It's a tradition for this mother daughter pair to shop at Boscov's in Downtown Binghamton.

"I've been going here since I was a little kid," says Shannon Shaffer.

"It's just something that we need to preserve because I think it's part of the heritage in Binghamton," says Lauri Shaffer of the Town of Union.

A heritage the city has worked hard to keep.

Boscov's current 5 year contract gives the retailer the option of pulling out of the downtown store this year.

"A major department store in a downtown area, especially the size of the Binghamton area is unheard of in today's market and I think we need to do everything we can as a city council and administration to try to keep them here," says Binghamton City Councilman Chris Papastrat.

Asked if the company is planning to pull out, a Boscov's spokesperson says nothing could be further from the truth, and it's not ignoring the Binghamton market.

Boscov's tells Action News it plans to do some painting and upgrades on the downtown department store.

The Downtown Binghamton Business Association says it has a great relationship with Boscov's.

President Ron Sall says the two are always talking.

"They're happy here. They're happy with the university center. They have open dialogue. I can call them all the time. They're wonderful to work with," says Sall.

And everyone says its wonderful for city of Binghamton to have Boscov's here.

No one from the Mayor's office would talk about Boscov's on-camera, but a spokesperson says the Mayor's office is in touch with Boscov's here, and at the corporate level.

Boscov's says if it ever did close, it would have to give official notice to the city.