Parry’s to Move Out; “Hamilton Initiative” Purchases Space

Come summer, there will be a noticeable void in the landscape of downtown Hamilton. Parry’s, the ubiquitous general store currently located at 20 Utica Street, will be moving to the old Grand Union space at 100 Utica Street. The ex­act opening date will depend on renovation and stocking progress.

“We’ve been in this location for over 20 years, and we’ve just out­grown it. The aisles are packed to the point that we literally have to hang things on the ceiling,” Gwenn Parry Werner, Parry’s store manager, said. “We can’t bring anything new into the store, and there are many other items we’d like to carry.”

The Hamilton Initiative, which, according to its website is a “for-profit limited liability company whose focus is real estate and eco­nomic development in downtown Hamilton,” has purchased Parry’s current storefront. They are accepting ideas from the Hamilton and Colgate community as to what people would like to see in the space.

Colgate students have long been loyal Parry’s customers. “Most stores do best at Christmas time, but we get the most business when students come back to school in August,” Werner said. “At that time, we carry a lot of dorm room stuff, like night tables, lamps and pillows. We’d like to carry that stuff year round, but we just don’t have the space.”

In addition to back-to-school needs, Parry’s also includes a large inventory of iPod accessories, head­phones, and other accessories. Fur­thermore, there is a Verizon Wire­less counter, at which customers can receive service help, upgrade their phones, or purchase lost parts, like chargers.

The new store will allow for Parry’s to carry more products that may appeal to Colgate students. “In the new store, we’d like to increase our sporting goods inventory, and also we will carry two furniture lines,” Werner said.