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#1
Shopping Cart Sightings / William's Farm Stand
Last post by Retail Regents - May 23, 2026, 09:28:36 PM
William's Farm Stand, a produce market in Cicero, NY has a set of old secondhand carts. A set of Rehrig units from a place called Rag Shop Fabrics Crafts & Flowers (a defunct NJ chain), and a 1990 United Steel & Wire model 521 from Fay's Drugs.



#2
Television / Re: Cable TV as you've known i...
Last post by Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill) - May 23, 2026, 05:16:14 AM
Another thing that's on the rise, is the use of TV antennas. There's a variety of new channels on TV to watch now, including MeTV and its classic cartoon spin-off channel, MeTV Toons (a personal favorite of mine).
#3
Television / MeTV Toons
Last post by Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill) - May 23, 2026, 05:11:35 AM
MeTV Toons is a spin-off of MeTV featuring classic cartoons that was founded by Weigel Broadcasting as a limited partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery in 2023.

The schedule of this new over-the-air channel is very reminiscent of Cartoon Network or Boomerang in its early days, since most of the schedule relies on Looney Tunes, Harvey Toons or Terry Toons shorts as well as lots of classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons, including The Flintstones and The Jetsons. MeTV Toons also carries other cartoons,including Inspector Gadget, Beetlejuice, Freakazoid, Speed Racer, Marine Boy, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1987 (it airs three times Monday-Friday), Taz Mania, and The Super Mario Bros. Super Show/Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3/Super Mario World. MeTV Toons previously carried Rocky & Bullwinkle, but put that series' carriage on pause indefinitely. MeTV Toons also carries an encore presentation of Toon In With Me as well as well as the Gerry Anderson Supermarionation cartoons as part of an overnight block called "Known Strings Attached."

For educational content, the network relies on Captain Planet (R.I.P. Ted Turner) and Histeria to fill those needs.

This channel does a great job in filling a much-needed niche on broadcast TV, all while the "big four" (NBC/CBS/ABC/Fox) abandoned Saturday Morning cartoons like if they were "throwing the baby out with the bathwater," in favor of educational content that was basically the broadcast equivalent of green vegetables.
#4
Here's a list I compiled over at Google Sheets of (almost) every Jubilee Foods supermarket location:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BFypK9XlgAJ5L_dDan1vcnn2lYzGsxOnY050rpuKwps/edit?gid=0#gid=0
#5
Other Current Retail / Re: Bed, Bath, and Beyond
Last post by TheFugitive - May 14, 2026, 01:14:47 PM
Quote from: TheFugitive on January 31, 2023, 04:30:30 PMThe latest batch of 87 closing Bed, Bath and Beyond stores has been announced.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/bed-bath-and-beyond-just-released-a-new-batch-of-stores-it-plans-to-close-see-the-full-list-including-harmon-and-buybuy-baby-locations/ar-AA16bFYk

The one closest to me in Bethel Park, PA is on the list.
All indications are that a bankruptcy filing is imminent.

I just drove by this former BB&B location at lunchtime, and it is undergoing a remodel in apparent preparation to reopen as....

A Rivian electric vehicle dealership. 
#6
Annnnnnndd.....it's gone.

The final piece of Century III Mall came down last week.
The site is now open for mixed use redevelopment.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/realestate/old-century-iii-mall-s-last-wall-comes-down-ahead-of-planned-site-revitalization/ar-AA22CG9w?ocid=BingNewsSerp

#7
Grocery Stores/Supermarkets / Re: Whole Foods
Last post by TheFugitive - May 07, 2026, 02:21:11 PM
Quote from: deerwrecker2017 on May 06, 2026, 12:29:45 AMThis shows the Beer and Wine section of the Whole foods located across from South Hills Village.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsGYLzKbZxE

Interesting how Whole Foods has a beer and wine section while just up the street Trader Joe's does not.  I have family out of state that tells me Trader Joe's has some very good products at great prices.  Perhaps as Pennsylvania's liquor laws continue to pull themselves out of the 18th. Century.
#8
Grocery Stores/Supermarkets / Re: Whole Foods
Last post by deerwrecker2017 - May 06, 2026, 12:29:45 AM
This shows the Beer and Wine section of the Whole foods located across from South Hills Village.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsGYLzKbZxE
#9
Current Restaurants / Smoky Bones abruptly closes al...
Last post by TheFugitive - April 29, 2026, 11:51:28 AM
Barbecue chain Smoky Bones yesterday abruptly closed all remaining locations, including three here in the Pittsburgh area.

https://www.fastcompany.com/91534074/smokey-bones-closing-stores-2026-full-list-doomed-locations

The chain's parent company, FAT Brands, had filed for Chapter 11 earlier this year, and was apparently looking to offload underperforming assets before pursuing a merger.

The Smoky Bones closest to me in Robinson Town Center closed several months ago.  It is located next to a now-closed Bahama Breeze and just up from a vacant Buca di Beppo.  A rapid hollowing out of the restaurants in Robinson continues.
#10
Grocery Stores/Supermarkets / Re: Wegmans
Last post by TheFugitive - April 23, 2026, 02:06:37 PM
Rumors are flying that Wegman's is about to announce a second Pittsburgh area location in the southern suburb of Mount Lebanon.

Roadside Development, a Washington, DC-based real estate investment firm. has purchased the Galleria at Mount Lebanon, a mall located less than a quarter mile from South Hills Village. 

The Galleria was at one time a large standalone Kaufmann's department store which was converted into a mall after Kaufmann's left to replace Gimbel's in South Hills Village in the mid-80's.  The Galleria is an upscale mall that currently is relatively full with tenants like Orvis, Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn and AMC Theaters.  There are also restaurants including Mitchell's Fish Market, Bravo! and Houlihan's.

Despite a healthy occupancy rate these stories appear to be saying that the new owners will close the mall and replace it with a Wegman's location.  I guess we will have to wait and see. Any Wegman's would have to be a replacement for the mall as there isn't sufficient space available to add one to it.

https://patch.com/pennsylvania/pittsburgh/pittsburgh-mall-officially-sold-latest-possible-wegmans-location-there