Since moving back to Maine in 2016, I have been a one grocery store man.
I always shopped at the same grocery store chain. Most of the time, I shopped at the same grocery store.
Recently, though, I have began to be a little more adventurous when it comes to grocery stores. While they all offer the same common products, what they carry for specialty products, like frozen meals and international sauces/rubs, can vary greatly. Okay, so I had no idea how lame that all sounded until I typed the words.
Lately, I have been going to Shaw's on Western Avenue in Augusta a couple of times a week. Their deli/hot bar has a few different options than the other place.
During a recent visit to the store, something caught my eye.
If you are a regular shopper at the Shaw's location on Western Avenue in Augusta you have probably noticed that the store has been going through some changes recently.
The store has been going through a fairly significant remodel. I have to hand it to the workers doing the remodel because the disruption to the operation of the store seems to be fairly minimal. Yes, I am sure that most of the work is being done at night, but if it weren't for the plastic hung up over certain areas, you'd never know that the remodel was happening.
A few days ago, the store held a grand reopening to show off the remodel.
One of the coolest parts of the celebration was to bring in an old Shaw's delivery truck.
The plaque in the window of the truck explains that it is a restored 1946 Chevy 1/2 Ton Panel Van. If you were alive back in the 40s and 50s, you would have seen trucks like this driving all over Portland delivering groceries.
Like many grocery stores in the days before we had supermarkets with aisles and aisles of products, Shaw's used to deliver food to customer's homes. Customers would drop off, or phone in, a list, the items would be packed into boxes, and they would be brought to the customer's home. When Shaw's first opened in the 1860s, this was done by horse-drawn wagons. Then, throughout the first part of the 20th century, this was done in delivery vans.
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It's impressive to consider the thousands of people in Maine who frequently utilize the delivery and curbside options provided by numerous retailers. It's fascinating to think how we've circled back to this concept.
I am not entirely sure how much longer the truck will be parked at Shaw's, but if you have a chance you should stop by to take a look.