Weis Gas Rewards in Southern Tier

 

Former Giant store in Binghamton (AI edit; CVS now closed)

    With the loss of Price Chopper and Market 32's FuelAdvantage after nearly two decades, Sunoco stations in the Southern Tier and Northeast Pennsylvania will have less business unless they are willing to switch to a competitors own version, and one that is more dominant in the area anyway. Weis Markets have had a monopoly in Broome County alone since buying Giant Markets from the Axel family in 2009. So now it only makes sense if these franchises are willing to participate in Weis Gas Rewards. Even when I last went to the area over the festive period, I saw that two stations had one or the other and were just several miles apart, but never thought that the one that I know could be gone months later. The Elmira store further into Twin Tiers was opened before the Giant deal, and is the only one in the state today not part of that lot or to have its own Gas-'n'-Go station. If Weis bought the former P&C/Tops/Grand Union in Owego, then the Sunoco at the Onvo service station off of I-86 & NY 17 in Nichols would likely join the programme. In Weis's home state, it's a bit more sporadic until you get further towards Susquehanna Valley, where the chain are based. Price Chopper have stores all the way to Lackawanna and Wyoming Valleys and the Poconos, even though one in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre suburb of Taylor had closed recently, since Price Chopper aren't as mega in Pennsylvania, I guess.
    Here are where Sunoco should accept Weis Gas Rewards (if an area Sunoco isn't listed, they either have it already or it's just not right near Binghamton):

Binghamton (east side) - NY 7

Binghamton (near downtown) - NY 17C

Endwell/Endicott - 3225 E Main St

Friendsville, PA - PA 267 (although Weis aren't even in Susquehanna County)

Nichols - Onvo, CR 509 (only if Weis open in Owego, although this is technically between the two)

Shaws

Shaws in Sturbridge, MA in the autumn

JJBers from Willimantic, Connecticut, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

 With Grand Unions portfolio down to a handful, their one store outside New York is in Rutland, VT. It could be next to go, and it would most likely go to Shaws so it could stay union, as I pointed out in a previous post. Across Lake Champlain is a bigger challenge, with a closed store in Warrensburg and a remaining one in Peru close to Plattsburgh, Burlington, and the border. Shaws could start to expand a little west of New England. Albertsons are no stranger to New York, having owned Save-a-Lot and Acme, still in the Tri-State, but otherwise left Upstate decades ago, while Supervalu had been here themselves as well as with Shop 'n Save in WNY and the chains acquired through the merger with Albertsons. I've gone to Jewel-Osco and Dominicks in Chicago, Star Market in Boston, and Shoppers near Washington. Here are where Shaws could go (*still Grand Union for right now):

Peru - US 9*; former Tops

Rutland, VT - US 4*; former Tops

Albany - NY 5; former Price Chopper; Westgate Shopping Ctr

Warrensburg - US 9; former Tops and Grand Union (pictured below)

Troy (Lansingburgh) - US 4; former Price Chopper

Slingerlands - NY 85; former ShopRite

AI of future Warrensburg Shaws (CoPilot)

UFCW Local One

The now-closed Grand Union in Freedom Plaza in Rome

FotoPhest, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (my username there)

    Business closings and labor disputes continue to make the news in this uncertain economy. I've covered the new decline of Grand Union, and now I can count the number of stores on just one hand. ShopRites second exit from the Capital Region a few years back led to Market 32 buying four out of five of those stores. The bigger challenge is finding replacements for Grand Union in other parts of the state since they already left the immediate Albany area a generation ago, with rural locations going to Tops, and a few switching back after the merger with Price Chopper. What's more elusive is getting a chain or two that are affiliated with UFCW. For much of Upstate, UFCW Local One, based in Oriskany out in the Mohawk Valley, are the regional bureau. ShopRite, Tops, Stop & Shop, indie Chanatrys in Utica, P&C (when I was there and with the two left now) and Grand Union (the name refers to the country) are union shops. Some of them have past and present sister chains that are not union, like Price Chopper/ Market 32. To think the Capital District of all places no longer has one that is. Trader Joes employees started their own, but it's been more uphill for them. If Grand Union in Rutland, VT were next to leave, Shaws could get it since it's a smaller state, as I pointed out earlier. Shaws don't operate west of New England, however, but maybe they could expand, and it could be a future post since Albertsons were never in New York themselves, yet were part of Supervalu, which used to own Save-a-Lot and had a store in Voorheesville in rural Albany County in the '80s.

    In some small towns, it may be easier for a non-union chain like ALDI or Weis to take over the vacancy. It's hard enough to get anyone to do so, since they can sit empty for even decades. UFCW members should be able to have their benefits protected since not everyone can move when they want to stay in their field and they get their cards (I prefer that term to pink slip).

 

Rural King

The Bushranger, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

 I've heard of Rural King on Facebook recently, and I assumed they only opened in small towns, yet they compete more with Tractor Supply and CountryMax, which are in my area. Rural King are finally coming to New York with a store in Twin Tiers according to NBC 18 WETM, which led to this post. This opens the door to more locations by starting near the state line. Since some other chains are harder to replace with their own sort, Rural King might take over these properties as they did in Chemung County. Most of the country is near some form of countryside, even in bigger areas, so it shouldn't be too hard to come up with new locations like with the rest.

Elmira - S Main St; former Tops (confirmed)

Binghamton - US 11; former Giant/Grand Union/Weis

Sidney - former Great American BK5

Greene - former Great American BK5

Cortland - former Big Lots; NY 281

Auburn - former Sears, Fingerlakes Mall; US 20 & NY 5

Syracuse - former P&C/Tops, Westvale Plaza; NY 5

Oneida - former Foodtown; NY 365A

New Hartford - former Herb Phillipsons; New Hartford Shopping Ctr

Rome - former P&C/Tops/Grand Union, Freedom Plaza; NY 46 & 49

Albany (Colonie) - former Barnes & Noble/ShopRite; Wolf Rd

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

Gloversville - former Price Chopper; N Main St

Watertown - former P&C/Tops/Grand Union; US 11

Fulton - former kmart, River Glen Plaza; NY 481

Oswego - NY 104

Rochester (Henrietta) - former Freddys/PriceRite, SouthTown Plaza; NY 252

Buffalo (Amherst) - former Best Buy, NY 78

Grand Union: Not Again?

Colourised by AI photo of Grand Union in West Islip, 8/4/79

 It's been five years' time since the merger of Tops and Price Chopper/Market 32, which had led to several overlapping locations in small towns to be sold to C&S Wholesale Grocers, who revived the Grand Union name, yet this past year, old habits die hard, while recent events make it difficult to operate, even in outlying rural communities with little competition, since even there, some residents can have a transportation barrier, such as the over-60s, disabled, low-wage earners, and others on a limited income. The Owego store was the first of the new generation to close last year, with ALDI opening nearby to boot. Now the stores in Norwich, Cooperstown, and Watertown are next. Chenango County has had no proper public transport for over a years time, so the authorities are scrambling to help those who can't get to the outskirts of town while waiting for new bus service to even occur. Baseball country also has a local place, as does Peru in Champlain Valley, trying to be Davids if all the Goliaths are slain, as it were. Jefferson County has more options by comparison, yet between having something close at hand and even finding another union chain, this is happening coast to coast, and with Grand Union, you know how things happen in threes. There have even been some rumors in Cortland on Facebook, and that's the largest and nicest one I've seen of the current chain. The old guard Grand Union had dealt with the economy of that time, mismanagement, debt, administration, embezzlement, liquidation, what-have-you. The Enron of supermarkets! (Both companies were on the way out around the same time to boot.) While the new ones are dealing with different challenges, it does make me want to get back to one of the few I can reach because it does worry me and these communities. There isn't that much time left.
    Tops could return to Cortland, Watertown, Rome, Warrensburg, Peru, and Saranac Lake if things take a turn for the worse all over again since these stores either have enough competition or are far enough from a Price Chopper or Market 32 now that it's been long enough since they were told to spin off, yet even the Liverpool one closed with Tops just up the road. As for Grand Union, it'll be hard to find a new chain tied to UFCW (Local One for much of Upstate NY, as Rome had been the de facto flagship, but that would now be in Sherrill several miles away), or you'll be lucky to get anything at this stage these days. Otsego County could even wind up with ALDI since it's the one place where the two don't compete (Oneonta is across the county down the road). The sole non-NY store in Rutland, VT might sell to Albertsons' Shaws or Star Market (pro-union and job-saving Feel the Bern would make sure).
    It's not quite the Grand Union that I grew up with, but one closure of any place is one too many. All that's left I can count on one hand. It's just sad that it's come to all this once more. More as this story further develops.

Mattress Firm: 40 Years On

Future store in Rome on that Erie Blvd E

    With Metro Mattress, Resnicks, and Sleepys all put to bed, if you like, Mattress Firm are the next chain that are late to the party in CNY, since they're in WNY in Cheektowaga for a start. The first chain based in Liverpool had just gone out of business, so the one from Houston are perfect for the empty stores, as well as others around the region. We'll sleep on it. This makes the Sleepys post obsolete.
UPDATE (3/5/26): Metro Mattress are now under new management, so some stores were reopened (just a couple in CNY so far, and that chain will get their own post at a later time), thus I had to delete them and find alternative locations.

Liverpool - CR 57, Bayberry Plaza (pictured below)*

deWitt - NY 5, former Charneys/Wheels; Empire Plaza

Syracuse (Fairmount) - W Genesee St; Fairmount Fair

Camillus - Township Blvd; Township 5* (instead of Fairmount)

Fulton - NY 481 & CR 57, former kmart; River Glen Plaza

Oswego - NY 104, former Big Lots

Watertown - NY 3, former Sears or Christmas Tree Shops; Salmon Run Mall

Cortland - NY 13, former JoAnn Fabrics; Riverside Mall

Rome - NY 46 & 49, former rue21; Freedom Plaza (pictured above)

New Hartford - NY 5 & 5A, former Macys/Hess's/Kaufmanns; Sangertown Square

Binghamton - US 11, former Grand Union/Giant/Weis

Big Flats - CR 35, former Sears; Arnot Mall

Ithaca - NY 13/34/96, former Hobby Lobby

Auburn - NY 5 & US 20, former JCPenney; Fingerlakes Mall or NY 5 (Grant Ave)*

Colonie - Wolf Rd, former Barnes & Noble (although existing store is in Latham)

Canastota - NY 5 & 13 and CR 25, former Family Dollar or Rite Aid/Walgreens

*former Metro Mattress

Logo used to edit on the phone and free use with just text

Can't really be in Shop City with Factory Direct next door

Mattress Firm in Bayberry Plaza in Liverpool

Acme in CNY

ACME alive and well in Fairfield County (some people still don't even think it's a real company!)

 The recent closure of a Dollar Tree across town pointed out that it was an Acme a lifetime ago. I have heard that they were in CNY, but have left before I was born to where people here or who have left assume they don't exist anymore if they don't keep up or get around. Owner Albertsons ended their proposed merger with Kroger and a legal case is pending at this writing. Acme is also associated with Warner Bros. cartoons that we grew up with (Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner mostly) due to the generic nature of the name. This is not the same Acme that is in the Midwest. As for this Acme, the tri-state have the closest stores today, which reach all the way to the mid-Atlantic. Now here are where they were Upstate in simpler times, even right next to competitors like Victory or Grand Union in the same plaza (which was normal in those days). Additional thanks to Groceteria for the usual deep dig.

Syracuse (Valley/south side) (1) - NY 173 & 80; Turnpike Centre; later Carls/Fays/Dollar Tree

Syracuse (Valley/south side) (2) - US 11; Valley Plaza; later Chicago Markets, A&P, Tops and P&C (last two twice)

Syracuse (east side) (1) - Nottingham Plaza, Nottingham & Tecumseh Rds; later Fays? (even with Drumlins down the road); now Kinney Pharmacy (half of original plaza long since demolished). Was also down the block and became Victory (the plot thickens!).

Syracuse (east side) (2) - E Fayette St; long gone

Syracuse (east side) (3) - W Raynor St; now Fallon Lecture Hall at SU

Syracuse (east side) (4) - Westcott St; lost to the ages

Syracuse (south side) - South Ave; also not preserved by posterity since

Syracuse (Eastwood) - Shop City Plaza; later Green Hills Farms; now Black Friday Deals? (TBD)

Syracuse (west side) (1) - S Geddes St; now Sabatinos Pizza, Deli & Grocery (cornershop)

Syracuse (west side) (2) - W Onondaga St; now Helio Health

Syracuse (north side) - US 11/N Salina St; long gone due to redevelopment of Little Italy since then

Syracuse (Fairmount) - NY 173 & W Genesee St; Fairmount Fair Mall/Plaza; later Caldor and Walmart; now Target (both previous buildings long since demolished, of course)

deWitt (1) - NY 5; kmart Plaza (now Erie Canal Centre); later Price Chopper and OfficeMax; now Michaels

deWitt (2)- NY 5; Shoppingtown Mall; demolished by 1975 when mall was enclosed; you know the rest (let's give it one)

Liverpool (village) - 1st St; later P&C and Big M; store long gone

Liverpool (Galeville) - Old Liverpool Rd & Electronics Pkwy, Liverpool Plaza; later Manns Midstate/Big M/Carls/Fays/Thrifty Shopper/Palm Market; now vacant (I know this one a bit more)

Mattydale - US 11; now Dees Diner

Syracuse (Lyncourt) - NY 298; now Quality Countertops

East Syracuse - Kirkville Rd & Kinne St; later Smiths; now Dollar Tree

Fayetteville - NY 257; now Ace Hardware

North Syracuse - US 11 & S Bay Rd; Northern Lights Plaza; various businesses been and gone; plaza now owned by Raymour & Flanigan, which should attract more tenants, despite the economy

Canandaigua - NY 21 & 332; honorable mention; not quite CNY, yet building kept intact long after it closed

Trader Joe's

Fairfield County location, once again from Mike Mozart (who better?!).

 Let's take a break from department stores. Trader Joes may seem too easy, but even in Upstate NY, they certainly have plenty of room to grow. I first went in Chicago, then Rochester, and it finally came to deWitt, even though I don't go as much anymore. There are only five others Upstate and several in the Tri-State. The Capital Region has two (the only area in NY outside the city with more than one so far), and may get a third, despite recent events I won't get into here. Aldi North own the chain, which separated form Aldi South decades ago, who run the US and UK divisions, and are split in Germany and Europe. I may use * locations unless they're too close to competitors or where there's not a lot of money (you know how it is), although that will lead to another post for later, being a different animal. Trader Joes also don't need that much space.

Auburn - NY 5 & US 20; former Dicks; Fingerlakes Crossing or NY 5 (Grant Ave)*

Binghamton - US 11; former Weis/Giant/Grand Union

Cortlandville - NY 281; former kmart or *

Elmira - Lake St*

Glenmont - NY 32 & Fuera Bush Rd, Glenmont Plaza (TBC)

Kingston - US 9W*

Middletown - NY 211; Walkill Plaza*

New Hartford - NY 5 & 5A; former Hess's/Kaufmanns/Macys (instead of Whole Foods or Utica)

Oswego - NY 104*

Plattsburgh - NY 3*

Poughkeepsie - US 9; former Natures Harvest; South Square Plaza

Rome - NY 46 & 49; former Tops/P&C/Grand Union; Freedom Plaza

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

Syracuse (Fairmount) - W Genesee St; part of Ashley Furniture, said to be truncated (confirmed as of 10/5/26)

Utica - NY 5; former Chicago Markets/Great American/Big Lots (instead of New Hartford)

Watertown - NY 3*

West Nyack - NY 59, former ShopRite or Stop & Shop

*former Big Lots

Mid-Hudson Memories

Gnax the red fox furry; his species are Marists mascot

 From 1997 to 2000, I lived in Dutchess County while away at school. While I won't go into the personal aspects of that too much here, it had to be done. This year would be the 25th anniversary of when I graduated from there, but a Smiths reunion is more likely now than one with my former colleagues (one person from that time knows what I mean). I even wrote to one recently, but that ship has sailed. There is an annual do with those of every vintage up to that time, but I don't know.

    As for what to put here, I finally got to go to ShopRite after only knowing it from then-UPN 9 and WB 11 (more on them on our sister blog). Grand Union provided some familiarity, yet I only went to Price Chopper rarely since that was one of many chains in town that we had back home. I discovered Stop & Shop, which was then sister to Tops, the latter bought some of the others stores that overlapped with Hannaford after the Ahold Delhaize merger. I went to Walgreens for the first time since they did not return to CNY until 2006. There was a dollar store called Just-a-Buck, which we covered years earlier. Rhino Records, which spun off of the label after it was sold to Time Warner, had locations in Poughkeepsie and New Paltz close to college campuses. After Caldor left CNY after two years' time, I had just as long before the whole chain closed. I can't recall if I ever went to Adams Fairacre Farms, the premier local chain in the Hudson Valley.  There were Poughkeepsie Galleria (Destiny USAs sister mall), South Hills Mall and Hudson Valley Mall. My stablemates and I would shop in Ulster and Dutchess Counties and had the minibus. I would take the chartered coach or railway home to visit.
    There was an indie video store across US 9 from where I was and they would sometimes have what I wanted. Even a couple delis were close by. Discovered Chinese buffet down the road. Saw Revco get absorbed by CVS and the last leg of Fays as Eckerd opened. Went to IGA and for the last time A&P. Got ice creams at Dairy Queen (not near home then) or Holy Cow in Red Hook (better off there). Only heard of G. Fox in recent years, and Filenes had been back for some time once I got to the mall. The furry fox I used for this post is in the one for G. Fox and also represents the mascot for Marist College, one of the three private schools in town, and an alum turned staff member of that place worked nights where I lived to boot. It'd be too easy to put a photo of a business or even landscape of the river itself.

   Despite the area being a bedroom community, I only got to take the MetroNorth Hudson Line twice to New York City since it wasn't that simple in those days, and it's not an everyday thing for everyone there; some not going down river for months or even years at a time. I only went once before with my family and three times this century to date, twice to see Paul McCartney, but that's for "Another Day"!
    Mid-Hudson Memories was going to be the name used for a segment on a short-lived user feature on the site for the Poughkeepsie Journal site after a rare visit in 2010 to see Yes at Mid-Hudson Civic Center (on the music blog), but I had to get on to the life I had in that day, and the feature became dated and obscure anyway. I just know I was still running riot with retail when I was in town. It has come on even more since like anywhere, despite all the stagnation and stagflation across the country these days.
    Because of my limitations, I doubt I'll ever get a hundred miles of there again. Haven't even made it to the tri-state proper since 2009, several months before halfway north to Albany, which I'm lucky to even get to once a year as it is. Just as people from my hometown or local alums who live elsewhere now can't all make it over yet once any time of year because of the costs and/or current routines. Maybe someday, I'll make it back. If I do go to events in the NYC region, I could stop along the way once I have my driving licence and own car, although I'd have to sort out the city itself (you know how it is).

Flah & Co.

AI Flahs if it were around now. Courtesy Meta AI.

 Flah & Co. are the last department store chain I'll do this year since the web led me to it. I've heard of them over the years, even though they were largely before my time. I even had a box at my old house. Because Flah's were chiefly in Syracuse, then later in the Capital Region and the Hudson Valley to a lesser extent before being sold to B. Forman, with most of the latter stores having less to go on unless you can dig a little (you'd be surprised by what I can find, and it helps to know these areas statewide).

Syracuse (downtown) - 419 S Salina St; demolished for the Galleries, which opened in 1988*

Syracuse (Fairmount) - W Genesee St (then-NY 5), Fairmount Fair Mall; now plaza with several stores

deWitt - NY 5, Shoppingtown Mall; future District East*

Niskayuna - NY 5, Mohawk Mall; now Mohawk Commons*

Delmar - NY 443, Delaware Plaza; original Grand Union; later Revco, Dollar Tree and other stores

Albany (downtown) - NY 32; TBD

Albany (Guilderland/McKownville) - US 20 & CR 156, Stuyvesant Plaza; TBD

Albany (Colonie) - NY 5 & Wolf Rd; Colonie Center*

Kingston - Clinton Ave, Kingston Plaza; now MAC Fitness?*

Fishkill - US 9, Dutchess Mall; now Home Depot*

Middletown - NY 211; Orange Plaza; now Home Depot et al*

*later B. Forman & Co.

B. Forman & Co.

AI store, real logo. That's not Yiddish there! Courtesy Meta.

 As we close out the year and month, there's just one more from Rochester that I vaguely remember from growing up that was also in Syracuse, which was B. Forman & Co. It was primarily for ladies, and AI got it right with the entrance anyway, yet it went coed later on. Forman later merged with McCurdys, which we just did, even though the latter just entered my vocabulary. Forman worked their way down the Thruway corridor towards downstate until their downfall in the early '90s. They even bought Flahs, which obviously will be the next post, since it just keeps on going, you know (they were Monroe County themselves for a period). Forman were bigger than I thought, spanning a century. Hudson Valley locations are more obscure and closed well before I got there, despite being small towns.

Rochester (downtown) (1) - 255 E Main St (now NY 96) - address may not exist anymore as it dated back to the Victorian and Edwardian eras, and numbers have changed in living memory in some areas too, and the business is long gone (fire); previously Vienna Tailors; next door to original Sibleys

Rochester (downtown) (2) - S. Main & Cortland Sts; also too far back to tell 

Rochester (downtown) (3) - 42 N Clinton Ave; building long since demolished (I always go by it whenever I'm in town)

Rochester (downtown) (4) - NY 96; flagship; founder anchor of Midtown Plaza; reopened in 1994 in partnership with Bonwit Teller; now demolished

Pittsford - NY 31, Pittsford Plaza; now Barnes & Noble

Greece - Long Ridge Mall (now The Mall at Greece Ridge), NY 104

Brighton - NY 31; childrens store

Irondequoit (1) - Culver-Ridge Plaza; now Marshalls

Irondequoit (2) - Irondequoit Shopping Plaza; B. Forman II; now Stepping Stones?

Perinton/Fairport - NY 31, Perinton Square Mall; B. Forman II

Henrietta - NY 252 & 15A, Marketplace Mall

Syracuse (downtown) - 419 S Salina St; demolished for the Galleries, which opened in 1988*

deWitt - NY 5, Shoppingtown Mall; don't get me started on District East!*

Niskayuna - NY 5, Mohawk Mall; now Mohawk Commons*

Albany (Guilderland/McKownville) - US 20 & CR 156, Stuyvesant Plaza; TBD

Albany (Colonie) - NY 5 & Wolf Rd; Colonie Center*

Kingston - Clinton Ave, Kingston Plaza; now MAC Fitness?*

Fishkill - US 9, Dutchess Mall; now Home Depot*

Middletown - NY 211; Orange Plaza; now Home Depot et al*

Delmar - NY 443, Delaware Plaza; previously Grand Union (moved across car park to one I remember); later Revco, Dollar Tree et al*

Syracuse (north side) - Carousel Center (now Destiny USA)

*previously Flahs

Stop & Shop: 32 former stores

2014 usual store, likely in Connecticut, courtesy Mike Mozart (we love you, Mike!).

 Stop & Shop have closed a whooping thirty-two locations in the tri-state, New England and New Jersey that were considered underperforming. Others have already closed in the recent past, with a few vacant to this day, while former sister chain Tops* bought several in the Hudson Valley that overlapped with Hannaford after the Ahold Delhaize merger in the Benelux, while Weis acquired some Food Lions in DMV/Delmarva that were too close to Giant (Landover)* and other chains had in the mid-Atlantic (some stores were likely from another former Ahold division, BI-LO, which we covered a while ago). I remember seeing a Food Lion in Maryland leaving DC a couple times heading home from hols on coach trips, which would be a Weis by now. Back up north, only a handful of S&Ss have been taken over by others like Food Bazaar. Here in New York, it's more downstate, with Coram, Long Island being one that became a casualty. It's too exhausting to submit that many closing stores to Bing and Google since it's not automatic, although some locations are already marked, being in a big area.

I've only gone to Stop & Shop when I lived in Dutchess County in the mid-Hudson Valley on occasion, as well as when I last visited. They bought the newer ShopRite in Hyde Park a year after I left, and later built a new Stop & Shop across US 9 where the old ShopRite was. It wasn't right near a Hannaford, yet the Rhinebeck store up the road near the old Grand Union* was considered to be and was sold to Tops (Hannaford was across the bridge in Kingston in the old days, initially as a Shop 'n Save franchise), as was Wappinger Falls going the other way. It was a nice, big store on US 9 (south of Poughkeepsie), while Arlington (east of Poughkeepsie) was a bit smaller. Never went to Stop & Shop on either of my Boston trips since there was no time and Star Market near the Pru (sister to Shaws) was much more convenient since I was on another package bus deal (same group as the beltway stay, as well as WNY and the tri-state, but not for the public), which is much less expensive than a flight to Logan Airport.

The chain are just one of many businesses that have suffered over the past five years. To make it worse, Stop & Shop are a union shop to boot, so it'd be better to come up with another to fill the vacuum if one isn't nearby already. While a new local store would be even greater, it's more uphill to come up with that, especially in an area which you don't know personally, so I'd just have to think of chains that serve each region, whether they're still expanding or not. It's more Stop than Shop now, you could say.

Acme* (tri-state/NJ)

Market Basket (Massachusetts and Connecticut)

Big Y* (Connecticut stores)

ShopRite*/Price Rite (same as Acme)

PathMark* (see earlier post)

Whole Foods/Amazon Fresh/Amazon Go (all areas where one or the other isn't yet)

Wegmans (even though they usually only do up other peoples buildings in big cities with tight infrastructure, only open so many a year, and have recently expanded beyond the Northeast)

Tops* (just the two heading up the Hudson. Carmel is the closest store to the City [post-merger])

Thrift stores (if another supermarket is off the table, then this is a plan B)

Food Bazaar (tri-state indie with multicultural selection)

Indies/local business (missus in Maryland would love that one)

*UFCW Union Shop

Stew Leonard's

Newington, CT store (former Caldor); courtesy Mike Mozart (he's a hard act to follow!)

 I heard of Stew Leonards from Inside Edition. It is exclusively in the tri-state. They make it seem like a destination, giving Wegmans, which have few stores in the region compared to back Upstate, a run for their money. Even in the NYC area, there are some spots for Leonards to open. It would mean having to do up or even replace a competitors store into or with respectively into a barn like the one shown here, yet the Paramus, NJ one is in a plaza, so it doesn't have to look so rural. Clifton, NJ is the newest one so far. I can copy some of the Pathmark/Stop & Shop list and leave out towns with existing stores, Upstate, and the city proper (it won't really work there, of course, and too much competition to boot). If it's not a closing Stop & Shop, then I'll put that down. I just wish I could get to Stamford next October and a Leonards could open there by the time I'd be in town since I would only have so long to get around a big area with two or more events and being dependent on mass transit at home and in the metro like most of the locals. I might not have enough suggestions on New York soil, which is letting the side down. It's just easier to retrofit than to scramble in a region you rarely visit or have never even been. Turns out that Stew Leonard Jnr went to Ithaca College of all places (small town). Despite his alma maters location, he might not open past the Palisades, but he may have connections at Cornells east campus across town from IC (an alum once explained). Let's just see what he could do up near home.

Ansonia, CT - Division St

Milford, CT - US 1 & CT 162

Stamford, CT - US 1

Torrington, CT - High St near JCPenney

Carlstadt, NJ - Paterson Ave

Ansonia, CT - Division St

Edison, NJ - Inman Grove Shopping Ctr

Piscataway, NJ - Stelton Rd

Greenvale - NY 25A; Wheatley Plaza

West Haverstraw - US 202; Samsondale Plaza

Coram - NY 25 & 112

Mt Vernon - E Sandford Blvd

Hempstead - NY 102

Wayne, NJ - former ShopRite

West Nyack - former Grand Union/Stop & Shop/MetFresh or ShopRite, NY 59

West Babylon - former ShopRite; NY 109

Montague, NJ - former ShopRite; NJ 23

Cortlandt Manor - former ShopRite; US 9

Ringwood, NJ - CR 692

Poughkeepsie - US 9; former health food store

Pathmark

Former Hackensack, NJ store on NJ 17

 Another chain with a history in the Tri-State and beyond has returned. This time, it's Pathmark. I heard of them way back from New York TV like a couple of their competitors, and they were briefly in CNY on NY 5 in deWitt in the '80s as Pathmark Super Drug; the store sold to Woolworths Rx Place later in the decade. One of Pathmarks old rivals, A&P (which also had been Upstate), bought them later, but went bankrupt and closed. While it may be too late for A&P, Pathmark was sold to a new company, but just have one store in the middle in Brooklyn so far. The chain replaced a ShopRite franchise when they were founded. Like so many others, Pathmark had undergone a financial rollercoaster (haven't we all?).

Stop & Shop are now closing numerous stores in Connecticut, New Jersey, and downstate, as well as Massachusetts and Rhode Island (those two will have to find other chains to fill the vacuum) because of declining sales. Pathmark could buy those and return to Connecticut after nearly three decades. Any other closed stores in the boroughs, Long Island and New Jersey, be it ShopRite or something else could also be acquired. Maybe even the old Price Choppers on NY 5 in Albany County so that a union chain can return to the immediate area, although I don't think the drugstore even made it up river in the old days, while it went further up the Thruway to my end, as well as a cart more recently and strangely.  I won't be listing past locations since it's tiring enough with other chains and speculative future ones, but archive.org and Groceteria should have what you're looking for (main chain only) for most areas where Pathmark had made their namesake. The new Pathmark will carry Best Yet, bringing that brand back to some of downstate after Best (Yet) Market were mostly sold to Lidl several years ago (as of 6/5/26).

Closing Stop & Shops unless indicated:

East Meadow - NY 24 & 106 (Pathmark Daily now at former Super Foodtown on 625 Merrick Ave)

Ansonia, CT - Division St

Danbury, CT - Newtown Rd, Beaverbrook

Milford, CT - US 1 & CT 162

Stamford, CT - US 1

Torrington, CT - High St near JCPenney

Carlstadt, NJ - Paterson Ave

Edison, NJ (1) - Inman Grove Shopping Ctr

Edison, NJ (2) - US 1

Jackson Township, NJ- CR 526

Piscataway, NJ - Stelton Rd

Pt Pleasant Beach, NJ - NJ 35

Ringwood, NJ - CR 692

Howell, NJ - US 9

Phillipsburg, NJ - US 22

Franklin Township, NJ - NJ 27

Poughkeepsie/Arlington - US 44 & NY 55; former ShopRite

Brooklyn - Cropsey Ave

Greenvale - NY 25A; Wheatley Plaza

West Haverstraw - US 202; Samsondale Plaza

Coram - NY 25 & 112

Mt Vernon - E Sandford Blvd

Hempstead - NY 102

Wayne, NJ - former ShopRite

West Nyack - former Grand Union/Stop & Shop/MetFresh or ShopRite, NY 59

West Babylon - former ShopRite; NY 109

Albany (Uptown) - NY 5; former Price Chopper; Westgate Shopping Center

Colonie - NY 5; former Price Chopper; Colonie Plaza

Ellenville - former ShopRite; US 209

Montague, NJ - former ShopRite; NJ 23

Cortlandt Manor - former ShopRite; US 9

Gordon Food Service

Miami-Dade County location

 I was just told about Gordon Food Service, which services restaurants, schools, institutions, care homes and other businesses. They also have a retail division open to the general public. We used to have their competitor Maines in CNY in deWitt and North Syracuse, and GFS used to be in Watertown and remain in Buffalo, but have no other stores in the state today. I've gone to a similar mom and pop in Cortland, but it's just not the same. Like the wholesale clubs, they carry bulk, which is maybe too much for someone on their own like me. It would be a welcome change to the scene.

Syracuse (Westvale) - former P&C/Tops. Westvale Plaza, NY 5

New Hartford - former Herb Phillipsons, New Hartford Shopping Center

Albany - former Barnes & Noble, Wolf Rd.

Henrietta - former Bed, Bath & Beyond; NY 252

Cortland - former kmart, NY 281

Vestal - former Bed, Bath & Beyond; NY 434

Ithaca - former Hobby Lobby; NY 13, 34 & 96

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

Ted's Fish Fry: 75 Years On

US 20 location near SUNY UAlbany

 After writing about Dougs Fish Fry, thought I'd look into the Capital Regions own seafood chain, Teds Fish Fry, which celebrates their 75th Anniversary this year. I've only been to the ones in Watervliet (pictured) and Colonie. One in Troy closed last year (Hoosick St. remains open). It's rare enough I get to Albany anymore, let alone on a Friday (I'm that hardcore, yet an event downtown typical for the area half the year made that possible). Because I've only gone to the District that much when my relatives were still alive and/or in the area, I managed to find suggestions on Teds Facebook page (I'll only use ones within a 50 mile radius of Albany), which makes much more sense than to scramble online looking for properties. The former Grandmas on NY 5 may be too close to the Wolf Rd and Western Ave (US 20; pictured) locations, as would both Crossgates Mall and Colonie Center, since Teds want their own space, not the mall's. Ballston Spa will get a new one on NY 50 in the fall. The vacancies don't always have to be former restaurants, just zoned for it (you know the rule book).

Glenmont - former Applebees, US 9W

Schenectady - former ALDI/Grand Union, NY 5 & 7

Rensselaer - former ALDI, US 9 & 20

Amsterdam - former Pizza Hut, NY 30

Ballston Spa - former Pizza Hut, NY 50 (confirmed)

Niskayuna - former Thai Thai Bistro, NY 146 & Nott St E

Food Club: 80 Years On

Ft Knox tin of Food Club Brand Chefs Blend Coffee from the '50s (saw an even older one on Pinterest)

 Food Club brand used to be sold all over CNY at P&C, Big M, Great American/Victory Markets (an Instagram post from an '80s account taken in Otsego County got me going) and Hometown Markets. I wrote about Topcos arrival in the area in 1993 years before when Penn Traffic retired Commander Foods (which P&C had since the '60s at least if I'm not mistaken). While their other brands remain at Tops, Price Chopper, Grand Union and other chains in limited form, Food Club has been elusive here in recent memory. When Tops took over Penn Traffic in 2010, C&S acquired Big M and brought in Best Yet. As with many generics, some products level up to the brand names, while others not so much (you know how it is). It was founded in 1945 by the end of WWII as the economy was to rebound again.

Food Clubs site only lists Long Islands King Kullen and Weis Markets in the Southern Tier/Twin Tiers (to a lesser extent since they have their own store brands of most staples) as the only chains in the state that carry it today. Non-profit indie Brady Market on Syracuses near west side in the former Nojaim Bros (which carried it in the old days as the last surviving Hometown Market, Nojaims having just closed the Marcellus store and buried two family members) is the last holdout here, although it's likely Piggly Wiggly in Watertown of all places could have it too since the Midwestern locations do (the North Country store used to be P&C, then Tops, and is part of that division via the Great Lakes).

If the non-profit store in Uticas West End Bargain Grocery doesn't have a private label partner, I suppose they could also get a deal. Don't know if Topco will offer Food Club à la carte like with the sister brands. Wegmans discontinued their soft drinks (the seltzer and sparkling water remain), and Food Club could replace them, yet I remember Wegmans WPop ('90s branding) being streets ahead of the other generics (you probably don't get that in Consumer Reports, but sometimes on random websites now). A few Food Club items wound up on the bargain shelf at one Tops store, likely because of common manufacturing facilities. Then it could happen that the current P&C Fresh could carry Food Club since P&C and Grand Union are both in Cortland and have Best Yet (along with a small place in Homer), while Ithaca just has P&C and not the other in generations unless they or Weis buy the former Tops across town. I used to have less trouble getting the even rarer Hy-Top, which was at Chanatrys in Utica (Bargains only full-sized locally-owned competitor) and Shop 'n Save (that's one for another day). Now Chanatrys have switched to Food Club along with the sister brands that their former immediate competitor had carried in the past (they're too far apart now). I picked up my fizzy water to show you (P&Cs Commander Foods used to have Party Club for sodas, which is mentioned in the old article. It was once a store in its own right).

It would take someone starting their own place and getting all Topco to bring Food Club back to our backyard more often, but it could be down to warehouses/wholesalers. Now Tops have a few Food Club items with a new logo (pictured bottom), bringing the brand back to many stores that had it under the old guard. It goes to show how something can be on every corner one day and piecemeal or gone the next. Their social media tries to glamourise their products as a far cry from the austere or even plain text bargain label products of the '70s and '80s. These days, any generics will do as people try to stretch their dollars wherever they can.

Food Club today in a one litre fizzy.

New logo with new address to boot.

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 the flagship 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 (as of 2025, the former Tops will become an indie instead), it may be too close to both and DG proper will 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, after spinning off of 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. I'll throw in a couple from out-of-state. Turnover is normal in the chain industry, and in 2025, Dollar General closed a hundred stores, while planning on opening over 450 in 2026, with the potential of around 110,000 over time, gradually acquiring other chains' vacancies nationwide. Here's just where to put DG Market as the regular kind is too easy (maybe in Camillus).

Binghamton - NY 7, former Giant/Weis

Greene - former Great American BK Five

Sidney - CR 23, former Great American BK Five

North Syracuse - US 11 & Chestnut St, former Rite Aid/Walgreens (confirmed for 2026; DG proper up the street at Bear Rd will close when the lease runs out)

Albany (south end) - NY 32 or US 9W et al

Renssalaer - US 9 & 20; former Aldi

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

Troy (Lansingburgh) - US 4; former Price Chopper

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 former 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?

One Dollar Zone!

Fantasy location in Cortlandville

 While looking up information on a store closing in Berks County, PA on Philadelphia indie station WFMZ 69, I found another in Easton of a chain called The Dollar Zone! (it's spelled that way). It seems like three chains (two co-owned) have a monopoly across the country, and I had to create a new tag since I have enough posts of this sort now. The real dollar store I grew up with is not dead and gone. It's the modern version of the five and dime of the early twentieth century like McCrorys and Ben Franklins. The closest one to me is downstate since the chain started in the Tri-State and is likely still based there and have stores across the Northeast. For this post, I simply copied the list from 99 Cents Only Store from the West Coast to save time, yet One Dollar Zone! from the East Coast is remotely more likely to expand inland.

Utica - Genesee St, former Eckerd/Rite Aid

Canastota - NY 5 & CR 25, former Family Dollar

Syracuse - NY 80 & 175, former Walgreens/Rite Aid

Auburn - NY 5, former Real Deals

Baldwinsville - Downer St, former Real Deals

Mattydale - US 11, former Fays/Dollar Tree

Cortlandville - NY 281, next to Grand Union (pictured) to extreme right

New Hartford - New Hartford Shopping Center, former Tuesday Morning

Albany - Wolf Rd, former Barnes & Noble

Liverpool - Electronics Pkwy & Old Liverpool Rd, former Carls/Fays/Thrifty Shopper

Cicero - NY 31, former Green Planet Grocery

Chittenango - Tuscarora Rd, former Dollar General (later in 2024)

Various - Closing Dollar Tree or Family Dollar stores

99 Cents Only Store

MacArthur Park store in LA before dark, sweet green savings, prices going down!

Clotee Pridgen Alloc…, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

 With the dollar store market dominated by three chains, there is another primarily in the Southwest based in LA County called 99 Cents Only Store. With inflation, you'd think it'd be impossible for everything there to be that anymore, let alone from pricey California, when Dollar Tree has their base price at $1.25 (apart from select locations with Dollar Tree Plus or Family Dollar combos).  Back on this end of the country, regional chain Real Deals Dollar Store just went out of business as a result, so some of those could be available now (North Syracuse became Dollar General, however).

Canastota - NY 5 & CR 25, former Family Dollar

Auburn - NY 5, former Real Deals

Baldwinsville - Downer St, former Real Deals

Mattydale - US 11, former Fays/Dollar Tree

Cortlandville - NY 281, next to Grand Union

New Hartford - New Hartford Shopping Center, former Tuesday Morning

Albany - Wolf Rd, former Barnes & Noble

Cicero - NY 31, former Green Planet Grocery

Chittenango - Tuscarora Rd, former Dollar General

Palmer Township, PA (Easton) - 785 S 25th St; former One Dollar Zone! (only non-NY one I can think of, and the next post sorted)

UPDATE: This post is cancelled because the chain are closing (shock, horror!). Since their biggest competitor couldn't do it the old way anymore, 99 Cents Only couldn't either, and the rising crime rate rate and post-COVID economy are to blame.