The Discovery Center has been giving kids a chance to experience different occupations and themes for the past 30 years; I think we’ve all taken our kids there to play in the children’s museum located on the Binghamton Zoo at Ross Park campus.

It was just announced that Discovery Center will unveil their new interactive grocery exhibit with a new name, changing from the Giant Markets to Weis Markets just like in real life.

The new kids sized grocery store exhibit will feature updated fixtures, product, registers, graphics and lighting, children can shop smart with scaled down shelves, cash registers and shopping carts.

I know some people are disappointed that the old Giant exhibit is gone and I was too until I realized this is about a child’s experience and not the nostalgia of the community.

The Giant is one of many markets and various businesses in greater Binghamton that are just a memory, brought up in conversations and written about in stories like this one.

I remember many, like Normans, the Family Bargain Center, Grants, Grand Way, A&P, Robert Halls, McClain’s, Burts, Philadelphia Sales.

My grandparents and parents shopped at these stores, I think back to my childhood and can recall going to Normans on Robinson street before the store moved to I think Alice street, the FBC on Chenango street and I can still smell the popcorn at Philadelphia Sales.

We had so many great businesses throughout the years in this community and it would be nice if we could create a museum with memorabilia from these wonderful stores that once resided in our area

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