Safeway in the 1960s San Francisco began the 1960s with 32 Safeway stores, some dating from the late 1930s. Over the course of the decade, 15 of these older stores closed, while 7 new ones opened, leaving a net total of 24 San Francisco stores in 1970. Safeway operated a virtual museum of supermarket history in San Francisco at this point. Inside you will find vintage and current photos of Safeway stores from the 1920s to the present, along with something of a company history. Enjoy. In this section Safeway History Safeway Divisions, 1929 Safeway Divisions, 1932 The New Way at Safeway (1958) Two photos, grabbed long ago from some Virginia Tech website (I think) that show amazing early 1950s interiors from an Safeway store somewhere in Virginia. Actually, I’m betting the store itself dates from the 1940s. Safeway, 7th Avenue, San Francisco (1959-2007) 8 January 2007Closing0 Comments One of my favorite Safeway locations in San Francisco apparently closed last night. The small-scale Marina-type store on Seventh Avenue is to be torn down and replaced with a new “lifestyle” format store with rooftop parking. Sent to me several years ago by Daniel, who participates on the Groceteria Message Board, this 1982 video capture is from a TV news story on the closing of a Marina Safeway in Visalia, California, just south of Fresno. It’s a nice shot of a then-intact interior from the middle to late 1960s. This is a list of all chain grocery locations my research has uncovered in Sacramento between 1924 and 1980, compiled from city directories, telephone books, and other sources. There may be some omissions due to incomplete or missing data, etc. and I welcome suggestions and corrections. Please read about my methodology for more information about what I do and do not include. Location list View. A great photo of a 1960s Safeway in Blackfen, in southeast London, sent to me by Nic Ayling. It’s rare to find photos of UK Safeway stores from this era. He also included some interiors (of a different store, I believe) that demonstrate how Safeway was using more or less the same designs on both sides of the Atlantic in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The 1930s Consolidation was the buzzword of the 1930s. While the economics of the Great Depression forced the closing of numerous stores, San Francisco’s net number of chain grocery retailers was further reduced by mergers and the beginnings of the supermarket concept. Safeway Grows and Consolidates Safeway, 404 Dewey Street (SF Library). In the early 1930s, Safeway was operating its stores. Safeway has also drastically modified many of its original stores. In 1998, the landmark store on Market Street in San Francisco was remodeled into a super-sized post-modern nightmare, with only the hint of an arch and the enormous tower sign being preserved. Vons purchased many stores from Safeway in 1988, giving Safeway a stake in the company. Safeway acquired the remainder in 1997; Fresno County is the dividing line between the Safeway and Vons banners, although the actual stores are more or less indistinguishable anyway.