Growing up here in Western New York it wasn't odd to make a family trip to Hills, Ames, or Brand Names.

There were so many really cool local stores that I remember spending my childhood at.

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I grew up in West Seneca and I remember always taking trips to Hills in the plaza on the corner of Union Road and French Road. My mom used to buy our Christmas presents and have them on layaway. Every week she would go and pay some of it off at the back of the store and I would beg her to go with her because she would always get me popcorn when we went.

My brother Ed's first "real" job was working at Ames in the Southgate Plaza. It was located right near where Marker in the Square is now.

My grandparents live in Cheektowaga so when we went out that way, my parents liked shopping at Brand Names. I think we got a coffee pot or two from there over the years before they shut down.

For birthdays, Child World on Transit Road was the place to go. As a kid, walking in and seeing aisles and aisles of toys all lines up was a dream come true. My parents would take me and my brother there for birthdays. The birthday boy would walk around with mom, and she would let him fill a shopping cart full of all the toys that he wanted. After the cart was filled, mom would drop off the birthday boy outside with Dad and the brothers and she would then buy a couple of items from the cart. That way we always got something we wanted on our birthdays.

So many great memories, so if you could bring back one store from your childhood here in Western New York, which one would it be?

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