end of the day on [[October 8]] and the ribbon cutting for the new store took place on [[October 13]]. The new store, at 28,300 square feet, is about 5,000 square feet larger than the old one. The Lane Parke store will offer an expanded deli and meat section, a mezzanine with a dining area, fresh-baked cookies, [[Heavenly Donut Company|Heavenly Donuts]], a growler station with 12 taps, and a small conference room available for community meetings.
In [[2016]], the Mountain Brook Village store moved to a new location in the [[Lane Parke]] development. The original store, opened in [[1959]], closed at the end of the day on [[October 8]] and the ribbon cutting for the new store took place on [[October 13]]. The new store, at 28,300 square feet, was about 5,000 square feet larger than the old one. The Lane Parke store offered an expanded deli and meat section, a mezzanine with a dining area, fresh-baked cookies, [[Heavenly Donut Company|Heavenly Donuts]], a growler station with 12 beer taps, and a small conference room available for community meetings.


== Locations ==
== Locations ==
 
* [[Five Points West]] (opened 1948)
=== Current locations===
* 116 South 26th Street, [[Leeds]] (opened January 23, 1963)
[[Image:Western Supermarket at Highland Plaza.jpg|right|thumb|350px|The [[Highland Plaza]] store in March 2006]]
* [[Highland Plaza]], 2230 [[Highland Avenue]], [[Southside]] (closed 2019)
* Western Supermarket
* [[Crestwood Shopping Center]], 5610 [[Crestwood Boulevard]] (opened 1957 as 4th location)
** [[Highland Plaza]]: 2230 [[Highland Avenue]], [[Southside]]
* [[Mountain Brook Shopping Center]], 2717 [[Culver Road]] (opened 1959, closed 2016)
** [[Lane Parke]]: 100 [[Jemison Lane]], [[Mountain Brook]] (opened [[2016]])
* 945 [[Main Street Gardendale|Main Street]], [[Gardendale]] (opened 1961; converted to Food Depot in 2009; closed March 24, 2018)
** [[Vestavia Hills]]: 3350 [[Morgan Drive]], [[Rocky Ridge]]
* 3592 [[Pelham Parkway]], [[Pelham]] (opened 1960s, closed February 2017)
* FoodSmart by Western
* 770 [[Shades Mountain Plaza]], [[Bluff Park]] (1967-2001)
** [[Crestwood Festival Center]]: 7309 [[Crestwood Boulevard]]
* [[Vestavia Hills Shopping Center]], 652 [[Montgomery Highway (Vestavia Hills)|Montgomery Highway]]
* The Village Market
* 2512 [[Rocky Ridge Road]], [[Vestavia Hills]] (relocated to Morgan Drive)
** [[East Lake]]: 7737 [[2nd Avenue South]]
* 3150 [[Green Valley Road]], [[Cahaba Heights]] (closed 2005)
 
* 220 [[Main Street (Trussville)|Main Street]], [[Trussville]]
=== Former locations ===
* 1916 [[Center Point Parkway]], [[Center Point]] (closed 1980s)
* [[Bluff Park]] (770 [[Shades Mountain Plaza]], [[1967]]–[[2001]])
* 3350 [[Morgan Drive]], [[Vestavia Hills]] (bought from [[Winn-Dixie]] in 1996, remodeled 2014, closed 2019, demolished for new Publix supermarket)
* [[Cahaba Heights]] (3150 [[Green Valley Road]], closed [[2005]])
* [[Crestwood Festival Center]], 7309 [[Crestwood Boulevard]] (rebranded as FoodSmart in 1998)
* [[Center Point]] (1916 [[Center Point Parkway]], closed 1980s)
* 7737 [[2nd Avenue South]], [[East Lake]]: (rebranded as The Village Market in 1998, closed 2019)
* [[Leeds]] (116 South 26th Street), opened [[January 23]], [[1963]].
* 1887 [[Hoover Court]], [[Hoover]] (closed 2003)
* [[Crestwood Shopping Center]] (5610 [[Crestwood Boulevard]], opened [[1957]] as 4th location)
* 5960 [[Chalkville Mountain Road]] (closed 2005)
* [[Five Points West]]
* [[Lane Parke]], 1000 [[Jemison Lane]], [[Mountain Brook]] (opened 2016, converted to Publix GreenWise Market in 2019)
* [[Hoover]] (1887 [[Hoover Court]], closed [[2003]])
* [[Gardendale]]: 945 [[Main Street Gardendale|Main Street]] (opened as a Western in 1961; converted to Food Depot in 2009; closed on March 24, [[2018]])
* [[Pelham]] (3592 [[U.S. Highway 31]] South; opened as a Western in the 1960's, closed in February [[2017]])
* [[Vestavia Hills]] (2512 [[Rocky Ridge Road]], moved to 3350 [[Morgan Drive]])
* [[Trussville]] (220 [[Main Street (Trussville)|Main Street]])
* [[Trussville]] (5960 [[Chalkville Mountain Road]], closed [[2005]])
* [[Vestavia Hills Shopping Center]] (652 [[Montgomery Highway (Vestavia Hills)|Montgomery Highway]])
* [[Mountain Brook Shopping Center]] (2717 [[Culver Road]], [[1959]]–[[2016]]), relocated


== Gallery ==
== Gallery ==
<gallery>
<gallery>
File:Western Supermarket at Highland Plaza.jpg|The Highland Plaza store in 2006
File:Western Market Mountain Brook 2018.jpg|Mountain Brook exterior in 2018
File:Western Market Mountain Brook 2018.jpg|Mountain Brook exterior in 2018
File:Western Market Mountain Brook interior 2018.jpg|Mountain Brook interior in 2018
File:Western Market Mountain Brook interior 2018.jpg|Mountain Brook interior in 2018
</gallery>
</gallery>
== External links ==
* [http://www.westernsupermarkets.com/ Western Supermakets] official website
* [http://www.birminghamrewound.com/western.htm Western Supermarkets page] at Birmingham Rewound


== References ==
== References ==
* "At Age 50, Western Savors Role of Home-Owned Supermarket" (July 28, 1998) {{BN}}
* "At Age 50, Western Savors Role of Home-Owned Supermarket" (July 28, 1998) {{BN}}
* Mahoney, Ryan (October 31, 2003) "[http://birmingham.bizjournals.com/birmingham/stories/2003/11/03/focus3.html Western Supermarkets carves niche market]." {{BBJ}}
* Mahoney, Ryan (October 31, 2003) "[http://birmingham.bizjournals.com/birmingham/stories/2003/11/03/focus3.html Western Supermarkets carves niche market]." {{BBJ}}
* "[http://www.westernsupermarkets.com/aboutus.php About Western Supermarkets]."  Western Supermarkets - accessed December 11, 2006
* "About Western Supermarkets" at westernsupermarkets.com - accessed December 11, 2006
* Mahoney, Ryan (December 5, 2003) "[http://birmingham.bizjournals.com/birmingham/stories/2003/12/08/story6.html Publix passes Western in local grocery wars]." {{BBJ}}
* Mahoney, Ryan (December 5, 2003) "[http://birmingham.bizjournals.com/birmingham/stories/2003/12/08/story6.html Publix passes Western in local grocery wars]." {{BBJ}}
* "Neighborhood Loses Only Grocery" (July 13, 2001) {{BN}}
* "Neighborhood Loses Only Grocery" (July 13, 2001) {{BN}}
Line 60: Line 49:
* Hubbard, Russell (May 31, 2009) "Birmingham Western Supermarkets CEO Ken Hubbard says local flavor still works as larger rivals knock each other off." {{BN}}
* Hubbard, Russell (May 31, 2009) "Birmingham Western Supermarkets CEO Ken Hubbard says local flavor still works as larger rivals knock each other off." {{BN}}
* Smith, Adam (June 17, 2009) "[http://www.njeffersonnews.com/news/local_news/store-has-new-name-new-look/article_d5ff5885-09a5-5575-bdf6-0192f58db778.html Store has new name, new look]." {{NJN}}
* Smith, Adam (June 17, 2009) "[http://www.njeffersonnews.com/news/local_news/store-has-new-name-new-look/article_d5ff5885-09a5-5575-bdf6-0192f58db778.html Store has new name, new look]." {{NJN}}
* Poe, Kelly (October 7, 2016) "Mountain Brook Western Market announces grand opening." <!-- http://www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2016/10/mountain_brook_western_market.html --> {{BN}}
* Turcsik, Richard (October 1, 2014) "[http://www.winsightgrocerybusiness.com/lone-ranger The Lone Ranger]" ''Winsight Grocery Business''
* Poe, Kelly (October 7, 2016) "[http://www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2016/10/mountain_brook_western_market.html Mountain Brook Western Market announces grand opening]" {{BN}}
* Steere, Tim (January 19, 2017) "Suburban grocery store to close" {{BBJ}}
* Steere, Tim (January 19, 2017) "Suburban grocery store to close" {{BBJ}}
* Thornton, William (January 4, 2019) "Western Supermarkets disbanding, Publix to acquire 2 locations." {{BN}}
== External links ==
* [http://www.westernsupermarkets.com/ Western Supermakets] official website
* [http://www.birminghamrewound.com/western.htm Western Supermarkets page] at Birmingham Rewound


[[Category:Grocery stores]]
[[Category:Grocery stores]]
[[Category:Highland Plaza]]
[[Category:Highland Plaza]]
[[Category:Lane Parke]]
[[Category:1948 establishments]]
[[Category:2019 disestablishments]]

Revision as of 12:53, 4 January 2019

File:Western logo.jpg

Western Supermarkets Inc. was a grocery store chain based in Birmingham which operated stores under the Western Supermarket, FoodSmart by Western, Food Depot, and The Village Market brands. The corporate headquarters was located at 2614 19th Street South in Homewood.

Western Supermarkets was founded in 1948 by Inos Allen Heard and Stewart Yerton with the opening of their butcher shop in Five Points West.

In 1987, Ken Hubbard and Ed Goodwin bought the company from Heard. Hubbard, who started working as a bagger at Western in the 1960s, took over as sole owner and CEO of the company. Darwin Metcalf, previously manager of the Mountain Brook Village store, was president and chief operating officer.

In 1998, Western was the third largest grocery chain operating in Birmingham. In 2001, in an effort to compete against the many larger grocery chains, Western began tailoring each location to its area. This began with the renaming of the Festival Center location in Eastwood to FoodSmart by Western. The store's floral, seafood and deli departments were removed while a "Dollar Smart" section featuring items priced at $1 or less was added. Other examples of this local tailoring were the Mountain Brook store's extensive wine shop and the Highland Avenue location's large, "New York style" deli. Despite these adaptations, Western dropped to sixth among grocery chains operating in the city in 2003.

2001 also saw the loss of Western's then most profitable store, in Bluff Park, after the landlord decided not to renew the store's lease. The location had been there since 1967.

In 2016, the Mountain Brook Village store moved to a new location in the Lane Parke development. The original store, opened in 1959, closed at the end of the day on October 8 and the ribbon cutting for the new store took place on October 13. The new store, at 28,300 square feet, was about 5,000 square feet larger than the old one. The Lane Parke store offered an expanded deli and meat section, a mezzanine with a dining area, fresh-baked cookies, Heavenly Donuts, a growler station with 12 beer taps, and a small conference room available for community meetings.

Locations

Gallery

  • The Highland Plaza store in 2006

    The Highland Plaza store in 2006

  • Mountain Brook exterior in 2018

    Mountain Brook exterior in 2018

  • Mountain Brook interior in 2018

    Mountain Brook interior in 2018

References

External links

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