Sunday, December 15, 2024

Addis & Dey's

Syracuse, NY Dey Brothers Department Store 1907
Edwardian photo and/or postcard of Deys in downtown Syracuse; courtesy OHA

 What started as two department stores in downtown Syracuse, one in the Victorian era founded by ex-pat Scottish brothers Dey Brothers, and another before the Great Depression, the Addis Company, would join forces in 1989 when both were on the way out (I remember seeing the farewell party on the news). Both buildings survive today with new purpose and businesses. Deys and Sibleys were briefly sister chains in 1987 when owned by May Department Stores and were part of the Galleries the following year, only for the latter to close the next year and succeeded by Kaufmann's at Carousel Center in the new decade. Getting back to this, here's where Addis or Deys each or the merged chain were until 1993 when the last of the mall stores just couldn't compete with the bigger names anymore.


The Addis Co.


Syracuse (downtown) - S Salina St; flagship, now apartments with replica sign and building on the National Register of Historic Places (mom said she had one of her first jobs there)

deWitt - Shoppingtown Mall, NY 5; mall store later Steinbach, TJ Maxx, Kaufmanns, and Macys; see below (I could go on all day on that lot)

Cicero - Penn Can Mall, E Circle Dr; closed by late '80s; see below

Fairmount  - Fairmount Fair Mall; see below


Dey Brothers


Syracuse (downtown) - S Salina & E Jefferson Sts; flagship; now several businesses and soon apartments (pictured)

Baldwinsville - Tri-County Mall, Downer St; demolished by 2000s; now over-60s housing units

Cicero - Penn Can Mall, E Circle Dr; closed in 1988 for next one; now Burdicks Drivers Village

Clay - Great Northern Mall, NY 31 & 481; can't remember which anchor replaced it; Micron coming

Fairmount - Fairmount Fair Mall; demolished; now power center with several anchors

deWitt - Shoppingtown Mall, NY 5; later store became Sears in 1994; now vacant pending legal action with District East building site (don't get me started!)

Glens Falls - TBD; satellite store according to anonymous tip from the Department Store Museum


Addis & Deys only (Capital Region) [I wonder if my relatives there ever knew or even went back then]


Niskayuna - Mohawk Mall; previously The Boston Store; now Mohawk Commons

Wilton - Wilton Mall at Saratoga; past and present info TBD; one of two non-CNY stores

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