Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Bakery Outlets

More Bakery Outlets
Entenmanns outlet in Georgetown downstate (not Leatherstocking or DC)

 Freihofers Bakery Outlets had just closed stores suddenly in the Northeast, including CNY, the Finger Lakes, Mohawk and Hudson Valleys, Capital Region, New England and the Tri-State. Even the employees themselves had the rug taken off from under them. While stores big and small worldwide have been suffering the past few years, even these did not make it. Bimbo Bakeries USA, well known to Pati (Jinich, who heard of the parent company back in Mexico), and based near Patti (laBelle, who lives in Wynewood and has to limit her carbs) made the decision to close them. I put sister brand Entenmanns in Brooklyn since that was the closest thing I could find (one of several former sister brands to Loblaws that Bimbo bought), although Freihofers were headquartered in nearby Totowa, NJ, yet Bimbos acquisition brought them back to the Philadelphia area in some way, where Freihofers were founded in the Victorian era in the city proper. You can always just go to any big store to get it now.

Rivals Wonder Hostess (now part of Flowers Bakeries) used to have their own outlets in Syracuse on Court Street Road, East Molloy Road (likely not at the same time since it's a mile away) and South Bay Road in North Syracuse. The first two are a short drive from Freihofers Lyncourt store, which had Bimbos brands, as well some lesser known ones, plus institutional packages, store brands like Price Choppers PiCs and Big M (formerly made by later Penn Traffic division Penny Curtiss [name inspired by Betty Crocker based on P&Cs initials] around the corner), and some non-baked items. Those stores are quite small and you'd be lucky to fit a cornershop in them. Before my time, there was even the Millbrook Bakery Thrift Store (an early local Wonder Hostess franchise) on Spencer and N Clinton Sts on the north side of Syracuse, which is long gone and new to me. You learn something new everyday. A dying bread, I mean breed! You'd think it would still work now, saving people money, but so much retail and other things have not recovered from the past five years (you know how it is).

Friday, March 22, 2024

Best Buy Outlet

Best Buy Outlet (Westgate Mall)
Brockton, MA location (Boston area)

 Best Buy is the latest big box to branch out into the outlet scene, passing down more savings on inventory they're trying to offload. The regular chain has closed stores in CNY, WNY and the Capital Region in recent years however. The Syracuse one at Destiny USA, which had been Lechmere in Carousel days, is now a Going, Going Gone Dicks Warehouse Outlet (renamed after a Bob Dylan song supposedly because the Times They Are a-Changin'!). On a Facebook group, one had opened in an old Borders (another chain from pre-Destiny years).  Best Buy Outlet could go in both former locations of the parent company and other stores.

Syracuse - Destiny USA; former Forever 21 (as of 31/3/24) or AtHome

Williamsville - NY 78*

Liverpool - NY 31*; later Value City Furniture

Henrietta - NY 252; former Christmas Tree Shops

Albany - US 20; Crossgates Mall* (previously Caldor)

New Hartford - NY 5 & 5A; Sangertown Square; former Macys

Auburn - NY 5 & US 20; Fingerlakes Mall; former JCPenney


*former store

Thursday, March 21, 2024

DG Market

New Syracuse store in the Valley

 While Dollar General only came to CNY in the late '90s, subsidiary DG Market is even more late. Syracuse.com merely mentioned one of the two that opened on the south side, which is one of far too many food deserts across the country affecting vulnerable populations, much of whom lack personal transport (you know how it is). The one the site mentioned on S. Salina St. (US 11) and E. Brighton Ave. turned out to be the former Big M (closed in the '90s) and Factory Direct Furniture Outlet (competed with Dunk & Bright across the street and thus just moved to Shop City) and nothing at this writing just yet on the other one only a few miles away at the corner of W. Seneca Tpke. and Valley Dr. (NY 173 & 80; pictured) in the former Eckerd/Rite Aid/Walgreens. While many would like the old A&P/P&C/Tops in Valley Plaza down the street from the former and around the corner from the latter to become a DG Market as well, it may be too close to both and DG proper is there now and would close (although in an older, smaller space). Across town in Mattydale, the Walgreens there is on the way out, and there hasn't been a grocery store there in thirty years time since P&C (previously Tops until 1986, where Big Lots is today) moved up Brewerton Road (also US 11) to the former Channel Home Center in Airport Plaza in North Syracuse (now Tops as well). Regular DG is at the corner of E. Molloy Rd. where arch-rival Family Dollar (currently about to close 1,000 stores, including Dollar Tree) had been. We all know these chains are all over the place these days, and as for DGs competitors, it's a classic case of too many stores along with recent events, yet DG have been thriving when much of the public hasn't. DG Market offers items that the main chain or even DGX (the downtown division; mine in the old Woolworths/Rite Aid) doesn't. Even Trafalgar, IN is getting a DG Market (which I discovered whilst trying to do my research), as well as the North Country back here (albeit at the expense of a nearby small town mom-and-pop). Now we should come up with the usual list of locations of where to put one, even though it may be a copout and sellout at the same time with a big name like this.

Binghamton - NY 7, former Giant/Weis

Greene - former Great American BK Five

Sidney - CR 23, former Great American BK Five

Syracuse (Westvale) - NY 5, former P&C/Tops, Westvale Plaza (even with Family Dollar up the block)

Renssalaer - US 9 & 20; former Aldi

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

Troy (Lansingburgh) - US 4; former Price Chopper

Liverpool - NY 31; former Price Chopper (as of 19/4/24)

Taylor, PA - former Price Chopper (as of 19/4/24)

Utica - Genesee St.; former Fays/Eckerd/Rite Aid

Fulton - NY 481; former kmart, River Glen Plaza (regular DG in last surviving CNY Woolworths downtown up the street)

Hubbard, OH - former Save-a-Lot (closed due to right rent rise and roof row)

Albany (Delaware Area) - NY 443 & US 9W; former Save-a-Lot/Fays?

Friday, March 15, 2024

Former Price Chopper locations

Price Chopper on Erie Blvd. E.

Here's where Price Chopper used to be (all NY unless indicated): 

Framingham, MA 
Schenectady (Sheridan Plaza) 
Watervliet*/** (NY 32; previously Fays and Eckerd, now Dollar Tree)
Albany*/** (earlier store; previously Central Market [original name])
Oneonta* (NY 7)
Albany (New Scotland Ave.; Mini Chopper only; main store now Market 32) 
Mechanicville*/*** 
Pittsfield, MA*/*** 
Glens Falls*/*** 
North Troy */**
Lansingburgh (US 4)
Green Island*/** 
Poughkeepsie (South Hills Mall) (US 9) (now ShopRite)
Shrewsbury, MA* 
Oneida (NY 5 & 46) - later Herb Phillipsons, now Oneida Indian Nation offices* 
Oswego (near Fort Ontario)* (now medical building)
Saratoga Springs* (earlier store)
Saratoga Springs (Price Chopper Limited downtown; now indie store)
Northampton, MA 
Baldwinsville? 
Fulton (NY 3)* 
deWitt (former Hechinger Plaza) - NY 5; later Big Lots and Stickley Clearence Centre; now Spectrum* 
deWitt (kmart plaza) - NY 5; later OfficeMax, now Dicks* 
Liverpool* (CR 57, Seneca Mall)
West Boylston, MA 
Willowbrook 
Colonie* (original store; later Colonie Plaza store closed when Market 32 opened in former ShopRite down NY 5)
Plattsburgh* 
Scranton, PA 
Niskayuna (NY 5 & Ballstown Rd) (Mohawk Mall. Replaced by older current store at Mohawk Commons. New store at former ShopRite on NY 146 & Nott St E)
Syracuse (Western Lights)* (original store; current one at former Chappells/OptiVision)
Liverpool (NY 31 as of 19/4/24); may become furniture store (name TBA)
Taylor, PA (as of 19/4/24)
New Hartford* (NY 5A)
Albany (Westgate)* (closed when Market 32 opened in former ShopRite down NY 5)
Camillus (became Hills in 1982, then Ames in 1999 until chains demise in 2002; building and most of old mall and plaza demolished; Walmart Supercenter opened in 2006) 

*moved
**As Public Service Market
***As Central Markets
More locations TBD