Rebuilding Ovid

Main St (NY 96A & 414) in Ovid in happier times. Very special courtesy Jo Zimny. CC-by-NC-ND 2.0.

 21 January is a day no one in the small Finger Lakes village of Ovid shall forget when an electrical fire broke out in a flat upstairs from Big M on Main St (once an IGA, according to one local resident), taking out four other local businesses and several other apartments. I wanted to use my AI skills that I've picked up this past year and try to come up with new versions of all five of these mom and pop establishments, which also included Uptown Diner (which needed more attempts than the others combined), Eva's Laundry, Italian Kitchen and Seneca Coffee House. Most of these buildings seem to date back to the Victorian and Edwardian eras, although some like this can go as far back as Regency. There are priceless memories attached to these places, of course, and not even I.M. Pei himself could truly replace these if he were still alive. It's still early days right now, but rebuilding is on the agenda once the debris is cleared and the weather is cooperative for a building site. Another restaurant that had been around much longer closed several years ago on the outskirts of town, but the two from Main St probably either don't want to be away from the rest of the commercial district, or because of events from years past which we won't get into here. There had been another fire a decade earlier, however.
 Seniors are provided a bus twice a week to go to Walmart and Tops to go shopping for the time being, since many don't drive anymore or won't go all the way to Waterloo or Wegmans in Geneva themselves (you're on your own there or if you're younger). Of course, small business gets taken for granted and you just never know. It can be months if not years before all these are back in new homes. If buildings like the ones lost could be designed, then new apartments could also go on top, given the housing crisis. Several ways to donate are available to show your support. We'll have to check on Ovid down the road to see how they come on like other places big and small that suffered disaster in recent memory.

'50s dinerette which may be too small, even for Ovid

This may be a bit more possible than a standalone.

Switched to Grok on X and got a more outlying result.

Retro Uptown Diner that won't work in winter!

The little local launderette. Don't know if Eva is.

The local coffee shop, or at least the roastery.

Big M, in a design that should fit on the block.

Italian Kitchen, my kind of restaurant!

A more possible scenario for todays small town.

Another Big M cornershop with Craiyon

Might be more fitting for Big M

Needed to create the outside of Evas Laundry

The real Big M in the early '90s (unknown)

New apartment building (harder to make)

Upstairs flats above storefront (too simplistic)

Ovid Arms, but I got two pastoral mock Tudor cottages

Ovid Arms, but a bit too posh and townie

These are also too upscale for a rural community

Wegmans in West Mifflin

Upper Providence Township store near Philadelphia and Patti laBelle. Courtesy Montgomery County Planning Commission.

 There is buzz about Wegmans opening their newest store in Cranberry Township in Butler County north of Pittsburgh, over by the UPMC Mario Lemieux facility (retired French Canadian Pittsburgh Penguins centre). Going the other way half as far within Alleghany County is the borough of West Mifflin, where Century III, once one of the biggest malls in the country, had been, which I heard of through a car dealership nearby. Steel and Steelers (that's as far as I go with teams!) country is dominated by Giant Eagle, Martins and Shop 'n Save, and I might like to go that way for an event in the summer. Wegmans are infamously stingey when it comes to opening new stores and only do no more than three a year, forgoing Upstate NY in recent years. They closed their store in a former JCPenney in Natick Mall outside Boston because it just didn't work, but instead, Wegmans will replace a mall. The land has been largely undeveloped since the mall closed several years ago after tenant after tenant left since the late '90s, including JCPenney, locally based Kaufmanns before the Macys merger, and a short-lived Wards. While it's normal for most areas to have a few Wegmans each, newer markets usually have less than a handful compared to legacy ones. Mixed reactions on Facebook would go from knowing the chain from out of state to it being new to them. The chains footprint in Pennsylvania would be concentrated on opposite sides of the state and Centre County. Altoona, Johnstown, York and Hanover would be overlooked. Back to West Mifflin, the new Wegmans would have to compete right across the road from Giant Eagle and Walmart. Located on PA 51 & 885. Washington Mall in South Strabane Township in Washington County would work too, since there's almost nothing left there either, while people in other parts of the northeast hold out for their own store, which one may take for granted until you have to move away (they rarely close any today). It may take until a third century before more areas ever get a Wegmans because of how picky they are, avoiding overkill and carefully planning. They're even looking at close to home, but that's for another day.

Big Lots! Part 2

Marion, OH store; February 2022.

JBTHEMILKER, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

 I may have done Big Lots! before, but now they're on the way out, and even if they're sold, the current economic climate doesn't hold well for them. The last post on Trader Joes led to this since some Big Lots! locations could be sold to them if it'll work. DFW-based rivals Tuesday Morning have already gone out of business. Rhode Islands Ocean State Job Lot would make sense in some of these, and they have confirmed that they shall buy several locations in the Northeast including Bayberry. Ollies Bargain Outlet will get many other locations, but they already have a strong presence in CNY alone.

Auburn - NY 5; former kmart*

Buffalo - S Ogden St; South Ogden Plaza

Cortland - NY 281; former Real Deals

deWitt - NY 5; former Price Chopper; now Spectrum

Elmira - Lake St*

Kingston - US 9W*

Liverpool - CR 57; former Price Chopper, The Shops at Seneca Mall; becoming Ocean State Job Lot*

Mattydale - US 11; former Tops/P&C*

Middletown - NY 211; Walkill Plaza

Oswego - NY 104*

Plattsburgh - NY 3; former Big Lots

Poughkeepsie - Burnett Blvd; former Caldor

Syracuse - Onondaga Blvd; former Fays; now Goodwill

Utica - NY 5; former Chicago Markets/Great American*

Watertown - NY 3*

*Outgoing

Trader Joe's

Fairfield County location, once again from Mike Mozart (who better?!).

 Let's take a break from department stores. Trader Joes may seem too easy, but even in Upstate NY, they certainly have plenty of room to grow. I first went in Chicago, then Rochester, and it finally came to deWitt, even though I don't go as much anymore. There are only five others Upstate and several in the Tri-State. The Capital Region has two (the only area in NY outside the city with more than one so far), and may get a third, despite recent events I won't get into here. Aldi North own the chain, which separated form Aldi South decades ago, who run the US and UK divisions, and are split in Germany and Europe. I may use * locations unless they're too close to competitors or where there's not a lot of money (you know how it is), although that will lead to another post for later, being a different animal. Trader Joes also don't need that much space.

Auburn - NY 5 & US 20; former Dicks; Fingerlakes Crossing or NY 5 (Grant Ave)*

Binghamton - US 11; former Weis/Giant/Grand Union

Cortlandville - NY 281; former kmart or *

Elmira - Lake St*

Glenmont - NY 32 & Fuera Bush Rd, Glenmont Plaza (TBC)

Kingston - US 9W*

Middletown - NY 211; Walkill Plaza*

New Hartford - NY 5 & 5A; former Hess's/Kaufmanns/Macys (instead of Whole Foods or Utica)

Oswego - NY 104*

Plattsburgh - NY 3*

Poughkeepsie - US 9; former Natures Harvest; South Square Plaza

Rome - NY 46 & 49; former Tops/P&C/Grand Union; Freedom Plaza

Schenectady - NY 5 & 7; former Grand Union/ALDI

Syracuse (Fairmount) - W Genesee St; part of Ashley Furniture, said to be truncated (confirmed as of 10/5/26)

Utica - NY 5; former Chicago Markets/Great American/Big Lots (instead of New Hartford)

Watertown - NY 3*

West Nyack - NY 59, former ShopRite or Stop & Shop

*former Big Lots

Jordan Marsh

Peabody, MA store, Northway Mall, 1980s. Courtesy Salem State Archives.

 Jordan Marsh & Company were once New Englands largest department store, but may have only had no more than two locations in New York, as there is no paper trail of them being anywhere else in the state, which made this post a challenge, so I have to fill the vacuum with a few from out of state. They were yet another one from the past that I'd heard of when going shopping with Grandma in the Capital District, and I even had a box of theirs at my old place (I must have binned that too). They even made it to Florida, even though that had separate management. While Macys took over Jordan Marsh along with several other chains like Bambergers, Abraham & Strauss and Sterns, the Hudson Valley store went another way, even though the former G. Fox and Filene's didn't become Macys until 2006.

Albany (Guilderland) - Crossgates Mall, US 20; now Macys

Poughkeepsie - Poughkeepsie Galleria, US 9; later Sears; now vacant

Boston (downtown) - Downtown Crossing; flagship; now Macys

Peabody, MA - Northway Mall, MA 114 & 128; later Macys; now Nordstrom (pictured)

Natick, MA - Natick Mall; later JCPenney and Wegmans; now vacant (covered earlier)

Filene's and Filene's Basement

Manchester, NH store at Pondview Terrace. Courtesy John Blower. CC by NC ND 2.0.

 Boston-based Filene's were another chain I got to know in Albany County. Trailblazing subsidiary Filene's Basement were their closeout chain (then-rival Macys had Macys Closeout), but like Sears Outlet from the parent chain, it would be spun off into a separate company before going out of business themselves. Because Kaufmanns were already west of the Capital Region, Filenes proper were never in CNY, WNY, or Twin Tiers. The bulk of the main chain became Macys, although there is an exception or two, while the other one is more ambiguous since I only knew the one in my area down cellar from the onetime sister chain. Filenes Basement survives today as an e-tailer, but it's just not the same, of course. As for the original Filenes, I just have Upstate, a few downstate and one non-NY store to save time.

Albany (Guilderland) - Crossgates Mall, US 20; now Macys

Kingston - Hudson Valley Mall, US 9W; later Macys; now vacant

Manchester, NH - Pondview Terrace (pictured)

Poughkeepsie - Poughkeepsie Galleria, US 9; first store became Steinbach; later DSW and Dicks; now Best Buy and Target. Second store previously G. Fox; now Macys

Queens (Fresh Meadows) - Filenes Basement; TBD

Rotterdam - Rotterdam Square Mall (now Viaport), NY 337; previously Hess's; later Macys; now NYS Taxation call center

Syracuse - Carousel Center (now Destiny USA); Filenes Basement; now Finish Line?

Walkill - Galleria at Crystal Run; now Macys

West Nyack - Palisades Center, NY 303 & 59; now Macys

Former Macy's Locations

Macys in Sangertown Square Mall, New Hartford

 Macy's have been around since the Victorian era like so many other department store chains, but unfortunately, have had to close stores in recent and past years, and will have to do so this year. They have only expanded into Upstate when owner Federated merged with May Department Stores a decade ago, absorbing Filenes and Kaufmanns, as well as Marshall-Fields in the Midwest to widespread protest. Here are where Macys have been and gone.

CNY

Syracuse (downtown) - S Salina St (small early store); various (too old to pinpoint straight away)

Cicero - Macys Closeout; Penn-Can Mall; now Roger Burdicks Drivers Village

deWitt - Shoppingtown Mall, NY 5; previously Addis & Deys, Sibleys and Kaufmanns; future District East (still in property purgatory)

Clay - Great Northern Mall, NY 31; previously Sibleys and Kaufmanns; now Dunk & Bright Furniture

New Hartford - Sangertown Square, NY 5 & 5A; previously Hess's and Kaufmanns; may be demolished for BJs Wholesale Club (confirmed; pictured above)

Rochester

Irondequoit - Irondequoit Mall; previously Sibleys and Kaufmanns; now vacant (pictured below)

Henrietta - Marketplace Mall, NY 15 & 252; previously Sibleys and Kaufmanns; now vacant

Greece - The Mall at Greece Ridge, NY 104; previously Sibleys and Kaufmanns; now Boscovs

Irondequoit Mall outside Rochester, 2013. CC by 2.0.

Buffalo

Hamburg - McKinley Mall, NY 179; previously Sibleys and Kaufmanns; Macys Home Store was previously L.L. Berger and Kaufmanns Home Store; both stores now vacant or TBD with demolition likely

Wheatfield - Summit Park Mall (later The Summit; now the NISE Center); Macys Closeout; previously Hens & Kelly; now vacant

Harris Hill/Clarence - Eastern Hills Mall, NY 78; previously Hengerers, Sibleys and Kaufmanns; later Niagara Emporium; now under development (may get a separate post)

Hudson Valley/Capital Region/Downstate (due to the inherent long history and vast size of the chain and tri-state, only a mere selection will be listed here)

Rotterdam - Rotterdam Square Mall (now Viaport), NY 337; previously Hess's and Filenes; now NYS Taxation call center

Kingston - Hudson Valley Mall, US 9W; previously Hess's and Filenes; TBD (yet I went here once in a while from just down the river)

White Plains - Galleria at White Plains, NY 119; previously Abraham & Strauss and Sterns; now vacant

New York - 6th Ave and 13th & 14th Sts; first area store; long gone (original store in Haverhill, MA)