The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company was founded in 1859, and quickly reached market dominance due to the fact that they imported tea directly from Chinese plantations, allowing them to keep prices down. By 1876 there were 67 stores, with a flagship on Vesey Street.
In 1912, they branched out from tea and coffee and started selling general foodstuffs, which allowed them to expand to 1600 stores by 1915. Around this time, the name was shorteded to A&P, and by adding items like butter, bread, produce, and meat to the shelves, which used to require trips to different stores to purchase, they pioneered the modern grocery store format.
In the above photo, taken in 1914, you can see them trying out the new name in a smaller sign just below the main one. Tea and coffee are still the main draw, filling the window displays, but signage directly behind the woman advertises butter, cheese, eggs, and "fancy groceries": the beginnings of the supermarket as we know it.
While the upper windows and surrounding brownstone remains intact, the storefront, between Seventh Avenue and Prospect Place, is today home to the rather sketchy Oasis Spa.
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