Perkins

Twin Cities location

With the recent closure of Friendlys across the region, Perkins could make a comeback in CNY. I go by the Cortland and Niagara Falls, ONT locations sometimes. They had been in deWitt and other locations in the past. They could also go where other restaurants had been.

Syracuse (north side) - Destiny USA (former Cantina Loredo)
Whitesboro - former Zebbs, NY 5A
Syracuse (east side) - former Firudo, NY 5
Auburn - Fingerlakes Mall, US 20 & NY 5 or former Dennys, NY 5
Fulton - former Nestlé site, NY 481
Geneva - former Friendlys, US 20 & NY 5
North Syracuse - former Ponderosa, US 11
New Hartford - former Dennys, NY 5

Amherst - former TBD, NY 78

Syracuse (east side) - NY 5; former Red Lobster

Friendly's in CNY, WNY and the Capital Region

Typical Friendlys, possibly in Connecticut. Courtesy Mike Mozart (he can take us all to school!).

Friendly's are a chain that I grew up with. Sadly, many have closed over the years due to bankruptcy, rises, inflation, the economy and competition. Only the Liverpool one is left that's closest to me, but I can't get over there anymore. Even sadder, I went to the surviving Utica/New Hartford location (2024) by the uni (former SU outpost), and was surprised and not surprised at the same time by the recent rises, which put me going there again to bed. Four in my area just recently* made me conjure up the ones that I can remember in CNY, WNY+, the Finger Lakes and the Capital Region parallel to I-90.++:

Syracuse (Eastwood) - NY 290* (now American Legion Post 1276)

deWitt - NY 5 and Bridge St* (demolished; now Shake Shack; was supposed to be Rachels Mediterranean Grill, but it never materialised)

Fairmount - Fairmount Fair Mall (now plaza)

Oswego - NY 104* (now Tullys)

Camillus - W Genesee St (now vacant after two indies came and went)

Auburn - Fingerlakes Mall, NY 5 & US 20

Oneida - NY 5 (now WellNow Urgent Care)

Delmar - NY 443 (now Tea House Asian Bistro)

New Hartford - Sangertown Square, NY 5 & 5A

Utica - N Genesee St (now demolished)

Clay - Great Northern Mall, NY 31 & 481*

Fulton - NY 481 (now a federal credit union)

Mattydale - US 11 (now vacant)

Colonie - Colonie Ctr, NY 5 and Wolf Road++
Geneva - US 20 & NY 5 (now Canandaigua National Bank & Trust)

East Greenbush - US 4 (later P. Brillos; now closed)
Rochester - NY 15 (now Duffs)+

Fayetteville - NY 5 & 257 (now Dunkin')

Williamsville - NY 78 (now King Crab)

Wilkes-Barre, PA - Bus PA 309 (just closed in 2025; only non-NY one that I'm putting here so not to go too far)

Amherst - Sweet Home & Maple Rds. (now UBuffalo Student Health Services)

Vestal - NY 434 (now vacant)

All vacant or TBD unless indicated.

A Tale of Two Pharmacies

This has since become a Family Dollar.

The transition of numerous Rite Aids into Walgreens is beginning to happen in CNY.  Right now, it's the two on the South Side of Syracuse on S Salina St (US 11), and on the west side near Western Lights.  Walgreens have only begun to have a presence in the area in recent years, after a four decade absence.  A number of overlapping stores are now closed, but those would make more sense as CVS/pharmacy as the number of full-fledged stores in the region I can count on one hand.  CVS run the pharmacy department at Target just as Walgreen do at select Rite Aid locations that will eventually be converted.  The one where Syracuse segues into Nedrow was one of the first free-standing drugstores with a drive thru in town when it was originally built as Eckerd, this one a successor to the former Fays across the street in Green Hills Plaza where I think Planet Fitness is now (it's been over two decades since).  Many former Fays still exist as Rite Aid while others are vacant like the one pictured up the block from my old place in Eastwood (previously Carls, which Fays bought in 1991, and Loblaws, who only operate in Canada now).  This store had also been Peters IGA and Foodland (which is also alive and well, so those who grew up in CNY and don't keep up or get about won't assume that also is no more [it's the same with Acme, but this will lead to another post later on]).
Walgreens tried to buy all of Rite Aid in the past, but the FTC likely felt it would be too big, so this time, they only got some of the chain.  In the Chicago area, Walgreens are home and Rite Aid have no stores at all.  Back here, I'm more into Wegmans, but at least there's more choice for people now.

Smashburger

Neptune Township, NJ location

I've been meaning to do this one for several months. Smashburger are a upscale burger chain owned by Filipino chain Jollibee. I've gone in Henrietta and the closest one now is in Tyre. Rivals Five Guys already have a few locations in the region, so perhaps, this could work here too:

Syracuse (north side) - Destiny USA

Syracuse (east side) - former Firudo, NY 5

Manlius - former Kinney Drugs, NY 92

North Syracuse - former Salt City Dogs/Hofmann Hot Haus, US 11

Nedrow/Syracuse (south side) - former kmart/Grants/flea market, US 11 and Southland Dr

New Hartford - former Zebbs, NY 5A or Dennys, NY 5

Auburn - Fingerlakes Mall, NY 5 & US 20 or former Dennys, NY 5

Canastota - former Family Dollar, NY 5 & 13

Camillus - former Firehouse Subs, W Genesee St

Books-a-Million!

Store in historic Williamsburg, VA

After having little to work with for a period, I finally stumble upon something new to write about.
Since the departure of Borders in 2011, Barnes & Noble is the only bookstore chain around.  Books-a-Million have a store in Northeast Pennsylvania and could now work their way up I-81:

Colonie - former Barnes & Noble or Bed Bath and Beyond/ShopRite, Wolf Road
Syracuse - former Bon-Ton, Destiny USA
Westvale - former Tops/P&C, NY 5
Rochester - former Tops or Macys, NY 252
Auburn - former JCPenney, Fingerlakes Mall, NY 5 & US 20
New Hartford - former Macys, Sangertown Square, NY 5A
Liverpool - former Price Chopper, CR 57
Fulton - former kmart, NY 481 & CR 57
Cicero - former Burlington Coat Factory, Drivers Village (ex-Penn Can Mall)

Mattydale - former kmart, US 11

North Syracuse - former Media Play, Northern Lights, US 11 (if above two aren't picked)

Oswego - former Gordmans/Peebles, NY 104

Poughkeepsie - former JCPenney, US 9

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

Buy Buy Baby

Lehigh Valley location

With the exit of Toys 'R Us and its sister chains, Babies 'R Us and Kids 'R Us, there may be space to put their rival infant chain Buy Buy Baby, sister of Bed Bath and Beyond and Christmas Tree Shops.  The closest Buy Buy Baby to me now is in Henrietta.  While I don't have small children in my own everyday life, the idea came up with the 'R Us closure and trying to find a gift for someone elses little one.  There also used to be another place called USA Baby.  Here's where Buy Buy Baby could open:

Syracuse - former Bon Ton or JCPenney, Destiny USA
deWitt - former Dicks or JCPenney in Shoppingtown, NY 5
Clay - former Macys, Bon-Ton or Sears, Great Northern Mall, NY 31 & 481
Cortland - Riverside Plaza, NY 13
Fulton - River Glen Plaza, former kmart, NY 481
Cicero - former Burlington Coat Factory, Drivers Village
North Syracuse - former Staples, Northern Lights Plaza, US 11
Auburn - former Rex or JCPenney, Fingerlakes Mall, US 20 & NY 5 or P&C, Genesee St
New Hartford - former Herb Philipsons
Ithaca - former Sears, The Shops at Ithaca Mall, NY 34 or South Meadow Plaza, NY 13/34/96
Liverpool - former Price Chopper or kmart, Seneca Mall, CR 57 or former Bed, Bath & Beyond, NY 31

Fairmount - former Bed, Bath & Beyond

Oswego - former Gordmans/Peebles, NY 104

UPDATE: Both chains are closing, so these are going to have to be other things (only one is confirmed as far as I know).

ALDI Albany aspirations

Newer store in Portage, MI.

ALDI may seem like another easy one, but in the NY Capital Region, they are fewer than CVS in CNY, where ALDI are as constant as most other chains.  Only three exist in the immediate Albany area in Schenectady (in a former Grand Union, which closed in 2022, when ALDI moved across town), Colonie and Renssalaer.  Somehow, there could be more opened (WNY too, but that'll have to wait for another day as I just don't know it quite the same way):  A lack of a warehouse in the region could be the reason for fewer stores compared to CNY, where one is in Tully, which supplies dozens of locations from the Finger Lakes, Mohawk Valley, North Country to Twin Tiers.

Albany - South End, NY 32

Albany - former Price Chopper, Westgate, NY 5

Colonie - former Price Chopper, NY 5

Slingerlands - former ShopRite, NY 85

Glenmont - TBD, US 9W
Rotterdam - NY 7 & 159, Five Corners (confirmed)
East Greenbush - former Grand Union and/or former location, US 9 & 20

Troy (Lansingburgh) - former Price Chopper, US 4

Hyde Park - former Grand Union, US 9 (although 75 miles down the Hudson River)