The Market Report

Our last installment in the Northeastern PA week series is barely even in Northeastern PA. Mount Pocono, PA is about 30 miles south of Scranton and is a much less remote location than any of the others we've seen this week. And, we're looking at an old friend, a ShopRite! This store, at 89 PA-940, is owned by William Bracey, who previously ran this store and another in Daleville as ShurSave stores. However, although he switched to the Wakefern cooperative around 2005, his company is still Bill's ShurSave Supermarkets! Both locations have gas stations and convenience stores as well, and the Daleville store even features a drive-through pharmacy. The store here in Mount Pocono was recently remodeled, and it looks fantastic . The ShopRite-branded gas station and convenience store is just around the corner from the supermarket. The two Bill's ShopRite gas stations join a corporate SRS-owned gas station up in Albany, NY, as well as a Klein's ShopRite Gas-N-Go ...

Troy, PA--not to be confused with the more famous Troy, NY , home of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute--is a small town of 1300 about halfway between Wyalusing and Sayre , although farther west than either. Actually, Towanda, PA is almost exactly halfway between the two, and Troy is as far west of Towanda as Towanda is from either Wyalusing and Sayre. But anyway... Troy has that iconic Pennsylvania downtown main street, shown here at the end of Canton St. We're going to take a look at the supermarket just outside of the incorporated community, a Tops Market at 684 Elmira St. This Tops looks to have the same decor package as the location in Tannersville, NY, which you can see a tour of here . I don't know whether Troy was ever a Grand Union, though, as that one was.

Welcome to Wyalusing, PA! It's a little less than 50 miles northwest of Scranton and, as of a 2016 estimate, its population is just 565. However, it does have a small downtown area and  a full service, newly renovated supermarket. The supermarket is Connie's Supermarket, an independently owned store that appears to be affiliated with Western Family Foods or AWI of York, PA. The facade was recently redone here. I really like the new design, since it's very modern but it's not overwhelming. There's lots of glass, which is nice, although it is only a facade. Here's a look at how the store used to look... I would say that's an improvement, but it doesn't look like a small-town supermarket anymore, that's for sure. The store is located at 41841 US-6, Wyalusing, PA. You can see interior pictures here and here .

Not quite so far in the corner of the state as Sayre , we stop in Clarks Summit which is just north of Scranton. The Weis Markets is located at 1020 Northern Blvd in South Abington Township, just outside of Clarks Summit proper. I've always liked this store model for Weis. It's modern (even though it's over 20 years old, although this location is less than 10 years old), and it's imposing but not unwelcoming. And speaking of imposing, this Weis sits just next to an immense highway bridge that brings INT-476 over a valley containing US-11/Northern Blvd. We can get an impressive view of the supermarket from the overpass, although it's obscured slightly by fences lining the bridge:

Stopping quickly in Sayre, PA, a small town about 18 miles southeast of Elmira, NY, so it's very far northeast. We see the ALDI here under construction with much of the parking lot torn up and holding construction equipment. However, the interior of the store is fully operational. Since my visit, the store has been finished. Unlike many smaller chains, ALDI focuses heavily on exterior renovations in their store remodels. You can see here that there is access to the entrance and exit doors with a fence around the construction areas. Strangely, there is very little signage on the storefront except that small "We're open during construction" banner that very much blends in! I will assure you that there was no work being done at the time of my visit. Otherwise, I clearly could not have gotten this picture! When I was little, I loved construction equipment and I still hold a certain fascination for it, so I couldn't pass up the chance to photograph an u...

Next week is... That's right, The Market Report will be heading up to the northeastern part of the state of Pennsylvania, an area that we don't cover much mostly because I'm rarely in that region. We'll have five Snapshots this week as we move across the northeastern corner of Pennsylvania. Come back on Monday for our first post!