Comments on: The Shoppes at Buckland Hills; Manchester, Connecticut

By: A5634

A5634 — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 03:51:58 +0000

@cabee, I agree – this mall is unpleasant for anyone over 18. It’s gone downhill a lot since it opened, at least in my estimation. For me it’s not only the age group necessarily, but the perception that I always have to keep watch over my shoulder and be aware of my surroundings. No mall should give that impression. It drives the people with the money away. Like me. There is no comparison with WESTFARMS. Once WESTFARMS got rid of all the movie theatres and replaced the stores and food court with more upscale offerings, the clientele changed and the mall came back.

By: cabee

cabee — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 08:11:33 +0000

This mall has always been a failure because it attracts a young crowd. High school students dont spend money. They just walk around, make a mess and annoy people. When I was in highschool I used to hang out at this mall. Westfarms is the best mall in CT. Has the best JcPennys and it has some great restaurants with no food court to attract the youth.

By: John

John — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 01:43:37 +0000

I went to the Buckland mall when It opened. The anchor stores were G.Fox, Sears, Steigers , Sage Allen, and D& L. Jc penney was added later.
Dicks is whre Sage Allen use to be.

By: krash1980

krash1980 — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:33:35 +0000

Is that PC Gaming Arena still open?

By: Martha Rowe

Martha Rowe — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 03:54:18 +0000

When the mall opened, what is now Dick’s was occupied by Sage Allen, not Steigers. They did a remodel of the space, but the escalators inside were original to the Sage Allen store that opened with the mall.

By: Jonah Norason

Jonah Norason — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:28:23 +0000

Was the mall really “The Pavilion at Buckland Hills” or simply Buckland Hills Mall?

Also, can someone answer my previous comment about the old food court vendors?

By: Mike

Mike — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 16:03:56 +0000

I take back what I said in February:

Restaurants and stores at The Shoppes continue to close faster than they’re being replaced. Blue Turtle closed after less than a year, the comedy club draws little traffic, and the opening of Blue Back Square combined with expansion of Evergreen Walk seem to have doomed the mall’s chances of attracting high-end retailers. Meanwhile, the recession is drawing mall customers to the newer big boxes and discount malls nearby.

The mall’s list of promised new tenants is not very impressive, compared to what has been lost. Here are the new ones:

# Bertucci’s Italian Restaurant-Coming Soon
# 90’s Nails & Spa
# Charley’s Steakery
# Coach
# Delia’s
# Forever 21
# Funny Bone Comedy Club & Restaurant
# Sunsights by Solstice (sunglass boutique)
# Wet Seal
# Panera Bread

In its favor, the mall — with its spacious corridors and food court — still draws a crowd (especially in winter) that more likely to hang out for several hours. Evergreen Walk is a sterile outdoor location that is very unwelcoming as a gathering place in any season — people shop, eat and leave. Blue Back Square, which is an artificial downtown of retail/office midrise buildings with few indoor connections among stores, is no better for gatherings in wintertime.

But The Shoppes must find a way to convince locals that it is a worthy destination, one with impressive on-site stores, food and entertainment. It should have lured the Hartford area’s first P.F. Chang, but Westfarms is getting it instead. It should have lured Crate & Barrel and The Cheesecake Factory, but Blue Back Square got them. Chico’s and L.L. Bean and Ted’s Montana Grill? Evergreen Walk got them.

Without the lure of destination stores, The Shoppes has become too non-descript compared to its numerous neighbors which are more conveniently located. I go there for its Newbury Comics and Dick’s, but not much else.

By: javabec

javabec — Sat, 31 May 2008 13:37:48 +0000

I just found out recently that the Buckland Mall does NOT like people taking pictures there. I fully expected then not to alow photography infoors, so I went there to take pictures of the area outside and of the sunset. A security guy showed up and basically told me to leave since I was taking pictures. He said you aren’t allowed to take pictures there anywhere on the property – period. When I asked why I couldnt take them, he muttered something about ‘liability’. What kind of liability is involved, I don’t know. But anyway. I am surprised to see YOU have so many pictures, including ones insidei the mall. Perhaps I got the cranky security guys that day!

By: mallguy

mallguy — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 23:29:21 +0000

I would also add in Park City in Lancaster (the center court where they at one time had a very large fountain) and Poughkeepsie Galleria in Dutchess County, NY (on each wing going from center court)…haven’t been to either in a very long time, so I don’t know if they’ve been replaced.

By: Jonah Norason

Jonah Norason — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 22:33:52 +0000

What three malls have you seen with the canvas roofing? The ones I can think of include Crossroads Mall (Nebraska) and The Mall at 163rd Street.

Also, what do you mean by older food court vendors?