A cornerstone of community commerce

For decades, The Mall at Greece Ridge has been a landmark for Rochester’s retail experience. While providing clothes, furniture, and necessities, like many malls across the country, The Mall at Greece Ridge is struggling to remain competitive in an online world. Recent data shows that by 2032, there may be as few as 150 malls in operation in the United States.

A big part of the struggle involves Macy’s, which is closing approximately 150 underperforming stores nationwide while investing in 350 other locations. Macy’s closed The Mall at Greece Ridge location in April. The void left behind by Macy’s closure will be filled by Boscov’s.

Boscov’s is a family-owned department store with a chain of 50 locations across the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It will be the fifth store located in New York and first in the Western New York area.

Director of marketing and public relations for The Mall at Greece Ridge, Owen Hetherington, believes that Boscov’s will fit the demographic perfectly in Greece.

“Boscov’s has everything from, you know, children’s toys to apparel for men and women, teenagers, kids, and they have home appliances, whether it’s toasters, microwaves, dishwashers, refrigerators, and coffee makers,” Hetherington said.

He understands the challenge of competing with online shopping.

“Let’s face it, I mean, brick and mortar stores aren’t the way that they used to be,” Hetherington said. “I’m 25 years old, but I can remember going to the mall with my parents every year and back to school shopping, holiday shopping, and whatnot. I think the convenience and the addition of online shopping has maybe brought some people away from the typical brick and mortar stores that the last generation was used to going to.”

The Mall at Greece Ridge officials hope that Boscov’s will benefit them.

“From a job standpoint, Boscov’s is going to be great because they’re going to have about 170,000 square feet and they pride themselves on great customer service,” Hetherington said. “To have great customer service, you obviously need more store associates. So I think you would expect that with Boscov’s compared to Macy’s, Boscov’s will be employing more individuals.”

Boscov’s will be the largest department store developed by the Wilmorite Management Group. The company manages major retail locations in Rochester including the Eastview Mall, The Marketplace Mall, The Mall at Greece Ridge, and Pittsford Plaza.

Hetherington says that the mall continues to address the needs of their shoppers.

“In the last few months, we’ve added Goodwill, and it was a location change from Dewey Ave over to Greece Ridge,” Hetherington said. “They’ve been phenomenal here. Their sales are up from Dewey Ave. I think the increased foot traffic and the larger store have been very beneficial for them.”

Rochester native Joe Claus has been shopping at The Mall at Greece Ridge for his whole life. When Claus thinks of shopping at the mall, one priority stays in mind.

“If Boscov’s is like Macy’s and the quality is decent, their prices have got to be a lot better. That’s why I rarely bought anything at Macy’s,” Claus said. “If the prices are right, I’ll buy from them.”

A wide variety of products from Boscov’s will bring in more customers.

“Oh my God, I haven’t bought anything from JCPenney’s or Macy’s in such a long time I’m not even sure what they carry anymore,” Claus said. “If Boscov’s has decent prices on mattresses, I could use a new mattress … Clothing in general is something that everybody needs sooner or later but I don’t like going to a place and wanting to get a pair of Levi’s blue jeans and there, you know, 90 bucks.”

Boscov’s arrival is planned for the fall of 2025. The store will provide the region with numerous opportunities for both shoppers and local businesses at the mall. The Mall at Greece Ridge continues to be a cornerstone of community and commerce.