BINGHAMTON FLASHBACK: The Grand Union

This is a follow up to my article last week on the businesses that use to be in the Binghamton Plaza, once a thriving strip of businesses on Binghamton’s North side.

After driving past the chain of blighted housings that use to be a booming area, the Binghamton Plaza had so many eclectic businesses, including a record import store, diner, bar, a poolhall, several department stores and the Grand Union Supermarket.

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The Grand Union was the last supermarket on the Northside of Binghamton when it closed in 1996, I use to like their produce department, and of course being a teenager in the mid 1970’s the snack aisles.

The drinking age was 18 at that time, and I remember a group of us would get together on Friday night before the football games at North High Stadium, my cousin who looked older than the rest of us would go in to the Grand Union and buy a case of beer, they never ID’s him, but he did look of age. (hey we were teenagers')

I can always see the Schaefer Beer label, when ever I think of the Grand Union, just one of the memories associated with the Binghamton Plaza.

I did get some feed back on my last article about the Grand Way, in reference to my comments on the record department, and how I first heard the full version of Foghat’s Slow Ride.

My wife grew up in Binghamton. We have been married 37 years and raised our kids in this area. I just saw your article on Grand Way. While that store may have been a bit before my entrance on the scene, the reference to Foghat sure brings back some memories. The first piece of vinyl I bought was Foghat Live. I still have it.
We didn’t have a lot of money and I was lucky to have a dollar to my name back then, but you didn’t need any money to take a stroll through the Binghamton Plaza, there was always something to see and a great place to meet up with friends.

It’s sad that things have become so deregulated and abandoned, but I’ll always have those great memories of time spent on that strip.