Picture Enfield - Then and Now

ENFIELD, CT — Today's installment of this weekly Enfield history series, courtesy of the Facebook group Picture Enfield, visits an innovative grocery store of the late 1970s and early 1980s which was smack dab in the middle of town: Enfield Food Warehouse.

Located in a small strip plaza at 138 South Road, the store was a precursor to the warehouse-style outlets that were to follow, such as Edwards Super Food Store; expansion of simple grocery stores into one-stop supermarkets, like Stop & Shop and Big Y; and discount price clubs, such as Costco and Sam's.

The products advertised in the store windows include sausage for $1.59/lb. (currently around $3/lb.); Cremora coffee creamer for $1.59 (now $2.99); Prince curly lasagna for 49 cents (now $2.49); and Canada Dry mixers at 2 for 89 cents (now $1.09 for one).

The owners of the store helped support community organizations and schools. Here is an ad in the 1982 Enfield High School yearbook.

The beleaguered plaza, once vibrant and full of a variety of businesses since its construction in 1960, is virtually empty, following the recent departures of a convenience store and a pizza restaurant. Only a Chinese takeout food facility remains; it will soon be joined by a reptile education center. Here is a more recent photo of a portion of the plaza.

(Tim Jensen/Patch Media Corp.)

Last week's trivia answer:
Last week's trivia question was, "After what former Enfield resident is the South River Street boat launch named?" The answer: Donald W. Barnes, who was a longtime member of the town's Fish & Game unit.

Mike Dynia of Enfield puts his watercraft into the Connecticut River at the Donald Barnes boat launch in Thompsonville. (Tim Jensen/Patch Media Corp.)

This week's trivia question:
In 1984, Edwards Food Warehouse opened in the then-brand new Brookside Plaza on Hazard Avenue, at the site of the current ShopRite. What was the name of Edwards' parent company, based in Connecticut, which had previously operated another grocery store in town? Post the answer in the comments section below, or on the Enfield Patch Facebook page.