Smallbany just got a whole lot bigger—two beloved national businesses, Costco Wholesale and Shake Shack, hosted their grand openings last Thursday.
Costco Cards. Costco Samples. Costco CEO?
I’ve always dreamt of owning a Costco membership. And, apparently the rest of the 518 did too. I wasn’t the only early-morning driver on the road heading towards the grand opening of the Capital Region’s first Costco, located near Crossgates Mall. The traffic was crazy, but the in-person crowd barricading the store was crazier. I heard of at least two people who called out of work to be some of the first Costco customers.
Before moving to the Capital Region, living Downstate meant I rarely got the chance to shop at America’s favorite bulk-buy store. The nearest location was across state lines in Northern New Jersey. And let’s be real…nobody wants to willingly drive into New Jersey.
After walking up from the lower-level parking lot at Dick’s Sporting Goods (there was no chance of me finding parking at the Costco lot), I got in line to sign up for my Costco card.
The line moved quickly, and the carts surrounding us moved even quicker, as customers began to explore the various aisles and item islands including the temple of designer perfumes to my left and rows of jumbo-sized e.l.f. Power Grip Primer to my right. Beyond the beauty section, I made my way towards the famous Costco sample tables, scattered all over the food section of the sale floor.
As I took a photo of the Cabot popcorn team, one of the many sample stops I made, I found myself encouraged to join the group photo. A lot of commotion formed around a man in a dark blue button-up. Afterwards, as I thanked everyone for their time entertaining my photo request, I was able to meet the man everyone had crowded around.
“It’s an exciting opening day,” he said. “What do you think about this Costco?” Unbeknownst to me at the time, I had taken a photo and sparked a conversation with Ron Vachris—the CEO of Costco Wholesale.
I told Ron that I thought the Costco will help people stretch out their dollar when grocery shopping for the household. Albany might be called Smallbany, but its county has more than 320,000 residents, with 40 percent of the population living in households with two or more people. Costco’s new location will not only offer employment opportunities for the people in Albany, but it will help those shopping on a budget, too.
Sweet Beginnings at Shake Shack 🥤
The other new business on the block didn’t have jumbo-sized household products by the dozen, but their burgers and thick shakes still lured lots of people to their opening ceremony at Stuyvesant Plaza. Thursday marked the grand opening of the Capital Region’s first year-round Shake Shack location, and while I was too full from my breakfast—12 Costco samples—I checked in with 518 influencer Ashley Salvadore, who was one of the first to dine at the burger joint’s soft opening earlier in the week.
What’s your go-to Shake Shack order?
“I’ve been so excited ever since Stuyvesant Plaza posted a teaser last year,” Ashley told me. “I ran into so many friends at the opening, and the feeling was the same for all of us: big smiles and excitement. I’m excited to have the West Coast here.”
Ashley’s order? A veggie burger or ’Shroom burger with the West Coast loaded fries and a black and white shake. My order? Also the ‘Shroom burger paired with an Oreo cookies and cream shake.
Burgers, bulk products, and bringing new business to Albany—it was a good Thursday indeed.
—Jolena