So what was at Colonie Center from the beginning?

I was just a little kid when Colonie Center opened in 1966, so I don’t remember a lot about it except that it was a big deal. As someone whose mother had bundled him up in a baby carriage and rolled him across the Western Gateway to shop in downtown Schenectady, the idea that all these stores were INDOORS was, of course, amazing. They were also open every evening, not just on Thursdays. And there was parking, lots and lots of parking, all free.

So what were the stores that were there at the beginning, the shops that added up to that wildly impressive count of 62 (62!!) retailers? I remember the Sears at one end, the Macy’s at the other. So what was in between? This isn’t the complete list, but see how many of these stores you remember:

    •    Sears, Roebuck
    •    Macy’s
    •    Corbat’s, a local children’s shoe store
    •    Zale’s, the jeweler’s first store in our area
    •    Schatz Stationery and artists’ supplies.
    •    Fabric Tree
    •    Mack Drug Store
    •    Signal Finance Corp.
    •    Albany Savings Bank (with branches on both levels!)
    •    The Colonie Cafeteria (operated by Sears).
    •    Rudolph’s Jewelers (with a “turntable storefront”)
    •    Richman Brothers men’s and boys’ wear
    •    Colonie Manufacturing Jewelers (“diamond-setting while you wait and watch”)
    •    National Shirt Shops
    •    Suburban Gal
    •    Richman’s Card and Party Shop (Hallmark)
    •    Miles Shoe Store
    •    Ames Shoes
    •    State Bank of Albany
    •    Radio Shack
    •    Spencer’s Gifts
    •    Dan A. Donahue, the local men’s store.
    •    M. Solomon women’s fashions and furs (the fifth store in the chain)
    •    Dixie Hats, a 26-store millinery chain
    •    Thom McAn, then a 10-store national chain
    •    Albert’s Hosiery, a national chain
    •    Walden Book Co., then a 17-store chain
    •    The Yarn Shop, a locally owned retailer of yarn, buttons and needlework.
    •    Friendly’s, which opened its first upstate NY restaurant in Colonie Center.
    •    Golden Krust Bakery, which sold product from the Cohoes bakery.
    •    Singer sewing machines and fabrics
    •    The Little Folks Shop, which also had stores in Albany, Delmar and Pittsfield
    •    The Scot Ties Shop (20,000 ties for a dollar each!)
    •    Melody Manor, with a Lowery organ and piano store on one level and a Magnavox home entertainment store on another.
    •    Kinney’s Shoes
    •    Hardy’s Shoes
    •    David’s, a women’s apparel and bridal wear shop.
    •    Flah’s
    •    The Kids Store, toys and juvenile furniture.
    •    Howard Clothes, a national chain
    •    Fanny Farmer’s candy
    •    Schertle Galleries, a franchise painting retailer
    •    Baker’s Shoes
    •    Ormond’s women’s apparel
    •    Kennedy’s family apparel
    •    State Opticians
    •    The Barnsider Restaurant
    •    Rosenfeld’s Barber Shop
    •    King and Queen Cleaners

As far as I can see, the only remaining original tenants are Sears, Macy’s, Radio Shack and Spencer Gifts. It was only a little while ago that Friendly’s would have been on that list.