The state of malls across America. We hear constantly about many who are in trouble. And many have closed, mostly due to online shopping gaining popularity over the past decade or so. causing brick-and-mortar stores to close, and malls to shrink to the point of closing or bankruptcy.

Recently, Syracuse.com published an article about the owners of the Destiny Mall in Syracuse, who are attempting to avoid bankruptcy and are now facing similar issues with another mall they operate in West Nyack, New York.

For several years, many in the Southern Tier thought the fate of the Oakdale Mall would soon follow so many others across the country, especially when the mall was down to just two anchor stores - J.C. Penney and Burlington (Burlington eventually left the mall for the Townsquare Mall.)

But, that fate was not to be. A group of local investors purchased the Oakdale Mall with visions of a bright future. And that is exactly what happened. The Mall was renamed the Oakdale Commons.

New businesses opened up, including Dick's House of Sport, BJ's Wholesale, Dave & Buster's, Panera Bread, Chipotles, NBT Bank, and the Factory by Beer Tree Brew. Medical and wellness services and public institutions are also new tenants in the new Oakdale Commons, with future new tenants planned.

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What was your favorite place to go when it was a booming Oakdale Mall? I miss the movie theaters, Ruby Tuesdays, Friendly's, and as a radio and electronics geek - Radio Shack.

How good are you at Oakdale Mall history? Well, I found a video on YouTube that goes through a pretty thorough history of the Mall, naming stores I had forgotten about. Join me and take an Oakdale Mall trip back in time. What was your favorite store?

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