What’s old is new again, at least at two area malls, with a familiar retailer returning to Eastview Mall and The Mall at Greece Ridge.
FYE is back…at least at those two shopping malls in the Rochester area. The entertainment specialty store has not been in this market for years, but they have gone through an ownership change and some rebranding as well. It’s not just CDs and DVDs now, they sell a lot of collectibles also, like Funko Pops and Garbage Pail Kids.
Eastview’s Marketing Manager Wendy Roche said that soon after the mall posted news about the FYE store coming back, there were dozens of people commenting on their Facebook page, glad for the chance to get a little nostalgia.
“People are excited just because it’s nostalgic, but FYI has also reinvented themselves, so, there’s something for everybody in this store, from millennials to the current generation. I think everyone’s going to find something that they like, or something that brings them back maybe to their childhood a little bit too, so we’re excited about that,” Roche said.
She also noted that retailers are finding success where there is something beyond the standard shopping transactions, with more of an experience offering for customers.
“As new, different stores come into the mall a lot of what we’re seeing is experiential stuff, where people can touch things and experience things and remember maybe, when their childhood or exposing their kids to things that are new and different to them. I think having those experiences is a lot of what these new stores are focusing on,” Roche said.
At Eastview Mall, the FYE store is expected to open this summer. At Greece Ridge, the store should open sometime later this spring.
In terms of providing that retailing ‘experience’ that’s exactly what Dick’s Sporting Goods is hoping to do as well, as it holds grand opening activities this weekend for its new concept store at Eastview Mall. It’s called Dick’s House of Sport, and it will including an outdoor turf field and running track, a rock-climbing wall, a batting cage, and other activities.
