Cortland's Dinky and Cozy JCPenney (Part 2)

As promised, today we have a look at one of the smaller JCPenney stores still in operation today. There was previously an even smaller store in Coudersport, PA at one time, but that store has closed. I wish I was into taking pictures back then as that store was small, but it still had three levels to it. The upper levels were small, yes, but it was still cool nonetheless. I was also a little kid at the time (so I was easily impressed I suppose) and going over to Coudersport was something my family did quite a bit because of this store. This was the only instance I can ever remember seeing Hot Wheels cars at a JCPenney store.

Unlike that store, which I had fond memories of, this store is just one level with some limits on what it offers due its size. Still it is unique to have a smaller store which can bring back memories for me personally. While we take a look at this Cortland, NY store, I will be doing a comparison to the small Coudersport store.

Under the awning.

Moving on to the interior....

View upon entering. Just like larger stores from this time, the jewerly counter is in the middle of the store along with a limited selection of fashion accessories. I'm fairly certain that Coudersport did not offer jewelry.

Taking a look at the view from the right side of the store. You can barely make out the entrance in the left center here to an online pickup center and restrooms area. So, if this location may not have a particular item your looking for due to its smaller size, you could still ship it to this store from an online purchase. The Coudersport store mentioned also had a similar system.

A look at that online services desk.

This store has a very limited selection of shoes. What you see here is pretty much all it has to offer. It was the same way at the Coudersport store.

From shoes, we move toward the back of the store.

The Fitting Rooms were undergoing some maintenance when I visited. The Coudersport store didn't even have a fitting room where this store has two.

Back left corner of the store has a limited selection for bedding and bathroom supplies. If Coudersport had a department for this area, it was small enough to the point where I didn't even notice it.

The pathway here is the width of paths throughout the entire store.

Look how small that jewerly counter is!

So that pretty much sums up the scene for this small, but otherwise busy JCPenney store. It is good to see that a smaller store can survive. What put the nail in the coffin for the Coudersport store was the lack of customers due to the whole Adelphia scandal.

Cortlandville Mall to Crossings (Part 1)

Known for its apples, the city of Cortland, NY has more to offer than food, though I do have to admit that I always make a stop at the A&W in town....

One of the more interesting things found in this central New York city is this dinky JCPenney store which is a part of the Cortland Crossings plaza.1 The plaza was at one time a small mall with Grants (now Kmart) and Chappels as anchors.2 

Built by Pyramid Malls out of Syracuse in the late '60s or early '70s, this mall eventually fell victim to the newer Syracuse malls and especially the nearby Shops at Ithaca Mall. Ironically, Pyramid also built most, but not all, of the competition to this mall.

Please note that as of late 2015, Tractor Supply is no longer a part of this plaza. It relocated to a freestanding store further south on NY 13. Marshalls has replaced Tractor Supply at this plaza as seen below.

In the mall days, this was a Sears catalog store.

Originally Price Chopper, then a Lowbal's supermarket. Tractor Supply (at the time the picture was taken) and is now currently a Marshalls store as seen via the Google Maps view below:

Picture Credit to Google Maps.

The now Marshalls and attached plaza was not attached to the mall.

Former Chappels and Bon Ton.
Picture credit to Google Maps.

The former Grants is now a Kmart location. We'll take a closer look at this particular Kmart location in a future Kmart spotlight post.

The mall's original entrance has been turned into a Radioshack, which I do believe is still in operation today. Although I did not know this at the time, I've learned that the Radioshack has mall's old doors intact and carries the mall's 70s decor on its walls. I'll have to return to take a look as long as this Radioshack is still open.

Footnotes:
1. The dinky JCPenney store, which relocated from a downtown store, will be the focus of part 2.

2. Bon Ton briefly had a location in Cortland as a result of buying out Chappels. Apparently it only lasted a few months before closing. Price Chopper would eventually return to the same shopping center by taking over the former Chappels/Bon Ton space when the mall became a plaza in the 1990s.

A Plaza to Mall to Commons in Camillus

Just like Shoppingtown, this mall actually started as a shopping center as well. Unlike Shoppingtown, it has returned to being a shopping center. Opening on the site of a former drive-in theater, the center opened in 1964 and was anchored by WT Grants, E.W. Edwards, Anderson Little, Witherills and an A&P supermarket. JCPenney would replace the Edwards store while Price Chopper, a second supermarket on the same property, took over WT Grants' space. Price Chopper would close in 1982 and be replaced by a Hills department store. This Hills never re-opened as Ames because Ames was an anchor for Fairmount Fair. (Detail on that mall turned plaza will be a featured in a future post.)

1981 saw a first portion of an enclosed mall to the complex open with a Kmart opening as an anchor on one end and a movie theater (opened as CinemaNational, converted to USA Cinemas, Loews and finally ending its run as a movie theater as Hoyts) on the other. The existing plaza remained a plaza during this time, but did eventually convert into a part of the mall in 1984. This resulted in P&C moving to the edge of the mall property opening alongside an Eckerd. The P&C and Eckerd buildings still stand today as a Tops supermarket and a Rite Aid respectively. Also, Witherills became Hess during this timeframe. Sears, having relocating from the nearby former Fairmount Fair, became a fifth anchor by having a store built at the mall at some point.

A 1995 satellite view of the layout of the mall with added anchor names and placements.

Just like with all the other malls in the area, Carousel Center (now Destiny USA) played a role in the decline of this mall. The 90s saw Kmart and other stores closing and JCPenney relocated to the Carousel Center. Sears was one of the last major stores to leave. Having already being a replacement to another store, this Sears store was not replaced. Chappel's replaced Hess in 1994 and Bon Ton would later replace Chappel's.

2003 satellite view of the complex.

2003 saw the entire mall complex, save for Bon Ton (which still operates a store on the site to this day), the P&C/Tops and the Eckerd/Rite Aid buildings. Half of  the former Kmart store building was torn down for a parking lot for Lowe's, while the other half remains as a bus parking garage for the school district next door. (The school district had also bought a part of the mall's land.) Denny's, although never connected to the mall remains as an outparcel near Bon Ton. By 2006, Walmart and Lowe's had replaced what was once the Camillus Mall.

2006 satellite view of the complex.

Former P&C now Tops.

Commons Sign

Former Eckerd now Rite Aid.

Half of the former Kmart building.

As of March 2016, this is also now the only remaining Bon Ton in the entire Syracuse and Rochester metro areas.

Wendy's is the newest addition to the complex having opened in September 2014.

2015 satellite view of the complex.

Information provided by Wikipedia. Satellite pictures courtesy of Google Earth.

Millcreek Mall & Plaza Complex (Part One)

Even though Erie is the fourth largest city in Pennsylvania, its interesting to note that the Millcreek Mall is the only mall that Erie ever had. Although there was another "mall" located elsewhere, I'm fairly certain it was just a plaza that had used 'mall' in its name. Either way it doesn't matter now, as that 'mall' has been torn down and replaced with a residential complex.

Due to the shear size of the Millcreek Mall and shopping complexes nearby, I've decided to split the posts into at least two different posts. One for the plaza and one for the mall itself. This first part will focus on the exterior of the mall, plazas and other chains located outside the mall. 

For the mall anchors we have the following:

Sears has been here since the mall opened.

Bon Ton was a former Elder-Beerman

Formerly Kaufman's

In addition to Sears, JCPenney is also an original mall anchor as well.

Burlington Coat Factory was previously a fifth anchor here but it has since relocated to a former Walmart down the road from the mall. The mall has taken over the former two story store and absorbed it as a continuation as one of the mall corridors. Here's a picture of while construction was ongoing:

I will have to return to take a few pictures of what the exterior looks like now. I did re-visit the mall recently but I had parked on the opposite side of the mall so I failed to take an exterior shot of its current state. I did get some interior pictures though! Upon making this post, I realize now that I also need to return to take some photos of another plaza I have none of. I guess you could say I was thinking when I visited recently....

Here's some pictures of the mall's food court entrance and other stores that have an exterior presence.

Moving on to the one plaza I have captured.

Notice a few new stores have opened. Five Below was under construction at the time of this photo.

There's something very ironic in the photo above. I'm fairly certain that Ross was formerly where Old Navy was. Ross had closed its location for a time and then opened back up as you can see in the very same plaza in a former Border's. When I revisited recently now Old Navy has now closed and its space is empty. Again I did try to take a photo of that, but it came out extremely bad. Also notice one of the first Field and Stream located in the very top left of the above photo. 

Toys R Us

Former Hills/Ames which was being used as a flea market for a time. It is now my area's first 'At Home' home decor store as seen below.

There's definitely a few more pictures of I have to take of the mall's shopping plazas here so you can expect further posts on the Millcreek Mall plazas in the future. Part two will cover the mall itself.