Friday, January 24, 2020

Sunrise Records

IMG_6706
Toronto location
I only went to Sunrise Records in Kingston, ONT, but it is similar to FYE, which they are buying.  Here's where they could dawn:

Clay - NY 31 & 481*
Auburn - NY 5 & US 20*
Henrietta - NY 15A & 252*
Cortland - NY 13

*past FYE location

Possibly as a result of Sunrises purchase of FYE from Albany-based Trans World Entertainment, fye.com and sister site SecondSpin.com will not buy anymore CDs or DVDs.  You may still be able to in person, although in some areas, it wasn't allowed, such as the Washington, DC location at Amtrak flagship Union Station.  I'll just go to other places to sell them or donate them if they are worth twopence.  Also might be as people stream music and films, as even BluRay is cheap now.

Marco's Pizza

New Marco's Pizza
Somewhere in the Midwest perhaps.

Marcos Pizza I heard of from national TV, but is yet another chain unseen in these parts. Here's a slice of where to build:

deWitt - former Empire Vision/Doughertys/Firudo, NY 5
Syracuse (north side) - former Cantina Loredo or Margaritaville, Destiny USA
Auburn - former Tim Hortons or Dennys, NY 5
Fulton - former Nestlé site, NY 481
Oswego - * NY 104
Westvale - former Tops, NY 5
Camillus - former Firehouse Subs, W Genesee St 
Canastota - former Family Dollar, NY 5 & 13 and CR 25
Utica - former Parkway Pizza
Albany - former I Love NY Pizza, US 9
Philadelphia area - TBA (confirmed by corporate in 2025)

* former Pizza Hut

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Discount Tire

Discount Tire Store
Shenandoah, TX location

    Despite being the leader in tyres, Discount Tire is new to me, as I just heard of it from a commercial the other week.  It would have to use the name Americas Tire like on the west coast north of San Diego County (because of other Discount Tires in the Bay Area and LA, given the generic nature of the name, yet in the Cincinnati-Covington area, this Discount Tire compete with Tire Discounters!) to avoid confusion with Mavis Discount Tire in CNY.  Here's where they could go:

Liverpool - NY 31, former Dunn Tire (see Update) or CR 57, former AutoZone
Mattydale - US 11, former Valvoline
Fulton - NY 3, former Fred Raynor Ford
Phoenix - CR 57, former Sharon Chevrolet
Syracuse (West side) - NY 5, former Lowery Bros Chrysler Jeep

UPDATE: In October 2023, Discount Tire acquired Erie County-based Dunn Tire, according to CBS 4 WIVB Buffalo and sister station Newschannel 9 WSYR (studio just up the street from the East Syracuse/deWitt location I've been to). The name will remain, likely because of the aforementioned name conflict and perhaps its legacy in WNY.  It's a "Dunn" deal!

Friday, December 20, 2019

Bus to Turning Stone

Turning Stone Casino
The Vegas of CNY!
For people who take the bus to Turning Stone Casino from Syracuse, a new company took over that run.  Rome-based Birnie Bus have done it for a long time, but unceremoniously stopped and a competitor, Hale Transportation in Clinton across Oneida County, have taken over.  Neither of their sites note any changes, yet the schedule is the same, picking up twice a day at Shop City, downtown Syracuse and Shop City (the casinos site has it now).  Birnies commuter service from Syracuse to Herkimer County, which uses back roads like the late Charles Kuralt, will continue to stop at the casino, but has always been separate from the casino bus with incentives.  Turning Stones site doesn't list bus partners like other places do, yet non-CNY companies like Wade Tours and Yankee Trails also travel to the facility, as well as private groups and local town councils'  parks and recreation departments (even within CNY), which cater largely to seniors, a huge component of the gaming industry.
I usually go during the festive season, but also when there's a show, but no one I like came this year.  It's also the only casino I go to not convenient by bus or on foot to local shops off campus, as small towns don't always seem like it.  You pay cash on the fly to get on the bus as opposed to other trips you plan in advance.  With pensioners being a big part of this, they don't have to travel out of town on their own.  If I had my own vehicle, I wonder if I would still do this anymore.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Live Local USA | A Voice for Small Business: Why Is It Too Hard To Keep Our Independent Busines...

An example from the Raleigh-Durham area in NC's Capital Region.  Classic case.



Live Local USA | A Voice for Small Business: Why Is It Too Hard To Keep Our Independent Busines...: This is hard to post. Last night it was tough enough to read and digest the article "As one decades-old school supply store shuts down...

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Blink Fitness

Blink Fitness
Unknown location
Blink Fitness are part of Equinox, a downstate company with a number of other brands.  They have locations in North Syracuse and Westvale, but have yet to expand more Upstate.

New Hartford - former liquor store/pharmacy or Sangertown Square, NY 5 & 5A
Auburn - former P&C
Canastota - former Family Dollar, NY 5 & 13
Colonie - former Barnes & Noble
Fulton - former kmart, NY 481
Watertown - former Planet Fitness, NY 3

UPDATE (5/9/25): Blink Fitness have left CNY due to the local franchise breaking ties with corporate and going indie as Evolution Fitness, parallel to Elevate Fitness severing their licence with Gold Gym. Blink Fitness will just have to open in other parts of the state where they don't already operate.

Friday, July 5, 2019

Maytag Laundromats

Lang's- Manitowoc, WI
Langs Laurdrette in Manitowoc, WI
Maytag Laundromats may be the closest thing to a national chain of laundrettes.  I've seen them in Albany and Niagara Falls, NY.  In CNY, it's either Colonial or indies.  There are spots here and there where they can compete with both.  All were laundromats in the past and I've been to some of these:

Liverpool - Old Liverpool Road and Electronics Pkwy or Long Branch Road and CR 57
North Syracuse - Church St
East Syracuse - NY 290 and N Center St or E Manlius and McCool Sts
Syracuse (north side) - US 11 or NY 298
Syracuse (east side) - Westcott St
Utica - Leland Ave
Cortland - US 11/NY 41 & 222
Whitesboro - NY 69
deWitt - NY 5 & 92