5 Supermarkets Around Michigan That Locals Still Think About

If you live in West Michigan, there is a 0% chance that you've never been to Meijer. The supermarket chain originated in Greenville and has since become synonymous with Michigan and Midwest living, to the point that anytime a friend from out of state comes to town, showing them Meijer becomes a rite of passage.

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But as popular as Meijer is, plenty of us have had other stores we've gone to over the years that may not be around anymore, but still live on in our hearts. Like Hardings in Wayland, a store that's still around today and was my family's go-to much of my childhood.

Do you remember these other supermarkets around Michigan?

A&P

For over 150 years, A&P stores were one of the most prominent supermarket chains in the country, acquiring grocery store chains as it spread its iconic red-and-white logo across the country, even expanding into Ontario in the 1980s. However, this expansion ultimately proved its downfall, after a slow decline that led to its doors closing in 2015.

Farmer Jack

The closure of Farmer Jack's, ironically, goes hand in hand with A&P's downfall. The Detroit Grocery chain Farmer Jack originated in downtown Detroit in 1965 and spread across much of eastern Michigan.

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In 1989, A&P bought Farmer Jack and rebranded all its A&P stores in Michigan as Farmer Jack, bringing 100 stores under its umbrella. However, as mentioned earlier, A&P overexpanded and couldn't keep up with Meijer and Kroger, and it began closing stores in 2003 before shuttering in 2007.

IGA Supermarkets

IGA Grocery Stores are unique in that they are local, independent grocery stores supported by the overall IGA brand. Many of the IGA stores Michiganders have visited over the last couple of decades have since come and gone. Only 2 IGA stores remain in the lower peninsula.

Great Scott!

Michiganders will be very familiar with Great Scott!, the Detroit-born grocery store chain that rivaled Farmer Jack for many years. Following its slogan "cause we love you!, Great Scott! was known for its excellent customer service. It got its start in 1953 and grew to 38 locations. Much like its fellow Detroit-based store, it was bought and saw its sales dwindle, ultimately closing in 1990.

Chatham Grocery Stores

Chatham Grocery Stores was a grocery store chain that was very focused on creating a store for the neighborhood, emphasizing building community within its stores rather than just being a store in the community. It started in 1947 and expanded to 45 locations by 1980.

But the 80s are also when things took a turn, with the chain being sold in 1985. It quickly fell into financial ruin after the new owner was found guilty of embezzlement and drove the chain into bankruptcy.