From Church to Chopper

Price Chopper #245

Opened: July 11, 2014

Previous Tenants: none (St. Patrick's Church and other buildings were demolished for this store)

Location: 515 19th St, Watervliet, NY

Date Photographed: June 9, 2020 and September 7, 2024

Our next post takes us back to the Capital District, to another smaller late-model Price Chopper store. This 30,500 sqare foot store was built on the site of the former St. Patrick's Church, which angered residents due to the church's historical, cultural and architectural significance. Multi-family housing units on 23rd  Street were demolished for the building itself (the St. Patrick's church itself was where this store's parking lot currently is). The store was additionally a replacement for Price Chopper #21 located at 1804 2nd Ave, which was demolished in 2015 along with the entire shopping center it was in for a new shopping center with an AutoZone on the PC site.

As standard with stores of this design, the grand aisle is on the right side of the store. This store does not have a Starbuck's.

Dairy lines the left wall of the store. Also note the windows that line the front and left walls of this store, a unique feature of this store.

Cold Beverages line the front left wall of this store, with windows flanking each side of the sign.

Stopping at the Olde Kountry Market

The Olde Kountry Market

Owner: Myron & Regina Stoltzfus

Opened: 2003

Location: 6505 New York 5, Vernon, NY

Date Photographed: September 11, 2024

A pit stop made along the way back from the DeWitt Wegmans is this general store located off New York Route 5 outside of Vernon. It is a Mennonite market that sells unique grocery items produced either locally or within the state of New York, with some exceptions. Like many stores of its kind, there are also housewares, craft items, and religious keepsakes. The left half of the building houses the outdoor storage shed part of the business.

The main grocery aisles here are split into two.

Board games are displayed in the back right corner of the store.

Items like home decor, popcorn and spices are seen along the front right corner of the store.

Cart Tax: This store's carts are newer and fairly nondescript. The top one is a common foreign-made cart, which uniquely has a powder-coated frame whereas many carts of that style are chrome-framed, while the bottom cart is a c. 2018 or 2019 Versacart EXpress5050.

Bigger and Busier! - Wegmans #30

Wegmans #30

Opened: 1995

Location: 6789 E. Genesee Street, Dewitt, NY

Date Photographed: July 19, 2018; April 23, 2021; and September 11, 2024

Our next post takes us further west to the Syracuse market, to what is perhaps Wegmans' largest and busiest store. This store, which originally opened in 1995 tips the scales at 152,273 square feet, which has not been eclipsed by any other location. This store was also the first in the Syracuse market to get the current logo, in 2017. It would not be until 2023 that any other stores in the area would get the new logo.

Entering from the left vestibule. Also of note is the door setup, which is currently a single set of sliding doors, which replaced a set of dual swinging doors around the same time as the logo update.

Like many Wegmans stores, this store offers multiple options for special needs customers - motorized wheelchair carts, two Technibilt Caroline's Carts, and a "Go-To" Cart - a wire Peggs cart built on a modified KNM700 chassis.

The first thing we see is a spacious produce area, with an island for cut fruit.

Another view of the cut fruit island, as well as the sandwich area. Restrooms would be behind us to the right.

Here we see the self checkout area and juice section, which is positioned just before the bakery. And speaking of the bakery...

The right half of the bakery houses pre-packaged goods, as well as individual muffins and doughnuts.

Meats line the right-hand wall and corner, with Seafood on various islands.

Rear corridor once outside the grand aisle. Just up ahead is the dairy section.

The first few grocery aisles consist of nonfoods and health food items. Pharmacy is on its own island. This is where the split aisles begin.

Here is a frontal view of where that last picture would have been.

Frozen foods are in their own area in the front left corner of the store.

Bottled water and juices in 25a, stored on warehouse shelving.

Price Chopper #242

Price Chopper #242

Opened: 2014

Previous Tenants: none (A Big M Supermarket and several smaller stores on site were demolished in 2013)

Location: *55 East Main St, Little Falls, NY

Date Photographed: June 9, 2020 and September 7, 2024

Our next post takes us back west to the small city of Little Falls. This store of about 30,500 sq.ft. opened in the summer of 2014 after being delayed due to problems with the rock on site. A Big M, which sat up on Main Street alongide a Movie Gallery closed in December 2012 and was demolished the following year for this store and its parking lot.

*While the address is technically 55 East Main Street, the parking lot can only be accessed through Albany Street or through the Shoppers Square shopping center via South William Street.

As is typical for stores of this era, the grand aisle is on the right-hand side with all other grocery items to the left. This location does not have a Starbucks due to its smaller size.

The right corner houses the "Pizza Subs Sandwich" section, with the "Bake Shop" to the left of it.

Seafood is to the left of the bakery section.

Aisle 13 houses the dairy department.

Frozen foods/frozen dairy lines the front, as well as aisle 12 (not shown).