Salvation Army to Buy Former Binghamton Giant Market

A Binghamton building that had been home to a supermarket for 60 years is about to be acquired by the Salvation Army.

The property at 307 Conklin Avenue on the city's South Side is owned by Binghamton Giant Markets.

The Akel family had operated a Giant store at the site for decades before the local chain was sold to Pennsylvania-based Weis Markets. Weis shut down the supermarket in March 2024.

Salvation Army representatives discussed the agency's plans for the site at a Binghamton planning commission meeting on Tuesday.

A site plan for a Salvation Army complex on Conklin Avenue was discussed at a meeting of the Binghamton planning commission on October 6, 2026. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

They said a retail operation is to be set up on Conklin Avenue to replace the thrift store that had been operated on Binghamton's East Side. That business was closed in July 2024.

Plans call for an April launch of the new Salvation Army operation. In addition to the store, the agency will use the existing building as a warehouse and distribution facility.

The proposed thrift store would operate Monday through Saturday. The Salvation Army expects to hire 25 to 30 people to work at the new operation.

The interior of the closed Weis supermarket on Conklin Avenue on September 30, 2026. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

Salvation Army representatives declined to answer a reporter's questions about the project.

Some people who live near the Conklin Avenue site have been hoping another supermarket would open in the building. They say the southeast corner of Binghamton has become a "food desert" since the Weis store was closed.

WNBF NEWS VIDEO: Take a look at the former Weis/Giant supermarket as we found it in August 2024.