Sibley's

Irondequoit Mall (had to block lamppost to fit logo)

 Sibleys (originally Sibley, Lindsay, & Curr, Co.) were a chain from Monroe County which I remember from early days that had been in CNY until they were sold to Kaufmanns in 1990. The flagship in downtown Rochester is in the National Register of Historic Places (our answer to the National Trust in a way). They had absorbed chains like their successors had too. While I can remember much of the CNY stores, WNY and beyond are a return to the time warp (mostly Wikipedia, making Cliffs Notes look like a bill that has to be passed).

Syracuse

Syracuse (downtown) - Previously RKO Keiths; briefly connected to the Galleries by Skybridge; closed 1989; later deLuxe; now offices and businesses such as CXTec, Redhouse, and Tompkins Savings Bank.

Fayetteville - Fayetteville Mall, NY 5 & N Burdick St; later Kaufmanns; closed and demolished in 1993; replaced by Caldor from 1994-96; mall demolished 2001 for Towne Center (Target car park)

Clay - Great Northern Mall, NY 31 & 481; later Kaufmanns and Macys; now Dunk & Bright Furniture, while mall will become power center with Micron on the horizon (albeit delayed by a few years)

Buffalo

West Seneca - Seneca Mall, CR 137 & 91; now demolished (property recently sold)

Cheektowaga - Walden Galleria; was only there the first year; later Kaufmanns; now Macys

Amherst - Boulevard Mall, US 62; previously Sattlers; later Kaufmanns; now Macys (although mall will be demolished in 2026 and redeveloped as Boulevard Centre)

Clarence/Harris Hill - Eastern Hills Mall, NY 78; previously Hengerers; later Kaufmanns, Macys and Niagara Emporium; now under development (here we go again!)

Hamburg - McKinley Mall, NY 179; later Kaufmanns and Macys; now closed

AI mall version with fixed logo (based on later one)

Rochester

Victor - Eastview Mall, NY 96; later Kaufmanns; now Macys (Ontario County, but more obvious)

Greece - Greece Town Mall (now The Mall at Greece Ridge), NY 104; later Kaufmanns and Macys; now Boscovs 

Henrietta (1) - Southtown Plaza, NY 252 & 15; name of plaza may be changing

Henrietta (2) - Marketplace Mall, NY 252 & 15; later Kaufmanns and Macys; now Floor & Décor

Irondequoit - Irondequoit Mall, E Ridge Rd; later Kaufmanns and Macys; now closed (pictured at top)

Webster - Eastway Plaza, NY 404; demolished; now Breuggers Bagels and Chase Bank

Newark - Newark Plaza, NY 31; now Rent-a-Center? (Wayne County)

Rochester (downtown) (1) - Main & St Paul Sts; original store; Granite Building burned down in the Edwardian era (1880-1904)

Rochester (downtown) (2) - NY 96; second flagship; now offices

AI downtown Rochester store (fairly close logo anyway)

Courtesy Meta Platforms, Inc. (fictional store shown)

Kaufmann's

Sangertown Square store with added sign

 Kaufmann's were a chain from Allegheny County whose flagship store in downtown Pittsburgh had a clock that people would meet (it's always easier that way and not just for time). They entered Upstate NY in 1990 after acquiring Rochester-based Sibleys (the downtown stores there [that flagship] and Syracuse [we looked into them later] were both too old and out of date for smaller cities), which brought the chain to CNY as a result. When owner May Department Stores merged with Federated in 2006, Kaufmanns, Marshall-Fields, and Filenes all became Macys. Overlapping stores were sold to other chains if not closed (Albany County's Colonie Center already had both Filenes [which switched ownership from Federated to May] and Macys in the old days, while rival mall Crossgates down I-87 had Jordan Marsh to boot!). Meanwhile, McCurdys were the other chain in Monroe County that Kaufmanns absorbed in 1994, along with B. Forman (I could go on all day with these defunct department stores). I just did Hess's and even some of those were taken. Here's what I can "Kauf" up!

Syracuse - Carousel Center (now Destiny USA); now Macys (last one in area)

deWitt - Shoppingtown Mall, NY 5; previously Addis & Deys; later Macys; soon to be demolished for District East (Lord knows when)

Fayetteville - Fayetteville Mall, NY 5 & N Burdick St; previously Sibleys if not Hess's; closed and moved to above in 1993; mall demolished by 2001; now Towne Center (likely in front of Target now)

Clay - Great Northern Mall, NY 31 & 481; later Macys; now Dunk & Bright; one of the few mall anchors spared from demolition for future lifestyle center for pending Micron community and joint venture (another long story there, mind)

New Hartford - Sangertown Square, NY 5 & 5A; previously Hess's; later Macys; now vacant. Also had a Kaufmanns Home store around the corner; may be demolished for BJs Wholesale Club (confirmed; pictured above)

Victor - Eastview Mall, NY 96; previously Sibleys; now Macys

Greece - The Mall at Greece Ridge, NY 104 & CR 261; previously Sibleys; later Macys (closing in 2025; the only one Upstate so far); now Boscovs

Henrietta - Marketplace Mall, NY 252 & 15; previously Sibleys; later Macys; now Floor & Décor

Cheektowaga - Walden Galleria; previously Sibleys; now Macys

Clarence/Harris Hill - Eastern Hills Mall, NY 78; previously Hengerers and Sibleys; later Macys and Niagara Emporium (local store); now under development (we'll see how they get on)

Amherst - Boulevard Mall, US 62; previously Jenns and Sibleys; now Macys (mall now Boulevard Place as of 2026)

Hamburg - McKinley Mall, NY 179; main store previously Sibleys; later Macys; now closed. Home store previously L.L. Berger.

Big Flats (Fisherville) - Arnot Mall, CR 35; previously Hess's; later Macys; now closed

Johnson City - Oakdale Mall, NY 201; previously Hess's; later Macys; now Dicks House of Sports

Irondequoit - Irondequoit Mall, NY 104 (pictured below); previously Sibleys; later Macys

Irondequoit store (not to scale, of course, yet not AI)

Hess's in CNY+

Kitty used instead of someone elses photo

 Hess's Department Stores were a chain from Lehigh Valley dating back to the late Victorian era. The flagship would have A-listers make in-store appearances. They worked their way to Upstate NY from acquiring other chains, but would gradually be bought out themselves from the late '80s through the mid-'90s. They were unrelated to Hess Oil Company (which still exist, but are just not directly accessible to the public anymore). I can remember them being in CNY in the old days.

Clay - Great Northern Mall, NY 31; later Chappells and the Bon-Ton; now being redeveloped now that Micron have been approved for their building site a few miles away so the mall is one for a new lifestyle center and modern village (we'll delve further as soon as we know more if others don't already)

Fayetteville - Fayetteville Mall, NY 5; later Sibleys and Kaufmanns; now Towne Center (TBD)

New Hartford - Sangertown Square, NY 5 & 5A; later Kaufmanns and Macys; may be demolished for BJs Wholesale Club (confirmed; pictured below)

Allentown, PA (downtown) - flagship; later The Bon-Ton; now offices (too many others to list)

Poughkeepsie - South Hills Mall, US 9; later Burlington; TBD (only one of two non-CNY stores within the state I'll do because I used to be up the road, but that's a story for another day)

Rotterdam - Rotterdam Square Mall (now Viaport), NY 337; later Filenes and Macys; now NYS Taxation call center (only one from the Capital Region I know of)

Camillus - Camillus Plaza/Mall; previously Witherills; later Chappells and the Bon-Ton; now St Josephs Health, Empire Dermatology and Planet Fitness later in 2026 (last surviving building from mall at Camillus Commons)

AI depiction of sidewalk sale at Lehigh Valley OG store

AI creations appear courtesy Meta Platforms, Inc./Facebook. No real people or buildings are shown.

New Hartford location (not AI for once! Just copy and paste!)

AI mall store with improved sign. Courtesy Meta Platforms, Inc.

The Bon-Ton

 

deWitt location with superimposed logo (all I could do)

The Bon-Ton came to CNY in the mid-'90s after acquiring Chappells (see earlier post) and Hess's, and had already opened in the Southern Tier/Twin Tiers (ex-McCurdys/Iszurds) with Hess's being from Lehigh Valley, working its way up the then-PA 9 and I-81. Bonton is another name you'd be surprised to know is still around, even online. The current owners only brought back sister chain Carsons in Illinois, but could revive Bonton proper here. For old stores, it's strictly Upstate, you know, so I don't delve into other states or subsidiaries since the blog is supposed to be about New York. The Boston Store were part of Bon-Ton Holdings, giving them honorable mention since I know they had presence in the Mohawk Valley and Capital Region, even though it was acquired in recent memory, and was actually from Milwaukee County (and you thought Chicago Markets were from the Midwest); now an e-tailer.

Syracuse - Destiny USA*

Auburn - NY 5 & US 20; Fingerlakes Mall (had Chappells)

Camillus - W Genesee St, Camillus Commons* (although only part of former store is available now)

Albany - US 20; Crossgates Mall; former anchor

New Hartford - NY 5 & 5A; Sangertown Square; former Macys

Amherst - NY 78; former Best Buy

Former locations

*

deWitt - NY 5; Shoppingtown Mall; previously Chappells; demolition pending for District East (pictured)

Clay - NY 31; Great Northern Mall; previously Chappells; demolition pending for lifestyle center in the wake of Microns arrival

Watertown - Salmon Run Mall, NY 3 & CR 100; previously Chappells; now vacant

Williamsville - Eastern Hills Mall, NY 78; previously AM&As; now Raymour & Flanigan

Wheatfield - The Summit; previously AM&As; now Niagara International Sports & Entertainment

Lockport - Lockport Mall, NY 78; previously AM&As; now demolished

Cheektowaga - Walden Galleria; previously AM&As; now Dave & Busters (moved from above)

Hamburg - McKinley Mall, NY 179; previously AM&As; TBD

Buffalo - Main Place Mall, NY 5; previously AM&As flagship; now a hotel and apartment complex

Johnson City - Oakdale Commons, NY 201; previously McCurdys; now BJs Wholesale Club

Massena - St Lawrence Centre, NY 37; now St Lawrence Industrial Complex

Big Flats - Arnot Mall, CR 35; previously Iszards and McCurdys

Lansing - The Shops at Ithaca Mall, NY 34; previously JW Rhodes; now Cayuga Health

Victor - Eastview Mall, NY 96; absorbed by von Maur expansion in 2012

Henrietta - Marketplace Mall, NY 252 & 15A; previously McCurdys; now vacant

Greece - The Mall at Greece Ridge Mall, former McCurdys, NY 104 & CR 261; now Burlington?

Irondequoit - Irondequoit Mall, former McCurdys; now Skyview on the Ridge

Utica (downtown) - The Boston Store; Bleecker St; long since vacant (original sign survives)

Niskayuna - The Boston Store; Mohawk Mall, NY 5; later Addis & Deys; now Mohawk Commons

Wilton - Wilton Mall at Saratoga, NY 50; previously Addis & Deys; will become townhouses and luxury apartments

*past location

Chi-Chi's

Chi-Chi's in Luxembourg (which is now closed, with just another in the EU)

 Chi-Chi's was a Tex-Mex restaurant chain I vaguely remember from the old days, and there was one on NY 5 on Syracuses east side, but a Hepatitis outbreak two decades ago ended the chain in this country, while most of the European franchises closed in more recent memory, leaving one in Belgium. The brand was still in the frozen section when sold to Hormel, and they'll licence the name for a revival of the chain. Not sure if this is up to Pati Jinich standards since I can't eat any of this myself, but they hope to regain the publics trust if it's still a fresh memory or they think the name was long gone entirely. Here's where it could go today.

Syracuse - Destiny USA; former Cantina Loredo

Dayton/Springfield/Miami Valley area, OH - former Frischs Big Boy

Latham - US 9; former BurgerFi

Clifton Park - US 9; former BurgerFi

New Hartford - CR 30; former Unos

Watertown - CR 100; former Tilted Kilt

Cortland - NY 13; former JoAnn Fabrics; Riverside Mall

Auburn - NY 5 & US 20; Fingerlakes Mall

Amherst - NY 78; TBD

Rochester; NY 252; TBD

Hills Department Stores

Hills roadside sign outside of Nashville, TN; courtesy Wikimedia Commons

 I forgot to write about Hills. We've had four in Syracuse. Most of them became Ames by 1999, only for that to close in 2002 (see earlier post). I have the local ones memorised (of course), and three from afar (not going to get too carried away again like I have with the other chains, so just a few for today). I can even remember TVs Brett Butler (Grace Under Fire) in their commercials back in the mid-'90s. All are TBD unless indicated. I'm not going to dig into all of this, mind. Lucky I even put in some other states.

Economy, PA - now vacant

Ithaca (Lansing) - Catherwood & N Triphammer Rds; Pyramid Mall (now the Shops at Ithaca Mall); later Ames; now Regal Cinemas

Cortlandville - NY 13; Cortlandville Crossing; now Marshalls

Christiansburg, VA - Bus US 460 & VA 114; now Kohls (happened to come up while looking up the above in Google)

Lockport - Lockport Mall, NY 78; later Ames; now Walmart Supercenter

Syracuse - Carousel Center (now Destiny USA); later At Home; now IKEA

deWitt - NY 5; Marshalls Plaza; now Marshalls Homegoods

Massena - NY 37

Watertown - NY 3

Erie, PA - 28th & Elm Sts

Horseheads - NY 14

Jamestown

State College, PA

Tyrone, PA

York, PA

Aliquippa, PA

St Clairsville, OH

Martinsville, VA?

Cicero - E Circle Dr & S Bay Rd, Penn Can Mall; now Drivers Villages Burdick Used Warehouse

Camillus - Camillus Plaza; did not become Ames, which was already down W Genesee St at Fairmount Fair, but closed by 1994 when Caldor opened (see other post); vacant until demolished in 2005 when Walmart Supercenter was built

Hermitage, TN (pictured)

Fairly close AI fantasy Hills if it was around now

Because of few free photos, I headed for the AI Hills!

AI images courtesy Meta Platforms, Inc. No actual people or buildings are depicted (just sayin').

The Yard

Doggy models what you could find at the Yard!

 I first heard of The Yard through the print edition of The Daily Orange. It's run by Andrew Rainbow and Steve Davis out of their house on Madison Avenue east of Syracuse University around the corner from Thornden Park. It's all used goods from mainly the '90s-'00s, but not strictly SU. Vintage shops are big now, and Syracuse has a few. However, The Yard only runs on weekends, but with the weather we have, they must be looking into a permanent store front and more convenient, central location closer to campus and accessible for students and townies alike, especially those of us who can't drive. Shirt Worlds closure last month left a void, even though they sold new merchandise, and there are still local options (the bookstore at Schine was just sold to Barnes & Noble, like the one at leMoyne a decade ago). Champs & Scholars downtown are The Yards closest competitor since they also specialise in second hand clothes, but primarily old school Orange, and they're not the cheapest, mind. Hungry Chucks last location on Marshall Street would have made a great spot when it was available and filled the vacuum in a way, even though the Yard was a rival to Shirt World too, and Chucks are now Dazed, a cannabis shop (not to be confused with donut shop Glazed & Confused if you're thinking of Zeppelin). Even the former Marine Midland Bank/Key Bank on East Adams Street might work since it'd be less red tape than another bank or restaurant. The old Bank of America on Nottingham and Tecumseh Roads past South Campus may be a longshot if right on the hill is not an option, but running it like a car boot sale just doesn't work all year, since out of town/state and overseas students from warmer climates learn the hard way how it works around here (same with townies). 

I have read, as well was told by a staff member at 3fifteens Camillus store (geared mainly towards older shoppers as opposed to the sister store in town) how at the end of each semester how students may leave behind goodies they only needed for the big game at the Dome (fast fashion CNY style). While the Yard may not want anything too new, it opens the door for finding recent purchases for less, since run of the textile mill clothes wind up getting binned, but ours are as desirable as Comfrt or Armani here. At least whatever's in tatters can be recycled now if it's too much a state to be fixed. Champs and Scholars even have a few things that look like my cats had a go at them (they know better) only because it's otherwise rare, and flaws are part of the charm, perhaps, since repairing it would make it look patchy. It's like on these shows about appraising and flipping everyday items for quick cash (that's more for the sister blog, although I don't care for that kind of show myself, or even watch much TV now).

Two nearby churches have started their own charity shops, and could also have some SU lying around, while competing with the Rescue Missions monopoly that dominates this third of Upstate. To think one would look for this many places in other cities. The Yard isn't a thrift store per se, rather a vintage shop also appealing to bargain hunters and collectors. I just hope I can afford to get something there at some point since I barely got a few from the other place over the past several years before they were gone.

A too-good looking and literal AI prompt pop-up SU sale

More of a nicked photo of a new goods sale on campus.

AI photos courtesy Meta Platforms, Inc. May depict actual people or buildings (my inner solicitor is making me tell you). Not to be confused with The Yard pub turned artist hub based in Manlius.