Big Lots!

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.

Auburn - NY 5; outgoing Big Lots

Buffalo - S Ogden St; South Ogden Plaza

deWitt - NY 5; former Price Chopper; now Spectrum

Elmira - Lake St; outgoing Big Lots

Kingston - US 9W; outgoing Big Lots

Liverpool - CR 57; former Price Chopper, The Shops at Seneca Mall

Mattydale - US 11; former Tops/P&C

Middletown - NY 211; former Big Lots, Walkill Plaza

Oswego - NY 104; outgoing Big Lots

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/outgoing Big Lots

Watertown - NY 3; outgoing Big Lots

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 former or outgoing Big Lots 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; Fingerlakes Crossing or NY 5; outgoing Big Lots

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

Cortlandville - NY 281; former kmart

Elmira - Lake St; outgoing Big Lots

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

Kingston - US 9W; outgoing Big Lots

Liverpool - NY 31; former Price Chopper, COR Plaza

Middletown - NY 211; former Big Lots, Walkill Plaza

Oswego - NY 104; outgoing Big Lots

Plattsburgh - NY 3; former Big Lots

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

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

Utica - NY 5; former Chicago Markets/Great American/outgoing Big Lots

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

Watertown - NY 3; outgoing 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 couple 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

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

deWitt - Shoppingtown Mall, NY 5; previously Addis & Deys, Sibleys and Kaufmanns; you-know-what will be covered later

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

New Hartford - Sangertown Square, NY 5 & 5A; previously Hess's and Kaufmanns; now vacant (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; only Upstate store scheduled to close

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

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

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)

Hengerer's

A Hengerer-on: AI store with double fixed logo.

 W.M. Hengerer Co. were yet another in WNYs long line of lost luxury department store chains that couldn't catch up by the latter half of the 20th century. From cookery classes to restaurants, they were more than a store, ahead of their time and once claiming to be the biggest between downstate and Cook County (several tried to be in those days). Sibleys took over in 1987, only for them to go as well a couple years later. Wikipedia only mentions the downtown Hengerer's and one suburban store. The Department Store Museum managed to get the "Heng" of it (even they can't always find everything).

Buffalo (downtown) (1) - 259 Main St; original store; long gone (dates back to Victorian era)

Buffalo (downtown) (2) - 268 Main St; now The Salty Dog Barbershop and Crowley Web ad agency

Buffalo (downtown) (3) - 469 Main St; now laFayette Court

Amherst - NY 5 & Eggert Rd; now offices

Tonawanda - Pool Plaza, NY 324 & Delaware Rd; now Planet Fitness?

West Seneca - Seneca Mall (now The Shops at Seneca Mall), NY 240; likely Sibleys for a couple years before it moved to Cheektowaga for another brief stint (see earlier post); mall demolished

Clarence/Harris Hill - Eastern Hills Mall, NY 78; later Sibleys, Kaufmanns, Macys and Niagara Emporium; mall under redevelopment

L.L. Berger

AI store with real logo (couldn't fix another fake one)

 On a roll with WNY chains, and L.L. Berger are the latest. They were on the posh end, and had covered the area from the Edwardian era until the early '90s. Some things Wikipedia just can't do. Finally decided to launch a WNY tag because of the recent focus there.

Buffalo (downtown) (1) - 500 Main St; original store; now Buffalo Cigars

Buffalo (downtown) (2) - 514 Main St; now The Belasario

Cheektowaga (1) - Thruway Plaza (later Mall)

Cheektowaga (2) - Walden Galleria

Tonawanda - Sheridan Plaza, US 62

West Seneca - Seneca Mall (now The Shops at West Seneca), CR 137 & 91; old mall demolished

Amherst - Northtown Plaza, US 62 & NY 333; Station 12

Lockport - Lockport Mall, NY 78

Clarence - Transitowne Plaza, NY 5 & 78

Buffalo - 510 Elmwood Ave, now Mythos Restaurant

Hamburg - McKinley Mall, NY 179; later Kaufmanns Home Store and likely Macys outpost; now vacant