Panera Bread

deWitt location at Marshalls Homegoods Plaza on NY 5, 2024

While Panera Bread may seem too easy compared to most chains as far as suggesting new locations, there are still places they have yet to open, mainly the Central Leatherstocking Region/Mohawk Valley and Finger Lakes.  Here's where they should be:

Cortland - Riverside Plaza, former Naples Italian Eatery; or Cortlandville, NY 13 (former McDonalds)

Seneca Falls and Waterloo - NY 5/US 20

Oneida, former KFC?, NY 5

Rome - NY 46 & 49, Freedom Plaza, former rue21

Central Square, NY 49 between US 11 and I-81

Canastota - former Family Dollar, NY 5 & 13 (instead of Oneida)

Junius Ponds - Finger Lakes Premium Outlets, NY 318
Canandaigua - former Ponderosa, NY 5/US 20

Family Video

Marquette, MI location.

Family Video are among the last of its kind left.  They could grow some more though.

Rochester - former Blockbuster or Hollywood Video, Monroe Ave.

Irondequoit - Skyview on the Ridge (ex-Medley Center)

Syracuse (Eastwood) - former Blockbuster, Shop City
Manchester - former Movie Gallery/Colonial Laundromat (NY 21)

Syracuse (south side) - former Blockbuster

Syracuse (east side) - former PHP, Big Sur/Bedroom Expressions or vacant land where bowling alley had been or the other one up the street on Erie Blvd E (NY 5)

Syracuse (west side) - former Dennys

North Syracuse - Northern Lights

Mattydale - former site of skating rink or Daddys Music

Oswego - former Ponderosa, Dollar Tree or other vacancy

Ithaca - vacancy next to Thrifty Shopper on 376 Elmira Rd (NY 13/34/96)

Manlius - outgoing CVS/pharmacy if Walgreens/Rite Aid merger is off

Chittenango - former Kinney Pharmacy
Bridgeport - same as above

New Hartford - former Save-a-Lot or Price Chopper

Fairmount - former Thrifty Shopper

Baldwinsville - former Rite Aid, Thrifty Shopper or Smokey Hollow Big M (NY 48)
Elbridge - former Family Dollar (NY 5)

Oneida - former Tim Hortons or Herb Philipsons

Cicero - former McDonalds or Burlington Coat Factory

deWitt - former SAAB, Sofas & Chairs, deWitt Towne Center, Erie Canal Centre or Shoppingtown (if mall is partially demolished)

Second Chance Prom

I'd be lucky to get to one on the bus at this rate!

Not strictly retail-related but I'd like to announce the Second Chance Prom!  More info on link.
UPDATE: Something across town has been found so this will be a Plan B as it wasn't all I'd hoped for but I can't complain really.

Notsky and Doggette hit the dance floor.

Cost Cutters/Fantastic Sams/Lemon Tree

Older Upper Peninsula Ypsilanti, MI Fantastic Sams.

    There are three franchised hairdresser and beauty salon chains in the nation that I'm aware of not in my immediate area, so I thought I'd try that for a bit of a change. Cost Cutters already have locations in Binghamton and Auburn (their competitors can go in these small towns instead marked with an *), while Fantastic Sams locations exist in Monroe, Montgomery, Albany and Schenectady Counties (formerly in nearby suburb Delmar where I'd heard of them), and the Lemon Tree I heard of downstate when I lived going that way and know the least about (closest one is in Sidney it turns out). Here's where they all could go:

Manlius - former Kinney Drugs, NY 92
Liverpool - former Verizon Wireless (NY 31)
New Hartford - Sangertown Square, NY 5 & 5A
North Syracuse - Northern Lights Plaza, US 11 (FedEx Office as they've moved up the street)
Cicero - Marketplace Plaza or former Green Planet Grocery, NY 31
Syracuse (Eastwood) - former Rite Aid, Shop City or former Eastwood Hair & Beauty Co. et al, NY 290 (as of 29/9/25; pictured below)
Cortland - NY 13*
Bridgeport - former Kinney Drugs, NY 31
Oneida - NY 5*
Auburn - Fingerlakes Mall or former Family Dollar on NY 5/US 20*
Elbridge - former Family Dollar or Ace Hardware on NY 5
Rochester - former Blockbuster Video on NY 31
Canastota - former Family Dollar on NY 5 & 13
Phoenix - former Lock Street Cutters on CR 12 off CR 57

Cost Cutters' sister chains Supercuts (too easy), Regis (flagship), HairCrafters (no longer in CNY), MasterCuts (in Destiny USA along with main chain and a rival one) and SmartStyle (via Walmart) are all in town already which may explain why CC have just a few in the region as part of the Regis conglomerate. Lemon Tree are now in Camillus (original post worked, so I've edited since, although there could always be another in CNY), Delaware and Otsego Counties off I-88, as well as the tri-state.

Former Cost Cutters:

Cortland - NY 13, Riverside Mall (saw this myself)

Oneida - NY 5 (only non-607)

Vestal (1) - NY 434 & N Main St

Vestal (2) - NY 434 (no longer listed on site)

Endicott - North St & Oak Hill Ave

Former Fantastic Sams Cut & Colour:

Delmar - NY 443, Delaware Plaza (closed years ago)

Schenectady - NY 7, Crosstown Plaza (moved across town)

Cost Cutters in Eastwood Plaza

Fantastic Sams in Eastwood Plaza

Lemon Tree in Eastwood Plaza (last minute idea)

Zaxby's

Hattiesburg, MS location (O'Charleys will have 2 W8).

Heard of Zaxby's from a commercial for something based in the South so it looked like something I'd like to see north of the Masie-Dixie.

Syracuse (east side) - former Firudo or Red Lobster, NY 5

Irondequoit - former Keenans

Fulton - former Jreck Subs

Oswego - former Peebles/Gordmans, NY 104

Cortland - Cortlandville or Riverside Plaza, NY 13

East Syracuse - former Carmellas Café

Colonie - former Barnes and Noble
Wappinger Falls - former Sonic Drive-In (US 9)
Canandaigua - former Ponderosa (NY 5/US 20)

New Hartford - Sangertown Square (NY 5 & 5A) or former Zebbs

Cicero - former Buffalo Wild Wings, US 11

Syracuse (north side) - former Cantina Loredo
Watertown - former Tilted Kilt, NY 3

Liverpool - Seneca Mall, CR 57
Auburn - former Dennys, NY 5

Sprouts Farmers Market

Sprouts in LA (only free photo around).

With one health-oriented chain in town and another desired, Sprouts could work their way east:

Irondequoit - former Medley Ctr (NY 104)
Cicero - former Burlington/Sears at Drivers Village
Clifton Park - former OfficeMax

Williamsville - former Best Buy (NY 78)
Henrietta - former Price Rite/Freddys (NY 252)
North Adams, MA - former Price Chopper
deWitt - former Bed, Bath and Beyond; Erie Blvd E (NY 5)

Schenectady - former Grand Union/ALDI (NY 5 & 7)
Boonville - former Great American (NY 12)
Oswego - former Dollar Tree or other vacancy on NY 104
Ithaca - former kmart, Hobby Lobby or Tops (NY 13/34/96)
various Southern/Midwestern locations - former Walmart/Amigos
Fulton - former kmart (NY 481 & CR 57)
Pulaski - former Als Corner Market (NY 13 & US 11)
Colonie - former Bed Bath and Beyond/ShopRite (Wolf Road)
Poughkeepsie (Arlington) - former ShopRite (NY 55 & US 44)
Irondequoit - Skyview on the Ridge (NY 104)
Adams, MA (Berkshires) - former Price Chopper
Harrisburg area (Dauphin and Cumberland Counties, PA Capital Region) - former Darrenkemps

Circuit City

Augusta, ME store.

First new post this year.  Circuit City are coming back but will have smaller stores.  Here's where they could go:

New Hartford*

Auburn*

Syracuse*

deWitt (former Chappells/Bon-Ton, Dicks or Macys)

Colonie (former Barnes and Noble)

Irondequoit (Medley Center)

Buffalo (Eastern Hills Mall)

Kingston (former JCPenney)

Clay (same as deWitt)
Clifton Park (closing OfficeMax)

North Syracuse (former TJ Maxx, Staples, Michaels or Media Play)

Oswego (former Dollar Tree or other vacancy on NY 104)

Fulton (former kmart)

Ithaca (former kmart if not already taken)

Cortland (former flea market if not Planet Fitness)

Poughkeepsie (TBD as I don't go this way anymore but they had a * as well)

*Past location that's still available