Local grocer, decades-old store among 12 businesses Rochester said goodbye to in 2023
Marcia Greenwood, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
7 min read
The greater Rochester area said hello or goodbye to dozens of businesses in 2023.
Included in this roundup are some of the closings, and most are stores. Democrat and Chronicle food and drink writer Tracy Schumacher is covering restaurant closings in a separate story.
Many national chains shuttered local locations following bankruptcy filings. Several small business owners cited changing consumer habits or simply a desire to retire.
Here are 12 notable business closings in and around Rochester in 2023.
Beads 'N Things
Beads ’N Things, a full-service local bead shop founded in 1968, closed Aug. 27. It was located at 50 State St. in Northfield Common, Pittsford.
Beads ’N Things, a Pittsford beading-supply store born 55 years ago between the Summer of Love and Woodstock, closed Aug. 27. Sheila Grabowski, who took the helm in 1984 and later partnered with her daughter, Ann Grabowski, joked that at 77 years old, she wasn’t “a spring chicken anymore” and was ready to retire. Striking a more serious tone, she talked about coronavirus pandemic fallout, the ever-higher costs of doing business and the rise of online shopping. “The internet has had a tremendous negative effect on retail stores,” she said. “If everyone is being honest, everyone is feeling this, not just our little bead store. The smaller places are just kind of fading away.” Although the brick-and-mortar location at 50 State St. in Northfield Common is a memory, the business continues to sell jewelry-making kits at mybeadkit.com.
Bed Bath & Beyond
In February, in a last-ditch effort to avoid bankruptcy, Bed Bath & Beyond announced it would close another 150 stores, including the only two remaining in the Rochester market — at Market Square, 620 Jefferson Road, Henrietta, and 20 Square Drive, Victor, across from Eastview Mall. Two months later, the company announced its plan to file for bankruptcy and close all its stores. Overstock.com bought the retailer’s intellectual property, business data and mobile apps for $21.5 million, and over the summer relaunched BedBathandBeyond.com.
buybuy BABY
It was announced Jan. 31 that buybuy BABY, which was owned by Bed Bath & Beyond, would close a number of stores, including at Market Square in Henrietta. It later shut down brick-and-mortar operations entirely, but in early November announced it would reopen some locations. The chain also lives on at buybuybaby.com, selling clothing, strollers and other merchandise for infants and young children.
The Christmas Tree Shops
Massachusetts-based The Christmas Tree Shops closed all its stores this year, including at Henrietta’s Market Square.
Massachusetts-based The Christmas Tree Shops closed all its stores this year, including at Henrietta’s Market Square. In early May, the retail chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. However, a June court filing revealed that the company defaulted on a $45 million loan needed to maintain normal business operations, leading to total liquidation.
Eleventh Hour
Eleventh Hour, a gift shop founded in 1991 by Sue Stekl, closed Feb. 25. Originally located on Rochester's Park Avenue, it relocated to 1922 Monroe Ave., Brighton, in 2009.
Eleventh Hour, a local gift shop that started out in 1991 on Park Avenue and in 2009 moved to 1922 Monroe Ave., Brighton, closed Feb. 25. “The first six to 10 years were wonderful,” owner Sue Stekl said in early February, looking back on Eleventh Hour’s history. Over time, the store’s customer base started leaving the Park Avenue area. That led to relocating to Brighton, where Stekl also lives. The specialty retailer, which sold home goods and décor, jewelry, accessories, personal care products and more, hit its stride there in 2012. The COVID hit. Eventually, customer activity and revenues rebounded. But as sales rose, so did operating costs. And in weighing the pros and cons of whether to continue, “The closing column was getting bigger and bigger,” she said.
Faris Pharmacy
An independent pharmacy that opened in Greece more than 50 years ago closed over the summer. Faris Pharmacy at 2050 Latta Road set itself apart from chain drugstores by providing an old-fashioned style of personal service. People unable to get the store could have their medications delivered. And owner George Faris vowed never to install an automated phone answering system, so callers always got a person — including Faris himself — on the line. In 2014, he told the Democrat and Chronicle that declining reimbursement from insurance companies was cutting into the bottom line for indie pharmacies like his and that selling other items — greeting cards, local souvenirs, handbags, etc. — was a way to make up for it. The store shut down in June.
Hegedorns Market
On June 29, after 70 years in business, local family-owned grocer Hegedorns Market at 964 Ridge Road, Webster, closed its doors.
On June 29, after 70 years in business, local family-owned grocer Hegedorns Market at 964 Ridge Road, Webster, closed its doors. Manager Jonathan Gonzalez, grandson of store founder Bruce Hegedorn, said the decision was the result of a difficult market. “It’s a tough gig to be an independent grocer now,” he said. “It’s sad, but it’ been a great run. This business has come to an end of its life cycle.” On Nov. 7, the Webster Planning Board approved a proposal to revamp the property into a shopping plaza that will house new businesses, including a Bill Gray’s Taproom.
Regal Henrietta
The 18-screen Regal Henrietta, 525 Marketplace Drive, went dark after evening screenings on June 7.
Billed as the largest movie theater in New York state when it opened in March 1997, the 18-screen Regal Henrietta, 525 Marketplace Drive, went dark after evening screenings on June 7. The closing came as Regal Entertainment Group’s parent company, U.K.-based Cineworld Group, grappled with massive debt. It emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in August, and that same month the Henrietta property got a new owner, Scutti Enterprises, which has deep roots in the town. The hope was to reopen the theater, but company representatives said they were keeping their options open, including converting the space for retail or warehouse use.
Regal Greece Ridge
The Regal Greece Ridge theater at The Mall at Greece Ridge shut down March 9. It will be converted to an Apple Cinemas dine-in theater.
On March 9, three months before the Regal Henrietta closed, the Regal Greece Ridge theater at The Mall at Greece Ridge shut down as part of Cineworld’s bankruptcy restructuring. The 12-screen venue opened in July 1998 as Hoyts Greece Ridge Cinema. It became a Regal theater in 2004 after Regal Entertainment Group bought some Hoyts Cinema Corp. properties. Two months after it closed, a new owner was announced: New England-based Apple Cinemas, which plans to turn it into a luxury dine-in movie theater. Last year, Apple acquired the Pittsford Cinema 9, which should reopen late this year as a dine-in theater.
Rite Aid
Rite Aid closed at 535 Portland Ave., Rochester, in May and at 1567 Penfield Road in Panorama Plaza, Penfield, on Nov. 7.
Rite Aid closed at 535 Portland Ave., Rochester, in May and at 1567 Penfield Road in Panorama Plaza, Penfield, on Nov. 7. Decisions to shut down locations are “based on a variety of factors, including business strategy, lease and rent considerations, local business conditions and viability, and store performance,” a company spokesperson said. One of the largest pharmacy chains in the country, Rite Aid has been struggling of late to keep up with bigger competitors like CVS and Walgreens amid mounting debt, slumping sales and federal, state and local lawsuits claiming it filled thousands of illegal prescriptions for painkillers, helping to fuel the opioid epidemic.
Tuesday Morning
The greater Rochester area’s last remaining Tuesday Morning store closed early this year after the Dallas-based discount home goods chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
The greater Rochester area’s last remaining Tuesday Morning store closed early this year. On Feb. 14, the Dallas-based discount home goods chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and as part of restructuring announced plans to shutter more than 260 stores, including in Penfield’s Panorama Plaza. It was the second time Tuesday Morning had sought bankruptcy protection. The first was in 2020, when it closed more than 200 of 700 locations nationwide, including in Cobblestone Court across from Eastview Mall in Victor. Tuesday Morning also previously operated stores in South Town Plaza, Henrietta, and Pittsford Place Mall on Monroe Avenue. Customers can continue to shop at tuesdaymorning.com.
Veterinary Specialists & Emergency Services
In August, Veterinary Specialists & Emergency Services, for more than two decades the greater Rochester region’s only 24/7 animal hospital, announced it would close for good by Nov. 27.
In August, Veterinary Specialists & Emergency Services, for more than two decades the greater Rochester region’s only 24/7 animal hospital, announced it would close for good by Nov. 27. The move came after the practice at 825 White Spruce Blvd., Brighton, twice reduced its hours. VSES’ owner, Texas-based Thrive Pet Healthcare, cited a lack of emergency veterinarians to fill jobs. A group of around 130 unionized VSES workers (vet techs, assistants and office staff) sharply disputed that assertion and blamed “corporate greed.”
Reporter Marcia Greenwood covers general assignments. Send story tips to mgreenwo@rocheste.gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @MarciaGreenwood.
