Vidler's Wonderful History 

&

 Connection to Western New York

Vidler's

since

 1930

Then and Now

The World's Largest 5 & 10 Variety Store

East Aurora, New York

Vidler's:  Named Best Toy Store in the 716!

It all started in 1930, when Robert S. Vidler, Sr. founded and opened "The Fair Store" in the quaint and charming village of East Aurora at the start of The Great Depression.  Family legend has it that his mother-in-law complained of having to go all the way to Buffalo to buy a spool of thread so Robert soon saw the opportunity for a new, local business.  Today, picture a movie scene of shoppers strolling along, casually drinking coffee or eating dinner at the local restaurants.  That's the village of "EA" along Main Street.

The original store consisted of approximately 900 square feet with 2 aisles of goods.  Local merchants made bets that the store would close within 6 weeks.  Fisher Price Toys, also founded in 1930, opened in the block behind Vidler's later that year.  Vidler's was the first store to carry Fisher-Price.

It opened and operated as a local 5 & 10 several years.  We proudly doubled in size by 1946.  Vidler's was the place for locals to get their shoelaces, pots and pans and chat with neighbors for over 40 years when we expanded to include more novelty goods.  

Bob Vidler

Third Generation Co-Owner

Vidler's has been recognized in national publications including Business Week and Martha Stewart's Living magazine.  In 1999, it expanded to 4 connected buildings comprising almost 20,000 square feet.  Between 2015 and 2019, Vidler's and the surrounding village of East Aurora served as the location and backdrop of several made-for-TV Christmas movies including A Prince for Christmas (2015) which was filmed almost entirely in East Aurora. Even with such remarkable recognition, Vidler's remains a family run business operating on the same core values it was founded upon in 1930.

Don Vidler with Hallmark Actors, Jonathan Stoddard and Anna Marie Dobbins

February 2022

With the distinguishable charm of East Aurora, it is no surprise that Vidler's has been featured in Hallmark movies and through the years has become a popular spot to shoot holiday movies.  A movie titled "Romance on Ice" along with three other movies have filmed scenes inside or outside Vidler's since 2025: "A Christmas Vermont", "A Christmas Princess" and "A Royal Christmas Engagement". 

Christmas in East Aurora

A Hallmark Movie Film Crew Filming in East Aurora

A couple from northern Maine drove to East Aurora one summer to check out the charming village and variety store where Christmas movies were made.

Don Vidler

Third Generation Co-Owner

I really credit my father and uncle for putting Vidler's on the map for nostalgic and national draw. Back in the '50s, virtually every little town in the United States had a 5 & 10 store, whether it was the big chains like Woolworth's or stores like ours.  So, for a long time it was just local people coming in to get shoelaces or a frying pan.  In 1960, W.T. Grant's, which at one time was one of  the biggest variety chain stores in the country, came into East Aurora.  That really set us back, but they closed just two years later.  In the late '60s, we really started to highlight being the old-fashioned five-and-dime.  There was a local graphic artist in town named Rix Jennings who suggested playing up the old five-and-dime theme.  So, they redid the whole storefront.  Then, in the '70s, my father and my Uncle Bob started going after bus tours, trying to be more of a regional draw and that started to work pretty well.

Don Vidler

Vidler's has gotten the attention of news reporters to run stories about the business.  They added the large red and white awning, giving the storefront more curb appeal and its unique appearance.  The candy counter has an incredible selection of old-time favorites such as Mallo Cups, Sugar Daddies, Crystal Beach Suckers and many other favorites!  Candy is also available by the pound or by the penny like the good 'ol days. You can browse the retro & collectible section for wall art, figurines, tin mugs and more from classics like The Wizard of Oz.  The toy section is a favorite for every kid and kid-at-heart with classic favorites such as yo-yo's, puzzles, stuffed animals and toy cars.  Shop the wide selection of office supplies with crayons, markers, paper, coloring books and other Crayola favorites. Visit the seasonal section for candles, cards, gifts,  home decor and at the 'take a look nook' as you never know what you'll find.  Sandy, the mechanical horse is every child's favorite and still only costs a dime to ride!  Their classic popcorn machine gives kids a glimpse into the past filling up a brown paper bag for only a nickel.  

Some Call it Pop, Some Call it Soda!

When you take a trip to Vidler's, it's alway an instant nostalgic trip down memory lane.  From the moment you walk in you're faced with games from childhood, novelty items that will make you giggle and, of course, their variety of unique flavored sodas!

If there's one thing everyone remembers about their youth it's having the utmost courage to experiment with food just for fun.  Playing Truth or Dare was a grade school lunch time ritual and dares usually included crazy food concoctions.  

Vidler's carries a unusual variety of sodas for those looking to ignite their blind childish bravery yet again or just play a fun game of taste testing. Vidler's offers Always Avery's and Lester's Fixins sodas.  They are actually crafted to taste like your favorite food items such as Bacon, Buffalo Wing, Cucumber, Maple Syrup, Peanut Butter & Jelly and Pumpkin Pie. 

Liberty Bank of Buffalo and Vidler's "Good Partners" series of ads with spokesperson, Peter Graves.  

He walked through the store and talked about the old five-and-dime. It really got people's attention and brought in even more business! Those ads really put Vidler's on the map because more people from Buffalo, Rochester and Western New York decided .. "we want to go see the old 5 & 10".

Peter Graves

(1926-2010)

Graves was an American actor who portrayed Jim Phelps in the television series, Mission Impossible from 1967-1973.  His older brother was actor, James Arness who portrayed Marshall Matt Dillion for 20 years in the series, Gunsmoke. 

A lot of it is the history and the nostalgia.  Whenever we hire a new employee, they are told 90% of the people who come here are happy when they come in and we want them to leave happy.  They pick everything up and play with it.  Probably the parents have more fun than the kids.  They're putting on hula hoops, novelty hats and having sword fights with Styrofoam swords.  People concentrate on the fun stuff, but we have day-to-day necessities.  So they know they can get all the things they need plus all the fun stuff, too!

Don Vidler

Other than Tops Grocery Store, Vidler's is the largest retail employer in East Aurora!

www.vidlers5and10.com