Crystal Mall (Connecticut)

Crystal Mall
LocationWaterford, Connecticut, United States
Address850 Hartford Turnpike
Opening dateSeptember 30, 1984 (September 30, 1984)
DeveloperNew England Development
ManagementNamdar Realty Group
OwnerNamdar Realty Group
No. of stores and services103[1]
No. of anchor tenants5 (all vacant)
Total retail floor area782,786 sq ft (72,723 m2)[1]
No. of floors2
Websitehttps://www.crystalmall.com/
Entrance to the mall, 2017

Crystal Mall is an enclosed, two-level regional mall in Waterford, Connecticut. It is situated in a central retail area off the Hartford Turnpike (Route 85), across from a smaller, open-air shopping center, Waterford Commons. The mall covers a gross leaseable area of 782,786 sq ft (72,723 m2), making it Connecticut's ninth largest mall, boasting 110 shops.[2] Its primary trade area includes a trade population of 296,161 people, mostly serving the nearby towns of Waterford, Stonington, Norwich, Groton and New London.[3] The mall has 5 anchor stores, all of which are vacant.

History

The original tenant Sears at the mall.

The mall was developed in 1984 by New England Development. When it opened, it was the only regional mall in the area, and many smaller shopping centers faced strong competition. Some, like nearby New London Mall, were eventually forced to change strategies, such as becoming a "lifestyle center". The original anchors were Sears, JCPenney, Filene's, and Jordan Marsh. Jordan Marsh became Macy's in 1996.

After about 10 years in operation, Crystal Mall's look was becoming outdated, and management realized it needed to be renewed. In 1997, the mall underwent a renovation to upgrade its interior design. The previous dark color scheme was replaced by a brighter white, the food court was remodeled, and lighting as well as other fixtures were improved. The massive center chandelier was slated to be removed during the renovations, but the fixture was popular with shoppers, so it was shined and has remained. The mall has still been criticized for its aging exterior look, and for not updating its tenants to keep up with the times.[4][5]

An Olive Garden restaurant opened in the surrounding area on June 21, 2004.[6]

In 2006, one of the mall's longstanding anchors Filene's closed its store, as this was one of a number of New England Malls that had both a Macy's and Filene's. After the May Co Department Store Company was purchased by Federated Department Stores (now renamed Macy's, Inc.) duplicate stores were closed at many New England malls. In 2007, it was announced that two anchors would backfill the original Filene's, those two anchors being Christmas Tree Shops and Bed Bath & Beyond.[7] Both retailers opened a few months later in early 2008, with Christmas Tree Shops on the first level, and Bed Bath & Beyond on the second level.[8]

The Sears anchor store closed in January 2019.[9]

On January 6, 2021, Macy's announced their anchor store would close by March 21.[10] On November 1, 2021, it was reported that the building had been sold to a development firm.[11]

The Bed Bath & Beyond store closed in January 2023, as the chain filed for bankruptcy and ceased operations.[12]

The Christmas Tree Shops store closed in August, 2023, when that chain went out of business.[13]

JCPenney closed on May 25, 2024, leaving the mall with no anchors and cementing its status as a dead mall.[14][15]

On June 25, 2025, it was announced that Electric Boat would occupy the former Macy's location, to expand the company's engineering, training and laboratory work in support of Columbia and Virginia-class submarine production. Electric Boat has its shipyard and headquarters less than 6 miles from Crystal Mall in Groton, CT.[16]

List of anchor stores

Name No. of Floors Year Opened Year Closed Notes
Macy's 2 1996 2021 Replaced Jordan Marsh.
JCPenney 2 1984 2024
Bed Bath & Beyond 1 2008 2023 Replaced the second floor of Filene's.
Christmas Tree Shops 1 2008 2023 Replaced the first floor of Filene's.
Sears 2 1984 2019
Jordan Marsh 2 1984 1996
Filene's 2 1984 2006

References

  1. ^ a b "Crystal Mall". Simon Property Group. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
  2. ^ Emil Pocock (February 23, 2009). "Largest Connecticut Shopping Centers". Shopping Center Studies. Eastern Connecticut State University. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved February 24, 2011.
  3. ^ "Crystal Mall" (PDF). Simon Property Group. May 3, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 28, 2011. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
  4. ^ "Crystal Mall; Waterford, Connecticut". The Caldor Rainbow. January 26, 2007.
  5. ^ "SHOPPING MALLS - RETAIL" (PDF). TMP Consulting Engineering, Inc. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 17, 2011. Retrieved February 24, 2011.
  6. ^ "Waterford Olive Garden opening". The Day.
  7. ^ Corey Sipe (November 11, 2007). "Crystal Mall in Waterford, Connecticut, to Have Non-Traditional Anchors". Associated Press.
  8. ^ Corey Sipe (February 29, 2008). "Crystal Mall in Waterford, Connecticut". Associated Press.
  9. ^ Bomey, Nathan; Tyko, Kelly. "Sears store closing list: 142 more Sears, Kmart locations closing in Chapter 11 bankruptcy". USA TODAY.
  10. ^ Thomas, Lauren; Rattner, Nate (January 6, 2021). "Macy's is closing dozens of stores this year. Here's the full list". CNBC. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  11. ^ "Macy's at Crystal Mall has been sold".
  12. ^ "Bed Bath & Beyond to Close Waterford Location". September 15, 2022.
  13. ^ "Christmas Tree Shops to liquidate all stores". Wall Street Journal. June 29, 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  14. ^ "JCPenney closing at Crystal Mall". The Connecticut Scoop. February 9, 2024. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  15. ^ Dodson, Braley (February 16, 2024). "JCPenney store in Crystal Mall to close". WTNH. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  16. ^ "Electric Boat Acquires Former-Macy's Property in Waterford, CT, to Support Growth Expanding Footprint Throughout Southeastern Connecticut Repurposing Shipyard Space to Accelerate Submarine Production". General Dynamics Electric Boat - News. June 25, 2025. Retrieved July 1, 2025.

41°22′28″N 72°08′38″W / 41.3745°N 72.1440°W / 41.3745; -72.1440

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