Williams Grocery & Meat Fair: 70 Years On

Accurate AI rendering of Williams back in the '90s

 After covering Sweetheart Market, I decided to cover close competitor Williams Grocery & Meat Fair a block or two away. The original store was on the city's north side, yet moved to North Syracuse in 1955 as part of postwar move to the suburbs. By 1986, the store expanded and was the largest indie this part of the state. I don't remember what private labels they carried in those days, which can vary with the mom and pops, since they were in Hometown Markets when Sweetheart weren't. There were some farm animal motifs inside that could be found at Stew Leonards today. They also had a farm stand in Cicero Center that is still open. The bakery section also continues the legacy up the street at Marios Bakery.
 In 1996, Peters bought Williams, which was not well received by the community. The other place left the co-op as a result, which fell apart several years later. Even worse, the store was replaced by the plaza that's there now. Peters was only there for about a decade before that closed. Williams became the casualty of another indie rather than of a chain, even though P&C opened in the former Channel Home Center in Airport Plaza in 1994 that is Tops today, which gave both standalone stores a run for their money after moving up the road from Mattydale. As for Williams, their road sign was changed and later binned for all we know, being the antithesis of their neighbor. I suppose Chanatrys in Utica has some of the aura of Williams and other family run stores of the old days since they're even older, while there are still a few back in Onondaga County, but it's still happening to this very day how small business is struggling as much now if not more than it did thirty years ago. I only went to Williams once in a great while since I was young myself when it was still open. It is still missed by many Central New Yorkers.

Sweetheart Market: 80 Years On

 

AI of original store with real signs added

    While trying to find inspiration for this months post, I thought I would find it at Drivers Village in Cicero, which was Penn-Can Mall in the old days. I didn't see anything new to go on there, but I did see a restored photo of Sweetheart Market from a few miles away on the corner of US 11 and West Taft Road in North Syracuse. From fruit and veg stand with their own ice cream to a large corner shop. It was in 1979 that the store I remember had been built in order to compete with Williams across the street, as well as big names like Wegmans, Price Chopper, the old Tops, and P&C. It was part of the Hometown Markets co-op by 1985 when Williams weren't, but left when the latter were sold to Peters in 1996. By 2003, neither Sweetheart nor Peters could survive in the new century. Eckerd opened at the site and the corner sign remains to this day. Rite Aid is now empty, but could a new Sweetheart Market open inside since getting CVS in there is a longshot at this rate? Now that a large Walmart and ALDI are also now in the picture, it would be more uphill for Sweetheart to stand out in the current climate.

I recently came across a Sweetheart cart earlier this year on Burnet Ave in Eastwood. Not sure how it got all the way over there or stayed intact for over two decades. This was down the street from where Burnet Market, Big M turned onetime fellow Hometown Market and later indie health food store that was also demolished. I even found a Peters cart across from Wegmans in East Syracuse of all places.

If I were shopping at Sweetheart today.

The sign is not the only thing that made it.