Two Way Roads: How Arendi can be successful and unique

Two Way Roads: How Arendi can be successful and unique

Albany Eats!: Cheesecake Factory

Albany Eats!: Cheesecake Factory

Ithaca's Food Web: Tops Friendly Markets must sell two Ithaca stores, says FTC

Ithaca's Food Web: Tops Friendly Markets must sell two Ithaca stores, says FTC

Shop City - Then and Now



My own photo of Shop City

Shop City Plaza has had many businesses come and go like any other in the country, but holds its own in the community.

Teall Ave. and Grant Blvd., Syracuse.

Former tenants:

Fanny Farmer Candies
First Federal
Grants
Liggetts Rexall Drugs
Childrens Bootery
Uniroyal Tires
HSBC
Speigals
Real estate*
Corcorans Liquor Store
Tops 'n Bottoms
Intermission
Montgomery Ward
Acme
Phillips Shoe Repair
Green Hills
Neisners
Casual Male & Female

Fallas
Fabric store*
Syracuse Paint & Varnish
Ice cream*
Video arcade*
Endicott Johnson
Fays Drugs

Family Dollar
New Domain
Ames
Peters
Grand Union

Valu Home Center
P&C (twice)
Hit or Miss
Pizza Hut
RadioShack
CUA Music
Restaurant*
Payless ShoeSource
Chappells

Chess King
Fotomat
National Auto Supply
Wheels Discount Auto

Waldenbooks
McCrorys
Sally Beauty Supply
Sugarplum Boutique
Sweet Chunkys BBQ
Hallmark Cards
The UPS Store
OnBank
Fleet Bank
Carrols Cinema
CinemaNational
Skaneateles Savings Bank
BSB Savings Bank
Andrays Hair Styling
Meltzers Restaurant
Johnson Shoe Stores
S&H Green Stamps Store
Country Buffet*

The Book Nook
Rainbow Rent to Own

Curves
Eckerd Pharmacy
AJ Wright
D&K Stores
Nail Art
Strauss Stores

Marks Pizzeria
TBD

Appliance Parts

Napolis Pizza

Tutis Market

Wilsons Jewellers

Royce Shoes

Endicott Johnson

Strauss Shoes

First Niagara

Bakers Shoes

US Coast Guard Recruiting

Quiznos Subs
Blimpie Subs (via Mobil)
Blockbuster
CW Price
Citizens Bank
Dots Fashions
Yummy Buffet (previously Super King and Super Nova Chinese Buffet)
Ginga Japanese steakhouse
Antonio's to Go

Thrifty Shopper Outlet
Authentic Clothing & Footwear

Current tenants:

Tops
Smokers Choice
Spanish restaurant

Black Friday Bins
China House

U-Haul
McDonalds
Al Dente/Shop City Pizza

Rite Aid
Shop City Wines & Liquors
Powerhouse Gym
Metro by T-Mobile
M&T Bank
Shop City Veterinary Hospital
CSL Plasma
Pawn King
Cricket
Dollar Tree
Rent-a-Center
H&R Block
State Farm
Advance Auto Parts
Empire Visionworks
The Fish Cove
Atlas Chiropractic
Citgo/Runway/Subway
City Laundromat

Ultimate Beauty Supply

Hair Land

Factory Direct Furniture and Mattress

What I wish would open there:

Schlotzskys
SECNY FCU
Godfathers Pizza

Subject to change.
*Name TBD.

Dedicated to the memory of John Navè, "Mayor of Shop City".

Saving Small Towns Through Groceries - ABC News

Saving Small Towns Through Groceries - ABC News

The Life & Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch: Pumpkin Whoopie Pies - Gluten Free and Price Chopper Premiere Baking Class

The Life & Loves of Grumpys Honeybunch: Pumpkin Whoopie Pies - Gluten Free and Price Chopper Premiere Baking Class

For Mel.

Asian supermarket

The next frontier of retail that needs to be explored in Upstate NY is an Asian supermarket, which is really meaning the Pacific Rim much of the time, geared towards the Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Filipino, Laotian, and Korean communities, carrying items not found at traditional Western supermarkets like bok choy and live fish.  Items imported from the other side of the globe are found there.  I've been to one in Flushing, Queens downstate a couple years ago, and saw a fairly large one upstate in Albany.  We need something like that in Central New York.  In Syracuse, theres a small store on Erie Blvd. E. with a Chinese takeaway nearby.  I think a bigger store down the road at the former Price Chopper in DeWitt would better suit the area.  The one in New Hartford would work for the Utica-Rome region.  Rochester and Buffalo I'm not 100% sure about as I don't go to those areas often.  Large markets will turn up in bigger cities and suburbs throughout the west.  In smaller and more compact communities, there will be small shops, but it all depends on where you live and the demand.  I would go to an Asian supermarket if the opportunity came along again.
Since I wrote this two have opened on Erie Blvd.  One is in the former Stevens Office Interiors (now on NY 290 in East Syracuse).

Roadside Burger Blog: Club Burger at Carrols, Helsinki, Finland - Bodacious and "juicy" burgers from the American suburbs (and around the world)

Roadside Burger Blog: Club Burger at Carrols, Helsinki, Finland - Bodacious and "juicy" burgers from the American suburbs (and around the world)

Mr. Subb: The answer is NO?

Mr Subb: The answer is NO?: Our days are filled with a constant barrage for our attention, for our time and for our money. Some requests are subtle like a soft wind whi...

Mystery Supermaket Lady

This model above has appeared on websites and print ads for Price Chopper, Tops, IGA, Metro, and others.  Does anyone know who she is? Is she from ThinkStock or Jupiter Images?  Let me know in comments. Thanks.

What does Origin Post is Preparing Shipment mean?

What does Origin Post is Preparing Shipment mean?

Stein Mart in CNY and Beyond

Existing store in Hattiesburg, MS.

Heres something different. The other week, I went to Stein Mart in Rochester suburb Pittsford and thought we could use this near me.  I predict these locations:

Albany - Wolf Road (ex-Borders)
Syracuse - Western Lights Plaza*
Fairmount - Fairmount Fair
North Syracuse - Northern Lights (former TJ Maxx, Staples or Burlington*****)
DeWitt - former Macys, Dicks or JCPenney in Shoppingtown or Michaels up NY 5
Clay - Great Northern Mall
Liverpool - The Shops at Seneca Mall**
Syracuse - Destiny USA
New Hartford**
Clifton Park - former OfficeMax if still vacant
Liverpool - Co Rt 57***
Latham - former Latham Circle Mall
Cortlandville***
Palatine Bridge***
Oswego - TBD
Fulton - NY 481 (former kmart)
Syracuse - Onondaga Blvd (Western Lights; ex-Valu)
Cicero - former Burlington at Drivers Village

* ex-kmart/Herb Phillipsons
** ex-Price Chopper
*** ex-Ames
**** ex-P&C
***** ex-Media Play

These could also be IKEAs.

CNY ShurFine affiliates

Store in Seattle suburb in the early 20th Century.

ShurFine is a brand seen in many independent supermarkets across the US, Canada, and even in Jamaica! It can be easily found in CNY. Here are the places you can go:

Syracuse (West Side) - Nojaim Bros (now Brady Market)
Syracuse - Dominick's Neighborhood Market (not the former Safeway division)
Across Upstate - Byrne Dairy (select products)
Farmington - Wades (becoming Tops)
Marcellus - Nojaim Bros, NY 174
Fulton - Strupplers, NY 48 (former Big M; later Tops; now vacant)
Syracuse (Onondaga Hill) - Hill Top Market (now Family Dollar)
Liverpool - Nichols
North Rose - North Rose Midstate
Sodus Point - Shirtz

Webster - Former Hegedorns (as of June 2023), NY 404 (former IGA; later Best Yet)
Pulaski - Al's Big Hometown Corner Market, NY 13 (now closed)

More on the Western Family site. Just learnt that they'll tell you where to find their brands in your area. They didn't before.
Now if I could just get a concise list of retailers that carry sister brands from Topco (even if chains like Wegmans and Price Chopper just have Top Care health and beauty products).

Hiatus

Due to lack of interest on my part and the world's, this blog will go on indefinite hiatus until further notice. There hasn't been anything to report already covered by the pros. I am also focused more on my other blog which I consider my main one. Getting larger retailers to break ground in New York State or anywhere in the world right now is a lot to bear in this economy. Someday, things will change, but now we wait and wonder. Sorry it has to end this way, but it's not the end all. If it's meant to be, I'll return.

ShopRite in the Capital Region

Actual Colonie store on NY 5 (now Market 32)

The first hiatus has ended! I for now have material to work with.
I read that ShopRite will re-enter the Capital Region. I heard that it was there in the '60s and '70s, until the late '80s. I'm all for this either way, as I've only been to ShopRite in the NYC tri-state area. I've heard of it initially from what are now My 9 WWOR and CW 11 WPIX from downstate when they were indie TV superstations on cable. When I lived in the Hudson Valley, I went all the time.
One issue is that no-frills O&O sister store PriceRite have an existing store in Schenectady which I go to on occassion, and may come to my back yard (see earlier article). They try not to be in the same area as ShopRite, even though those are usually franchised.
Possible locations could be:

East Greenbush
Menands (ex-Save a Lot)
Glenville
Hudson Falls
Palatine Bridge
Saratoga Springs
Troy
Colonie (Wolf Road, ex-Barnes & Noble)
Loudonville
Schodack
Waterford
Cohoes
Niskayuna (coming soon!)
Rensselaer
Clifton Park

Its early days right now, so nothing is for sure yet. Watch this space!