Comments on: Bristol Centre Mall; Bristol, Connecticut

By: Catheirne

Catheirne — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:32:48 +0000

Olivia, they can’t just put better stores there. The stores have to WANT to open there and none did becuase of the poor history and location. Ive grown up in Bristol my entire lief, and my very first job ever was at Sears outlet in that mall when i was 16. That place should have never even been considered a mall. It was a low life/homeless/poor people hang out.

I can only hope they do something good with it. It looks horrid now as an empty lot. But, this is bristol we are talking about…..it’ll take another 20 years before they take action

By: Olivia.

Olivia. — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 20:38:24 +0000

I think that’s it’s terrible how they tore it down, reading all these comments, it just makes me so sad that they would just tear down a part of history like that. My grandmother & I used to go there alot, also. I mean they could have just added new, more popular stores. Such as, Hot Topic, or Hollister, or Yankee Candle. Anything really would do. I mean there’s alot of kids in Bristol & even that live around Bristol that would be there probably everyday haha. But still, I just wish they would have made a better choice on what to do with it.

By: Irene

Irene — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:22:03 +0000

This was on the front page of The Hartford Courant yesterday:

http://www.courant.com/community/news/nb/hc-brimall0714.artjul14,0,563669.story

After reading the article, I wondered, wouldn’t it have made so much more sense to just keep the existing mall there and just clean it up, keep the businesses there, and perhaps add a few more businesses? Bristol isn’t an upscale community and a “Blue Back Square” in the middle of the city would fail miserably. What is so wrong about a shopping center geared toward the community that surrounds it? And, why would people in West Hartford make the trip to go to Bristol to go shopping when they have Westfarms, West Hartford Center, and Blueback Square?

By: Shawn

Shawn — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:16:40 +0000

All that is left now is a rubble field. If the city would now just make north main street they way it was…

By: Irene

Irene — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 22:52:17 +0000

I came across this mall in 2007 as I went to Bristol for a job interview. I had to take the bus to Bristol from Hartford, which is quite a treck because a highway doesn’t run by Bristol. Rather, to get to Bristol from Hartford, you need to go to New Britain by bus and transfer to another bus line that ends at the Bristol Mall (although on the map, it was labeled as “Bristol McDonalds”). Another option is to go from Hartford to Unionville and transfer to the Bristol local bus, which circles what used to be the mall.

Anyway, after the interview I was hungry and walked to the mall, thinking it would be occupied and I’d be able to get a slice of pizza or some Chinese before taking the bus back to Hartford. But, no such luck. From a distance, the mall still looked like it was operating and the parking lot — in spite of the cracks and shifts in the pavement — was in use. When I got up close to the mall, however, all I saw was a ton of graffiti.

My first reaction was, “WTF? Why did anyone close this down when it’s still in decent shape?”

If Bristol were closer to Hartford and had other ways of transit to get there (aside from taking two really long bus rides that show you south Hartford, Newington, New Britain, and Plainville before stopping in Bristol), maybe more people would have gone. Both Buckland Hills and Westfarms have several bus routes going to them, which attracts people from both Hartford and New Britain who don’t have cars. Quite frankly, I’m not too fond of Westfarms because almost everything is upscale inside the mall, there is no food court, no proper bookstore inside the mall, and all of the stores worth going to are located in the strip malls following the enclosed mall.

Not ever going inside Bristol Center Mall (I didn’t move to Hartford until 2006), I don’t know if the mall had much in it (although the pizza place that moved across the street serves pretty good food), but certainly, if you can get reasonably priced clothes and books and stop at a food court, the mall must not be that bad.

By: old town girl

old town girl — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 15:03:09 +0000

I lived in forestville until 1979. My sisters and I all worked at Dorothy’s, a small womans clothing store next door to Raphield’s. It was my first job back in 1976 at which I was paid below the minimum wage. They used to have mens night a couple nights before christmas every year when only men were allowed to shop there. It was always packed that night. There was a tall mens shop next door too. Can’t remember the name of it though. The mall was always a little spooky to me. I remember it being so empty and quiet most of the time. It echoed as you walked down the corridor from shop to shop. The card shop was owned by my parent’s friends originally. I think that shop was more of an anchor than the two stores on either end. They seemed to have a steady flow of customers in and out on a regular basis. I hope they do something with the land there that would serve all of Bristol’s residents. and perhaps capture some of the original history of the town.

By: Holly Sarah

Holly Sarah — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 04:22:07 +0000

I lived in Bristol, CT from 1994 until we moved to TN in 1999. We very rarely went to the Bristol Center Mall. Mostly we would head to Westfarms, Meriden Mall, or even Holyoke Mall up in Mass. I guess we were snobs, lol! I was just a kid/teenager though..I went where my parents did!

I do remember that I won 2nd place in an art contest for the Carousel Musuem (would have been 1st if I’d had time to paint in a pole! My teacher rushed us though..) and our ceremony was at Bristol Center Mall! It was embarrassing for me as I was SHY and didn’t want to be there, but we did go to Ocean State Joblot afterwards and buy a bunch of pogs, lol!

I keep meaning to get back to Bristol to visit some friend there, but life’s keeping me busy down here in TN!!

By: Bob

Bob — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 20:32:08 +0000

Mar, The 2 story anchor store closest to the Grocery store (formally FINAST) was originally named Grand Way. My grandparents and I shopped there many times as a kid. The toys were on the 2nd floor at the top of the escalator. It was the last store standing. The crews took down what was left of it today.

By: Tim

Tim — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 16:18:17 +0000

i grew up in Bristol and was appaled when they tore down half of Main street and buried the river, The name of the anchor store which eventually became sears surplus was called Grandway. I just hope they do somethingworthwhile with the site once the mal is down

By: Henry

Henry — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 19:42:49 +0000

Mer you said “we can not remember what the name of the store that was first there where Sears was, I can remember it but can’t remember the name” It was W.T. Grant wasn’t it ?

Well did the Mayor plant the weeds there yet. or are they going to do something there?