Ames: 20 Years On

Twin Tiers location in Chemung County

 If you thought Grand Union coming back from retail heaven was unexpected, now Ames are reportedly returning from the dead.  I can list selected past locations that I remember in CNY and beyond, and possible new ones.  A real article suggested Syracuse, so that's a good sign. The chain closed in 2002 unable to compete with Walmart (Target had yet to grow in the Northeast, and Connecticut competitor Caldor had closed a few years before).  I still have one of the last things I ever bought there.  Writing this before the window closes on the anniversary.  The new owners have also bought Bradlees, which I never got to visit.  Not associated with the Ames in Cumberland County in the PA Capital Region.

Past locations:

Syracuse (Lyncourt) - Shop City; later Chinese buffet and Eckerd (after former Fays closed); now Dollar Tree (since 2002), Rite Aid and Powerhouse Gym

Syracuse (north side) - Destiny USA; previously Hills; later Sports Authority, now At Home

North Syracuse - Northern Lights, US 11; previously Zayre, later Staples, now vacant

Chittenango - Chittenango Plaza, NY 5; later Name Brand Deals, now YBR Casino

deWitt - Marshalls Plaza, NY 5; previously Hills, became Marshalls Homegoods by 2003

Cicero - Penn Can Mall; previously Hills, now Roger Burdicks Drivers Village Used Car Warehouse

Baldwinsville - Downer St.; now Thrifty Shopper, Real Deals and Family Dollar

Auburn - NY 5; closed mid-'80s, later Nichols (no relation to Liverpool store)

West Seneca - South Gate Plaza, NY 277; previously Brand Names and Grants

Cheektowaga - Garden View Plaza, NY 277; previously Hills (not as familiar with WNY)

Pulaski - NY 13; previously Zayre, now demolished?

Rome - NY 46 (Freedom Plaza or Black River Blvd.?)

Glenmont - US 9W & Fuera Bush Rd; now Marshalls and other stores (the one Capital Region location I can remember)

Kingston - Kingston Plaza, US 9W; previously Jamesway (not going to put all the Hudson Valley ones up)

New Paltz - US 9W & NY 299 (haven't been to Ulster County since 2000)

Hyde Park - US 9; previously Jamesway, vacant for years (may have gone to this one when I lived up the road and even tried getting a job there)

Palatine Bridge - Dutchtown Plaza, NY 5 & 10; vacant (visible from Thruway in small town)

Fairmount - Fairmount Fair; closed when chain acquired Hills in 1998 and absorbed Camillus store, now various stores like Five Below, Famous Footwear and Ulta Beauty

Camillus - Camillus Plaza; previously Hills, demolished in 2006 for Walmart Supercenter

Cortland - NY 13 or 281? (even small towns can be hard to dig up information straight away)

Ithaca - The Shops at Ithaca Mall, NY 34; previously Hills; now Regal Cinemas

Horseheads - Lake Rd (old NY 17?) & CR 51; now vacant (pictured)

Future locations:

Syracuse - Destiny USA; former JCPenney or Lord & Taylor (a source said that the new chain wanted a two-storey flagship anchor there, and one of these is fish in a barrel)

New Hartford - Sangertown Square, NY 5 & 5A; former Macys (even though Target are there) or New Hartford Shopping Center; former Herb Phillipsons

Auburn - Fingerlakes Mall, US 20 & NY 5; former Sears

Albany - Crossgates Mall, US 20.; former Caldor/Best Buy

Victor - Eastview Mall, NY 96; former Lord & Taylor

Amherst/Williamsville/Clarence - Shops at Main (and) Transit, NY 78; former Best Buy

Watertown - Salmon Run Mall, NY 3; former Bon-Ton

Massena - St Lawrence Centre, NY 37; former Sears

Johnson City - Oakdale Mall, NY 201; former Burlington

Ithaca - NY 13/34/96; former Tops

Fulton - River Glen Plaza, NY 481; former kmart

Cortland - Riverside Plaza, NY 13; former flea market

Herkimer - former kmart

Horseheads - see above

Palatine Bridge - see above

North Syracuse - see above

Newbury Comics

Boston location (may have even been here)

 When it comes to finding chains for malls, smaller stores are more of a challenge than anchors and restaurants. One I went to on my two trips to Boston, Newbury Comics, are opening in Crossgates Mall in Albany County, given the Capital Region's proximity to New England, yet it could work its way around.  Since it could fill almost any spot in the hallway, it's hard to pick one in the malls that I know.

Syracuse - Destiny USA (Confirmed)

Auburn - Fingerlakes Mall, NY 5 & US 20

Ithaca - The Shops at Ithaca Mall, NY 34

New Hartford - Sangertown Square, NY 5 & 5A

Henrietta - Marketplace Mall, NY 252 & 15

Cheektowaga - Walden Galleria

Watertown - Salmon Run Mall, NY 3 & CR 100

Kingston - Hudson Valley Mall, US 9W

Poughkeepsie - Poughkeepsie Galleria, US 9

Victor (Fishers) - Eastview Mall, NY 96

Plattsburgh - Champlain Centre

Johnson City - Oakdale Mall, NY 201

Primark

Dutch location

 Primark are a chain I heard of in the UK that are actually from Ireland, yet they call themselves Penneys at home (not to be confused with JCPenney). They are in the US, but the closest ones are in the Tri-state in Fairfield County and downstate (go figure), yet worked their way up the Hudson to Albany, so the rest of Upstate are primed to get Primark, despite being slated by labour groups back across the pond (we won't get into that, 'cos who hasn't been under the microscope?).  Walden Galleria in Cheektowaga in Western New York is even getting one, so Primark should work their way in between at this rate.  Might get to most of the other malls here in Upstate!

New Hartford - former Macys, Sangertown Square, NY 5 & 5A

Kingston - former Macys, Hudson Valley Mall, US 9W

Poughkeepsie - former JCPenney, Poughkeepsie Galleria, US 9

Syracuse - former JCPenney, Destiny USA

Auburn - former Sears, Fingerlakes Mall, NY 5 & US 20

Henrietta - former Macys, Marketplace Mall, NY 252 & 15

Watertown - former Bon-Ton, Salmon Run Mall, NY 3 & CR 100

Plattsburgh - former Best Buy, Champlain Centre, NY 3

Johnson City - former Burlington, Oakdale Mall, NY 201

Big Flats - former Sears or Macys/Bon-Ton, Arnot Mall, NY 35

Ithaca - former Tops, NY 13/34/96

Glens Falls - former Sears, Aviation Mall, NY 254 

Schlotzskys

Clark County location

 Meant to do this one sooner.  Schlotzskys are another chain from the south I know from telly, which started in the Texas Capital Region and are now based in the Georgia one, and are working their way up north, so they could replace some of their competitors and others' old spotskys!

Cicero - former Jimmy Johns, E Circle Dr

E Syracuse - former Jimmy Johns/Starbucks, NY 298 & Weighlock Dr

Syracuse (east side) - former Jimmy Johns, Marshall St (SU Hill) and/or former Red Lobster, NY 5

Syracuse (north side) - former Popeyes or Arbys, Destiny USA

Syracuse (south side) - former Subway, US 11 & NY 173

Syracuse (Lyncourt) - space next to new Fish Cove, Swansea Dr, Shop City

Syracuse (downtown) - former Jimmy Johns/indie restaurant

Chittenango - former Byrne Dairy, NY 5 & 13

North Syracuse - former Burger King, Elwood Davis & Buckley Rds

Cortland - former Naples Pizza, Riverside Plaza, NY 13

Baldwinsville - former Jreck Subs, NY 31 & 370

Syracuse (west side) - former Jreck Subs, NY 5 & N Geddes St

Syracuse (south side) - Green Hills Plaza, US 11 & Southland Dr

Rochester (downtown) - former Subway, E Main St

Rochester (east side) - former Subway, NY 96

Utica - former Subway or Popeyes, Genesee St

Canastota - former Jreck Subs, CR 25

Liverpool - former Arbys, CR 57

Auburn - Fingerlakes Mall, US 20 & NY 5

Liverpool - former Arbys, CR 57

Ithaca - former Starbucks, Collegetown

Renssalaer - former Burger King, US 9 & 20

Albany - former I Love NY Pizza, US 9

Delmar, former I Love NY Pizza, NY 443 & 140

Clay - former Subway, NY 31

Grocery Outlet

Eugene, OR location

 With people having to squeeze pennies these days, Bay Area-based Grocery Outlet could help save hundreds of dollars.  They have yet to open here in New York State (shock, horror).  There is an indie store in Lyncourt in the former Pfaltzgraff/Syracuse China outlet store, but while there's a number of lesser known brands and surplus goods from out-of-town/state chains, they carry too many expired items like some cornershop, despite a recent article saying how some can still be alright while others should be binned.  The chain are a different animal to the type that ALDI and PriceRite are, but nonetheless keep money in your pocket.  I can mainly just come up with Upstate spots that I know, even though there are likely tonnes of them downstate (I could only snag a few on the outskirts of the region so it doesn't go too far), with Hamilton Township, NJ being even the closest one to the Tri-State right now. Off we go then.

Amherst - Former Best Buy, NY 78

Henrietta - Former Tops, NY 252

Wayne, NJ - Former ShopRite

Hyde Park - Former Grand Union/Amish Market, US 9

West Nyack - Former Grand Union/Stop & Shop or ShopRite, NY 59

Troy - Former Price Chopper, US 4

West Babylon - Former ShopRite, NY 109

Auburn - Former Real Deals, NY 5

Cortland - Former Dollar Bazaar, US 11 & NY 41

Albany - Former Save-A-Lot, US 9W & NY 443

Colonie - Former Barnes & Noble

New Hartford - Former Herb Phillipsons

Ithaca - Former Tops, NY 13/34/96

Fulton - Former kmart, NY 481

Liverpool - Former Fays/Thrifty Shopper

Syracuse - Former P&C/Tops/A&P, US 11

Westvale - Former P&C/Tops, NY 5

Mattydale - Former kmart, US 11

Cicero - Former Green Planet Grocery, NY 31

Greene - Former Great American

Sidney - Former Great American

Renssalaer - Former ALDI, US 9 & 20

Poughkeepsie - Former Natures Harvest, US 9

Binghamton - Former Weis/Giant (as of 3/3/24), NY 7

Rite Aid in CNY

Glenolden, PA store (edited due to different laws there)

 Since Rite Aid sold a number of stores to Walgreens in 2019, they have had fewer locations in CNY (there are still six left in Onondaga County alone) and virtually none in the North Country.  They've closed some in other parts of the nation, but could still make a comeback over here, while their competitor closed several of the stores they took over since, some in recent weeks.  A few of them Rite Aid should get back as many are where there is no close alternative for people without private transport. Also fill in vacancies that the others won't.  Rite Aid also left downtown Albany, but we covered that (see second list). However, Rite Aid are under administration, so they and their competitors are closing stores left and right at this time. 

Syracuse (west side) - W Onondaga St (former store and Walgreens)

Canastota - NY 5 & 13 (former store and Walgreens)

Manlius - NY 92 (former Kinney Drugs)

North Syracuse - US 11 (former store and Walgreens in village, although located roughly between Sweetheart Corners and former Cicero stores)

Pulaski - US 11 & NY 13 (former store and Walgreens)

Auburn - Genesee St (same as above, although both chains are still on NY 5)

Rochester (19th Ward) - Thurston Rd. & Brooks Ave. (former store and Walgreens; near airport, UR and Wegmans HQ; non-CNY)

Past locations:

North Syracuse - US 11 & S Bay Rd, Northern Lights; later Freddys? (defunct rival chain from Rochester); now Party City?

Syracuse (Eastwood) (1) - NY 290 between Grant Blvd and North Ave; now Walgreens (built 2006)

Syracuse (Eastwood) (2) - NY 290 and Homecroft Rd; former Loblaws/Peters/Carls/Fays/Eckerd; now Family Dollar (see earlier post)

East Syracuse (1) - Kirkville Rd; former Church Leader Drug/Fays/Eckerd; now Walgreens

East Syracuse (2) - NY 290; now Family Dollar

Syracuse (downtown) (1) - S Salina St; original store (Rite Aid acquired local chain Daws Drugs in early '60s, bringing them to CNY); later Record Town and Dollar Wise; now vacant

Syracuse (downtown) (2) - S Salina & E Fayette Sts; 1979-2019; former Woolworths; now DGX

Syracuse (downtown) (3) - S Warren & E Fayette Sts; Discount Center (likely regular store before 1979 when other store opened a block away); demolished, now corner park

Syracuse (Valley) - NY 80 & 173 - former Eckerd; now DG Market

Syracuse (south side) - US 11; now Walgreens

Syracuse/Nedrow  - US 11; former Eckerd; now Walgreens (almost Fays with a drive-thru until 1997 acquisition by JCPenney)

Hannibal - NY 3; former Fays/Eckerd; now Walgreens

Fulton - NY 3; now Walgreens

Oswego - NY 104 & 481; former Fays/Eckerd; now demolished

Cortland - US 11 & NY 41; former Eckerd; now Walgreens

Utica - Genesee St; former Fays/Eckerd; now vacant

deWitt - NY 5, Shoppingtown; former CVS?/Fays/Eckerd; now vacant pending demolition for District East

Manlius (1) (village) - NY 92; former Harveys Leader Drug/Eckerd; now Unplugged Gaming

Manlius (2) (Buellville) - NY 92; former Eckerd; now Walgreens

Fayetteville - N Burdick St; former Fays/Eckerd; now Walgreens

Cazenovia - US 20; former Fays/Eckerd; now Walgreens

Chittenango - NY 5; now Walgreens

Auburn - US 20 & NY 38A; now VA Health Clinic

Albany (Colonie) - NY 5 & CR 156; later Goodwill; now Ace Hardware (honorable non-CNY mention)

Baldwinsville (1) - Downer St; now vacant

Baldwinsville (2) (Moyers Corners) - NY 31 & CR 57; former Fays/Eckerd, Kimbrook Plaza, now Planet Fitness

Liverpool (Bayberry) (1) - CR 57; former Eckerd; now Walgreens

Liverpool (Bayberry) (2) -CR 57; Seneca Mall; former Eckerd, now U-Haul

Liverpool (Galeville) - Old Liverpool Rd; former Eckerd; now Family Dollar

Liverpool/North Syracuse - Bear & Buckley Rds; former Eckerd; now Dollar General

Mattydale - US 11; former Eckerd; later Walgreens; now closed

North Syracuse (1) - US 11; now Syracuse Lash & Beauty

North Syracuse (2) - US 11; now vacant

Cicero - US 31; previously Eckerd; now vacant

Central Square - NY 49; now closed

Watertown - NY 3; former Fays/Eckerd; now closed

Norwich (1) - NY 12 & E Main St; former Eckerd; now Walgreens

Norwich (2) - NY 12; now Dollar Tree

Norwich (3) - NY 12; now Aarons Rental Purchase

Syracuse (Tipp Hill) (1) - NY 5; now Walgreens

Syracuse (Tipp Hill) (2) - W Fayette St; now Modular Comfort Systems

Syracuse (east side) (1) - Westcott St; now convenience store

Syracuse (east side) (2) - NY 92; former site of historic home; later Walgreens; now vacant

Syracuse (Fairmount) (1) - W Genesee St; Fairmount Fair Mall; demolished by late '80s, now plaza

Syracuse (Fairmount) (2) - W Genesee St; former flagship Fays/Eckerd; now Dollar Tree

Syracuse (north side) (1) - Grant Blvd & Butternut St; now AutoZone

Syracuse (north side) (2) - Butternut & N McBride Sts; now Family Dollar (Rite Aid moved across street)

Syracuse (north side) (3) - Butternut & Lodi Sts (briefly); former Eckerd (unnecessary after acquisition with existing store right there); now Dollar General

Syracuse (Skunk City) - Onondaga Blvd & Avery Ave; former Eckerd; now Walgreens

Syracuse (near west side) - W Onondaga St; later Walgreens; now vacant

Syracuse (east side) (3) - E Colvin St & Nottingham Rd; Skytop Plaza; former Drumlins Pharmacy/Fays/Eckerd; now Walgreens

St Lawrence County - US 11 et al; now Walgreens

Impacted by Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma

 

This is where I live. Ramp coming soon.

This is very personal.  Please support my appeal.  I don't usually do this, but I must get the word out there.

UPDATE: Susan Sposato 1949-2023

Still need support to tie up loose ends.

Shoe Carnival

Hattiesburg, IA store

 I just discovered Shoe Carnival in a coupon book that covers national chains and local businesses alike.  Some of the chains they have that we don't in my area yet were already covered here, so here's one that hasn't.  This one's bigger than I thought, so now it's back to finding bigger spots.  We always get stuff late around here!

Syracuse - former Against All Odds, Destiny USA

deWitt - former Bed Bath & Beyond; Marshalls Homegoods Plaza, NY 5

New Hartford - former Macys, Sangertown Square, NY 5 & 5A

Camillus - former Bon-Ton, Camillus Plaza

Cortland - Riverside Plaza, NY 13

Ithaca - former Tops or Hobby Lobby, NY 13/34/96

Auburn - Fingerlakes Mall, NY 5 & US 20

Amherst - former Best Buy, NY 78

Henrietta - former avenue, NY 252

Canastota - former Family Dollar, NY 5 & 13 and CR 25

Watertown - former Sears or Christmas Tree Shops, Salmon Run Mall, NY 3

Colonie - former Barnes & Noble or Bed Bath and Beyond/ShopRite, Wolf Road

Baltimore City and County (Towson/Columbia) - former Shoe City locations where there is no overlap (where chain were based) 

Food Desert on Syracuse's South Side

The store months before it closed up.

 Please sign this petition and be part of the solution!  Don't let this be another statistic.  I suggested Grand Union, Big M, Lidl, IGA, Hannaford, Grocery Outlet or Save-A-Lot go in there.  It was even an A&P decades ago.

Spot Coffee

Rochester location on NY 96 over by NBC 10 WHEC

 When I first discovered Spot Coffee in Monroe County last year (pictured), I assumed it was local.  It's only recently that I learned it's a regional chain from Erie County sixty miles away from Rochester.  They're even open as far east as Warren County!  Since some of their competitors closed locations in between, Spot can find some new ones.

Syracuse (east side) - former Jimmy Johns, Marshall St (SU Hill) and/or former Red Lobster, NY 5

Ithaca (Collegetown) - former Starbucks (closed over union row)

Various (Upstate NY only) - former Starbucks

Cicero - former Jimmy Johns, E Circle Dr & Horan Rd

Cortland - former Naples Pizza, Riverside Plaza, NY 13

Manlius - former Speras, NY 92

deWitt - former Ruby Tuesdays/Stones Steakhouse, NY 5

North Syracuse - former Hofmann Hot Haus/Salt City Dogs, Northern Lights Plaza, US 11 & S Bay Rd

Canastota, former Family Dollar, NY 5 & 13 and CR 25

Fairmount - former Subway, W Genesee St

Syracuse (north side) - former Against All Odds, Destiny USA (food court already has Starbucks)

Liverpool - former Catherines or Verizon Wireless; COR Plaza, NY 31

Auburn - former Tim Hortons, NY 5 and/or Fingerlakes Mall, food court; NY 5 & US 20

Weedsport - former Tim Hortons, NY 31 & 34

New Hartford - Sangertown Square, NY 5 & 5A

Colonie - Colonie Center, NY 5 & Wolf Road

New Trailways counter at Regional Transportation Center in Syracuse

Adirondack Trailways bus in Ulster County, which is really near the Catskills.

 Trailways and Greyhound ended their partnership after 25 years time, and in New York State, the regional franchise in Hurley, just outside Kingston (I used to live not too far from there), will no longer pool with their competitor, so if your destination is only served by one of them, you can only book with that one or an app that has it.  At the Syracuse station, the split is made clear with a separate counter being built for Trailways where Dunkin' used to be (which indirectly moved around the corner to NY 370/Park St.).  This may confuse some people, as you'd be directed across the hall if one doesn't cover a certain route and time.  Having both companies available will make it easier for last-minute travellers, seniors, those with older or no mobile phones, the disabled, and those who live in well off-the-grid type communities (I sometimes see Amish families and occasionally Mennonites).  This could happen at Boehlert Union Station in Utica where there's a closed takeaway that could be converted, yet the Greyhound counter has been closed, leaving customers having to use the app or pay when they get to their stop if it's a bigger area (paying somehow, of course), and then in Rochester, there has been talk of merging bus operations with the Louise Slaughter Amtrak Station across the street as the Trailways station is old and small (even for there) and only meant to last so long.  You have to wait for Greyhound or Megabus downtown right now not far from where the station used to be at a mere stop as if it were a small town, which makes no sense in a larger city and when the elements take over.  Port Authority downstate must have something planned, while in Albany, CDTA have considered building a new hub for both theirs and intercity, which would include the two lines, along with Peter Pan and Yankee Trails.  Greyhound and FlixBus are now sister companies, yet have different management, and back in CNY, you get FlixBus a mile away from the station at Pilot, where you'd have to be dropped off by someone you know, a cab or rideshare.  I just wish I could get to Rochester and Ithaca in my time frame and price range having no access to a private vehicle going out of town (one can relate), and gas prices are making more people use buses and trains instead or car and planes.  However, bus and airline companies alike are having staffing issues at this time.  Just hope this works out for everybody.

UPDATE: Trailways' ticket counter moved down the hall to where the video games once were and they have formed a new alliance with Greyhound and FlixBus through a third party company in Jackson County, making it easier for riders, yet where to get the bus can keep changing, and worse, it can be out of doors, in a smaller building or the outskirts of town, even in larger areas, which is not good for vulnerable populations, yet Syracuse remains streets ahead of most cities with a one-stop shop for most bus lines (OurBus go to SU and the airport only) and Amtrak with a building to keep everyone safe, warm and dry that's not too hard to find or get to. As for what will go in the east end of the building, more as this develops, since I'll try to get on the road again despite changes in my own life.

Sears in CNY and Beyond

Typical mall Sears in happier times

 Sears once ruled the retail landscape, but have also taken a downturn thanks to Walmart and amazon in that order.  They had several locations in CNY and beyond that are all but gone.  Vacant unless otherwise indicated.

Syracuse (south side) - US 11, vacant since 1975!

Fayetteville - NY 5, Fayetteville Mall; 1974-95; replaced by P&C at Towne Center, now Tops

deWitt - NY 5, Shoppingtown Mall; 1995-2018

Cicero - Penn Can Mall; closed by 1988; now Drivers Village

Clay - NY 31, Great Northern Mall, closed after thirty years

Fairmount - Fairmount Fair, closed 1987, replaced by numerous retailers since such as Marshalls Homegoods

Auburn - NY 5 & US 20, Fingerlakes Mall

New Hartford - NY 5 & 5A, Sangertown Square, now Boscovs

Henrietta - NY 252, Marketplace Mall

Cortland - NY 13, Riverside Plaza, Sears Hometown Outlet

Syracuse (north side) - Destiny USA, Sears Outlet (spun off from Sears); various

Westvale - NY 5, Westvale Plaza, Sears Hardware, now Thrifty Shopper

Liverpool - CR 57, Sears Hardware, now American Red Cross

Watertown - NY 3, Salmon Run Mall

Ithaca - NY 34, The Shops at Ithaca Mall, now Cayuga Health (along with former Bon-Ton)

Camillus - Camillus Mall, 1987-2001; now Lowes

Colonie - NY 5, Colonie Center; now Whole Foods and Floor & Décor (coming summer 2023)

Family Dollar in Eastwood

Not quite done yet.

 It has been confirmed that Family Dollar will move from Shop City to 3120 James St in Syracuse in what had been Loblaws, Peters IGA, Foodland, Carls Drugs, Fays, Eckerd and Rite Aid.  Nothing special really, with a bunch of them in the area. It could be that now that it's sister to Dollar Tree, it shouldn't be in the same plaza as Family Dollar, which has been looking to get out of strip malls and into their own buildings by buying vacancies of other chains, as has their competitor Dollar General have done in other parts of the region.  Family Dollar has renovated the building inside and out and even did landscaping.  Some may feel these stores are too easy to open, especially in food deserts, as low income residents rely on these places more than ever.  It will be more convenient for those without cars, including seniors and disabled, and in the elements.  Even Jordan got one a couple years ago in the former Big M/Tops, as it can be just as necessary in the rural community.  Back in town, at least somebody got in there since it's hard to get someone to buy or lease a commercial property, in the city or suburbs, anymore.

Once there's another empty spot in Shop City, we must decide what can go in there, but even the one on Old Liverpool Road is still available after Family Dollar moved across the street to that former Rite Aid and Eckerd, which was a successor to Fays, which had held Thrifty Shopper until that moved to CR 57.

kmart in CNY

Former Philadelphia County store, 2010

 Attention kmart Shoppers!  There are only enough kmart stores left in the country to count on one hand (closest one now is in the Tri-State).  Here are where they were in this area.  Now vacant unless indicated.

Syracuse (downtown) - S.Salina & E. Jefferson Sts..; originally Kresge, later CVS, now a beauty supply

Syracuse - Western Lights; later Herb Phillipsons

Fulton - NY 481, River Glen Plaza

Auburn - NY 5, now Vineyard Church

deWitt - NY 5, now Dicks at Erie Canal Centre

Liverpool - CR 57, Seneca Mall; now U-Haul

Cortland - NY 13, Cortland Crossing, Munsons Corners, Cortlandville; now Marshalls

Syracuse/Nedrow - US 11 and Southland Dr., Green Hills Plaza; later a flea market

Geneva - NY 5 & US 20; TBD

New Hartford - NY 5A, now At Home

Mattydale - US 11

Herkimer - NY 5 & S Washington St.

Camillus - Camillus Plaza/Mall, closed by late '90s; now Lowes

Ithaca - NY 13, 34 & 96; now Five Below and Trader Joes

Grand Union vs Tops: The honeymoon's over?

Rome store on NY 46 & 49

 All eleven Grand Union stores are now open.  Only four were Grand Union before, switching to Tops more than once before going back.  However, not everyone is embracing the change, complaining about the prices and selection, although this is nothing new, although recent events come into play as well. To younger people, the chain is new to them, being too young or even not yet born when it was last in business locally or at all except for the few coming full circle again, or for those of use who are older, it can be a reminder of the old guard, or come to find it's a different animal.  If my grandma lived to see this, she'd probably be surprised as it was no longer in the immediate area two decades ago in the Capital Region where she lived when she was still alive, and she had to go to Price Chopper or Hannaford instead.  Back in CNY today, some people say they'll drive to the nearest Tops if that's an option.  Some miss the gas points and some even have gift cards to finish.  Because Washington, Albany, and Montpelier (for Rutland, VT) made this happen, it's almost ironic that both Price Chopper and Tops are still both convenient in Onondaga County, while spaced out enough in up to a dozen other counties.  Tops and Grand Union also belong to UFCW Local One, so those employees also need to be considered since it's hard to keep them around right now. We may wonder if it was a good idea last year to even merge.  It always comes with a price, if you look at other companies when they join forces.

In Cortland, one problem was that both Grand Union and P&C have Best Yet, being on opposite sides of a small college town.  When I went, I could find just a few things unavailable at the two indies back home that usually carry the trailblazing private label.  The former stores had more varieties of ice cream (not practical on the road without your own car and an insulated bag, plus air-con in the warmer months to boot) and my fizzy water (that was more doable for me), while one of the later has no Best Yet Ice Cream and the other has a few as these are small local places battling David and Goliath Syndrome.

Grand Union uses Red Dot Savings with phone numbers, having had cards in the past, which not everyone wants to deal with.  They have points to add up and redeem in their own way, and I'm already close to halfway, even for someone who may only go once in a great while (people would do the same for Wegmans if they don't have one nearby, but that's a story for another day).  I last went in Hamilton, another one-horse uni town, but Price Chopper opened there later and Grand Union couldn't compete.

The supermarket industry is low-profit as it is and I hope this wasn't a mistake where history doesn't repeat itself (like it may have elsewhere).  It'd be nice if there were more.  Maybe near me where there's a food desert or two, although the one that truly is may be up the road from one of the local places Grand Union competed with until maybe the early '80s (going thirty miles away now doesn't count).  Many who don't get out of town much if ever or go to certain area may even realise that the chain is alive and well (P&C too in some form).  It's just not the Grand Union we grew up with.

Ocean State Job Lot

Former A&P location

 Ocean State Job Lot is another chain first introduced to me in the Capital Region.  I may have gone to the one off NY 7 in Schenectady.  They went into the former Grand Unions in Valatie and Ballston Spa.  Maybe it could work its way west up the Thruway corridor to CNY if not WNY.

Utica - former Rite Aid, Genesee St

Canastota - former Family Dollar, NY 5 & 13 and CR 25

Westvale - former P&C/Tops, NY 5

North Syracuse - former Christmas Tree Shops, Northern Lights Plaza, US 11

Cortland - former flea market, Riverside Plaza, NY 13

Syracuse/Nedrow - former kmart/flea market/Grants, US 11 & Southland Dr

New Hartford - former Tuesday Morning, New Hartford Shopping Center

Fulton - former kmart, River Glen Plaza, NY 481

Oswego - former Peebles/Gordmans, NY 104

deWitt - former Bed, Bath and Beyond, Marshalls Homegoods Plaza, NY 5

Liverpool - former Price Chopper, Seneca Mall, CR 57

Auburn - former Bed, Bath and Beyond, Auburn Plaza, NY 5

Williamsville - former Best Buy, NY 78

Henrietta - former At Home, NY 252

Nordstrom

Typical mall location

 Nordström don't have many stores in the Northeast, and even closed some because of the pandemic, but maybe now could open new ones.  We only have Nordström Rack in Syracuse, just like we had Macys Closeout before we had the full-sized parent store (there used to be a small one downtown), and Filenes Basement, but never the main chain (only went in Albany).  Nordström proper is mainly downstate, but it's long overdue Upstate.

Syracuse - former JCPenney or Lord & Taylor, Destiny USA

New Hartford - former Macys, Sangertown Square, NY 5 & 5A

Cheektowaga - former Lord & Taylor, Walden Galleria

Albany - former Caldor/Best Buy, Crossgates Mall; US 20

Rochester - former Macys, NY 252

Watertown - former Bon-Ton, Salmon Run Mall, NY 3 & CR 100

Ithaca - former Bon-Ton, The Shops at Ithaca Mall, NY 34

Johnson City - former Sears, Macys or Bon-Ton; Oakdale Mall, NY 201 & CR 85

Neiman Marcus

Bay Area store

 Now that Neiman Marcus have exited administration, they could look into new stores again.  I've been meaning to do this one, but wanted to wait until they were on solid ground once more.

Syracuse - former JCPenney or Lord & Taylor, Destiny USA

Albany - former Best Buy, Crossgates Mall, US 20

New Hartford - former Macys or Dicks, Sangertown Square, NY 5 & 5A

Cheektowaga - former Lord & Taylor, NY 277

Victor - former Lord & Taylor, NY 96

Henrietta - former Macys, Marketplace Mall, NY 252

West Nyack - former JCPenney or Lord & Taylor, Palisades Centre, NY 303 & 59

Poughkeepsie - former JCPenney, Poughkeepsie Galleria, US 9

Pleasant Family Shopping: Tales of the Grand Union

Former Cazenovia store (now Kinney Pharmacy)

Pleasant Family Shopping: Tales of the Grand Union: A familiar face to grocery shoppers throughout the Northeast states (and even more so to those Northeasterners who vacationed in Florida), t...

Piggly Wiggly

Typical store in Alabama

 In a bizarre twist of fate, trailblazing southern chain Piggly Wiggly, which I heard of years ago through someone I used to know who may have once lived in Georgia, I believe, is opening in Watertown, NY (the first outside the South and Midwest; not to be confused with an existing store in Watertown, WI) according to CBS 7 WWNY, buying one of the two Tops stores in Jefferson County in the North Country, with the other going to Grand Union because of Tops' merger with Price Chopper and the overlap in a dozen small towns.  Both Grand Union and Piggly Wiggly are part of C&S now, but have competed in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast generations ago.  Piggly Wiggly have a midwestern division now, but have now worked their way east across the Great Lakes to the Thousand Islands region of all places.  Since they can now be seen in these parts like they say down there in the south, they could work their way further up the eastern seaboard.  A segue after the last article was about another past competitor.  I've gotta come up with a different kind of post next time as I'm the Flickinger of blogs now (of Super Duper legacy)!

Greene - former Great American

Syracuse (south side) - former Tops/P&C/A&P, Valley Plaza, US 11

Syracuse (Westvale) - former P&C/Tops, NY 5

Mattydale - former kmart, US 11

Oswego - former Peebles/Gordmans, NY 104

Bridgeport - former Victory/Great American, NY 31 & 298

Lyons - former Tops, NY 31

Fulton - former kmart, River Glen Plaza, NY 481

Phoenix - former Sharon Chevrolet, CR 57

Wayne - former ShopRite, NJ 504

Sidney - former Great American

Geneva - NY 14A, Pyramid Plaza; former Tops, Cherribundi and RealEats

Paramus - former Grand Union/Stop & Shop/Acme, NJ 17

Various - former BI-LO (see previous post)

Troy - former Price Chopper, US 4 (Lansingburgh)

Binghamton - former Weis/Giant (as of 3/3/24), NY 7

Bye, BI-LO

Former Lancaster, SC location

 While a handful of states away down the coast from New York, something like the closure of BI-LO last year in the South is never a good sign for the industry.  This is not the same chain that was sister to P&C and Quality in Northeast Pennsylvania and is still in business (Quality [not Kroger's QFC] and Franklin County's Big Bear [OH Capital Region, not GA Capital Region] are the only two Penn Traffic divisions that went the way of A&P and Safeway's Dominick's).  This BI-LO and Tops were formerly owned by Dutch company Ahold until both spun off and became independent, BI-LO Holdings becoming Southeastern Grocers.  While Tops survived bankruptcy and merged with Price Chopper, BI-LO could not this time.  Many locations were sold to Food Lion, who were owned by Belgian based Delhaize who merged with their Benelux rival (now-sister chain Hannaford used to be in the mid-Atlantic themselves until 2000 when it became one, having moved down the eastern seaboard after buying Wilsons.  Some stores went to Lowes [not the DIY one], likely because of state and FTC regulations). In 2023, Southeastern subsidiaries Winn-Dixie and Harveys were sold to ALDI.  Some will keep their name, while some smaller ones will just become the same ALDIs you can find almost anywhere in the country or some of Europe

I've never set foot south of Virginia myself, so I just can't do this the same way as usual, so it'll be more generalised this time.  Former BI-LOs could be sold to Food Lion (many have so far), Lidl (ALDIs chief rival in the old country), Lowes, Ingles, Publix, Piggly Wiggly, Harris Teeter (whose owner Kroger are in the middle of a merger with Albertsons), Whole Foods/amazon Fresh/Go and Kroger if not converted to former sister chains Winn-Dixie or Harveys (despite the pending sale).  My Google feed told me one location was picked up by a developer, but no further information was available.  At least someone got it, as it's frustrating to see a property with potential sit empty for too long, but these states probably don't have as much red tape as we do up north to say the least (you know how it is).