Inspired by @WestEndCassidy's MUST READ blog, went on a treasure hunt bike ride this weekend to find the little old buildings that were once Safeway grocery stores, hidden on local streets across Winnipeg. A lost part of the city’s DNA. Thread 1/14
http://westenddumplings.blogspot.com/2010/03/safeway-in-winnipeg-part-1-setting-up.html

Winnipeg was the first city in Canada to have Safeway grocery stores. The company built 8 identical stores that all opened on October 18, 1929.
Amazingly 5 of the buildings still exist. 2/14
110 Sherbrook (store #1)
247 Lilac
535 Osborne
719 St. Matthews
595 Broadway

The original stores can be identified by a sloped terra cotta tile roof between a decorative column at each front corner. If you know what you are looking for, you can find one among the storefronts on almost every neighbourhood commercial street in Winnipeg. 3/14

Safeway had an aggressive expansion plan and within two months of the first stores opening, another 9 opened. Six are still standing. 4/14
893 Portage
1331 Portage
1411 Main (the largest original store)
129 Marion
581 Sargent
227 Henderson

The building at 893 Portage suffered significant damage to its original storefront when a driver collided with the building a few years ago, shortly after it had been beautifully restored. The reconstruction was less sensitive to the original design. 5/14
http://westenddumplings.blogspot.com/2017/06/former-safeway-at-893-portage-gets.html

Eight more Safeway stores were opened in 1932. Of those, four are still standing. 6/14
425 Selkirk
1849 Portage (now home to one of Winnipeg’s oldest restaurants)
605 Main
1 St. Anne's

By the late 1930’s new stores would no longer incorporate the familiar tile roof design. Four stores built before 1938 are still standing. 7/14
87 Isabel
1784 Logan
1793 Main
222 St Mary's

Safeway’s main competitor, Piggly Wiggly also came to Winnipeg in 1929 and built 22 similar sized stores. In 1936, Safeway bought Piggly Wiggly and converted several. 8/14
12 Piggly Wiggly’s still stand, including:
775 Westminster
700 Osborne
615 Ellice
467 Sargent
1821 Portage

Several of the Piggly Wiggly stores were next to Safeway’s including on Lilac Street where the current Food Fare was a Safeway and Café Carlo was a Piggly Wiggly. 9/14

By 1940, Safeway Stores began to get bigger. The only remaining store from this era is on Broadway. The first Safeway at River and Osborne was also one of this type. 10/14

For many decades Canada Safeway was headquartered in Winnipeg’s Exchange District. The ghost sign can still be seen on the building today. 11/14

Finding the city’s history, hidden in plain sight is always a fun experience. The small grocery stores from 1929-1940 dot Winnipeg’s neighbourhood main streets, still supporting many local businesses. 12/14

Thank you again to @WestEndCassidy who has located these buildings on a helpful map for anyone who wants to explore. Read his blog and go for a fun journey through Winnipeg’s great neighbourhoods. 13/14
https://www.communitywalk.com/winnipeg_mb/old_winnipeg_safeways/map/491980?hc%5B%5D=5327997&hc%5B%5D=5327998&hc%5B%5D=5328000&hc%5B%5D=5328001&hc%5B%5D=5328002&hc%5B%5D=5328003&hc%5B%5D=5328004&hc%5B%5D=5328005&hc%5B%5D=5328006&hc%5B%5D=5328007#101%3C0010749.3H;p7-97.R240

The sad part is that riding around all of Winnipeg’s neighbourhood high streets, only one (Sherbrook) had any kind of cycling infrastructure. We can bring new life to these streets by making them better for people who are not driving. This lane on St. Matthews didn’t count.
END

Not to leave out Winnipeg’s best suburb, there’s a 1929 Safeway on Regent Avenue. A testament to how big Transcona was a century ago, with its own bustling high street.

Piggly Wiggly is an interesting side story to this. In 1916, in the southern US they became the first modern grocery store - the first to allow customers to go through the store to gather their goods. They introduced checkout stands, shopping carts and individually priced items.

Piggly Wiggly came to Canada aggressively in 1929. Same year as Safeway. They built 179 stores in the first six years and then in 1935 sold everything to Safeway. At their peak in the US they had 2,660 stores. Today they have 500 stores in 17 states. They never returned to Canada

Safeway operated both chains under distinct banners for several years. In 1937, there were 31 Safeway stores and 22 Piggly Wigglys in Winnipeg. Many were located on the same block, like on Sherbrook Street. Stella’s Bakery was a Safeway and Handsome Daughter was a Piggly Wiggly.

The old Safeway stores can be identified by their terra cotta tile roof, and old Piggly Wiggly stores had a flat front with an elevated sign board in the middle like this example in Osborne Village. The corner columns were square, unlike the pyramid topped Safeway stores.

Because people generally walked to the grocery, stores were plentiful. Academy Road as an example had 4 grocery stores, Safeway, 2 Piggly Wiggly’s and a Red and White store (still standing at 472). GJ Andrews grocery was a Piggly Wiggly.

In 1940, Safeway opened a larger store on Academy Road, moving across the street and opening where the 7/11 is today. A Safeway remained at that location until the 1970’s.

Red & White stores were affiliated with a large (still existing) US chain but were mostly found in small Canadian towns. They had 40 locations in Winnipeg and were independently owned, with no typical building type.
Some former locations remain:
1665 Main
128 Lipton
472 Academy

Jewel was another American chain (Chicago) that had 5 locations in Winnipeg. They also did not have unique building types.
127 Lilac (Lilac had a Safeway, Piggly Wiggly & Jewel beside each other)
591 Broadway (beside a 1929 Safeway)
592 Main (across from a 1929 Safeway)
620 Ellis

The late 1920’s and 30’s saw an invasion of grocery store chains from the United States. Safeway, Piggly Wiggly, Jewel and Red and White. The little buildings they once inhabited today form the DNA of our neighbourhood main streets. Winnipeg’s lost history sitting in plain view.