Entertainment retail store returns to Destiny USA in Syracuse

Syracuse, N.Y. — An entertainment retail store that left Destiny USA a decade ago is back.

FYE (For Your Entertainment) recently opened in a 4,500-square-foot retail space on the mall’s first floor.

Dubbed as “a premier pop culture destination for the whole family,” FYE sells brand name collectibles, apparel, candy, plush, home décor and other items. Marvel, Star Wars, Pokemon, Squishmallows, Funko and Naruto are among the popular brand names shoppers will find at FYE.

“We’re excited to offer customers a fun shopping experience in the mall where they can find the newest anime everyone is talking about or the latest album on vinyl,” Jodie Evans, FYE’s chief merchandising officer, said in a news release announcing the opening of the Syracuse store.

The Albany-based FYE, then under the ownership of Trans World Entertainment, expanded in 2001 after buying out and rebranding mall-based stores. But in 2012, the company closed its Destiny USA store in Syracuse, and in 2018, shut down its Great Northern Mall store in Clay. The company also closed a number of other stores around the same time, blaming a decline in mall traffic.

FYE now operates nearly 200 stores nationwide and hopes to continue to expand the FYE brand at more locations, Evans said in the release. The company also aims to “embrace the need customers have to touch, listen, and experience products before they buy,” according to its website.

The newest FYE is located in the former FootAction space, next to Buckle, at Destiny USA.

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