Homesense

HomeSense store in Willimantic, CT

JJBers from Willimantic, Connecticut, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

 HomeSense are part of the TJX conglomerate, even though they're originally from the boys' area. They have yet to come to mine. They are a bit different from US sister chain HomeGoods, which either stand alone or are in a combo with Marshalls. Also had to even out the number of posts again and I've been meaning to do this one for a period, so time to make some sense of this and bring it closer to home without too much overlap with TJ Maxx either. I'm still waiting on Sierra, but we've covered them earlier. Might just be mainly CNY or North Country as usual, but I can always just add on, of course.

Fayetteville - NY 5 & N Burdick St, Towne Center; former JoAnn Fabrics

Clay - NY 31, Marketfair North; former JoAnn Fabrics

Cortland - NY 281; former Big Lots or kmart

Syracuse - Destiny USA; former JCPenney, second floor

New Hartford - NY 5 & 5A, Sangertown Square; former Hess's/Kaufmanns/Macys

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

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

Leader Drugs

Church Leader Drugs in East Syracuse

 Leader Drugs is a brand found at and consortium of indie drug stores. I remember it from the old days, yet I just discovered that they are alive and well today at a few thousand mom and pop pharmacies across the country. This may be a bit tricky to find past or present affiliates in New York or any other state, yet it was and to this day is what you'd find at a local chemist when their national competitors are struggling (David and Goliath again). I'll just show you a number of yesterday and todays* Leader Drug Stores in CNY and WNY that I can remember (near me anyway) or dig up (just need enough to post).

Oswego - Wayne Drugs; NY 104 (still going strong, and where I learnt that Leader lives)*

Fulton - Wayne Drugs; E 1st St; sold to Kinney, which opened new store around the corner; now vacant

Syracuse (downtown) - Harrison Center Pharmacy/G&L/Kress (successor to classic north side store); Almond, Harrison & E Adams Sts; later sold to Kinney; now Upstate Medical Offices

Syracuse (south side) - Figs & Olives Pharmacy; NY 173 & E Brighton Ave; sold to Kinney, which opened new store across the street; demolished for Tim Hortons, which is now Dunkin'

North Syracuse - US 11; now Sammys NYC Deli and Grill

Manlius - Harveys Pharmacy; NY 92 (later Eckerd and Rite Aid, then Unplugged Gaming, now Dollar General)

Syracuse (east side/foot of SU Hill) - Harveys Drugs; NY 92 (same owners as above; now cornershop)

Syracuse (east side/near SU southeast campus) - Drumlins Pharmacy?; Skytop Plaza (later switched to Fays Cornerdrug; became Eckerd and Rite Aid; now Walgreens)

Henrietta - NY 15; now Brighton Health Center (Strong Ties URMC)

Liverpool/Bridgeport/Phoenix/Tully - Tri-R Drugs? (see previous post)

Buffalo (present) - Kents Leader Drug; NY 354*

Buffalo (past) - Bergs Leader Drug; 1540 Genesee St (now vacant lot)

Depew - Save Rite; NY 78 & US 20 ? (later Fays; TBD since I just don't know Erie County that well myself)

Syracuse (north side) - Kress Drugs; Butternut & Park Sts; late Victorian building survived well into 1990s; business moved to site off I-81 (soon to be BL-81); now demolished

New York (Midtown Manhattan) - 235 E 22nd St (even found a downstate one)*

*Leaders own site doesn't list their locations at this time, making it a wild goose chase to find them.

Tri-R Drugs

Screenshot from old commercial from the '80s

 Tri-R Drugs were a small local chain serving three counties. Kinney Drugs bought them out by the '90s and only one of these is still in business at its original location. Not sure if they were Rexall like Kinney were, Good Neighbor, or even Leader (that will be the next post). You never know what you can find.

Liverpool - CR 57; now Kinney Drugs

Phoenix - CR 57 & 57A; TBD

Bridgeport - NY 31 & 298; TBD

Tully - US 11 & NY 80; now vacant

Price Chopper and Market 32 Bonus Points Retired?

Early Price Chopper store back in the mid-'70s

Delaware Ave store in Albany in the late '70s

 I have discovered in the past few weeks that Price Chopper and Market 32 seemed to have phased out their Bonus Points scheme. You can still earn FuelAdvantedge points with online offers, the occasional game, buying organic, or double points now and then. I usually only go to Price Chopper when Tops pause their own points for two weeks' time every other month. Even though they're sister stores now, both programmes started separately under different ownership; Tops when they were owned by Ahold, and it remained after they spun off. Theirs is easier to earn by comparison, yet the Centro pass deal is exclusive to Syracuse, and gift cards with four different chains is used where Tops Xpress is currently  unavailable. Meanwhile, Price Chopper and Market 32 have their points for redemption at participating Sunocos (even those not right near a store, while others have closed or just become other chains or indie since). One may even consider the bonus points deals or the whole promotion another example of so-called "spaving", where you're spending more than you're saving. Even if other chains without such a plan or even a card get more people, it may seem like a drop in the ocean these days as recent events have affected prices at the pump and beyond. Before all of this, I couldn't always get others to use these points, yet I would think they'd kill for it if they don't go to either Northeast chain. It's also not always convenient for me to go to Price Chopper on either side of town, while Tops are just around the corner or right in the suburbs. The mid-Hudson Valley also has both within driving distance, which was already covered here. I would just stick to Tops if they didn't take off earning for a period. Not everyone can go to more than one place. Most are lucky to have the one. Every place does has its advantages.
 If Market 32 and Price Chopper have decided to sunset Bonus Points or just have them on occasion, I'll still continue to come as well as look for the latest deals each month on the app. All is not lost. It'll just take a little longer again to get to a minimum number of points that will shave off a few pennies at the pump for whomever takes up the offer, even if it totals up to just over a dollar, which they may think is twopence in this economy, but at least I tried. At least I can usually keep the other places points for my own, and when I ever get my driving licence in future, I shall have both places at my disposal.

UPDATE (23/6/26): I go to Western Lights to see if any bonus points items still exist, and the only two things that come up are tubs of cream cheese and a large one of dishwasher detergent. They may just be phased out gradually or something for the diehards to find. Also, a bit less variety on some certain other things I was looking for, but I didn't have time to make two stops and wanted to get home before I got carried away again. Also can't let the side down, like I always say. I could always go again later.
  So not to have to start a whole new post and have too much on this chain, Market Bistro in Latham is now just Market 32. It was supposed to emulate that other chain (so not to get ones hopes up), but they decided to just have it under the name more common in the home territory. It's still uncertain if all Price Choppers will convert to the Market 32 name, even with an unrelated chain in the nations midsection and the economy the way it is right now. No one else could ever be called Market 32.

Dunk & Bright Furniture

AI version of the original Dunk & Bright Furniture

 After a month without any new ideas, I decided to cover Dunk & Bright Furniture (O'Dunk & O'Bright during St Patricks season to reflect the founders' Irish roots). The original store on S Salina St and E Bright Ave on Syracuse's south side will be closing in the coming weeks. Many people assume the business as a whole is coming to an end, not realising that a new store has opened in the former Great Northern Mall in Clay where Sibleys, Kaufmanns and Macys had been. To boot, Dunk & Bright have gone outside CNY to the Rochester area and opened in South Town Plaza on Jefferson Road (NY 252) in Henrietta, where Burlington, kmart, Freddys, and PriceRite used to be. It's new to most people there, and they're pessimistic about another furniture store there, with Marketplace Mall down the road being closed, and brick and mortar retail in general facing decline in recent years between online dominance and the economy. It's not uncommon to fear the unfamiliar. Hometown rival Raymour & Flanigan are in WNY and have expanded across the eastern seaboard, so it can be done. Dunk & Bright might just stick to the two stores at this stage. I don't think they want to be a big chain like that.
 I've only gone to the flagship once decades ago. It seemed to take time to look at everything, being the largest furniture store in the whole state, tucked into a part of town that now doesn't have as much money. With Dunk & Bright entering their 100th year, it had opened in a more innocent time. The fire department are said to be buying some of the building. Staff and remaining stock will be moved up the new I-81 (still I-481 for now) and NY 481 to the new store, where the mall is being done up in the wake of Microns building site just a few miles away. It's a slam Dunk and the future looks Bright for one of the areas oldest local businesses. There's also outlet store A. Bright Furniture in Westvale Plaza, which had moved several blocks from Wegmans Plaza on Onondaga Blvd from the former Chase-Pitkin and Big Lots turned Goodwill. So much for Goldbergs and Besdins (one from before my time I looked up).

AI version of store's early days nearly a century ago

Shaws

Shaws in Sturbridge, MA in the autumn

JJBers from Willimantic, Connecticut, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

 With Grand Unions portfolio down to a handful, their one store outside New York is in Rutland, VT. It could be next to go, and it would most likely go to Shaws so it could stay union, as I pointed out in a previous post. Across Lake Champlain is a bigger challenge, with a closed store in Warrensburg and a remaining one in Peru close to Plattsburgh, Burlington, and the border. Shaws could start to expand a little west of New England. Albertsons are no stranger to New York, having owned Save-a-Lot and Acme, still in the Tri-State, but otherwise left Upstate decades ago, while Supervalu had been here themselves as well as with Shop 'n Save in WNY and the chains acquired through the merger with Albertsons. I've gone to Jewel-Osco and Dominicks in Chicago, Star Market in Boston, and Shoppers near Washington. Here are where Shaws could go (*still Grand Union for right now):

Peru - US 9*; former Tops

Rutland, VT - US 4*; former Tops

Albany - NY 5; former Price Chopper; Westgate Shopping Ctr

Warrensburg - US 9; former Tops and Grand Union (pictured below)

Troy (Lansingburgh) - US 4; former Price Chopper

Slingerlands - NY 85; former ShopRite

AI of future Warrensburg Shaws (CoPilot)

The Return of Rite Aid

 

Former Canastota store with logo added

    Just when you thought Rite Aid were dead and gone, it turns out they are an online-only entity, now under new management. I got a tip on Facebook, and they now will fill prescriptions virtually, and provide health-care information. Instead of new stores, they have partnered with over two-thousand labs across the country. However, the site is hard to manoeuvre and I can only get jab labs in Scranton, PA, where the original chain began as Thrift D Drugs. I did see Quest Diagnostics, however; my closest one of which is near where Rite Aid used to be blocks from home, but at Quests old location a mile away, they couldn't accommodate my particular needs, so I go to a competitor for that instead. As for scripts, Rite Aid said you could look for your old one from a couple years ago if it wasn't binned, or just ring your new chemist to transfer it  once Rite Aid are set up to be a ghost pharmacy, if you like, competing with Amazon, Express Scripts, and Rex MD. While it can be convenient for both busy people and those who can't get out too much or at all, the post is not always convenient or safe, and it's just part of a growing trend of shifting business online. Rite Aid scripts were eventually acquired by nearby area  Walgreens, CVS/pharmacy (if not through Target), or indies, while customers could simply choose to move them to another chain, online, or a local pharmacy in their area. These competitors would have signs saying they welcome Rite Aid customers either way so they have a new place to pick up meds.
    By the time Rite Aid enter their sixty-fifth year this fall, everything should be in place. Like other shuttered chains that came back as e-tailers like Wards, it's just not the Rite Aid that we grew up with.