Westside Family Pharmacy on the Northside

Westside Family Pharmacy meets the Northside

 A local indie pharmacy serving the needs of the inner city and immigrant community are opening a second location. Westside Family Pharmacy is one of the last local drug stores left in Syracuse at a time when even the chains are struggling. In a David and Goliath twist, Rite Aid is closing stores nationwide, with the Shop City one already shuttered and the north side store on Lodi Street just having closed their pharmacy and clearing out everything else like with all remaining locations, yet is one of the only ones in CNY that didn't sell their prescriptions to Walgreens since they don't have a store on that side of town at this time (and didn't even acquire that Rite Aid in 2019), yet Kinney have had a smaller one for a decade after outgrowing a small one inside St Josephs Hospital (pictured in that article). As for this new store, it's about coming full circle. Westside will open their new Northside location in what was Fays Drugs until it was sold to Eckerd in 1997, which built an original store across Butternut Street, which became Dollar General some time after Rite Aid bought Eckerd because of overlap. The former Fays was sold to Dollar Tree, which closed a year or two ago, since they were still sister to Family Dollar a block away (in what was the old Rite Aid to boot before they opened their own standalone around the corner). Westsides flagship is located where Rite Aid and later Walgreens as well as another indie turned onetime CVS went out of business, which led to the founding of Westside in a diverse yet low-income neighborhood, which was and still is also reeling from the loss of Nojaim Bros. and later Brady Market. By this fall, Westside Northside should be open, making it the first mom and pop pharmacy there since Kress Drugs closed in the early '90s (which dated back to late Victorian times), even though it sort of moved to Upstates Almond St office near the soon-to-be-levelled-I-81 before being absorbed by Kinney. Westside will be like many small businesses and offer services that the big ones don't. With no one else covering this, it was up to me to offer this exclusive before the others catch up.

Family Video today

Cortland store last year

    After going by the former Family Video in Auburn yesterday and looking at a now outdated post here from almost a decade ago on which I only added tags for reference, I felt it was time to look into what has happened to the last of the video chains as far as this state goes, although all but a handful were in Western New York, with a few in CNY, the Finger Lakes (Rochester counts as there and WNY) or Twin Tiers. All vacant or TBD unless indicated.

Auburn - US 20 & NY 38A; now FlynnStoned

Cortland - N Main St/US 11 & NY 41

Liverpool - Morgan & Buckley Rds; later Zara Fashions (no relation to the chain); now closed

Amherst - Eggert Rd

Lackawanna - Ridge Rd

Jamestown - NY 60 & 394

Dunkirk - Central Ave; now Dollar General

Elmira - College Ave

Lancaster - NY 21

Lockport - NY 31

Niagara Falls (1) - US 62 (Niagara Falls Blvd)

Niagara Falls (2) - US 62 West (Pine Ave)

North Chili - NY 33

Orchard Park - NY 277

Rome - N James St

CVS lite

Small and pokey CVS in Glastonbury, CT from none other than Mike Mozart

 CVS/pharmacy have been struggling to regain relevance, much like their two main competitors. They've launched a new tactic by launching a dozen new locations that are just pharmacies and not much else. In CNY, they haven't had the best history and are sporadic in the region. In contrast, there have been stores without pharmacies (even Rite Aid had one in downtown Syracuse a block from a regular store [ex-Woolworth/now-DGX] and CVS/sans pharmacy [ex-kmart] in the old days). What CVS could do is have these truncated pharmacies in certain spots. One would be on SU Hill, where they have one last non-Rx location, which stuns newcomers to the area, who would have to go to Target or Manlius if they wish to have their scripts stay with CVS. Walgreens turned a former bank at Moyers Corners in Baldwinsville into a smaller store instead of converting the old Fays turned Rite Aid to cut costs, which is now Planet Fitness, so maybe CVS could do the same thing, and there'd even be a drive-thru at the ready that can be converted for pharmacy use. These mini-pharmacies could open where there isn't one nearby, which would help seniors and others without transport since the mail and even Amazon aren't always reliable. On Syracuses near west side, CVS briefly took over an indie, which was small by current standards for a regular store, yet Walgreens closed a few blocks away, leaving another local place to fill the vacuum. On the east side, Fays Cornerdrug were in the Madison Irving medical building at the foot of the hill, which I think had a pharmacy and just a few things, yet we covered them earlier already, since they also bought out mom and pop stores, mostly in small towns.
 They say less is more, and it'll be a little more challenging to come up with austere express locations for CVS since I tried for the usual, but events of the past several years have made growth difficult. They just can't be near Target or other pharmacy chains, of course. Maybe this could work. Just think smaller.

Syracuse (east side) - former Marine Midland/Key Bank; E Adams St

Syracuse (downtown) - former Sibleys/RKO Keith; S Salina St

Syracuse (north side) - Destiny USA; one of various hallway vacancies

Syracuse (south side) - former Acme/Carls/Fays/Dollar Tree; Turnpike Centre; NY 173 & 80

Canastota - former Family Dollar; NY 5 & 13 and CR 25 (since they won't open a full-fledged store in the former Rite Aid/Walgreens across the street)

Liverpool - former Café 407; Tulip St (no pharmacy in village since indie on CR 57 closed in the '90s)

Auburn - Fingerlakes Mall; NY 5 & US 20 (past location, with or without pharmacy)

deWitt - former Party City (part); Marshalls Homegoods Plaza; NY 5 (full-fledged store was in Shoppingtown until late '70s when replaced by Fays)

Westvale - former Tops/P&C (part); Westvale Plaza; NY 5 (Target up W Genesee St in Fairmount, yet no pharmacy in plaza since Fays closed in 1997 and store became Family Dollar)

Brewerton - US 11 (vacant property listed on Facebook Marketplace)

Mattydale - former Eckerd/Rite Aid/Walgreens; US 11 & Malden Rd (even though it could be a full-sized store; this part of town has been weak in retail in recent years, but more on that another day)

Former Dollar Tree locations in CNY

Forgot that I had taken this one myself. Glad that I did now that it's gone. Valley store, March 2010.

 The closure of the Dollar Tree on Syracuses south side prompted not only this post, but the last one on Acme, which was there generations earlier, according to Syracuse.com. To boot, I was fortunate to have preserved the store on camera, just I have several others because you never know these days. The fact that it's not in the best part of town only makes it worse, and the sister store up the hill left a year or two earlier. Inflation ended "Everything's $1.00" forever, just like five and dime went away long before that. It's also why smaller competitors with the same price point became fewer by the day, and now you just have to run it as a chain with low prices, but that's just not enough anymore. Here's where they fell:

deWitt - NY 5, Shoppingtown Mall; we'll leave it there (take Doris Days advice); moved to former Seamans Furniture/Record Theatre up the road

Syracuse (north side) (1) - Butternut & Lodi Sts; previously Fays; soon to be Westside Family Pharmacy (second location of local indie across from closing Rite Aid, which competed with Fays)

Syracuse (north side) (2) - US 11; previously Big M/Wilson Farms/Dullys; now Dollar General

Syracuse (south side/Valley) - NY 173 & 80; Turnpike Centre; previously Acme/Carls/Fays (pictured)

Oswego - NY 104; TBD

Mattydale - US 11, Mattydale Plaza; previously Fays (next to kmart)

Clay - NY 31 & 481; Marketfair North Plaza; Only One (subsidiary later absorbed by main chain; moved to COR Plaza in Liverpool down the road; later Tuesday Morning?)

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

Big Lots! Part 2

Marion, OH store; February 2022.

JBTHEMILKER, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

 I may have done Big Lots! before, but now they're on the way out, and even if they're sold, the current economic climate doesn't hold well for them. The last post on Trader Joes led to this since some Big Lots! locations could be sold to them if it'll work. DFW-based rivals Tuesday Morning have already gone out of business. Rhode Islands Ocean State Job Lot would make sense in some of these, and they have confirmed that they shall buy several locations in the Northeast including Bayberry. Ollies Bargain Outlet will get many other locations, but they already have a strong presence in CNY alone.

Auburn - NY 5; former kmart*

Buffalo - S Ogden St; South Ogden Plaza

Cortland - NY 281; former Real Deals

deWitt - NY 5; former Price Chopper; now Spectrum

Elmira - Lake St*

Kingston - US 9W*

Liverpool - CR 57; former Price Chopper, The Shops at Seneca Mall; becoming Ocean State Job Lot*

Mattydale - US 11; former Tops/P&C*

Middletown - NY 211; Walkill Plaza

Oswego - NY 104*

Plattsburgh - NY 3; former Big Lots

Poughkeepsie - Burnett Blvd; former Caldor

Syracuse - Onondaga Blvd; former Fays; now Goodwill

Utica - NY 5; former Chicago Markets/Great American*

Watertown - NY 3*

*Outgoing

Mid-Hudson Memories

Gnax the red fox; 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).

AI

Iszards, a defunct department store from Twin Tiers

 You may have noticed that the past year, I have been using AI to create images for several different chains and even indies. It's more out of necessity because free images aren't always available, even if they would follow Wikipedias policy of older ones being out of copyright if taken before a certain year, even in our lifetime and not having a copyright, or if one from a lifetime ago is just too old hat to work unless it's about that time in history. I use Meta via Facebook, Instagram and Messenger for this, which is why I based the post in their area. AI assumes I'm making up these places myself, not realising that they were around before AI was even a thing in sci-fi books and films. Department stores oftentimes used cursive logos to look posh and many still do to this day, and I even prompt AI to provide that for me, but it can sometimes give me a right mess, just as many people these days can't spell to save their lives! For these pictures generated by the machines, I try to edit them on my phone if that works, or I painstakingly do so on my Desktop with Microsoft Paint, or poor mans Photoshop. I also just nick the real logo and just paste it onto a copy of the fantasy store, even though it looks more dodgy than it is. A few of these are photorealistic, which look like they ripped off actual photos, while others are digital illustrations I could never do on my own because my style is too simplistic on paper by comparison. I use both methods when it comes to furry art, but AI is highly slated by the fandom, among other things. One thing I don't use it for is to write, since I have the natural ability like a true journalist is supposed to have, and if writers block should come, it'll pass since I have no deadlines here, and the real media and educators alike are also keeping AI to a minimum, even though it's not going anywhere anytime soon.

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

Lechmere

Danvers, MA store outside Boston in the '80s. Courtesy Salem State University

 Lechmere were a department store with electronics, appliances, jewellery and more. By the late '90s, they were gone after a few years under Montgomery Ward (I started putting locations under that post, but now I have enough for this one). There were only seven stores outside New England, with most of them here in Upstate NY, as well as one in Mecklenburg County in North Carolina.

Syracuse (north side) - Carousel Center (now Destiny USA) - later Circuit City and DSW; now Hobby Lobby

Danvers, MA - Liberty Tree Mall; now Target, Staples, Dollar Tree and Best Buy (pictured, non-NY)

Cheektowaga - Walden Galleria; later JCPenney Home; now DSW

Albany - Northway Mall, NY 5; now Target, Marshalls and Jo-Ann Fabrics

Henrietta - NY 252; now Amvets?

Poughkeepsie - Poughkeepsie Galleria, US 9 (also had Wards proper)

Utica - Riverside Mall, NY 5/8/12/49; now Walmart and Bass Pro Shops (also had Wards proper)

True Value in CNY

Quintessential small town Central California store in Lone Pine, CA

 True Value Hardware have entered administration being unable to compete with Lowes, Home Depot, Menards (covered earlier and not yet in the Northeast) and Runnings. Many franchises converted to Ace over the years, including in CNY in recent years. True Value were the epitome of the mom and pop hardware store, which isn't entirely dead outside small towns and suburbs. Another competitor Do It Best just bought True Value. DIB are available at Valu (no relation), as well as in Cazenovia, Elbridge,  Constantia, Chittenango, Baldwinsville, Liverpool (at Runnings ironically), Canastota and Tully, while DIB have had affiliates in East Syracuse (Doow Hardware in Oot Park/Fremont on N Burdick St Rd) and Fulton (NY 3, not Burkes on 2nd St). True Value in CNY remain in Manlius (NY 92) and Cazenovia (US 20) to name a few, as well as Taylor Rental (no hardware) on NY 5 in deWitt (not that Taylor!). The merger may possibly make any new True Value franchises unlikely and overlapping ones could even switch over to Ace themselves if one isn't around already. Here's what I can gather from memory or from new research of where one could get tools and such with personal service without the big box behemoth in the old days.

Syracuse (Eastwood) (1) - NY 290 & Marlborough Rd; later dollar store and Pomco; now United HealthCare

Syracuse (Eastwood) (2) - NY 290 between North Ave & Eastwood Rd; Nightingales; former Rite Aid; demolished for Walgreens in 2006

Syracuse (Eastwood) (3) - NY 290; Eastwood Plaza; Nightingales; half of former Sacred Melody; later Hooches, soon to be liquor store according to permit from city

Syracuse (west side) - Calleys City Hardware, 214 S Geddes St (now vacant; no longer listed on site)

Marcellus - South St Rd; Nightingale Mills (same family as Eastwood); now Ace

Syracuse (south side) - NY 173 & US 11; now Bobs Ace

Brewerton - US 11 & Bartell Rd; TBD

Mattydale - US 11; now J&J deSantis Plumbing

Syracuse (east side); Westcott St; Scharfs; TBD

Orange Julius

Allegany County location with Dairy Queen, other takeaways and Dollar General

Jim.Henderson, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

 Orange Julius is a one-of-a-kind drink no one has ever copied. They used to be in Shoppingtown Mall in deWitt, where I've heard of them in the old days, but I don't think I ever had one. Dairy Queen, who now own Orange Julius through Warren Buffets Berkshire Hathaway, now only have a franchise in my area in Cicero, which is too far for me and does not carry Orange Julius (same with many DQs, since some don't even have Brazier for hot foods). The closest area to have it is WNY with fourteen locations. Some people may assume it doesn't exist anymore since so many have closed over the past few decades as standalones. Because corporate only offer the two chains as a package deal today, we'll have to put the pair of them together and come up with food courts, vacant competitors or even college neighborhoods to satisfy our sweet tooth (don't tell my doctor or dentist, mind!).

Syracuse (north side) - former Dunkin'; Regional Transportation Center (Destiny USA around the corner has no room right now and have other things to deal with)

Cortland - former JoAnn Fabrics; Riverside Plaza, NY 13

Oneida - former KFC?; NY 5

Albany (Delaware Area) former Friendlys; US 9W & NY 443

Binghamton - Broome County Transportation Center; Chenango St

Ithaca - former Starbucks, Collegetown; former Burger King, NY 13/34/96; or TBD, The Commons

New Hartford - former Boil Shack; NY 5

Auburn - Fingerlakes Mall; NY 5 & US 20

Rochester - former Calios; NY 252

Freddy's Rx

Another AI pipe dream with the wrong Freddy's logo

 Freddy's Rx were a discount pharmacy chain from Monroe County in the '80s and early '90s. They had just one location that I remember in my area. Freddy's went as far south as Florida and Virginia, so snowbirds in the former from the Flour City had a piece of home for prescriptions in those days, I suppose. Freddys were all gone by 1994, even though I go to that other chain from Rochester.

Greece - NY 104

Henrietta - NY 252 & 15, Southtown Plaza; now Dollar Tree (more the right size for it)

Irondequoit - NY 104

North Syracuse - US 11 & S Bay Rd, Northern Lights Plaza; previously Rite Aid?; now Party City

Miami/Ft Lauderdale area - various/TBD

Virginia - various/TBD

The Paper Cutter

If The Paper Cutter were still cutting it today with AI.

 Fays Drugs had The Paper Cutter division with office, party and school supplies until the main chain were sold to JCPenneys Eckerd subsidiary in 1996-97 (auto parts chain Wheels would go to other chains, but that'll have to wait for another day). I could only remember a couple off the top of my head. People on Facebook recalled others in town, so this required some digging like many of the chains that have only closed in the past few decades (even some of those before our time that are regional have a spreadsheet). Staples, OfficeMax/Office Depot (now out of CNY), Party City, and today amazon (go figure) would make The Paper Cutter almost impossible now (we've done The Paper Store earlier).

One thing I have with the real logo.

Camillus - Camillus Plaza; long since demolished and was over where Walmart are now next to Goldbergs, Hills, Price Chopper (which closed in 1982), and other chains that belong to the ages now

North Syracuse - North Plaza, US 11 & Lawrence Rd E.; later Real Deals, now Dollar General

deWitt - NY 5; Empire Plaza; later Maines, now Ollies Bargain Outlet

Clay - NY 31 & 481; Marketfair North

New England - possibly Vermont and Massachusetts

Syracuse (downtown) - S Salina St; later McDonalds, formerly The Syracuse Trust Company, now vacant

deWitt (2) - NY 5, Shoppingtown (not everyones memories are accurate or from my lifetime)

Fairmount - Fairmount Fair (was in mall, which is now a plaza)

Capital Region - TBD (I don't remember seeing them there)

Glens Falls - TBD

Rome - NY 46 (Black River Blvd. since I know it wasn't downtown)

Guilderland - US 20 (another wild guess since the retail corridor that way from Crossgates to 20 Mall is obvious having gone to Albany County forever)

Ithaca - NY 13/34/96 (would have to be since it's the main drag for most larger retail in the area)

Mohawk Valley - TBD

Horseheads - Grand Central Plaza, NY 14

Cortland - Riverside Plaza, NY 13 (small town hunch since Fays proper were there too)

Philadelphia area/Southern NJ/Lehigh and Delaware Valleys - TBD

Albany (Uptown) - NY 5, Westgate Shopping Center (found thanks to a tip)

Gates - TBD

WNY - TBD

Auburn - NY 5

Southern Tier - TBD

Susquehanna/Wyoming/Lackawanna Valleys, PA - TBD

If it were small in the mall down the hall (channelling Dr Seuss!)

Chicago Markets

If Chicago Markets were around today via AI (Meta).

 Chicago Markets were not in Chicago at all. They were right here in CNY and the Mohawk Valley until the '80s. I was far too young to remember the last one being open, but I've heard all about them in recent memory. Special thanks to our friends at Groceteria for their meticulous research on every vintage of the past five generations!

Syracuse (east side) - E Adams St

Syracuse (north side) - Butternut St; later Peters, now Save-a-Lot

Syracuse (west side) - S Geddes St; later Carls Drugs, Fays Drugs and Save-a-Lot; now Wilson Dental

Syracuse (east side) (2) - NY 5

Syracuse (south side) (1) - NY 175; later Family Dollar, now Dollar General

Syracuse (south side) (2)  - US 11, Valley Plaza; previously Acme, Tops and P&C (last two twice); now vacant

Utica - Mohawk St (later Great American and Tops, now Hannaford), Columbia St, Franklin Sq. (previously Mohican), Leland Ave (later Great American; now Big Lots and Parkway Drugs), and Oneida St (later Great American) (the flagships are grouped this way because I don't know the area quite as well compared to fifty miles away and to save time)

New Hartford - Genesee St (then-NY 5/8/12)

Yorkville - NY 5A & 69; now Mastrovito Hyundai

Oneida - NY 5 & 46; Ames Plaza; now Oneida Indian Nation offices

Amsterdam -  NY 30; previously Bag 'n Save and Loblaws

Gloversville -  NY 30A; previously Loblaws

TBD - Rome, Herkimer, Massena (can't be the same one since that's North Country)

Dollarama and Family Dollar

Typical Dollarama in Parkdale, Toronto in the boys' (Rush) backyard

 Dollar Tree are thinking of spinning off Family Dollar because of declining profits. While Family Dollar could go back to being on their own, they could be sold to Dollar Trees rival in Canada, Dollarama of Mount-Royal, Québec in Montréal. Dollarama have expanded into Latin America, but are only known in the US to those who have crossed the border to shop at one, like I have in Gananoque and Niagara Falls, ONT. If this were to happen like Sunrise buying FYE, then combination Dollar Tree/Family Dollar stores would likely convert to just Dollar Tree (the closest to me is in Rochester). The closest Family Dollar to me used to be another Canadian conglomerate, Loblaws, which we've touched upon already, that older people in the US may assume is gone who don't keep up or travel north. The merger would give the multi-generation owners the Rossys a blueprint that stretches across the Western Hemisphere that rivals that of Walmart. The product line would look the same that isn't at both apart from national brands and the US office should move back to Mecklenburg County after separating from Dollar Tree in Chesapeake Bay about a hundred miles away.

In Gananoque in eastern Ontario, there used to be an unrelated indie dollar store called Mega Family Dollar, but that was sold to Dollarama. That could be a sign. The Bargain Shop!, which took over Woolworths locations, were down Hwy 2 in the village until several years ago and is now one of the few mom and pop alternatives in the Kingston tourist exurb. There's also another place across the street.

Back in this country, Dollar General seem to do just fine while their rival(s) trail behind. Maybe selling Family Dollar may be the next step to move forward. After that, when I go to Dollarama, it'll still be different and largely catered to that market. Dollar Tree does sell a brand of soap from Mississauga, which is Toronto area, while the chains office in Canada is outside Vancouver, BC. We'll just wait and see if Family Dollar split in any case.

UPDATE (27/3/25): Family Dollar were just sold for $1B US to Macelleum and Brigade Capital Managements. Other recent events means that Dollarama won't touch US soil anytime soon, nor will Family Dollar be in Canada in the foreseeable future either. Back here, both Dollar Tree and Family Dollar have closed stores, and dual stores will have to rebrand as one or the other obviously or close.

Chase-Pitkin

What Chase-Pitkin would look like now (Meta AI)

    Chase-Pitkin were a home improvement chain that traces their roots back to 1857 in the Victorian era, and were sold to Wegmans in 1973, who expanded it to 14 locations. Stiff competition from Lowes and the Home Depot closed the chain in 2006, which also befell HQ/Hechinger, Grossmans (which absorbed Mr 2nds), Builders Square, and many mom and pop hardware stores (mainly True Value franchises). I mainly have CNY updates (shock, horror!).

deWitt/Fayetteville - NY 5 & 92; Wegmans Plaza; previously Fays, Ames, and Service Merchandise; later Value City and American Signature furniture store; now Hobby Lobby

North Syracuse - W Taft Rd, now Blink Fitness and Dollar Tree

Liverpool - NY 31, later Best Buy; now Value City Furniture

Brockport - NY 19; now TJ Maxx

Syracuse - Onondaga Blvd., now Blink Fitness

Perinton - NY 31; TBD

Newark - NY 31; TBD

Fairport - NY 31 & 250; now Georgetown Wine & Spirits

Pittsford - NY 31; TBD

Greece - NY 104; TBD

Henrietta - NY 252; TBD

Penfield - NY 441 & 250; now Lisas Liquor Barn

Amherst - Alberta Dr; now Wegmans proper

Cheektowaga - Walden Ave; now Burlington

Rochester (N Winton/E Side) - NY 96; original store; address and building no longer exist

Rochester (blocks from above) - E Highland Dr; former Bilt-Rite; now Midtown Athletic Club

ChatGPT OpenAI version with classic design

Former FYE/TransWorld locations

Older location, possibly in Connecticut; courtesy Mike Mozart

 FYE were formerly owned by TransWorld in Albany County, but were sold to Sunrise Records in Canada (which I did a separate post for when I thought they'd come to the US on their own). I will provide a list of as many of the chains that were acquired that had stores Upstate and beyond that I remember. Outside CNY and/or too far back, I can't say straight away what's there now.

Auburn (Sennett) - OnCue, now ALDI; NY 5

Auburn (Aurelius) - FYE, Fingerlakes Mall; vacant; NY 5 & US 20

Delmar - Coconuts, Delaware Plaza; NY 443

Albany (Guilderland) - Coconuts, Stuyvesant Plaza; US 20

Albany (Colonie) - Colonie Center (old and later stores); NY 5 & Wolf Rd*

Syracuse (north side 1) - Carousel Center/Destiny USA (old store closed 2012), later Papaya*

Syracuse (north side 2) - same as above; Record World, Square Circle and Suncoast

Syracuse (downtown 1) - Record Town, later Dollar Wise, now closed; S Salina St

Syracuse (downtown 2) - Tape World, Galleries, now offices; S Salina & E Jefferson Sts.

deWitt - FYE and Record Town, Shoppingtown Mall; mall to become District East; NY 5

Fayetteville - Record Town, Fayetteville Mall, now Towne Center; NY 5 & N Burdick St

Williamsville - NY 78

Utica (Deerfield) - Camelot Music, Riverside Mall, now Riverside Plaza; NY 8, 12 & 49

Clay - Great Northern Mall, to redeveloped with Microns pending arrival; NY 31 & 481

Cicero - Record Town, Penn Can Mall, now Drivers Village

Camillus - Record Town, Camillus Mall, now Camillus Commons (Lowes and Walmart)

Fairmount - Record Town, Fairmount Fair, now strip center

Washington, DC - Union Station

Kingston - Record Town, Hudson Valley Mall, US 9W

*current stores down the hall

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?