Is This America's Favorite Five and Dime Store?

It is an Upstate New York legend!

Vidler’s 5 & Dime Store in East Aurora, NY. Simply amazing!

Talk about stepping through the looking glass! Vidler’s family five and dime store in downtown East Aurora could very well be the largest and most famous five and dime store in America. The minute you walk into the store you know you are in for something a little bit different. A real “sentimental throwback” treat.

The shelves and walls are filled with an uncountable number of items, certainly well into the thousands (the store says 100,000…but who is counting?). The ancient well-oiled floors creak below your feet, the staff is Norman Rockwell-cheery, the crowds (mostly families and tourists) are excited to be here and the smell of popcorn from the old-fashioned popping machine near the front door transports you back to your youth. The store has been in the Vidler family since it first opened its doors on June 21, 1930.

The key to Vidler’s is the word variety. The store nearly covers an entire block in the business district of downtown East Aurora. They have a dozen different departments spread over two floors. You can buy everything from nostalgic penny candy to garden equipment to one-of-a-kind kitchen gadgets to Buffalo Bills gear, to toys, canned food items, and more…much, much more!

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The “world’s largest five and dime store” is now over 90 years old and has become somewhat of a destination point in and of itself. A shopping visit here is always fun especially around any holiday. Many local, state, and national honors are framed and line the walls of this legendary store.

Vidler’s is a one of a kind snow globe of nostalgia. Located in the heart of pretty downtown East Aurora, this store is a touchstone to the past and is a must-see for any road warrior heading in to western New York

Vidler’s Five and Dime

694 Main Street

East Aurora, NY (Erie County)

(Trivia: No mention of Vidler’s is complete without telling the story of the gigantic 500-pound man sitting on the roof. At 10-feet tall, he is hard to miss and has become one of the most recognizable and beloved landmarks in western New York. Read “his” incredible story and take a video tour of the store below. It is awesome!!