Doo-Wop Wildwood

Wildwood Crest man in the market for history
By TRUDI GILFILLIAN Staff Writer, (609) 463-6716
Published: Thursday, December 29, 2005
Updated: Thursday, December 29, 2005

WILDWOOD-The doo-wop-inspired Acme grocery store now under construction on Park Boulevard is a sign of the future for the grocery chain, but it also is a chance for local historian David Williams to document the past.

"I do about eight projects a year. I try to look for things that are local, unique and important to the community. Feeding people is important and a part of our history," Williams said.

As the Acme undergoes a doo-wop transformation, borrowing design elements and colors from the island's motels of the 1950s and 1960s, Williams, whose wife, Theresa, works for Acme, is trying to put together a history of the Acme stores and their predecessors, the American Stores, in the Wildwoods.

According to Wikipedia, the Internet encyclopedia, Acme Markets was founded in 1891 in Philadelphia and merged with several other stores to become the American Stores Co. in 1917.

Williams, a member of the board of directors of the Wildwood Crest Historical Society, has found pictures and other documentation of the stores that once straddled Five Mile Beach's busy streets like Pacific Avenue.

Along the way he has met former employees who have shared their Acme experiences.

"The island is small enough that the people working there get to know everybody," he said

He also recorded the former Acme's last day of operation in February and its demolition. The new Acme is likely to open in the spring.

By that time, Williams hopes he has added to his collection and come up with a thorough look at the people and the stores that have served the island since it earliest days as a resort.

Williams is now asking local residents for their help, and in particular is looking for stories and photographs about the American Stores and the Acme Markets.

Anyone interested in this community history project is asked to contact Williams at 729-4515.

To e-mail Trudi Gilfillian at The Press: TGilfillian@pressofac.com