Sierra

Hillsboro, OR store; 2019

 Sierra, formerly Sierra Trading Post, part of the TJX conglomerate which includes TJ Maxx, TK Maxx (UK), Marshalls and Homegoods, are opening on NY 5A in New Hartford (in the old Bed Bath and Beyond, which is a good vacuum to fill for many other chains). They are considering Syracuse. I have heard of them, but wasn't sure if they could be that close to their sister stores. Off we go!

deWitt - NY 5, Marshalls Homegoods Plaza; former Bed Bath and Beyond (unless taken), even though it'd be with sister chain in same plaza

Albany (Colonie) - Wolf Rd.; former Bed Bath and Beyond/ShopRite

Cortland - NY 281; former Walmart

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

Binghamton (Nimmonsburg) - US 11; former Giant/Weis/Grand Union

Vestal - NY 434; former JoAnn Fabrics (instead of above; might be better location, and chain had left behind vacancies that may work in some other areas)

Horseheads/Fisherville/Big Flats (Twin Tiers) - CR 25 & 75; former Burlington (as of 2026 when they move to former JoAnn Fabrics), Arnot Mall

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

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

Amherst - NY 78; former Best Buy

Henrietta - former Savers

Syracuse - Destiny USA; former JCPenney, 2nd Level (even though sister store TJMaxx are already around the corner)

Liverpool - NY 31, COR Plaza; former Price Chopper; with Ross Dress for Less, Boot Barn and Five Below (confirmed for fall 2026 opening, given Micron, albeit also with TJMaxx in same place)

Former ShopRite locations

Former Colonie store. Courtesy Tyler A. McNeil/Wikimedia Commons.

 I heard of ShopRite when I was younger through adverts on NYC TV stations on cable when they were indie (more on that on our sister blog). I didn't realise they were in the Capital Region in those days, being loyal to Grand Union, as well as being in Price Choppers backyard. It wasn't until I was away at school in between when I finally went on a regular basis. When I came back to CNY for good, I would later discover non-union sister chain PriceRite (covered years earlier here). I would go to ShopRite in the Tri-State the last two times I went before they were back up the Hudson over a decade ago. I just received the stunning news that a handful of O&Os in Schenectady, Albany and Renssalaer Counties are closing by the end of the year (the nail on the coffin lid was hit on 18 November, with Price Chopper/Market 32 getting those stores just ten days on). People started in on the W-word and all that lot (wouldn't fit anyway, and they said it's not on). If I do go to New York City again, I'll just go in that area, despite the plethora of competition in the boroughs alone. This is just a small list of NY and NJ stores as there as dozens more that aren't around any longer. I put most of these on the later PathMark post, since that chain spun off of a franchise decades ago.

Montague, NJ - NJ 23

Wayne, NJ - CR 504

Slingerlands - NY 85; TBA

Ellenville - US 209; becoming Tops in June 2025

Drexel Hill, PA; moved to new store next door; sister chain The Fresh Grocer based here

Albany (1) - US 20; closed by late '80s

Albany (2) - NY 5; now Market 32

Colonie (1) - Wolf Rd.; closed by late '80s; later Bed Bath and Beyond; now vacant

Colonie (2) - NY 5 (pictured); now Market 32

Rotterdam - 1426 Altamont Ave; closed by late '80s; may not have been Great American; now plaza

Menands - NY 32; previously Great American; later Price Chopper; now offices

North Greenbush - US 4 & NY 43; now Market 32

Niskayuna - NY 146 & Nott St E; previously Grand Union; now Market 32

Cortlandt Manor - US 9

West Nyack - NY 59; previously Grand Union

Vestal - NY 434 & Rano Blvd.; later Giant (local chain, not Ahold Delhaize one); now Weis

Poughkeepsie (Arlington) - US 44 & NY 55; TBD

Newburgh (Balmville) - NY 32; now Ocean State Job Lot (current store down the road in Vails Gate)

Hyde Park (1) - US 9 ; plaza store closed in 1998; demolished along with former Jamesway and restaurants and is now original Stop & Shop in Hyde Park Mall

Hyde Park (2) - US 9 & CR 40A (opened 1998; became Stop & Shop in 2001 and closed in 2012 when new store opened across the road. Old site demolished and is now park space. Meanwhile, ShopRite opened in North Poughkeepsie in 2021 at Hudson Heritage, past Culinary Institute of America and the City of Poughkeepsie across US 9 from Marist College. I left the Hudson Valley in 2000 and last visited in 2010, so I'm just catching up!)

Great American/Victory Markets

Margaretville Victory store, 1976. Courtesy John Margolies/Library of Congress.

 I remember Great American and Victory Markets from the old days. Wikipedia has no official mention that the Leominster, MA-based Victory was not connected with Norwich-based Victory Markets and Great American, which had stores from the Southern Tier, CNY, North Country, Adirondacks, Central Leatherstocking and Capital Regions, Mohawk and Hudson Valleys and close to the Catskills. Some had a distinct shape that can easily be recognised by those of a certain age group. Others still are open today or only just closed in recent memory while some are long gone. Hannaford and Big Y bought Victory (Leominster) locations in New England. Back in Upstate NY, at least one Victory (NY) or Great American had been and another now is a Grand Union as well. More of them would be primarily in small towns. When they left, they would become rural food deserts (which can be worse than urban ones, being further away from anything comparable). Competition from P&C, Price Chopper, Tops and other chains meant Great Americans, like so many mom and pop operations (the latter day stores like Big M, Save a Lot, IGA and ShopRite are franchises [Victory acquired several ShopRite franchise stores in Albany and Warren Counties in late 1988, while ShopRite returned to the District in the 2010s with O&Os, but were sold in 2023 to Price Chopper/Market 32]), were becoming fewer by the day.  I will list as many as I can, but only put highways for areas that I know because it can take all day, even for smaller ones. There may be even more, but this is the gist of it. Many have been lost to obscurity (and I don't where they all are, yet our partners at Groceteria have a treasure trove, and I just can't catch up!). Victory even owned Carl's Drugs from 1988 until 1991 when it was sold to Fay's. Great American replaced many Loblaws east of I-390 and Lake Ontario to the MA/VT/CT state lines when the Canadian giant left the US in the late '70s. Even a few Grand Unions were taken over by Great American by that point. This may be as complete as it gets, but more always comes up. An Australian company once owned Victory. Other Victory Market chains in California, Alabama, Pennsylvania (Alleghany County); Florida, NY (which had to be renamed Big V, later a ShopRite franchise and property company, because this Victory opened nearby and went to court), and Michigan were also unrelated (that'll go in the other post now). This is exhaustive, so it will change periodically. Even in my own area, current status of most locations are unknown unless indicated due to apparent age of stores.

Bridgeport (NY 31 & 298) - only one I ever went to as such; closed by 1996 and mostly vacant since

Fayetteville (NY 5) - just Victory; later Super Duper, now dance studio (still has distinct design) and vacant restaurant (formerly Kirbys; pictured below)

Manlius (NY 173) - later Smiths, now Dollar Tree

Fort Plain (NY 80) - later Grand Union and Big M, now Save-a-Lot

Canajoharie (NY 5S) - now farm equipment business? (old store now demolished)

Port Jervis (US 6 & 209) - now Price Chopper

Port Leyden (NY 12)

Sidney (1) (BK5, recently closed)

Sidney (2) (demolished; now Town Plaza)

Greene – Victory Market – South Chenango Street (Victory that later became Great American BK5; now closed)

Groton – Victory Market – 1980 Main Street (Victory; never a Great American) (NY 38)

Guilderland – Great American – 1235 Western Avenue (US 20) (formerly ShopRite) - now diBellas Subs and Uncommon Grounds in University Plaza

Hamilton – Victory Market – 11 Eaton St (Victory that became Great American); now Waynes Market

Hartwick – Victory Market – Main (NY 205) & South Streets (became a Peter Pumpkin; TBD)

Hancock – Victory Market –95 East Front Street (NY 97) (became a Great American; now Marinos Outdoor World)

Hankins (NY 97) – Victory Market; never a Great American

Herkimer (1) – Victory Market – 232 West Albany Street (NY 5 & 28) (became a Great American) - later Herb Phillipsons; now Harbor Freight Tools

Herkimer (2) - Great American - (NY 28) - formerly Loblaws and P&C; now Hannaford

Hinsmans Corners (Binghamton) – Victory Market – 1318 Upper Front Street (US 11) - never a Great American; now Lowes

Homer – Victory Market – (never a Great American) (US 11)

Horseheads – Great American – 3300 Chambers Road (now Arnot Event Center)

Star Lake (NY 3)  - previously IGA; demolished; now Dollar General

Syracuse (Eastwood) (NY 290) - Victory Video; later James Flowers; now vacant (information on this division is even rarer, so maybe for another day)

Oriskany Falls (NY 12B & 26)

Owego (Bodle Hill Rd) - likely demolished

Norwich (flagship and 82 N Broad St [NY 12]) former now ALDI?; latter now Walgreens

Norwich (cold storage warehouse on E. Main St.; later Tops and Grand Union; closed as of March 2026, even though a replacement is being sought)

Utica (then-NY 5/8/12 and Bleecker St) - now various businesses

North Utica (NY 5) - previously Chicago Markets, later Big Lots; now closed

Walton (204 Delaware St/NY 10) - now Big M

Fulton (NY 481) - later Fays and Eckerd; now doctors office

Rotterdam (Altamont Ave) - previously ShopRite; probably demolished

Gloversville (NY 30A) - previously Chicago Markets and Loblaws

Glenville (NY 50 & Glen Ridge Rd) - Mayfair Shopping Ctr; previously Grand Union and ShopRite; closed 1992

Gouverneur (1) (US 11 & NY 58) - Victory only

Gouverneur (2) (US 11 & Rawley St) - Great American and Loblaws

Morris (NY 23 & 514)

Monticello (NY 42)

Milford (NY 7)

Mt Upton (CR 37)

Stamford (NY 10 & 23)

Ellenville (US 209) - later ShopRite?; now Tops?

Potsdam (1) (NY 56) - Great American; now Price Chopper

Potsdam (2) (NY 11B) - Victory; later Big M; now IGA

Lake George (US 9)

Mexico (NY 104) - later Big M; now Tops?

Glens Falls (Upper Glen Rd) - previously ShopRite

Bainbridge (NY 7) - now vacant (on an album sleeve from indie band Empty Country)

Cobleskill (NY 7) - closed in 2002

Middleburgh (NY 30) - initial plans to open as Great American in 2015 changed and eventually opened as Valley Market instead, which is sister to surviving Prattsville store in the region

Unadilla (NY 7)

Red Creek (NY 104A)

Locke (NY 38 & 90)

Moravia (NY 38 & 38A)

Malone (US 11 & NY 30) - previously Loblaws

Painted Post (1) (NY 17C) - Village Square Shopping Center; previously A&P, now Valu Home Center

Painted Post (2) (NY 415)

Corning (1) (NY 415/W Pulteney St) - previously Loblaws, later Salvation Army Thrift Store and Byrne Dairy; now vacant

Corning (2) (Conhocton St)

Ithaca (Adams & 2nd Sts) - previously Loblaws; likely demolished

Massena (NY 37) - TBD

Sayre, PA (US 15) - later P&C, now Tops

Waverly (NY 17C) - previously Grand Union

South Waverly, PA (CR 1070) - Valley Plaza; previously Grand Union; now CVS?

Erwin (NY 414)

Margaretville (NY 30) - pictured above; Victory, now the Catskill Mountain Christian Church School

Schoharie (NY 30)

Oneonta (NY 7 & 28) - Southside Mall, later OfficeMax; now Michaels (inside shown on an '80s Instagram account)

New Berlin (NY 8 & 80)

Worcester (NY 7)

Binghamton (Main & S Washington Sts)

Prattsville (NY 23) - last surviving GA store with ties to the chain (not counting any unrelated stores outside Upstate NY [specifically west of Twin Tiers/mid-Finger Lakes] due to generic nature of name)

West Winfield (1) (NY 51) - now Dollar General

West Winfield (2) (US 20 & NY 51) - TBD

Oxford - now Dollar General

Watertown (1) (NY 3) - Nichols Plaza; previously A&P; outgoing Big Lots

Watertown (2) (NY 12) - previously Loblaws; now a mental health facility

Marathon (US 11 & NY 221) - later Peter Pumpkin

Boonville (NY 12) - now vacant

Cairo (NY 23) - now Hannaford

Adams Center (US 11) - later store; now Adams Center Market

Alexandria Bay (NY 12) - now Price Chopper?

Millerton (US 44) - previously Grand Union and Trottas

Apalachin (NY 17)

Amsterdam (NY 30) - previously Chicago Markets/Bag 'n Save and Loblaws

Camillus (W Genesee St) - Camillus Plaza; later P&C; now Tops

Canastota (NY 13)

Barneveld (NY 365)

Camden (NY 13)

Catskill (NY 32)

Chadwicks (Main St [now Oneida St?])

New Paltz (NY 299)

Afton (NY 7)

Cooperstown (1) (NY 28 & 80) - later P&C and Grand Union; closed as of March 2026

Cooperstown (2) (NY 28) - Ar-De's Great American until 2010; now Price Chopper

Delhi (NY 10)

Sherrill (NY 5) - later P&C and Tops; now Grand Union

Fonda (NY 30A) - now Cumberland Farms

Laurens (NY 205)

Liberty (1) (NY 52)

Liberty (2) (S Main St) - later Liberty Market and Ideal Food Market; now Lemonade Kosher Supermarket

Lyons Falls (NY 12)

Sherburne (NY 12) - now Big M

Richfield Springs (1) (US 20 & NY 28) - both chains; now Price Chopper

Richfield Springs (2) (CR 22) - just Victory; TBD

Tully (US 11 & NY 80) - now Nightingales Tully Lakes Hardware

Ilion (NY 5S)

Whitesboro (1) (NY 69) - Great American; previously Loblaws; now storage center

Whitesboro (2) (Main St) - Victory; now audiologists office

East Greenbush (US 9 & 20)

Hudson (US 9) - now ShopRite?

Little Falls (NY 5 & 169) - previously Loblaws; later Big M

Catskill (US 9W) - later Grand Union?; now Tops? (small town, you know)

Colonie (Wolf Rd) - previously ShopRite; later Bed, Bath and Beyond; now vacant

East Stroudsburg, PA (US 209) - formerly Genettis (last non-NY store)

Westvale (NY 5) - Victory; previously Johnsons, later IGA; now dry cleaners?

Jordan (9 Mechanic St) - later Big M and Tops; now Family Dollar

Elmira (1) (Lake St) - Diven Plaza, now demolished

Elmira (2) (William St) - previously Loblaws; later ValueWay; now Save-a-Lot

Elmira (3) (Erie St) - now vacant

Big Flats/Horseheads (CR 35 & 43 off I-86/NY 17) - Arnot Mall; previously Loblaws; absorbed by expansion

Syracuse (east side) (NY 5) - likely demolished by the '80s

Syracuse (south side) - (S Salina & Tallman Sts.) (Victory now building site; Great American now demolished)

Jamesville (NY 173); likely kitty corner across from Apulia Rd near Jamesville Rd/North St; now various businesses including Sunoco

van Buren/Seneca Knolls (NY 48) - now Big M flagship (may be confused with next one up the road)

Baldwinsville (NY 48) - later ValueWay; long gone

Baldwinsville (Downer St) - Tri-County Mall; long since demolished; now over-60s flats

Dryden (NY 13 & 38) - later Great American, Eckerd, and Rite Aid; now demolished (pictured below)

Grand Gorge (NY 23 & 30)

Clinton (NY 12B)

deWitt (NY 5) - levelled by the '80s

Smyrna (NY 80)

Ogdensburg - Park Plaza; previously Loblaws; now demolished

Chittenango (NY 5 & 13) - later Smiths, now Kinney Pharmacy

Syracuse (east side) - Victory; previously Acme

Syracuse (east side) (NY 5) - Victory only

Syracuse (east side) (NY 5) - Victory; previously Giant Food (not chains from Southern Tier/MD/PA) and Johnsons

Syracuse (north side) (NY 298) - Victory; previously Johnsons; later Big M; now Diamond (cornershop)

Syracuse (NY 92) (1) - Victory; previously Red & White (brand still exists)

Syracuse (NY 92) (2)  - Victory; previously Market Basket (not New England chain)

Cazenovia (US 20) - first store; later P&C, now Tops

Cincinnatus (NY 26) - later Peter Pumpkin (spinoff chain)

Cherry Valley (US 20) - previously Oneida Supermarkets (1968-?)

Oneida (NY 5 & 46/Wilson St) - Ames Plaza (then); now Oneida Indian Nation headquarters

Clayville (NY 8)

Saugerties (US 9W)

Schenevus (NY 7)

Endwell (800 Hooper Rd./CR 33), Park Manor Plaza; previously Grand Union [until 1995] and Giant; now Raleigh Baseball Institute (bigger Giant turned Weis opened across plaza)

Roscoe (off NY 17) - now IGA

Oswego (NY 104) - later Green Planet Grocery, now demolished

Rome (NY 46) - previously Loblaws; now Market 32

Conklin (NY 7)

Cortland (1) (NY 13 & Main St) - Great American and Victory; now CVS?

Cortland (2) (NY 41 & US 11?) - Victory only; later P&C; now Dollar General

Cortlandville (NY 281) - also both

Deposit - Elm & Monument Sts.

deRuyter (NY 13) - now Big M?

Phoenicia (NY 28)

Eaton (NY 26)

Edmeston (NY 80)

Jeffersonville (NY 52)

Kingston (US 9W) - Kings Plaza; later Weis?; now Marshalls

Whitney Point (US 11)

McGraw (NY 41)

North Syracuse (US 11) - Victory; previously Market Basket (not New England chain)

New Hartford (1) (NY 5) - TBD (address provided changed)

New Hartford (2) (NY 5A) - Tehan Plaza; now Hannaford; previously Chicago Markets and Tops

Syracuse (north side) - 1st North & Pond Sts; later Wegmans, now Tops

Menands (NY 32) - previously ShopRite, later Price Chopper; now offices

Great American AI rendering with close enough later logo

Fayetteville today with replica logo (neither AI nor borrowed) 

AI of Dryden store with '70s car

AI of Fayetteville store with Kirbys and 2010s Jeep

Switz's: 30 Years On

AI only used to remove people, a crease and a car.

 Every year around this time, people in and/or from my area and generation remember Switz's, a variety store that was located in North Syracuse. It was originally founded in 1947 on Syracuses south side, and in 1954 across town, it was relocated to North Plaza up US 11 at Lawrence and S Bay Roads. Then in 1984, it moved to the building you see here that most CNYers reminisce about in the fall around the corner, a mock Tudor/Bavarian style building overlooking I-81 a mile from the airport. It was the place to go each Halloween for eight years' time. Tour buses would get off in Mattydale or E Taft Road depending on which direction they were heading. The owner purchased a .8 tonne, 5 yards tall ogre in then-West Germany named Oscar, who was more than a Grouch! There was a display of a graveyard and a band of skeletons. Switzs stocked the widest selection of costumes, makeup and accessories in the area. The last Saturday before the big day was like their Black Friday. The festive season also brought business to the store, but that gets overshadowed. By the early '90s, it was a textbook case of David and Goliath where Switzs became a statistic of another mom and pop that couldn't compete with the chains and malls. In this case, Walmart finally arrived in the Northeast (like we never missed), Shoppingtown had a store, and Carousel Center (now Destiny USA) opened in 1990 (can't recall if they had anything fancy dress in early days). The final nail in the vampires coffin lid was when the store moved to Penn Can Mall in Cicero a few miles away, but closed by summer 1993.  Meanwhile, Oscars whereabouts remain a mystery to this day.  Cablexpress (later CSX) moved into the S Bay Rd store, and have only used some of the property, and the inside is said to resemble little of what my age group know from childhood.  Younger people who work there or those who aren't from Onondaga County may or will not know firsthand the legacy of this small business.  Now CSX will move downtown to the former Sibleys/RKO Keiths (cinema from studio system/Old Hollywood era that closed during the postwar period). I'm sure one would like to bring Switzs back (had less trouble with something else that used to be around here, but that's different). You could even restore the Renaissance inspired façade or build a replica of Oscar and the "Touch of Grey" wannabes (one for you Deadheads!). It would be like rebuilding these local historic figures' homes on the city's east side from Victorian times that were demolished that could have been in the National Trust if the blueprints survive. It can never be the same.  On top of that, Switzs might not make it in todays environment, despite the grassroots movement to support local so this doesn't happen to another neighborhood business because of amazon and other online sales, pop-ups and boring big box. I have trouble finding anything at the name places, and small ones can have something unique, which Switzs did. I was young when it was around, so my own take can be vague and even secondhand, but I know my family have gone there once or twice a year in those days, and perhaps yours as well.

UPDATE: Crouse Health have acquired the building from current owner Bill Pomeroy, who donated the property to the hospital group in memory of his late wife Sandra, who was his carer when he was taken ill. Crouse will convert it into a new multi-faceted health facility, primarily targeting that part of Onondaga County. It will even have an event center that could host a few things I could come up with (story for another day). Maybe this is better anyway, as this is far more important, and it'd be impossible to recapture all of the magic of a long gone time and make it work in todays economy.

Christmas Tree Shops

Macomb County location in Michigan

 Christmas Tree Shops were a unique kind of discount chain, but not a festive one per se. Like several others, I heard of it in the Capital Region. I found some of my CDs there. People from CNY would take road trips there. Then, they finally came here in a plaza that now has little to go on (that will get its own post another day).  Harmon Face Values spun off with their generic health and beauty products, and had a location in Dutchess County. Christmas Tree Shops were once owned by Bed, Bath and Beyond, but now both have gone bankrupt and have closed their doors because people shop online and the economy is touch and go; same old story. If that wasn't the case, this would be just another run-of-the-mill list of where to open more, since they could have gone to Cayuga, Tompkins and Oneida Counties, but it's now too late for that. Instead, other chains can get past CTS locations, but I can only come up with ideas for the ones that I know, of course. Oh, Christmas Tree Shops, how lovely were thy branches!

Albany (Colonie) - Colonie Center, NY 5 & Wolf Road

North Syracuse - Northern Lights, US 11; former Builders Square; now Raymour & Flanigan Clearance Center (local furniture chain own the plaza, hoping to get new tenants)

Henrietta - NY 252 (Rochester)

Watertown - Salmon Run Mall, NY 3 & CR 100

Market 32

Ft Edward location on US 4 in Warren County from Cumberland Farms across the road

Tyler A. McNeil, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

 Price Chopper have gradually converted their stores to Market 32, which is approaching its tenth year. Someone asked Newschannel 9s Your Stories when they'll all be done. Initially, it was most of their locations in their native Capital Region, working their way towards New England, Pennsylvania, and the Mohawk Valley. It may be too easy to rebrand the lot straightaway, or a right fortune, instead doing them up piecemeal over the course of a decades time. Latham instead have Market Bistro, which I've mentioned earlier, trying to emulate Wegmans (don't get me started!). Inside, the key differences include some of the décor and the carts are brown. 32 refers to 1932, when the chain were founded as Central Markets. They've been Price Chopper for fifty years, yet there's no anniversary just for that; last year being considered the milestone, while new sister chain Tops had their own.

The only current Market 32s I've gone to myself to date is New Hartford (none west of Oneida County just yet) and Pine Hills (surviving original inner city Central Market), although in their backyard, I've been to Slingerlands, Guilderland (20 Mall) and Delaware Ave. (NY 443 & US 9W) long before the name was coined, the last two in Albany County. Other than that, it's pretty much the same and will distinguish it from the Price Chopper in Kansas, Iowa and Missouri. Our Price Chopper have been in CNY since the mid-'70s (Groceteria has more details). The name won't be retired fully, just reconfigured. Now if that could open on Syracuses south side since it's far enough from Western Lights and Erie Blvd E since it can be done as you head east (even though the Liverpool store closed). It might not work in Ithaca with Tops across town and Price Chopper never at that end of NY 13, and rural communities might be a challenge if the property is small and there isn't room to expand as well as concerns about traffic and codes. Still, Market 32 is more than a fresh coat of paint and a name change.

On 28 November, Price Chopper/Market 32 announced the acquisition of the five area ShopRite stores that closed ten days earlier, with new stores opening June 2024 in Albany, Colonie, Niskayuna and North Greenbush. Slingerlands is near the existing store already.

Lou Malnati's

Gold Coast, Chicago location (can't recall which one I visited since it's a big area)

 Here's a new one. The same relative who posted about Spaghetti Factory a few years back on Facebook now discovered something else Italian, but one that I have tried myself in the past, yet expanded since I went in their backyard on holiday in 2008. It's Lou Malnatis Pizzeria in the Chicago area. He and his dad used to manage Pizzeria Uno, which used to be in CNY themselves until recently, and we just got East of Chicago in Lyncourt. The younger Malnati broke out on his own in 1971, and has become a big name in the Windy City ever since. I remember the bits of tomato, but at least I can say I've gone. I was surprised to learn they were also in Arizona, as well as Milwaukee and (takeaway only) Marion Counties stretching further into the Midwest. While some may call it selling out by going out of state and even abroad, Malnatis next frontier could be the Northeast as you head east along the Great Lakes/I-90/I-80 corridor.  They could possibly open in the Tri-State, even though New York City is proud of their own pizza (just ask Messrs Fieri and Portnoy!). I may just zero in on Upstate (CNY for a start since that's what I know best, of course), while other states on the east coast would follow. Even the West Coast doesn't have it yet, with Maricopa County being the closest to there, so you'd have to go from LAX to Sky Harbour if you don't want to have it come in the post with special packaging I suppose.  Nothing beats having it there. Malnati would've wanted you to come in and enjoy his family's classic recipe, so may his spirit guide us there. Nothing like a Deep Dish.

Syracuse - Destiny USA, former Cantina Loredo

Albany - Wolf Road; former Bed, Bath and Beyond/ShopRite

New Hartford - Sangertown Square, NY 5 & 5A

Auburn - Fingerlakes Mall, NY 5 & US 20

Greece - The Mall at Greece Ridge, former TGI Fridays, NY 104

Amherst - former Best Buy, NY 78

Cortland - former flea market, Riverside Mall, NY 13

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

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