PARRY'S
Cooperative: True Value
Location: 100 Utica St, Hamilton, NY
Previous Tenants: Grand Union
Photographed: October 24, 2024
Our next store is a former grocery store turned hardware store with some major artifacts present inside. This store was formerly a Grand Union supermarket that never completed "The Cycle", closing for the last time around 2010. Parry's would move from a storefront further into town, which was formerly Jones Ford and is now an educational facility called "The Hub".
For this post, we will be linking photos from the Hamilton, NY photo album taken by Chuck (gustores4ever) linked above in an attempt to map out where former service departments were and what they are now. But first...
Cart Tax: The store's carts consist of secondhand carts.
1. The grey Rehrig Snubnose carts have various stickers. Some had stickers similar to this, while the one shown above has Upstate Farms logos on them. These are most likely former Wal*Mart carts from the late 1990s, all of which have chrome frames.
2. The Hackett's Versacarts were most likely from the Northern NY chain that also had a full-line True Value hardware department (which later got bought out by WiseBuys), which would make sense considering how popular these two-tier Versacart products are with independent hardware stores. Underneath the insert is the Versacart Systems Inc. logo.
Looking toward the front end.
Food items take up the former produce area.
All of the store's services are located in what used to be the former Corner Deli. One other thing to note is the old light fixtures are still intact, but deactivated in favor of the strip lighting throughout the middle portion of the store.
The paint section occupies the former Butcher Block.
This was where the "AT YOUR SERVICE" custom meat and seafood counter used to be.
From the left side of the store looking toward the front, we go through the area that once housed the dairy and bakery sections.
Another look at the front end to wrap up our tour of this store. But wait, there's more!
The complimentary department store was home to Ames #0382, which later became WiseBuys, a failed revival attempt by former Ames exectives (particularly CEO Joe Ettore), which died in a similar fashion to Ames itself. The store was briefly Fashion Kraze, which closed in 2011. Big Lots #5301 would open around 2013/14.
Cart Tax: These were the store's entire fleet, as opposed to common ex-Wal*Mart, Target, or newer Big Lots models. Judging by the lower rack style and logo filed off in the middle, these are most likely former Kmart models made toward the end of the plastic era, not unlike one of these. Assuming these were, the powder-coated frames would suggest these are refurbished. Cart was manufactured in August 2006.
Inside it looks like your average Big Lots inside. Curiously this store has an orange stripe along the top of the wall. Apparently the black/white alternating walls like 5248 were only around in 2011/12, with this store opening after that era.
