The Independent Edition

Mahanoy City Food Store Owner: James Agosti Opened:  1990 under current ownership Cooperative:  none Location:  28 S Main St, Mahanoy City, PA Photographed:  November 29, 2019 Welcome to Mahanoy City! With a population of 3500, it's not exactly most people's idea of a city, but it's certainly not the smallest town in the area. And right near the middle of the town is the Mahanoy City Food Store, a grocer of around 5300 square feet that definitely leans more towards full grocery store than convenience store but is rather small. The outside has changed a bit in the last 30 years , but not too much. I'm not positive for just how long this store has been in business, but it's certainly an institution in Mahanoy City. On the website linked above, definitely check out the former pitched-roof ACME in Mahanoy City, too. Heading in, we see that the store is a bit like an oversized convenience store but has a pretty solid grocery selection too. Mahanoy City no longer has a f

Berger's Market Owner: Paul Berger Opened:  1973-2021 Cooperative:  none Location:  30 Lovers Ln, Pine Grove, PA Photographed:  November 29, 2019 Welcome to Bergers Market! This supermarket is the larger of two in Pine Grove, although at just 29,000 square feet, it's not all that large. And I suppose I should stop talking about this store in the present tense -- after almost 50 years, the supermarket was sold in 2021 to Boyer's, whose stores we've seen around this area in Lansford and Tamaqua (with more in the next few days). Although this store had only been open for about 50 years, the history goes back farther than that. The Reading Eagle did an excellent piece on the store's history two years ago when it was sold. The store has also been expanded multiple times, most recently in the 1990s, which this website captured in its picture. We're going to tour the store as it was when I visited in late 2019, although I understand Boyer's has remodeled the s

BG's Value Market Owner: Dianne Koval Opened:  unknown Cooperative:  none Location:  24 Pleasant Valley Rd, Pine Grove, PA Photographed:  November 29, 2019 In the little town of Pine Grove, BG's Value Market (which we most recently saw in Minersville ) has made their home in a 12,500 square foot former pitched-roof ACME. It appears ACME closed in 1995 and shortly thereafter the store re-opened as a BG's. In fact, there's actually a picture of BG's having its grand opening here . BG's renovated the store later, but really only changed the outside. I'm not sure how much they did to the inside, since it doesn't exactly look like an ACME inside but also doesn't look like any work was done recently. And it's amazing how much they pack into the tiny store. You enter in the front left with customer service on the left side wall. Produce lines the left side of the store, with meat, deli, and bakery on the back wall. There's a little alcove or two fo