Former CVS locations

Waterbury, CT store. Courtesy Mike Mozart (always at the ready)

 CVS/pharmacy have had a negligible history in CNY and left behind more stores than they have open. They only have two full-fledged locations in Onondaga County, and just one with a drive-thru. Since their two biggest competitors have had to close stores as well, it's unlikely that CVS will here in the near future. Here are where they use to be, including other parts of the state:

Syracuse (east side) - NY 92; originally non-pharmacy store; later Revco; now Dollar General

Syracuse (downtown) - S Salina St; formerly Kresge/kmart; later beauty supply; now vacant

deWitt - NY 5, Shoppingtown Mall; later Fays, Eckerd, and Rite Aid; soon to be District East

Fayetteville - NY 5; now The UPS Store (only just learned of this from photos of 1981 flood)

Clay - NY 31 & 481, Great Northern Mall; now vacant, awaiting renovation with Micron coming

Auburn - NY 5 & US 20; Fingerlakes Mall; now vacant

Liverpool - CR 57 & Wetzel Rd; previously Revco; later pool supply; now Bryant & Stratton

North Syracuse - US 11; now Harbor Fright Tools

Cicero - Penn Can Mall; now Drivers Village

Hyde Park - US 9, Hyde Park Mall; now Stop & Shop

Delmar - NY 443 & 335; now medical office

Albany - NY 443; now vacant

Manlius - NY 173; now various business

Camillus - Camillus Mall; now demolished

Colonie - NY 5; Colonie Center

Magnolia Studios

Edited sign taken by me at old shop before moving.

 While it may seem to make this blog too CNY-centric, Eastwood Hair & Beauty Co. are moving from the outskirts of Syracuse to the village of Liverpool several miles away after their lease with Skinner Realty was not renewed (it has now been confirmed that it was because of a row over HVAC, and my family also no longer deal with this landlord either, who is the Mr Fischoeder of Eastwood, and no relation to Principal Skinner for that matter). They shall now be called Magnolia Studios on 200 Salina St (not to be confused with the one in the city). One stylist will now be at Self Care Club in the same plaza. Adelines Barber Shop on 1st and Tulip Sts next door to Nichols is now vacant, but may have been too old hat for the ladies or just not available; I don't know. Magnolia are just blocks from NY 370 and CR 57, close to Heids, Onondaga Lake Park, Amazon (to a lesser extent), the library, and parkway (no lorries allowed!). It's too bad they couldn't stay in Eastwood anymore, losing the convenience for me, taking my bike in warmer months (it doesn't usually leave a three-mile radius of the house, mind), as well as for older customers, perhaps. Also, they won't get to be near the new coffee shop and charity shop in the old plaza. Unless I read that a CrossFit gym is going in EHBC/Magnolias old space, a Fantastic Sams or Cost Cutters may as well go into that spot to fill the vacuum, even with national chain Dollar General being the one non-local tenant in the plaza. Just hope whoever moves in gets on better than Eastwood Hair & Beauty had. The plot thickens, as it always does, you know.

The old guard before closing up. Watch this space.

New sign fresh from the printers next to the settee.

Not to be confused with Magnolia Studio & Co. in Keyser, WV.

3fifteen Eastwood

Original photo with pasted sign and my bike locked up

 3fifteen, Rescue Missions boutique arm, which is more or less specialised compared to Thrifty Shopper, are opening a 3rd location (that was intentional) in Eastwood Plaza. I was told a few months back on Facebook that the Mission were opening there. Could have meant the unrelated Mission Syracuse, who are in Destiny USA, since I didn't expect the Rescue Mission to ever return to Eastwood after closing their original store in 1999 and reopening in East Syracuse at the former Leo & Sons Big M (formerly owned by NewsChannel 9 WSYRs Christie Cascianos family). The old Thrifty Shopper would later have Café Kubal and Sacred Melody, which have both closed. Caffé Cosi and Eastwood Home are there now. Around the corner, the old Sacred Melody on the left would have True Value Hardware and Hooches Antiques and Furniture, which was always a state and made Thrifty Shopper look like Harrods. While it would be nice to have the Rescue Mission a bit closer to home after nearly three decades, I'd be torn between there and the SU flagship, wanting my Orange (I loathe the "S" word) and Salt City Coffee. The Camillus store often gets the over-60s and people who live out that way. Also, Eastwood Hair & Beauty Co. are moving to Liverpool because their lease with Skinner Realty was not renewed, so I will follow them there (I'll cover their spot another day). 3fifteen brings Rescue Missions legacy in Eastwood full circle after a short lived outlet in Shop City had failed to catch on long term. What will make this location different is more of a focus on furniture. The Westvale Thrifty Shopper across town did have a section with that, as well as appliances and even Zimmers and wheelchairs. Back in Eastwood, there should be nice bureaux, tables, and settees. The donation centers could be getting all these now. It's early days. Neither of the existing 3fifteens carry furniture, and larger Thrifty Shoppers like Cortland and North Syracuse will have some here and there. With this new emphasis, it won't take away from either SU or Elm Hill any more than near Bridge St. It does show the Rescue Missions impact on the region and staying closer to home after expanding to a third of Upstate New York in recent years. Now, if you need furniture at low prices or have any to donate for a write-off, 3fifteen on James St is the next stop to make. To boot, the Rescue Mission broke ground on a new building site in the Mission District for the new Mission Landing complex, which will include the fourth location of 3fifteen, which will open by late next year and become the de facto flagship. More as this develops.

John J. Sposato 1950 - 2025

Notsky and ThinkPawsome grieve with us.

 It is with a heavy heart that I must announce the passing of my father, John J. Sposato yesterday after recovering from major surgery. What happens next at the time of this writing is uncertain. He had worked as an estate agent specialising in commercial properties, which is how I'd learned of the ins and outs of the retail business, from travelling around the region to dealing with potential renters and buyers, and in the last few years, had been managing a plaza in Liverpool. He had also worked in the motor trade. He had vaguely known about this blog, despite the nature of the material (never about the floof, but that's a story for another day). Now I must learn to adjust to this new normal. You can send any contributions to my PayPal if you want, which is by no means a cash grab, but a way to help me through this difficult time since he had been supporting me and I have to figure out what to do now.

Poor doggy says goodbye to his master (dad didn't have one in recent years)

Dolly kips in the churchyard after visiting his humans grave.