kmart

Ohio Capital Region closing

kmart along with their sister chain Sears have been in decline in recent years unable to compete with Walmart, Target, and amazon as other rivals like Caldor, Ames, Jamesway, Woolco and Hills have shut their doors.  kmart had several stores in CNY (Cortland, Liverpool and Mattydale remain for the time being) and beyond that lost their blue light:

deWitt - NY 5; now Dicks
Nedrow - US 11; later a flea market
Syracuse - Western Lights; later Herb Phillipsons
New Hartford - NY 5A
Fulton - NY 481
Auburn - NY 5
Oswego - NY 104 (TBA)
Syracuse - downtown; later CVS; now a beauty supply
Colonie - NY 5
Reynoldsburg, OH (pictured)
Kingston - NY 32 and US 9W
Ithaca - NY 13/34/96

All vacant or unknown unless otherwise indicated.

E85 in CNY

E85 at a pump in Wescoville, PA (Allentown/Bethlehem area)

E85 (ethanol) fuel has been elusive for those with FlexFuel vehicles in CNY (mainly GM and Chrysler).  The last place to have it was Fastrac on NY 3 & 481 in Fulton until a few years ago when they switched to the opposite (Ethanol Free 91) for boats, older and luxury cars.  Most regular fuel in North America now has 10% ethanol but it's not the same.  Sunoco (shown here) turned part of the old Miller plant a couple miles away into an ethanol plant yet there isn't an E85 pump like you see here in Lehigh Valley near Syracuse.  Rochester has the closest ones if not somewhere on the way on the Thruway.  A Mobil in Albany on US 20 has it too.  A place in Homer in Cortland County may have as well but even in a small town, I can't find much to go on.  Tops and ShopRite (also in the Capital Region) should offer this.  Existing Speedways in the Midwest do and should add it when they open original stores (as opposed to ex-Hess ones).  I'll do a post on just that later.  E85 also tends to cost less than normal 87 octane.  It varies across the country.  It only makes sense to get it out of town if you're staying there a period or need to fill up or there's no point.  There's also E10 and E15 in some areas and states, but E85 is the one that I know.  Wood chips and ag waste is also used to make E-fuels.  You can't even get leaded gas in the US anymore (vintage cars now use lead substitute here).
The corn crop is limited here as it is with the difficult spring having an effect on the harvest.  Maize is more of a priority for food than motorcars yet there must be fields that are only used by Big Oil.

Travelodge

Bay Area location

This one will be a change of pace.  Travelodge are part of the Wyndham conglomerate, but currently have no locations in CNY like some of their sister chains do.  The only place I can think of for them now is the former Hampton Inn & Suites (owned by rivals Hilton) on 7th North Street in Liverpool as they moved around the corner to Buckley and Elwood Davis Roads where another competitor Ramada Inn used to be.  It's a bit of a challenge as to where else they could open coming up with ideas like I can for other things.  I do see closed and abandoned motels, but they're usually in spots that don't get the same kind of traffic anymore as these low-rent roadside inns have declined in the past few generations since the motorways were built, and we all know the adage of location, location, location.  The spot I know of is just that as it's right near the major crossroads of I-81 and I-90 (NYS Thruway) as well as close to the airport, Destiny USA, SU, downtown and the city.  It'd be good to have another place for people to stay, especially during peak periods such as major holidays and special events as they can fill up as just as much as they can in major areas like downstate and San Antonio, TX for that matter.
Travelodge however were in Syracuse in the past at 454 James Street (NY 290 at US 11) just east of downtown and south of the north side.  It became an Econo Lodge (franchise owners often switch chains) and is now Choice Hotels sister chain Quality Inn.  Seeing a couple vintage postcards of other past locations had reminded me, so maybe now Travelodge can come full circle in CNY.  Little Falls in Herkimer County is the closest one at this time (small town).
UPDATE: The franchise owners of the Hampton will bring its sister brand Tru by Hilton to the old site (another one Tapestry will be at Hotel Skyler on SU Hill).  Maybe a Travelodge could be built across Buckley Road from the Hampton instead where indie motel United Inn was demolished several years ago.  Carnegie who run Maplewood Inn around the block (a former Days Inn) and bought out Pier 57 on Ct Rt 57 in Bayberry could convert Maplewood into a Travelodge.  I just know it has to be a part of town where there is the traffic and demand are enough to accommodate someone new to the area looking for a place for the night at short notice either on the fly or close to a peak period.  Even Northern Lights on US 11 in North Syracuse, which has little going on these days, could be torn down, except for where business still exists, of course, to build Travelodge since it's right near the airport and Thruway.  Could require certain zoning if I'm not mistaken.
UPDATE II: The former leMoyne Manor on Old Liverpool Road in Galeville would also work.

South Beach Tanning

No free photo of South Beach available

Now here's a post that George Hamilton can relate to! The closure of Zoom Tan and Total Tan in deWitt due to a merger opens the idea of a rival chain South Beach Tanning coming to CNY.  The franchise in Webster just outside Rochester is the closest one right now.  Good to try something new as far as a business possibility:

deWitt (Erie Blvd E) - former Total Tan, Marshalls Plaza, NY 5
deWitt (Nottingham Rd) - former Zoom Tan
Westvale - former Dance Centre, NY 5
Liverpool - former Verizon Wireless, NY 31
Auburn - Fingerlakes Mall, NY 5 & US 20
New Hartford - Sangertown Square, NY 5 & 5A
Cortland - Riverside Plaza, NY 13
Syracuse - Destiny USA
North Syracuse - US 11
Fulton - former Eckerd/Fays, NY 481
Albany - Colonie Centre, NY 5

Mobil

Typical location

After winning a gift card for Mobil in a competition, it dawned on me that they have fewer locations than in the past.  Exxon (formerly Esso; name used outside the US today) had a few in CNY as well prior to their reunion with Mobil as descendants of Standard Oil Company.

North Syracuse, US 11 & Bear Rd, now abandoned
Liverpool (Bayberry) - Ct Rt 57 and John Glenn Blvd*
Liverpool - Henry Clay Blvd and Buckley Road*
Liverpool (Galeville) - 7th North St and Buckley Rd*
Liverpool (village) - Ct Rt 57, now Valero
Liverpool (Sugarwood Corners) - Buckley and Bear Rds; later Valero; now Gulf.
Clay - NY 31 & 481*
Syracuse (Eastwood) - Grant Blvd and Teall Ave, now Citgo
Fairmount (Exxon) - NY 5, now Carrs Automotive
Onondaga (Exxon) - NY 175, now Nice 'n Easy
Syracuse (east side) - NY 5 and Teall Ave, now PriceRite
Syracuse (west side) - Delaware and Grand Aves, now indie
Syracuse (north side) - US 11, now Valero
Syracuse (south side) - S Salina St, now indie (one at NY 173 & US 11 still open)
deWitt - NY 5*
Upstate NY (various) - I-90*
Fulton - NY 481 and Ct Rt 57, Babcock Oil Co., now Gulf

*now Sunoco

The Old Spaghetti Factory

Toronto location.

A relative in Maricopa County in the Arizona Capital Region had mentioned The Old Spaghetti Factory which I confused with a local place in my area called Spaghetti Warehouse.  As Italian food is in my tomato sauce blood, I thought this is the next post.  Too easy to go to their competitor The Olive Garden around here.  Only so many Italian chains not counting pizza or even calzones.

deWitt - former TGI Fridays, Shoppingtown Mall, NY 5
Syracuse (east side) - former Titled Kilt, NY 5 & 635
Clay - former Ruby Tuesdays, Great Northern Mall, NY 31 & 481
Westvale - former Pep Boys and Genesee Theatre, NY 5
Syracuse (north side) - former Unos or Ruby Tuesday, Destiny USA
Watertown - former Tilted Kilt, NY 3
Oswego - former Ponderosa or west side, NY 104
Cortland - Riverside Plaza, NY 13
Fulton - former Fays/Eckerd/Rite Aid, NY 481
Baldwinsville, former Rite Aid, Downer St
Auburn - former Walgreens or Fingerlakes Mall, NY 5 & US 20
Rochester, former CVS/pharmacy, NY 15
Irondequoit - former Keenans, off NY 104
Westvale - former Morgans, Fay Road
Liverpool - former Canales, CR 57
East Syracuse - former Carmellas Café, Bridge St
Cicero, former McDonalds, E Circle Dr
New Hartford - Sangertown Square, NY 5 & 5A
Oneida - former Tim Hortons, NY 5

Arby's former CNY locations

Former Liverpool location

Arby's are unique having roast beef instead of burgers.  I go once a month.  However, like their two competitors there are a number of closed locations:

Clay - Great Northern Mall, NY 31 & 481
Liverpool - Ct. Rt. 57 (above; local franchise office down the road)
Oswego, NY 104
deWitt - Shoppingtown, NY 5
Hyde Park, US 9 (I haven't been this way much in recent years)
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area: Scranton, Kingston, Pine Grove, Lycoming Mall, Wyoming Valley Mall and Schuykill Mall (according to ABC 16 WNEP)