Checking Out: The End of Genuardi's

There one stands - a vacant and empty anchor at the at Forty Foot and Allentown roads.

There's another - still full of life, but desperately needing a makeover, at Church Road and Sumneytown Pike in Upper Gwynedd.

Yet another anchors a shopping center in Spring House at Bethlehem Pike and Sumneytown Pike in Lower Gwynedd.

The Genuardi's supermarket chain was once a bustling, top-of-its-class supermarket that offered superior customer service and even more superior grocery selections.

It was the Wegmans of its day; a precursor to Whole Foods.

When the family-owned chain sold out to Safeway in 2001, its customer service, premier selections and history went with it.

Now, a decade later, Safeway is giving up 16 of its Genuardi's chains to . It is also selling off another eight Genuardi's to prospective buyers and shuttering the remaining three.

The Philadelphia Inquirer takes a historical look at the rise and fall of one of our area's most respected supermarket chains.