Victor Keeps Landing the Region's Firsts. Which Ones Can You Use This Year?

Of all the names announced around Eastview, Victor Crossing and Eastgate Square since July, how many could you actually walk into this weekend?

Fewer than the headlines suggest. Since midsummer, Victor's commercial corridor has drawn a steady run of announcements: a Mediterranean chain new to the region, the county's first standalone chicken restaurant, an off-price department store and an indoor skydiving center. Several of these are firsts. CAVA's Victor Crossing location will be the Rochester area's first. The Chick-fil-A under construction near Eastview will be the first standalone one in Ontario County. Nordstrom Rack's Victor store will be closer to Rochester than the current nearest one in Amherst. The president of Bright Flight calls her project "one of a kind."

Taken together, these businesses draw people into Victor from the wider region, not just from the town itself. They also open in stages, from this fall through spring 2027 and possibly that summer. Knowing which stage each one is in tells you what has changed on Route 96 now and what is still a construction fence.

Where Each Project Stands in Early October 2026

Here is the status board, based on the most recent public updates available as of October 3, 2026.

The pattern is clear from the table. The businesses that have opened are smaller, single-storefront projects. The ones still on the way are the larger, more regional draws.

What Has Already Opened

Yolickity is the clearest example of a project finished this fall. The frozen dessert shop held its grand opening at Victor Crossing on Tuesday, September 15, at 3 p.m. It sits between Playa Bowls and Great Clips, with regular hours of noon to 9 p.m. The September 8 Victor Planning Board agenda listed an application for 400 Commerce Drive that would add a patio with pavers, railing and tables. That agenda item is a request, not an approval. If the patio is approved, it is a spring addition, given the season.

Inside Eastview, the July 10 announcement named five incoming tenants. Two now carry "Now Open!" on the mall's own pages. Snipes is a sneaker and streetwear retailer. Toys R Us opened in the Dick's House of Sport wing, next to Offline. A Toys R Us in the mall in October means holiday shopping for kids can happen under one roof this year, with no extra trip.

Happy Beauty, a cosmetics retailer planned just inside Entrance 4, still shows "Coming soon!" So does the Dunkin' and Jimmy John's combination planned for the food court beside Burger King. Those listing pages date to July, so they may not reflect the latest progress. Check with the mall before planning a trip around either one. The same July announcement said the Starbucks kiosk was moving within the mall.

What Is Still Behind the Fence

The two restaurant projects are where Victor's year-end dining options change.

CAVA is taking shape inside the former Pi Craft Pizza space at Victor Crossing Plaza. The national chain has more than 400 locations and serves Mediterranean and Greek-inspired food. As of RochesterFirst's August 28 update, no opening date had been announced, and the opening was expected "sometime this year." A Democrat and Chronicle report from March placed it in the 400–441 Commerce Drive address range. With three months left in 2026, that forecast leaves a narrow window. It is a target, not a commitment.

Chick-fil-A broke ground at the southeast corner of the Eastview property on Route 96 in September. The building is 5,000 square feet. Until now, the only Chick-fil-A in Ontario County has been the one inside the Clifton Springs travel stop on the New York State Thruway, which opened in 2023. A September 28 RochesterFirst report said the Victor location was expected to open later this year. A standalone drive-through restaurant at a mall corner on Route 96 affects traffic flow around Eastview. That is worth keeping in mind for anyone whose regular route runs past that corner.

The 2027 Pair

The last two projects take the corridor into next year. They also show most clearly how far beyond Victor's own residents these new businesses reach.

Nordstrom Inc. announced in July that a Nordstrom Rack will open at Eastgate Square in spring 2027. The off-price chain sells clothing, accessories, beauty products, home decor and shoes. RochesterFirst reported that the closest Nordstrom Rack to the Rochester area is currently in Amherst. For Victor shoppers, the nearest store moves from the Buffalo suburbs to a plaza already on their regular errand routes.

Bright Flight broke ground on Friday, October 2. It will combine indoor skydiving, glow-in-the-dark golf and other attractions for all ages. No exact opening date has been shared, but RochesterFirst was told that "a summer opening next year could be in sight." Read against the report's October 3, 2026 date, that points to summer 2027, as a possibility rather than a set date. Kathy King, Bright Flight's president, framed the project's purpose directly: "It's going to be a destination, and it'll be good not only for the community, but for the region." Published reports have not named the site's road.

Put Bright Flight and Nordstrom Rack next to CAVA and Chick-fil-A, and the corridor's direction for the next year is clear. Each project is either the first of its kind locally or the closest of its kind by a wide margin. That is how a shopping area becomes a regional draw.

What Closed, and What Paused

The new arrivals mostly sit along Route 96 and Commerce Drive. The most noticeable loss this year was a long-established local business.

Sweet Times Bakery, run by husband-and-wife owners Kim and Jeff Roberge, closed after 36 years. The Democrat and Chronicle described it as a popular cafe for baked goods and lunches, where the owners had served families across generations. The ending had a late turn. On August 24, the bakery posted that a member of the local community had stepped forward hoping to keep Sweet Times open, and that details were being finalized. By the end of that week, the bakery announced it would close on August 28. The RochesterFirst headline still reads "Victor bakery saved," but the article's update confirms the closing. No replacement for the space has been reported.

The town also stepped back from a project this fall, after residents spoke up. On September 28, the Town of Victor announced that the Town Board and the Citizens' Advisory Committee had paused plans for a disc golf course at Fishers Park. The decision followed feedback at the September 14 Town Board meeting and written comments from the community. The town is exploring land that a local landowner has offered as a possible alternative site. It also created a dedicated webpage, townofvictorny.gov/519/Disc-Golf-Course, for updates. The disc golf decision shows how changes to shared public space get decided in Victor, through town meetings and written comment. That is a different process from the private commercial projects on Route 96.

On the Calendar Before Any of It Opens

Several dated community events fall within the next six weeks, all before the corridor projects described above are expected to finish:

• October 14, noon. Ribbon cutting for the new building at American Legion Post 931, 5 West Main Street. The community is invited.
• October 17, 10 a.m. to noon. Monster Mash Trunk-or-Treat at the Victor Fire Hall and Village parking lot, 34 Maple Avenue. Admission is $5 per child or $12 for a family with three or more children.
• November 5, 5 to 7 p.m. Free Veterans Appreciation Dinner at Victor Town Hall, 85 East Main Street, for veterans and one guest. Preregistration is required.
• November 11. New York DEC free fishing day. Residents 16 and older may fish without a freshwater fishing license, subject to other fishing regulations.

The Legion ribbon cutting and the trunk-or-treat both take place in the village, three days apart.

Every new business on Route 96 changes what the area offers, and over time, how buyers coming from outside Victor see it. If you are thinking about how a regional draw like Bright Flight or Nordstrom Rack might factor into a future move or sale, Renee DeMars follows these openings closely and is glad to talk through what they mean for your street. Let's Connect.