Retail Mix, Volume 2

Welcome to the Shoppes of Battery Mill!

Today I would also like to commemorate the fifth anniversary of my retail fan branding, as on this day in 2015 I launched my Flickr account which has come to this scene today. As always, thanks so much for making me what I am today and I would also like to thank y'all for the good times and wisdom provided!

Without further ado, again, let's delve into this retail photo mashup:

Photos taken August 10-October 14, 2019

Our first of several retail crossovers today, we see a basic Staples table board line the bottom of chairs at TJ Maxx. Quite unexpected?

The next few photos serve to spotlight the rest of the Mosaic District in Merrifield, VA.

Accompanying Target as a grocery anchor of the center is MOM's Organic Market, a local chain of natural foods supermarkets. In my opinion, the store inside this building is a decent grocer, however - MOM's does appear to be rather staunch in what is sold (whether you like it or not), and the interior appeared to have a rather unfinished, not-so-cozy atmosphere.

While this photo might not clearly feature retail, we have a few restaurants located within this building. To the left of the original Merrifield Towne Centre complex, you can see part of the Mosaic Center, with the Target I visited earlier to the left.

Looking across from Gallows Road leaving the Mosaic District, you see the traditional low-rise businesses that have made up Merrifield's character for decades. To the left is a Silver Diner location, part of a Mid-Atlantic chain.

On the right is a Mobil gas station. The Mobil brand is uncommon in the Northern Virginia area, their ubiquity being eschewed for the sister Exxon brand.

Moving on from Merrifield, we find ourselves at the Fairfax Wegmans. Notice anything new? (the sign, that is...)

As of the past year, a few of Wegmans' earliest locations in the area have refreshed their signage. For example, Dulles and Hunt Valley, MD have also done a changeover in addition to this store. I may admit that their sweeping new logo does not match the rather humble exterior, though I guess it does  add a touch of modernity.

A closer look at various kind of Wegmans signage here. The "Home & Entertaining" section is their testament to general merchandise with things from pots and pans to toys and books highlighted here!

The signage package is one of Wegmans' most recognizable, featuring a relaxed, yet funky modern theme. Alongside new lighting, the chain distributed this signage package chainwide sometime in the early 2010s. These respectively superseded the store's original mercury vapor fixtures and antique market-style signage. I believe this package has a solid, friendly design that is emblematic of Wegmans in this day and age.

Quite an intricate engraving at the Potomac Festival shopping center we have here.

The Festival Companies is a national retail developer which constructed numerous shopping centers in the area from the mid 1980s to the early 1990s. These centers generally abide by a homogeneous design language and featured more specialty tenants in tandem with usual strip mall shops and anchors. However over the years, it appears they have mostly sold these properties off to a multitude of other shopping center owners, all of which have applied varying changes to these centers.

Here's a quaint Savers Thrift Superstore, one of the primary anchors of the Potomac Festival center.  You can notice the center's more tropical, river-influenced vibe with the plaza icons and light color scheme that adorns the center.

Here is the Staples within the same shopping center, sporting a red facade tailor-made for the office supply chain. It is definitely interesting to see this one still open and in its traditional size, as the chain has been shrinking in recent years with a number of quiet closings (especially in this area).

Acme? At Giant? In Virginia? Seems to be a bedazzling supply chain mix-up on seafood utensils. At least you get to take home some awesome souvenirs!

Cheap snacks in the SuperTarget grocery aisle! Notice anything about the slogan? "Right on the Money" was one of Target's 1990s slogans, and it's quite a delight to see this subtle retro reminder on display here.

Going nuts for Archer Farms nut products here!
Recently Target has merged two of their older grocery brands, Archer Farms and Simply Balanced into a singular "Good & Gather" marquee. While the brand was introduced in mid-September, these products shown here continue to be under the Archer Farms distinction.

At the Manassas SuperTarget we take a quick look at a remodel... a brief one that is. The Guest Service alcove underwent a reset removing one hour photo kiosks in favor of Order Pickup shelving. Over the years Target has retired the use of photo labs in their stores as other uses for their spaces have proven more profitable. While the shift is understandable in this current retail era, I believe digital photo printing counters are not entirely outmoded and can stick around.

Starbucks? In my Chick-Fil-A? How could that be?
According to starbuckseverywhere.net (an awesome site compiling Sbux locations worldwide! , such a freestanding store is a first for the coffee chain. In 2017 Chick-Fil-A relocated to a larger site within the shopping center's parking lot, complete with a larger interior and two-lane drive-thru. Regardless of your stance on these two chains,

"Can I get a Taco Bell with a little extra Pizza Hut on the side?"

"Yes, your order is on the way."

A Taco Bell with a bit of a combination with Pizza Hut... how interesting! The store appears to have been remodeled circa 2014 - note the reflective purple piece serving as the backdrop to the Taco Bell logo and the squared architectural elements.

Walmart in a new light! If you saw my previous Retail Mix installment, you might have noticed that the Liberia Avenue Walmart removed their overhead signage. This turned out to be done for new overhead LED lighting storewide, something that was completed by the end of the year.

Finally in early 2020 the store began a full remodel, repainting walls, adding new signage and even exchanging the tile floor for concrete. More on this remodel will be coming to the blog - so stay tuned!

Next to the Manassas Best Buy, in the former Hechinger building resides a recently closed A.C. Moore, which quietly departed the center earlier in 2019 preceding their bankruptcy later that year.

There has recently been a major shakeup within the Sudley Towne Plaza as numerous tenants have left the center or modified their buildings. In addition to A.C. Moore's farewell, other chains have exited the center in the past few years. The Staples, Hard Times Café, and AutoZone ; while the neighboring Burlington store has downsized, leaving the original entrance spot empty. One has to wonder what's next for this center, despite all its successes...

All that remains of A.C. Moore's legacy in town, pointing to the next available location. With the bankruptcy however, the Fairfax location has also closed within the past few weeks.

For today's closing photo, we have a parting shot of the solemn A.C. Moore interior, already depleted of both merchandise and fixtures of all sorts.

As usual, thanks for tuning in to my latest post, and for supporting BatteryMill Retail for the past 5 years! Much more content is on the way, so as they say - the show must go on!

Food Lion - Manassas, VA: Taking Shape (Part 4)

Welcome back to the Shoppes of Battery Mill! Today, we continue the Food Lion remodel saga, exploring the changes the store has made in the month since I last visited. Lots of interesting things are here to discover, so stay tuned!

Photos taken March 7, 2020

Colors I feel could have been more fitting would have been blue to match the new logo, or at least green as it was upon opening. Nevertheless, it's nice to see Food Lion freshen their stores up.

Before we delve into the store's latest updates, we might want to pick up a store directory - something that'll come in handy as we try to navigate these topsy-turvy aisles and prepare for the final configuration upon completion.

One thing to note here is the spelling - the street, and the city it leads to are spelled Centreville, versus "Centerville" which is seen among several businesses and street signs in the area. Hopefully Food Lion corrects things next time!

This particular shot is rather standard to the prior configuration, sporting unchanged endcaps and plain shelving. As one can see, the only major changes here involve the temporary holiday shelving to the left, and the aisle markers which we will return to in a moment.

A look at the produce department. While the inviting Bloom backgrounds are gone, reduced to a plain cinderblock atmosphere, we can still rejoice in the variety of fruits and vegetables down at our level to keep us enticed.

A closeup of the previous photo, now showing the further progression of the produce wall's makeover. I'm not sure how the produce department is to look now - but I'm hoping those girders are in good condition!

Out with the Bloom swirls, in with a clean and straight blue stripe! This store is certainly getting its lion's share of the new FL style, all alongside a reset aisle catering towards ingredients. Wine products that previously occupied this aisle have been moved across the store. On the flipside, the wooden flooring and spot lighting from Bloom still remain.

Here one can see the last vestiges of the Bloom color scheme along the walls, with a tan color scheme sporting the previous shelving's residue and a brief wooden slatted portion to the left.
A water fountain, once displayed along the slatted sector, has been ironically exchanged for bottled water. Also interestingly, Poland Spring water is generally sold in the Northeastern United States, however it is not uncommon to see their products spill over into Deer Park territory, as seen here.

Shiny new aisle markers for shiny happy shopping purposes! In the past month since my last visit, Food Lion has rolled out their fleet of new aisle signage storewide. I'll say this is certainly a step-up from the previous Bloom aisle markers!

Next we tab over to the heart of the meat/seafood department. While the cases at this time remain original to their previous conditions, most of the change has been occuring along the walls. The slatted Bloom texture is likely returning to a basic drywall as evident by the insulation material. What's interesting to note is that Lowe's, another North Carolina chain, has become a supplier for the store's remodel. I'm not sure if this has appeared elsewhere, but moving on; I'm curious to see how this section will turn out.

Also, something else from this gallery; check out the photo below for a surprise!

Zooming in on the last shot, we can see a hand sanitizer station located conveniently near the store's seafood coolers/employee door. What's unique about this one, though is its' usage of the Bloom logo -
In all, isn't it something we need during this time?

Food Lion unpaved! As shelves and endcaps waltz across the store, either to their new spot or off into the wild yonder, they have left behind no drought of secrets - as seen here. Both a large Bloom tag and unidentified snippings have remained between the endcap base and the adhesive ground. Definitely needs some cleaning, that is, if this is what flooring Food Lion will go with!

This central aisle in the store is likely under major change in regards to shelving and whatnot. While work continues in the backrooms and main floorspace, stock is being held off as this aisle prepares to be reconfigured. This is likely the previous location of books/general merchandise prior to the remodel.

Here's a look down the store's frozen foods aisle, assorted with a random bargain bin and clad with freezers from before the remodel.

One thing to note is that the store's greeting card collection is parked in the far end of the aisle, located on the wooden floor which once teetered on the edge of this section, health & beauty and prepared foods. Quite an interesting move - but we'll have to see if this will be the case or not down the line.

Finishing our photoset for today, we stand along the front endcaps of the store's aisles skirting alongside the prepared foods department. With the coolers separating the aisles removed, cardboard lining the floor and product displays rearranged, it is no wonder this area has been transformed quite a bit. New lighting continues to come into place; while it isn't the simple row lights as before, the change does provide for some creative benefit.

In the background, we see the front end of the store; as of these photos' taking, the store continues to have the old Bloom checklights and blue design.


Given the rush for supplies and health circumstances, this will be my most recent visit for now. Once things ease out, more photos will be on the way with a glimpse at further remodel work. Stay safe y'all, and 'till next time!

Food Lion - Manassas, VA: Work in Progress (Part 3)

Welcome back to the Shoppes of Battery Mill! The Food Lion remodeling quest kicks into high gear today, and I hope you're here to see what's up this time around!

Photos taken February 11, 2020

The first notable change I saw at this visit was in the signage setup. The 2014 logo has officially made its debut on Northern Virginia storefronts, and it'll probably be a common sight from now on.

Our first interior shot for today spotlights the produce department's walls. Located on the right-hand side of the store, bordering on the natural/organic department, Food Lion continues to sell their usual supply of health drinks within the coolers below. However, I would like to turn the spotlight to the wall itself - what once was a backdrop glued to the wall has now been taken down, leaving the paint behind. Food Lion's new look is to be more simply formatted, with a simple coat and other art materials donning this segment.

One of the main focal points of this remodel are the store's coolers, many of which would be relocated or exchanged for new units based on marked tape. Most of these likely date back to the store's 1997 opening or the Bloom remodel (which likely repositioned spaces and added new ones such as natural/organic coolers).

Below these, however, remained tile flooring that was once prominent throughout the store. The Bloom remodel placed new wood/linoleum tiles storewide above said flooring. Later Food Lions (from the "Millennium"/"Stripes" eras)  retained most of their existing tilework, with the exception of wooden flooring where applicable. With this remodel, it is unclear as to whether the Bloom patterns will remain, or if said fixtures will be stripped for a fresh coat of paint on the original.

The writing's on the (cinderblock) wall - the store number, and some "porduce" {sic: produce} thing to be exact. I am not sure when this was written, however it does have something to do with the shuffling of coolers within the store from what I know.

We turn our attention to the back actionway, where meat and seafood products are largely featured. This has become one of the most active areas of change within the store; a lighting lattice that once adorned this part of the store has been removed, while the signature Bloom wall decor has been peeled off as well. Edging upon the wall, some may notice inset lighting is also being reinstated, some segments of which have not been present since the Bloom remodel. What an interesting turn of events I say!

Our final photo today focuses on the prepared foods department, one that is very much evolving from its Bloom-era form. Gone are the round overhead liners and wraparound coolers, in exchange for light tiles and an open layout, as with other facets of the store. The deli and bakery to the left remain open under usual hours at this point.

Thanks for reading today! As always, we hope you enjoyed this post, and are staying safe in this time of uncertainty. This blog will be continuing to provide more awesome retail content to fill the gap, so as always; stay tuned!