Shoppingtown

JCPenney has since left.

As more people shop online and the economy can be uneasy it seems dead malls are becoming more common in the US and Canada. Shoppingtown in deWitt is a blatant example of such a lost cause. In my day it had almost everything but as the years went by society changed but the developers' mindsets didn't so it became a modern day Tumbleweed Connection! TGI Fridays and JCPenney (in the back above) have just closed shop. The library will go next year. Trying to fill it all up at this point would be fruitless so maybe once the row between the town council and Moonbeam is sorted perhaps the wrecking ball could swing like Miley and they could cut their losses. A lifestyle center like Township 5 across town in Camillus or Legacy Place in Boston suburb Dedham, MA could be the next step. Whole Foods, IKEA, Ross Stores, 99 Pub and Toppers Pizza just to name a few could take over returning the place to its roots as a plaza bringing it full circle. There are several other centers in CNY alone and across North America that make Pompeii look like Hong Kong but this could be part of the solution. I might look into Niagara Square in Niagara Falls, ONT next (also made a strip centre in recent years).
Kohan, the company that bought former sister mall Great Northern Mall could buy Shoppingtown as well as they know how to flip malls like that show on HGTV on the west coast can flip houses. However, Moonbeam insist that it's not for sale and that they shall reformat in the months to come.  CarMax could go there (see later post). I now tend to call the mall Shoppingnowt!

Former IGA locations

Former Hannibal store

Cook County-based chain IGA are a network of indie grocers across the country (they're also in Australia and Canada in the Commonwealth).  They've left bigger areas in recent decades and are seen more in small towns like Potsdam and Old Forge  They blazed a trail when Grand Union and A&P started out in tea before competing.  Here's an assorted selection from around Upstate and the Tri-State of what some older folks may assume is all but long gone.

Hannibal (NY 3; previously Big M; now Tops; pictured)
Syracuse/Fayetteville/North Syracuse/East Syracuse - Peters (now Tops, Kohls, Family Dollar, Thrifty Shopper, cornershops, etc.; see other article)

East Syracuse/Chittenango/Baldwinsville/Cazenovia/Minoa/Fayetteville - Smiths (ended affiliation by the '80s; chain closed by 2001-02; see later article)

Syracuse/Marcellus - Nojaim Bros. (became part of Hometown Markets with above two [refer to other post] by '80s; near West Side store closed in 2017 and is now Brady Market; NY 174 store will become Stewarts Shops in Spring 2024)

Genoa - Smiths IGA, NY 90 (no relation to above; dated back to late Victorian era; vacant by 2011)
Liverpool - Nichols (later ShurFine; now a Best Yet affiliate)
laFayette - US 11 (now Dollar General)
Homer - Foodliner, US 11 & NY 41 (now Village Food Market)

Camillus - ex-NY 5 (later indie; closed by '80s)
Corfu - NY 77 (now vacant)
Clifton - now indie
Bridgeton, NJ - now C-Town
Akwesasne - NY 37 (now St Regis Mohawk First Nation gaming and entertainment complex)
Red Hook - US 9 (now Hannaford or CVS/pharmacy?)
Malone - now Country Market
Greenwich - NY 29 (now a farmers market)

Webster - former Hegedorns (as of June 2023), NY 404; later ShurFine and BestYet affiliated
Brushton - now Country Store
Star Lake - Padgetts, NY 3 (later Great American; now Dollar General)
Stephentown - now vacant
Bingham Park - Hawley (now vacant)
The Bronx - now Scavellos City Island

Tops in Hannibal

Made with Microsoft Paint, poor mans Photoshop!

Tops' latest location on NY 3 just past NY 104 in Hannibal is now open.  I went just a few days before as the old guard IGA were clearing out as much as possible.  It's listed on Tops' site but no article there or the local papers about the soft opening has been released yet.  Previously a Big M to boot, the family who owned it were now in their fourth or fifth generation in this country and were ready to move on.  I have yet to see the place so the façade may have changed or like some former Shurfine or Grand Unions they bought out in recent memory they just retrofit the old sign instead like my cheap rendering shows (gotta make do!).  Now I hope the old Price Chopper in Oswego by Fort Ontario halfway across the county is store #600 (IRS regulations make them count former stores too) but some towards and in New England acquired from ex-sister chain Stop & Shop and their new one Hannaford are next in line.  As for the other Great Lakes chain, you have to go to Potsdam or Old Forge now but it's just not the same.  A post about them is next.

Eyemart Express

AI fantasy version because still no free image

Now to switch gears, Eyemart Express I only just heard of the other week in Rochester with a couple new locations in the suburbs.  One in the DFW is where this chain are based and there will always be a market for eyewear.  Here's where they should look into so to speak:

deWitt - NY 5, former Pearle Vision or Shoppingtown
Syracuse (Eastwood/Lyncourt) - former Blockbuster Video (even though rival Visionworks are already nearby)
Clay - NY 31, Great Northern Mall
Fairmount - Fairmount Fair
Oswego - NY 104
Fulton - NY 481, former Fay's Drugs
Cortland - NY 13, Riverside Plaza or NY 281, Cortlandville
Syracuse (north side) - Destiny USA
Auburn - former Walgreens
Syracuse (west side) - NY 5, Genesee Plaza, former Sam Dell Dodge site

Former Tops locations

East Aurora location

Syracuse (Eastwood) - Burnet Ave near NY 635; original Tops stores left Onondaga County in 1986; later P&C until 2004 and now Bill Rapp Nissan
Syracuse (south side) - 4141 S Salina St (US 11, Valley Plaza; previously P&C and A&P)
Mattydale - US 11; later P&C until 1994 and is now Big Lots
New Hartford (CR 24, Kellogg Mall in Washington Mills and NY 5A) - now Hannaford
Utica (east side) - now Hannaford
Whitehall - Grand Union became Tops in 2001, then closed; now Dollar General
Oneida - NY 5; now Price Chopper
Geneva - NY 14A, Pyramid Plaza; later Cherribundi and RealEats, now vacant
Oswego - NY 104; now Price Chopper
Warrensburg, Bolton Landing et al (mainly Adirondack Park) - were GU at first, then Tops, then back to GU and Tops once again (see earlier GU post for more details)
Fulton - now Price Chopper; with Tops later in former Strupplers Big M/Shurfine down NY 48, now River View Pediatrics
Hamilton - NY 12A; was Grand Union, then Tops, then back to GU but is now Hacketts
Cleveland, OH area - were briefly in Cuyahoga County; Erie, PA have the closest ones to them now
Buffalo area - Tops' backyard; given the nature of the business, many have come and gone over the decades. The current count is over 140 yet they count almost 400 total as they include all past locations for tax purposes, as one of the smaller stores ultimately absorbed into Tops told me when they still existed (another blog called Buffalo Stories has some original Tops, HyTop Pharmacy and B-Kwik stores from the '60s and '70s).
North Syracuse - US 11 in village; later Salvation Army, now an estate agent
Henrietta - NY 252/Jefferson Road, now At Home (moved around the corner)

Lyons - NY 31, now vacant

Warrensburg - US 9, now Grand Union again

Sherrill - NY 5, now Grand Union

Rome - NY 46 & 49, now Grand Union, previously P&C for several years

Cortland (1) - NY 281 & 222, now Grand Union

Cortland (2) - NY 222, now vacant; closed by 1994 when new store opened around the corner

Watertown (Pamelia) - US 11, now Piggly Wiggly

Watertown (Seaway/south) - US 11, now Grand Union

Rutland - US 4 & 7, now Grand Union again

Cooperstown - NY 28, now Grand Union

Peru - US 9, now Grand Union again

Saranac Lake (1) - NY 3, now Grand Union yet again

Saranac Lake (2) - now closed

Owego - NY 17C, now Grand Union

Norwich - NY 990L, now Grand Union

Wilson Farms, B-Kwik and Sugarcreek Stores were a division of Tops until they spun off into a separate company and were sold to 7 Eleven (I discussed them before and some Wilson Farms became other things).  Tops returned to Syracuse in 2010 when they purchased the lions share of Penn Traffic after their third and final administration (bankruptcy!).

Arthur Treachers

Newer Washington, DC location.

I meant to put Arthur Treachers here earlier but it must have been the one that got away!  They were formerly in Liverpool (Bayberry and Galeville) and Syracuse (east side).  Monroe County have the closest ones to me right now but I wanna change all that:

Baldwinsville - former Jreck Subs (NY 31 & 370)

Liverpool (Bayberry) - former Arbys (up the street from old location that is now a takeaway)

Oswego - former Arbys (NY 104)

Fulton - former Jreck Subs (downtown)

Cortland - former Naples Italian Eatery (NY 13)

Auburn - former Tim Hortons (NY 5 and/or Genesee St)

Cicero - former Jimmy Johns (E Circle Dr) or Buffalo Wild Wings  (US 11)

Utica - former Tim Hortons (Genesee St)

Rome - TBD (NY 46 or 49)

Canastota - former Jreck Subs (NY 5 & 13)

Syracuse (east side) - former Jimmy Johns
New Hartford - same as above, Sangertown Square (NY 5 & 5A)
Wappinger Falls - former Sonic Drive-In (US 9)
Canandaigua - former Ponderosa, NY 5/US 20
New Hartford - former Dennys (NY 5)

For towns with more than one vacancy LJS can get the other.

Bus or bust

I'd bring them back for day trips downstate and to casinos and such!

The travel industry is certainly retail so it fits here.  There doesn't always seem to be enough buses to where I wanna go from my area.  The Chinatown bus going downstate only leaves at all hours from Galeville (part of Liverpool) just a mile from the bus and railway station.  The infamous Fung Wah went the way of Syracuse & Oswego Bus just last year.  If only I could just get founder Pei Lin Liang to revive the company and get back in good graces with Albany and Boston for an operating licence.  For casino runs that mainly attract pensioners I'd have him go to Gananoque, ONT and Niagara Falls, NY/ONT in the border community, both Mohegan Sun casinos, Sands in the Allentown-Bethlehem, PA area, Vernon Downs, Point Place (coming soon), and Yellow Brick Road in the Central Leatherstocking (he could go to the latter two casinos' Oneida First Nation sister flagship Turning Stone from communities that Birnie, Yankee Trails, Wade and others won't service).  In the summer months, I'd have runs to Sylvan and Verona Beaches on NY 13, Southwick Beach and Sacketts Harbour in the North Country, and Green Lakes in Fayetteville.  Meanwhile, I'd get Liang to go to NYC in broad daylight without eating into Greyhounds runs too much but they always get long queues and only occasionally do they provide an extra bus for people just going to Cortland and Binghamton which have less demand by comparison.  The bus could go down NY 13 to Ithaca and up NY 14 to Geneva as direct service from CNY is sparse or even non-existent. Not everyone can have access to a private vehicle or in the case of seniors can't handle the long drive on the road anymore so there's a market to tap into.  I'd have Fung Wah or somebody leave from in the city like they do in Albany so it's not out of the way.  I'd also make sure they avoid all the problems that have plagued this type of service.  This is why these things have to be regulated to protect people from getting hurt.  There should be value for money without cutting corners or cars off on the road.  They could even start over in Canada and provide bus service in Haldimand County, ONT to get people to Toronto, Hamilton, Niagara Falls (both) and Buffalo.  I see similar buses like Safeway Tours (no relation to the supermarket chain) in Niagara Falls US & Canada which are more for tourism purposes with primarily Asian customers each time I'm in town.
If Fung Wah could just change their focus a bit, they could maybe rebuild their tepid reputation.

RadioShack

Waterbury, CT store.  Not your fathers RadioShack!

Yes, RadioShack are alive and well but alas fewer and more far between by the day.  Mostly a Sprint dealer with some vestiges of the old guard.  Auburn, Herkimer and Rochester (now closed) have the closest ones to Syracuse nowadays when a generation or two ago, they were all over, even in Cazenovia (via a dealer however).  Since mobile phone shops are on almost every corner these days anyway, they may as well open these here (it may have to wait now as they have re-entered administration):

deWitt (NY 5) - Shoppingtown*

Cortland (NY 13) - Riverside Plaza

Clay (NY 31 & 481) - Great Northern Mall*
Liverpool (NY 31) - former Verizon Wireless

Syracuse (north side) - Destiny USA*

Westvale (NY 5) - former Verizon dealer or building with Family Dollar

Oswego - vacancy on NY 104

Fulton - former Eckerd on NY 481

New Hartford - Sangertown Square (NY 5A)

Oneida (NY 5) - former Tim Hortons (it's a small town and there's less red tape)

Fayetteville - former Epic (NY 5)

North Syracuse - Northern Lights (US 11)

Cicero - former Cicis Pizza

Syracuse (Eastwood/Lyncourt) - Shop City, former Blockbuster Video (* across the street)

Bridgeport - former Kinney Drugs (NY 31)

Chittenango - same if CVS aren't interested (NY 5 & 13)

*was here in the past

BJ's Brewhouse

Colorado Springs, CO location

This SoCal chain have opened in Colonie in the Capital Region, so here are other possible locations:

East Syracuse - former Camilla's Café, Bridge St
Oswego - NY 104
North Syracuse - along US 11 between Bailey and W Taft Rds
Cicero - along E Circle Dr or former Buffalo Wild Wings
New Hartford - New Hartford Shopping Ctr or former Zebbs or Dennys
Syracuse (Destiny USA) - former Cantina Loredo
Irondequoit -Skyview on the Ridge (formerly Medley Ctr) or former Keenans
Auburn - Dennys, NY 5
Canandaigua - former Ponderosa, NY 5/US 20
Watertown - former Tilted Kilt, NY 3
Cortland - Riverside Plaza, NY 13

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

Syracuse (Fairmount) - former Big Boy/IHOP/Good Buddys Pub, W Genesee St

No relation to BJs Wholesale Club.

Bottle return

This is in Michigan. I would've used a bin bag first, though.

In New York, Maine, California, Michigan and several other states, people pay a deposit on fizzies, drink and in some states water.  You'd think places to recycle them would be within easy reach but that is not always the case however.  Where one was in Eastwood before could be one again as many people there can't drive and the bus or walking isn't always convenient.  Only name brands can be brought to the chain stores there.  Not only can one make a quick buck one can channel their inner Ed Begley Jnr and save the environment.  Some more far flung communities could use one two.  Even some on NY 5 have these.  Not quite sure how these places make revenue yet many have come and gone over the years.  Once I'm rich I'll just have the money go to charity as it'd be a drop in the bucket for me by then!  One place I know could have it help cats and dogs but they won't take all the ones I bring in but you can't win them all!

Panera Bread

Plaza location in Hartford Connty, CT.

While Panera Bread may seem too easy compared to most chains as far as suggesting new locations, there are still places they have yet to open.  Here's where they should be:

Cortland - Riverside Plaza, former Naples Italian Eatery; or Cortlandville, NY 13 (former McDonalds)

Seneca Falls and Waterloo - NY 5/US 20

Oneida, former KFC?, NY 5

Rome - NY 46 & 49, Freedom Plaza

Central Square, NY 49 between US 11 and I-81

Canastota - former Family Dollar, NY 5 & 13

Bridgeport - former Kinney Drugs, NY 31

Junius Ponds - Waterloo Premium Outlets, NY 318
Baldwinsville -  former Burger King, NY 31 & 370
Canandaigua - former Ponderosa, NY 5/US 20

Family Video

Marquette, MI location.

Family Video are among the last of its kind left.  They could grow some more though.

Rochester - former Blockbuster or Hollywood Video, Monroe Ave.

Irondequoit - Skyview on the Ridge (ex-Medley Center)

Syracuse (Eastwood) - former Blockbuster, Shop City
Manchester - former Movie Gallery/Colonial Laundromat (NY 21)

Syracuse (south side) - former Blockbuster

Syracuse (east side) - former PHP, Big Sur/Bedroom Expressions or vacant land where bowling alley had been or the other one up the street on Erie Blvd E (NY 5)

Syracuse (west side) - former Dennys

North Syracuse - Northern Lights

Mattydale - former site of skating rink or Daddys Music

Oswego - former Ponderosa, Dollar Tree or other vacancy

Ithaca - vacancy next to Thrifty Shopper on 376 Elmira Rd (NY 13/34/96)

Manlius - outgoing CVS/pharmacy if Walgreens/Rite Aid merger is off

Chittenango - former Kinney Pharmacy
Bridgeport - same as above

New Hartford - former Save-a-Lot or Price Chopper

Fairmount - former Thrifty Shopper

Baldwinsville - former Rite Aid, Thrifty Shopper or Smokey Hollow Big M (NY 48)
Elbridge - former Family Dollar (NY 5)

Oneida - former Tim Hortons or Herb Philipsons

Cicero - former McDonalds or Burlington Coat Factory

deWitt - former SAAB, Sofas & Chairs, deWitt Towne Center, Erie Canal Centre or Shoppingtown (if mall is partially demolished)

Second Chance Prom

I'd be lucky to get to one on the bus at this rate!

Not strictly retail-related but I'd like to announce the Second Chance Prom!  More info on link.
UPDATE: Something across town has been found so this will be a Plan B as it wasn't all I'd hoped for but I can't complain really.

Cost Cutters/Fantastic Sams/Lemon Tree

Ypsilanti, MI Fantastic Sams.

There are three franchised hairdresser and beauty salon chains in the nation that I'm aware of not in my immediate area, so I thought I'd try that for a bit of a change.  Cost Cutters already have locations in Cortland, Oneida and Auburn (their competitors can go in these small towns instead marked with an *), while Fantastic Sams locations exist in Albany and Schenectady (formerly in nearby suburb Delmar where I'd heard of them) and the Lemon Tree I heard of downstate when I lived going that way and know the least about (closest one is in Sidney it turns out).  Here's where they all could go:

Manlius - former Express Sales Lincoln-Mercury/Dazzle, NY 92
Liverpool - former Verizon Wireless (NY 31)
New Hartford - Sangertown Square, NY 5A
North Syracuse - Northern Lights Plaza, US 11 (FedEx Office as they've moved up the street)
Cicero - Marketplace Plaza or former Green Planet Grocery, NY 31
Syracuse (Eastwood) - former pizza place in Shop City
Cortland - downtown or Cortlandville*
Bridgeport - former Kinney Drugs, NY 31
Oneida - TBD*
Auburn - Fingerlakes Mall or former Family Dollar on NY 5/US 20*
Elbridge - former Family Dollar or Ace Hardware on NY 5
Rochester - former Blockbuster Video on NY 31
Canastota - former Family Dollar on NY 5 & 13
Phoenix - former Lock Street Cutters on CR 12 off CR 57

Cost Cutters' sister chains Supercuts (too easy), Regis (flagship), HairCrafters (no longer in CNY), MasterCuts (in Destiny USA along with main chain and a rival one) and SmartStyle (via Walmart) are all in town already which may explain why CC have just a few in the region as part of the Regis conglomerate.  Lemon Tree are in Camillus (original post worked, so I've edited since), Delaware and Otsego Counties of I-88 as well as the tri-state area.

Zaxby's

Hattiesburg, MS location (O'Charleys will have 2 W8).

Heard of Zaxby's from a commercial for something based in the South so it looked like something I'd like to see north of the Masie-Dixie.

Syracuse (east side) - former Firudo or Red Lobster, NY 5

Irondequoit - former Keenans

Fulton - former Jreck Subs

Oswego - former Peebles/Gordmans, NY 104

Cortland - Cortlandville or Riverside Plaza, NY 13

East Syracuse - former Carmellas Café

Colonie - former Barnes and Noble
Wappinger Falls - former Sonic Drive-In (US 9)
Canandaigua - former Ponderosa (NY 5/US 20)

New Hartford - Sangertown Square (NY 5 & 5A) or former Zebbs

Cicero - former Buffalo Wild Wings, US 11

Syracuse (north side) - former Cantina Loredo
Watertown - former Tilted Kilt, NY 3

Liverpool - Seneca Mall, CR 57
Auburn - former Dennys, NY 5

Syracuse (Fairmount) - former Big Boy/IHOP/Good Buddys Pub, West Genesee St

Sprouts Farmers Market

Sprouts in LA (only free photo around).

With one health-oriented chain in town and another desired, Sprouts could work its way east:

Irondequoit - former Medley Ctr
Cicero - former Burlington at Drivers Village
Clifton Park - former OfficeMax

Williamsville - former Best Buy (NY 78)
Henrietta - former Bed, Bath and Beyond (NY 252)
North Adams, MA - former Price Chopper
deWitt - former Bed, Bath and Beyond; Erie Blvd E (NY 5)

Schenectady - former Grand Union/ALDI (NY 5 & 7)
Boonville - former Great American (NY 12)
Oswego - former Dollar Tree or other vacancy on NY 104
Ithaca - former kmart, Hobby Lobby or Tops (NY 13/34/96)
Liverpool - former Price Chopper (CR 57)
various Southern/Midwestern locations - former Walmart/Amigos
Fulton - former kmart (NY 481 & CR 57)
Pulaski - former Als Corner Market (NY 13 & US 11)
Colonie - former Bed Bath and Beyond/ShopRite (Wolf Road)
Poughkeepsie (Arlington) - former ShopRite (NY 55 & US 44)
Irondequoit - Skyview on the Ridge
Adams, MA (Berkshires) - former Price Chopper
Harrisburg area (Dauphin and Cumberland Counties, PA Capital Region) - former Darrenkemps

Albertsons are looking into buying the chain which may affect whether they can expand or not (even with the Kroger merger on top of that).

Circuit City

Augusta, ME store.

First new post this year.  Circuit City are coming back but will have smaller stores.  Here's where they could go:

New Hartford*

Auburn*

Syracuse*

deWitt (former Chappells/Bon-Ton, Dicks or Macys)

Colonie (former Barnes and Noble)

Irondequoit (Medley Center)

Buffalo (Eastern Hills Mall)

Kingston (former JCPenney)

Clay (same as deWitt)
Clifton Park (closing OfficeMax)

North Syracuse (former TJ Maxx, Staples, Michaels or Media Play)

Oswego (former Dollar Tree or other vacancy on NY 104)

Fulton (former kmart)

Ithaca (former kmart if not already taken)

Cortland (former flea market if not Planet Fitness)

Poughkeepsie (TBD as I don't go this way anymore but they had a * as well)

*Past location that's still available