All the Malls of New England

Map of New England

Whenever I bring up my admittedly bizarre hobby as a shopping mall enthusiast around the uninitiated, I almost invariably bring up one point: I’ve been to every enclosed shopping mall in New England. Really. Well, okay, it’s quite possible there’s a few of these buggers hiding on me. Some of the stranger, undersized malls that the International Council of Shopping Centers ignores may still be fingering among the unconquered, but for the most part I’ve done a pretty decent job of systematically weeding these out over the years.

Modeled after Mitch Glaser‘s infamous All the Malls of Southern California project, “All the Malls of New England” seeks to do for my corner of the country what Glaser did for his and provide a comprehensive list and resource of everything that’s out there, or everything that was. Because I live in Boston and grew up in Rhode Island, I’m able to tackle New England with a depth of knowledge that I can’t normally provide to areas west of the Hudson River.

It’s important to note, however, that I didn’t regularly take pictures of these malls until relatively recently. That means that I am without good photos of many of the deceased malls on this list, and there are quite a few. I’m hoping that if I put this out onto the web, people will find it via web searches and offer to send in some pictures or information of their own for me to use. If you can help, initiate contact by either leaving a comment below or email me and I’ll give you credit or a link to your own website, if you have one. I just want to bring this material into one place for everyone to find it.

With that, here is the list of All the Malls of New England, past, present, and occasionally future, sorted by state. The links on this page will fill in as I post on each of these individual malls.

Connecticut

Maine

  • Airport Mall, Bangor
  • Aroostook Centre Mall, Presque Isle
  • Auburn Mall, Auburn
  • Bangor Mall, Bangor
  • Cooks Corner Mall, Brunswick
  • JFK Mall, Waterville
  • Lewiston Mall, Lewiston
  • Maine Coast Mall, Ellsworth
  • Maine Mall, South Portland
  • Promenade Mall, Lewiston
  • Turnpike Mall, Augusta
  • University Mall, Orono
  • Windham Mall, North Windham

Massachusetts*

New Hampshire

Rhode Island

Vermont

*A note about Massachusetts: There are a large number of additional malls in Massachusetts that I don’t count, though I ultimately may change my mind about some of these. There are at least a handful of enclosed shopping malls in the center of Boston and Cambridge that are very small and serve primarily as food courts, such as the Corner Mall, CityPlace, The Garage Mall, and the Longwood Galleria.

In addition, many of the outlying cities around the Boston area constructed downtown malls at one point or another. Some of these should count and others should not, so the list may be revised periodically for this reason.

In addition, Fall River is home to a group of old mill complexes that were converted to enclosed outlet malls in the 1970s and 1980s. Many of these are languishing or closed, and at present I’m not going to include any of them because I simply don’t want to.

96 thoughts on “All the Malls of New England”

  1. I would love to see your take on the malls where I live locally; the Cape Cod Mall, the Hanover Mall and the Independance Mall.
    The Independance Mall is my favorite; I just plain hate the other two because it has neither character nor any reason to really go there in particular.

  2. I’m working on a similar page for Michigan myself. I already have most data compiled for Michigan and Indiana.

  3. Hey, you need to add the “Acme Mall” in Hamden, CT. Now a strip center with Super Stop & Shop and AJ Wright as major tenants, the Acme Mall in the 1970’s was very similar to the Meriden Mall (now Hub). Acme Mall had a Grant City Department Store and Pegnataro’s Supermarket as main anchors, along with Consumer Value Stores, later re-named and better known now as “CVS.”

  4. A word of importance about some of Connecticut’s malls on that list,many of them are demolished/reconfigured now, so it is unfortantely impossible to go out and take pictures of them.

    Many of them may require searching through archives for pictures.

    The ones that are not around include:
    Acme Mall (strip center)
    Civic Center Mall (now Hartford 21)
    Farmington Valley Mall (now Simsbury Commons)
    Lafayette Plaza (now college campus)
    Naugatuck Valley Mall (now Naugatuck Valley Shopping Center)

    I hope you can find more information and pictures of the Farmington Valley Mall and Naugatuck Valley Mall because those were two malls I consistently shopped at with my family and both of them were short of spectacular for being single floored.

  5. Some helpful information for you:

    The Caldor Rainbow has a good section on the Norwichtown Mall along with current pictures.

    Deadmalls has some info on the Lafayette Plaza, Civic Center Mall, Charter Oak Mall, and Chapel Square.

  6. A good source for old birds eye views of now long gone malls and other retail centers is TerraServer USA.

  7. There aren’t two malls in Enfield, Connecticut; there’s but one: Enfield Square. There’s a partially interesting story behind it for those who hate the “Westfield” brand. It was originally Enfield Square, became Westfield Enfield, then they sold the mall to Vornado Realty and it was restored to Enfield Square! Actually I think Westfield left their best mark before leaving by adding Target to the somewhat dried up anchor roster here but features one of the most bizarre “rainbow arch” former G. Fox buildings in the state. The mall itself is quite dull though but an interesting one-corridor 70’s mall that hasn’t changed too much over time.

  8. It was over-ambitious of me to include since it’s long, long gone, but in fact there was a second mall in Enfield, Connecticut. The Enfield Mall was anchored by Woolco and Sage-Allen, and I BELIEVE it was of the current strip centers located along Hazard Ave., just south of the Enfield Square Mall.

  9. The old, original Enfield Mall was indeed turned into a strip center on Hazard Ave. It’s the one directly north of Brookside Plaza, if that’s what it’s still called (I’ve been living in Ohio since ’88). I can provide a little more history on the place, since my parents would frequent it for quite a few years (they were avid Woolco shoppers):

    The former Woolco anchor was first used for a weekly flea market shortly after the chain closed, then Channel Hardware took over most of the box (sealing it off from the mall in the process). The little space in between Channel and the Mall was used for a Card Gallery (that did keep the mall entrance). Sage-Allen was a seasonal-use place for several years, before Bob’s (then still Bob’s Surplus Stores) moved in; I believe they’re still there to this day. The interior stores were about what you’d expect from a dying/dead mall of the early-’80s; lots of independent, low-grade “bazaar”-type stuff. (My first experience with imported Japanese toys came at this mall circa 1985, when my parents bought me some off-brand Transformers clones at a tiny import toy store there.) There was also a pretty decent arcade and a Carvel with an exterior entrance as well as mall access. By this point it was called “Enfield Outlet Mall,” apparently as an effort to attract outlet-style businesses, but it never really took.

    I last saw Enfield Outlet Mall as such in April 1989, and the only businesses open were Channel (which was about to go belly-up), Bob’s, Card Gallery, and I think the Carvel. The interior of the mall wasn’t closed, but it was dark and eerie. When next I saw it, in 1991, it had been transformed into the strip plaza, with Bradlees (which had moved from its former location on Rt. 5/King Ave, next to Stop & Shop) in the old Woolco/Channel store.

    I remember the old Enfield Mall as having some really trippy abandoned storefronts from the ’60s or ’70s; I never saw it at full capacity, sadly (I moved to the area in ’78, when I was four, and by then it was already dying by inches). Every weekend, there’d be a flea market throughout the corridor, even spilling over into some of the vacant stores; my dad still has a socket set he bought at one of those stations.

    I hope that fills in some of the gaps in the knowledge of the original Enfield Mall… 8^)

  10. Fascinating information about another Enfield Mall. The Brookside Plaza owners just revamped the plaza in late 06/early 07 (which was last draped in some ugly rippled blue scaffold). Now, it’s vital and contemporary (although the Dunkin’ Donuts outpacel is still an oldie shingled roof one).

    I managed to snag a photo of the old 80’s sign just days before they tore the last one of the few down in Fall 06 for a cringe-worthy safe looking “boring contemporary” one. The place was suffering for a while having a bunch of anchors move across the street. The plaza was becoming dilapidated and vacant again (Barnes & Noble, who co-moved into the former Bradlees space across the way).

    I would’ve never guessed this was once an indoor mall; looks exactly like a strip mall would typically look like.

    Devin, I’d love for you to email me with background on the current Enfield Square Mall’s history. I know as much as it was originally anchored by Sage-Allen and G. Fox (which probably still resembles the ’71 design).

  11. Wait a minute, I think you’re talking about what’s now called Enfield Commons. Bob’s is still there, Bradlees vacated in 2001 for Marshall’s and Barnes & Noble. Brookside Plaza is across the street, which is where a few of the current anchors were once located. If you’re talking about Enfield Commons being the former mall (on the same side of the road as Enfield Square Mall), there’s some old parcels (a bank and a Job Lot) which still are leftover on the far edge of the plaza from ages (70’s looking) ago. I’ll get pictures soon.

    According to your claim about Bradlees having moved from from Rt. 5/King Street, appearently an ad found from what I believe is from before 1973, Bradlees has been on Hazard Ave. since (at least) before ’73 (probably in the 60s) until it went out of business. Check my Bradlees page on my website for details about the Enfield location(s)?. A reader of my site believes there could’ve been two stores in Enfield at one point although the prominent is presumed to be Hazard Avenue (and there’s proof on my page it’s been there from at least the early 70s until closure in 2001).

    My apologies for sorting this out on this topic.

  12. Yeah, that’s the one. I’d forgotten what it was called now, hence why I didn’t say anything in my post, but Enfield Commons is it.

    And I’m looking at the ad on your site that you reference… it does say Bradlees was on “Route 5 and Interstate 91,” which matches up with my memory. It was there right next door to a Stop & Shop in a pretty ugly ’70s-vintage two-store box, and stayed there for as long as I lived in the area. They moved from there to go to Hazard Ave. and anchor the just-converted Enfield Commons. IIRC, when I last saw the old Bradlees/Stop & Shop site on US 5 it had been converted into a warehouse-club style single store (I want to say Sam’s), but I can’t find any line on what it’s being used for now.

    Enfield Square… The original anchors were definitely G. Fox and Steigers. JCPenney may or may not have been an original anchor; I’m really not clear on if it was part of the original construction, though I’m almost certain that it was. My hesitation is due to a half-remembered statement I once read that won’t go away, which said JCPenney was added a few years after the mall opened. (The Target wing, of course, was a much more recent addition; originally that was just the main mall entrance.) Other tenants that I remember included Child World, a fountain-style Friendly’s, Frederick’s Jewelers (which, IIRC, had a business on or near the mall property since well before Enfield Square existed; when it closed in ’87 or thereabouts, it was around the time the interior was redone in the blue-diamond motif, I remember a big stink raised in the local media about it), Orange Julius, various small clothing stores, So Fro Fabrics, and a lunch counter-style pizzareia, L’Expo, that as I recall served some of the best pizza this side of Brooklyn. There was also a large-ish Radio Shack that had both mall and exterior access. Sears now occupies the old Steigers, while the JCPenney and G. Fox were turned into Filene’s and eventually Macy*s. (Based on recent pictures, Macy*s has at least kept the old G. Fox “rainbow arch” doorways, which is kinda cool.)

  13. My father opened the El Matador Cocktail Lounge (later changed to the “190 East”) in the old Enfield Mall, so as I kid I used to spend a lot of time there. At the time it opened, it was billed as “the first mall in New England”, but I don’t know if that was true. Some of the other original stores included Jonathan’s Eatery/Arcade, a liquor store, a really good book store, Radio Shack, Anthony’s Pizza, and Orange Julius. On the other side was a Finast grocery store and a People’s Bank.

    Re: Bradlee’s, not only was it on King St./Rt. 5 but it was on Enfield Street near Brainerd Rd. next to a Stop and Shop in the 60’s and maybe early 70’s before then.

    As for the Enfield Square, anyone remember the funky “Airport” store? Or Fanny Farmer candy, that served the best Slurpee’s in town? And you’re right… L’Expo’s was the best pizza you could buy by the slice. I think it was 55 cents at one time….

  14. Never mind… must’ve missed it on the first read-through.
    Enjoy the site very much.

  15. I had the pleasure of spending many hours in the old Enfield Mall as a child, teenager and young adult (Early 70’s – mid 80’s).

    It was strange mall; by the late 70’s there were many empty storefronts and it’s appearance was dark and a little dreary. It definately had a whole 70’s vibe.

    I spent a lot of time in the dark arcade, especially when Space Invaders came out in 1978 – I remembering standing in line to play. From there, the whole arcade just took off.

    Most of the action was on the west side of the mall next to the arcade – adjacent was the drugstore and the headshop. The headshop was on the corner next to the arcade and it sold bongs, Led Zep/Doors stuff. Across from mall was a diner and a record store. Further down was a great bookstore which seemed big at the time, but is small in comparison to today. Of course, the 190 East bar was there. I was at the bar several times during 1986 or 1987. The bar was divided into a regular bar and a juice bar. I wasn’t of age, so I was on the juice bar side playing pool while friends of age slipped drinks to us!
    Anyway, the bar was cool except when gang members started coming down from Springfield, MA to mess with us white kids. As you would accept, things got bad and it was no longer a place to hang out.

    Finally, I really enjoyed the flea markets they held on Sundays – I purchased a lot of Red Sox baseball cards and comic books.

    Overall, it was an enjoyable mall to hang out in and I’ve never seen anything like it – cool place to meet chics too!

    I would love to see some pictures of the inside of the mall back in the day!

  16. I have enjoyed reading your takes on local malls. I would love to read your takes on the dying Liberty Tree Mall that is kind of like a “strip center” now, Northshore Mall which is undergoing a big construction project, adding P.F. Changs and Cheesecake Factory, and the Massachusetts Square One Mall. A page about the Burlington (MA) Mall, South Shore Mall, and Natick Mall would also be interesting.

  17. Since there is not a page yet about the Natick Mall / Collection, I will post this here. As you may now, a JCPenney has opened at the Natick Mall a few months ago. This is weird, since all upscale stores are opening at this mall like Tiffanys, Neimans, and Nordstrom. I have heard that the JCPenney here isn’t doing that good, probably because of this and since it’s in a bad spot at the mall, not visable from Route 9.

  18. If JCPenney decides to close up shop at the Natick Mall, it would be a wise move to turn the department store building into more mall space, and perhaps put a two-story Barnes and Noble and an AMC megaplex theater on the top level, just like the Tysons Corner expansion.

  19. One small omission (it’s probably gone by now): Glastonbury Mall, it was on the main drag (I forget the name from East Hartford). I don’t think it had a major anchor. I remember small specialty stores. There was a Frank’s super market nearby.

    BTW, what became of Westfarms’ neighbor, Corbins Corner Parkade. It was a mid-1950s relic. The Stop-n-Shop was almost entirely untouched in the early 80s. Other than Sears, I don’t think any store in that center did much business, yet it a number of fairly large stores (not major mall anchor large, but large for a 50s center without a lot of stores) including D&L (out of New Britain) and Kennedy’s (out of Boston, I think).

  20. I haven’t been to Natick Mall (or the Natick Collection) in years, but it looks exciting what they are doing there. Kind of reminds me of what is going to be happening at Quakerbridge Mall in NJ with their upcoming addition of Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom,100 stores in a new wing and new JCPenney.

    It would probably be a little early to presume JCPenney would close, but JCPenney has survived and thrived in more upscale malls such as Roosevelt Field and Garden State Plaza. The GSP JCPenney is surrounded by the mall and does not even have an outside entrance. And the new Quakerbridge JCPenney will be located in the back of the mall and not have route 1 visibility…it will probably be a lot nicer than the current one which will close in January 2008.

    I’m interested in seeing and hearing more about Natick’s transformation (they are even building condos at the mall…I think Macerich will be looking closely at this to see if they are going to go through with the Tysons Corner residential expansion) and am glad that Nordstrom is now expanding into Massachusetts (Burlington, Northshore and South Shore Plaza will eventually be opening).

  21. Any information on Glastonbury Mall? Google says it never existed.

  22. “Google says it never existed”—-meaning nothing comes up? That doesn’t mean much. It was there in the 70s & 80s and had small specialty shops.

  23. Google turns up nothing at all. Do you know what replaced that mall?

  24. I have a funny feeling that the addition of upscale stores at the Northshore Mall might not do so well. Most attempts to make the mall upscale have been unsuccessful, with Lord & Taylor closing. Also, Nordstrom will already have a store at the Burlington Mall, so “richer” people around Burlington won’t be attracted to go to Northshore. The Northshore has some well off people who will be able to afford Nordstrom, but who knows how they’ll do with 2 stores 15 minutes apart.

  25. MA is way behind in terms of Nordstrom and with the openings (Braintree, Burlington, Natick, Peabody), they are catching up. Plus, the traffic in the Boston area is really bad and it would be much easier for the North Shore/978 population of MA to drive to Peabody than all the way to Burlington or Braintree. As Nordstrom has done in many malls, their opening will definitely attract the upscale stores.

  26. Dillard’s should have also showed an interest in all of the Massachusetts & NH department store openings. Do you think they would have done well with some New England stores?

  27. Dillard has not done well in their most northern market (Cleveland). They really wouldn’t fit at all in New England. Places like Atlanta are their speed.

  28. Bailey Banks & Biddle has left the Boston area all together. Their Burlington, Copley Place (Boston), and Braintree stores are gone. I noticed that a couple of weeks ago.

  29. Rich,
    The Corbins Corner is still there as is Sears. The JOes Bar & Grill and Upscale Italian eatery above it both closed near the other end of the plaza. Stores that align that mall are now; a jeweler, Office Depot, Toys R Us, Pier One, Trader Joes, D’Angelos, Best Buy and a number of others. Where Joe’s was a new Red Robin just was built and opened. IN the front corner on the Sears side an Olive Garden opened in the last year. That area is hopping.

  30. As a kid in the 1980s we went to the Harborlight Mall in Weymouth and the Dedham Mall in Dedham quite often. The Harborlight was one of my favorites..I remember the color scheme and the large skylights. And the many fountains. For some reason we stopped going there around 1988 and five years later we moved to Ohio. I was in Boston in 1999 and visited the old Harborlight to see it a dying and decaying mall. Being back to the Boston area several times since I know it finally was shuttered. Only 20% or so of business were still open..the fountains were shut off in ’99..I would love to see any old photos or info on this dead mall..as well as Dedham Mall.

  31. I’ve just stumbled upon some excellent photos of the Farmington Valley Mall scan when it first opened, logo included!

    they can be found in the thread about the mall on Ames Fan Club Forums.

    XISMERO took the pics, ask him if you can use them for an article about the mall which opened in 1972!!!!

    Hope this extra info helps.

    My eyes went wide open when I stumbled upon them.

  32. A bit of info on North Conway’s Mountain Valley Mall:

    -Middle part of the mall is completely gone now.
    -Hannaford’s is now stand-alone.
    -Remaining is a portion of the old K-Mart wing, which is now anchored by a modern, but tiny JC Penney.
    -Penneys is only accessible from outside.
    -The inside of the mall is basically like this now:
    http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/5416/80732997br8.png
    -The circle was built but the Fairway Plaza is not.
    -Panda Express is supposedly really popular and I noticed they have a “Dinner and a Movie” deal where you eat there and get $2 off a movie ticket.
    -Interior is still the same as when it was built, nasty brown.
    -The available outparcel is not built.
    -A new shopping expansion of Settler’s Green is across the street, and includes a Borders Express and other mall-like tenants. (Cold Stone ZOMG)
    -The exterior of the mall looks great (log-cabin style) with the exception of the emergency exit of the theaters =/
    -There are PO Boxes in the mall, hahaha.

  33. What about Hanover Mall in Massachusetts? This is one of my favorite malls, and a great success story!!!

  34. the head shop in the enfield mall was called crazy joyce’s it was owned by Joyce Rubenstein who has long since passed away. Yes the 190 east was in that mall also. I don’t remember the name of the arcade but it was owned by the Jarvis family out of Agawam MA
    The enfield square before it was built use to be a bowling alley. years after the mall was built there was a bar in the mall where Ruby Tuesdays is called the Brave Bull.

  35. Woolco’s was in the Enfield Mall which is where Bradlees was until they closed, I worked at Bradlees on Hazard Ave.

  36. I believe you have overlooked the Tontine Mall in Downtown Brunswick. Maine. Originally this small mall had a couple of typical mall retailers but eventually became populated by strictly local businesses. I do not know if it is there any more or not.

    Also, the Rainbow Mall in Portland, Maine, which is now the location of Andover College

  37. Anyone remember then Towers was in Enfield? First it was on rt. 5, north end then it was in the south end of rt 5 where Bradlees and stop and shop eventually located. How about the olld Railroad Salvage commercials that Ruby Vine and his daughter used to do.

  38. Dean-
    I remember “Airport” at Enfield Square in the 70s. The textured rubber floor…the brushed steel…the purple runway lights.

    It wasn’t far from the pizza joint on the corner. That pizza by the slice was the f’in best.

  39. how about caldor mall in burlington mass,i worked there 12 years small but easy in and out,loehmans.marketbasket,today its up scale plasz i dont like it

  40. Why isn’t the Garage Mall in Cambridge, MA included? It’s small, but unlike the Corner Mall, it’s not mostly a food court. I went there in 2006 and it did have a few food places, mostly notable Ben and Jerry’s and a Starbucks but it also had a lot of smaller specialty stores, too. From what I can remember, I recall a record store (maybe a Newbury Comics), an anime store, and a couple of clothing stores. It’s too small and narrow for an anchor but it is still an enclosed mall, somewhat.

  41. Caldor, have you been to the new wing at the Northshore Mall in Peabody yet? They really made the Northshore Mall look nice. Zara & H&M are 2 floors, and Forever 21 will be. With the recession, I’m pretty sure that the new wing and Nordstrom opening in April won’t do to well for the first few years. I hope these malls make it (Burlington, Natick, Peabody), as they all went upscale.

  42. Liberty Tree Mall in Danvers is doing quite bad. After the holidays, they are changing their mall hours from 10-9:30 Mon-Sat & 11-6 on Sun to 10-9 Mon-Sat and 12-6. Steve & Barrys, which they kicked out Lady Grace to open 6 MONTHS AGO, is closing. No store at that mall that opens lasts longer than 6 months. I don’t know what will happen to it and if the mall will make it thru the recession.

  43. The burlington mall is the busiest mall i’ve ever been to. I’ve been going there since I was a baby(1983), but now it is impossible to get into the parking lot on a Saturday. I went there last weekend and my mother and I kep saying “There’s a recession?” because of the volume of people in the mall, all with shopping bags. A glimmer of hope!

  44. I noticed that you didn’t include the Buckland Hill mall in CT. I believe it is in the city of Buckland Hill, but I’m not sure if that is the actually city name. It’s very nice, right off I-84.

  45. Regarding the posts about the Enfield Mall (which are now over 2 years old), to the person who’s dad owned the cocktail lounge in the mall (and I remember it saying just that on the door) I would LOVE to see some pictures if you have them. Especially of Woolco and Sage Allen. You all brought back some very vivid memories of that mall. Especially the dark tones inside. If I remember it had that dark sort of shiny tile on the floor. I forgot about the flea market that took over after Woolco went under. I miss Woolco! My mom would shop there frequently and I always bugged her to go eat at the Red Grille restaurant at the back of the store. Good eats:) Fond memories indeed.

    So again, if you have pictures I would love to see them.
    Thanks!

  46. I’m so glad others remember that weird airplane store in the Enfield Square. Wasn’t it very close – perhaps right next to – Record Town? Or next to Child World or something?

    I also remember the liquor store that was in there and the strange tobacconist on one end.

    As far as the Enfield Mall goes, I was very young when it was in the process of dying. I remember a place that did iron-on t-shirts and such, and definitely spent many an hour in Jonathan’s Eatery playing video games. I mostly miss Cine Enfield, where I saw dozens and dozens of movies as a kid. The Flea Market years were kind of sad and depressing. Dollar-store before dollar stores caught on.

    Would love to see some pics. It would send me into a good 24 hours of bizarre nostalgia, I’m sure.

  47. if this site where to do the history of shoping plaza’s the lincon plaza in worcester mass whould be a great artical

  48. @Phil,

    Hi Phil,

    No, I’m sorry I don’t think I have any pictures of Sage Allen or Woolco at Enfield Mall, but I’ll take a look in my father’s old albums just in case.

    I have many mental pictures of that mall, though. Do you remember:

    * The seedly little restraunt in Woolco’s? The auto shop there? The blue light specials?

    * That tall multicolor stained glass spinning thing in the middle of the mall?

    * The shoe department in Sage Allen, which had a trolly car with a light on the front that you sat on to try on your shoes?

    * The smell of pizza andOrange Julius combined?

    It was surely a funky place in its hayday.

  49. @Jim,

    Hi Jim,

    Yes, it was Record Town, and across from Child World. Good memory!

    There was also a cool Spencer Gifts store where I spent a lot of time looking at the psychadelic black light posters.

  50. @Jacquelyn Smith,
    There’s no city in CT with the name Buckland Hills. It’s located in Manchester, on Buckland Street, which goes up a hill at the location where the mall is located.

  51. @Brian,
    Andover College has itself moved to South Portland to a one-time furniture store.

  52. @Dean,

    Hi Dean,

    Thanks for the reply! I do indeed remember most of that! I always thought the Orange Julius was in the Square not the mall. I could be wrong it was so long ago. I definitely remember the seedy little restaurant in Woolco. The Red Grille! I can still see the red and while panels on the back wall of the store. Why can’t I remember the tall multicolor glass thing? I’ll ask my friend who good with remembering this kind of stuff.

    Yes, if by chance your Dad has some pictures I know not only me but many others on this blog would love to see them!

    Thanks again Dean!

  53. @AceJay, Mountain Valley Mall was built in 1980

  54. @Devin de Gruyl,
    You forgot Crazy Joyce’s Top Shop!
    Where else could you get bizarre T-shirts and drug paraphenalia along with a good hoot w/Joyce.
    She was there in the 70’s till 80’s and also expanded to several other states with the help of her brother Stuart , Sister Martha and Dad John along with her husband Mark and all our family.
    It wa.s a blast working in the mall

  55. @Andrew,

    Hi,
    My sister never refered to her store as a “Headshop”.
    Crazy Joyce’s Top Shop sold imprinted shirts-you know,pick a design and it was ironed on.
    Along with a variety of other offerings were TOBACCO related products(head shop stuff) that we sold under that heading to be “legal”.
    You may have purchased those B-ball cards from me as I was a vender on Sundays and I miss those
    wonderful 70’s and have great memories of the mall.

  56. I used to live in Carmel, NY back in the early days of the Danbury Fair Mall. Once I had my daughter we practically lived there by day. My dad recently asked me a question that has been driving me up the walls and I can’t find the answer anywhere online, hoping you might be abble to help me:
    “What was the restaurant called at Danbury Mall, that is now Ruby Tuesdays?”
    I can’t believe that I can’t remember it, I used to know that place like the back of my hand. Does anybody rembember it?

  57. How about some photos of the Liberty Tree Mall, Square One Mall, Northshore Mall, Burlington Mall, Middlesex Mall, South Shore Plaza, Prudential Center Mall, Copley Place, Framingham Mall, Methuen Mall, The Mall at Rockingham Park, Rockingham Mall & The Pheasant Lane Mall

  58. How about some photos of the Liberty Tree Mall, Square One Mall, Northshore Mall, Framingham Mall, Rockingham Mall, The Mall at Rockingham Park, Pheasant Lane Mall, Burlington Mall, Middlesex Mall, Methuen Mall, Soth Shore Plaza, Route 30 Mall & The Mountain Valley Mall

  59. How about some photos of The Northshore Mall, Liberty Tree Mall, Sqaure One Mall, The Mall at Rockingham Park, Rockingham Mall, Prudential Center Mall, Copley Place, Framingham Mall, Methuen Mall, Route 30 Mall, Pheasant Lane Mall, South Shore Plaza & The Mountain Valley Mall

  60. I remember the Enfield Mall on Hazard ave. Jonathans Arcade was the best and I would love to see any pictures anyone might have of the old mall. Growing up in Enfield I can remember so many days as a teen shoveling driveways on snow days and then walking to the mall and spending the remainder of the day at the arcade. Many hours of fooseball at that arcade with my brothers and friends. Great thread thanks for the memories. What was on the corner by bobs inside the mall entrance i remember it was some sort of oriental place either a laundrymat or restuarant it was the first store on the right entering the mall from inside the bobs surplus

  61. Did I miss something or is this just “enclosed malls?” Otherwise the destination (not mine) Wrentham Premium Outlets and the new Mansfield Crossing (Mall) [2006-still to be completed} ought to be listed, as well. Labelscarring already showing where the Staples was right next door to the Best Buy (not just close by; they shared a firewall!, how stupid!!!) Also the Legacy at Dedham and the Kraft’s Patriot Place @ Gillette in Foxborough MA.

    There are probably many on this site who will never be able to imagine the South Shore Plaza as a open-air mall, with a Stop & Shop, Kresege’s and a liquor store; not to mention, neither a Jordan Marsh (Macy*s) nor a Sears.

    Have a Good Friday,
    River.

  62. @Bobby,
    @Rich

    The “Glastonbury Mall” you are referring to I think is actually the Putnam Bridge Plaza in East Hartford. I have no idea what the original tenants would have been, but I frequented the stores here growing up in Glastonbury as a kid with my parents.

    The stores I remember were Zayres (anchoring one end of the plaza) which became Ames. There was a small auto store to the left of Ames. Next to Ames was TJ Maxx. Then you had Record Town (or Record Express, not sure which), a chinese restaurant, a party store, a couple of store fronts that changed somewhat regularly, a CVS (I think it was CVS and not Rite Aid), Card Gallery, and a grocery store – perhaps Franks or Finast – anchoring the other end.

    Currently, you have TJ Maxx remaining. The Zayres/Ames store was finally partially rented out to Petsmart. I believe H&R Block is in the old Record Town storefront, and there might be a dentist/doctor in the old Card Gallery storefront. The other anchor end became a Shaws. Sadly, they finally rented most of the old Ames property and are now going to be losing Shaws. Stop and Shop already has a grocery store down the street across from from Summerset Square, so it looks like Shaws will be empty for a bit.

    Card Gallery is the first store I ever remember going into during a “going out of business” sale. It, and Ames, were favorites of mine as a kid. Considering the amount of “adult humor” and oddball things they sold in Card Gallery, I’m almost surprised my mom would take me in there as much as she did. *grin*

  63. Oh, there is still a party store there – an iparty – near or next to where Record Town was.

  64. @tmbbgirl, That plaza doessn’t look like it was ever an enclosed mall.

  65. @tmbbgirl, Totally different place. Glastonbury mall had no anchors and certainly not a Zayre. It was on the main street through Glastonbury more or less N/S, not far from the junction with the main E/W drag which had a Frank’s super market.

  66. @Rich,
    @Bobby

    The only enclosed mall in Glastonbury that I can think of is Glen Lochen. Its on New London Turnpike, off of Main Street. Its still there, about a block from where Franks/Shaws/now Whole Foods is.

    Glen Lochen was never a huge destination for me growing up – I remember it having mostly specialty stores, such as jewelry stores, a travel agent, art displays, etc. I do remember going there for a few Easter Egg hunts, and there was a pond out back where we would feed ducks.

    The Great Escape and Min Ghung Asian Bistro have been there for years. The Cellar closed years ago (rumored to be due to mis-management). Unfortunate – it was one of mine and my friends favorite. Loved having a drink out on the porch on a summer night. 🙂 The Cellar is now home to A Passage to India.

    The other stores that I remember were Grandma’s Cozy Kitchen and Deuschles Fudge (which sold excellent SUGAR FREE fudge! it was eventually owned by a former softball teammate of mine). Deuschles is gone, not sure about Grandma’s. The upper floors of the mall have typically been used for offices.

    The interior is kinda funky – long wooden-lined and a sort of dark main hallway with a few funky twists and turns.

    There are some pictures here on Glen Lochen’s real estate page:

    http://www.loopnet.com/Property-Record/39-New-London-Turnpike-Glastonbury-CT-06033/U4T5Z2s8A/?LID=15955227&LinkCode=21740&PgCxtGuid=f8e2eda8-ab17-4b52-9910-a6b444772601&PgCxtFLKey=&PgCxtCurFLKey=ProfileSE&PgCxtDir=Down

  67. does anyone have any information or photos of the stamford town center. (pre 2005) thats when i moved to stamford and was curious to see what the mall was like before i saw it. thanks

  68. I was looking for old pictures of Westfarms, since I worked there for a good 8 years between 1996 and 2004. I miss the fountains, and am sad that I never got pictures of them. I found these pictures of the mall center court, both with the original fountains, and the new remodel.

    Check them out at
    http://www.mallmemories.com/pmwiki.php/Main/WestfarmsMall

    Ah, Memories. Good luck with the rest of your list, too.

  69. @Stuart Kinsman,

    I remember Stuart had a t-shirt personallyu made up for James Cotton. It said 100 percent Cotton on it. He gave it to the legendary bluesman himself where he wore the T-SHirt on Stage.

    Now who was that crazy gal (with black hair) that worked the stand at Mt. Farms Mall???

  70. @Mike, Did I forget to mention this guy who worked for Crazy Joyce’s Top Shop.Thanks Mike as I forgot about the James Cotten concert!
    Hope you did all you planned to do-Did you end up w/Elisha?
    Life is good after surviving the retail game.

    Stu

  71. @stuart kinsman, CHRISSY

  72. I’m in the same boat as you, though you’ve chartered more malls than I have. I see that you live in Boston but grew up in RI. By the end of 2011, I want to have seen every mall (and ones like the Wrentham outlets) and document it in some way, in New England plus NY(C), NJ, PA, and depending on time and money, possibly MD/DE.

    If you or anyone viewing is interested in this, contact me at mike01545 at gmail.

  73. @Devin de Gruyl, Nothing like responding to a four year old post: I believe the Stop & Shop/Bradlees on US5 became a Sam’s club for a little while. It was vacant for some time when Bernie’s moved in and used it as their New England Headquarters until they went out of business a couple years ago. Cox cable also moved their Enfield office inside the Bernies. I remember going there not so long ago when my parents who still in Enfield needed help with picking up and setting up their DVR. The store itself was dead at the time.

    Also, I remember the old Enfield Outlet Mall, but it was dying already when I was growing up in Enfield. I remember a cool record store called Music Outlet was there for a time, before moving to the Stop & Shop plaza to the south east on the other side of the Hazard Ave (which moved again last year to a location down the road, away from the malls). I also remember the flea market quite well. It was pretty much completely re-built as a strip mall and as of now I don’t think it has any empty stores. It includes Bob’s, Marshalls, Old Navy, Petco, Aldi, Office Depot and Barnes & Noble. Ocean State Job lot is in a different building in the same plaza area, and looks like it dates back to the Outlet Mall era.

  74. Does anyone know of the home decor store that was at Westfarms Mall in the late 70’s. Was it Pottery Barn or Crate & Barrel perhaps?

  75. I remember in the 70’s there was a lebanese/middle eastern restaurant at the Harborlight Mall in Weymouth, MA, I can’t find anyone who remembers the name of it! They do remember great times, music and food though!!! Any help is appreciated…it’s driving me nuts!

  76. @Matt, I believe it was Pace that moved into the former Stop & Shop/Bradlees space. I had a membership there. It was one of the first membership warehouses in the area.

  77. I have to say that for the last couple of hours i have been hooked by the amazing articles on this website. Keep up the good work.

  78. Prudential Center Mall is actually called “The Mall at Prudential Center.” And “Rockingham Mall” is called “The Mall at Rockingham Park.”

  79. @Jonathan Harriman Lhota, There is a “Rockingham Mall” however the indoor 2 story mall is in fact called “The Mall at Rockingham Park.” The Rockingham Mall was a small indoor mall(Similar but smaller to the Meadow Glen Mall)but the indoor aspect was converted into Petco and Officemax(now off broadway Shoe Warehouse). The original Papa Gino’s logo/brick entry is still visible in the storage hallway between off broadway and Papa Gino’s.

  80. I’d also like to see your take on the Independence Mall and the Hanover Mall, and also the Cape Cod Factory Outlets. The Cape Cod Factory Outlets (last time I went there was in 2009) has been pretty dead for a while and when I was there they had like three crappy shops, a sketchy Chinese food stall, and one of those Asian nail salons. Don’t forget Carter’s, which has been there like forever. The Independence Mall has also been declining and they’re in the process of expanding and renovating the Regal Cinemas to increase business. It’s a shame to see the mall I grew up going to dying like this. A lot of the stores are empty, and they’re replaced with those independently-run gift shops or Chinese dollar stores that are usually only in business for about a month or two before they peter out.

  81. I just found out the Cape Cod Factory Outlets closed in 2011 and were torn down to make way for a Market Basket supermarket and an outdoor strip mall, which opened in Spring 2012. This video (www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzFLN7tfZcY) shows the old mall about a year before it closed and provides some insight. I’ll also be happy to provide some information on the Independence Mall.

  82. The Route 30 Mall in Framingham (Channel Mall years ago) technically qualifies as having an interior space, but really functions more as a strip mall. The Cloverleaf is going that way.

    The Marshalls Malls in Framingham was small and now defunct. The Framingham mall was successful at one time, but Lechmere and Filene’s Basement demise led to it becoming a strip mall for Target.

    This website has a lot of info:
    http://www.framinghamnatickretail.com/

    You left the Mall at Whitney Field (formerly Searstown) in Leominster off the list. It is more of a strip mall but still definitely has an interior space.

  83. Oh, I see you have Whitney Field 🙂

  84. We are planning a trip to New England in a couple of months. My husband has head of a mall that is possibly in New Hampshire that you reach by ferry? Do you know the name of the mall and where it is? Thank you so much.

  85. @Tracy,

    I haven’t heard a mall in NH like that (maybe some place in downtown Portsmouth). The Cambridgeside Galleria has a boat where you can take a tour of the Charles River boarding right outside the Food Court. There are ferries on the Boston waterfront near Quincy Market (which is a really old school sort of mall). In Hyannis, there may be some small enclosed shopping near the ferry, but the big mall is a mile away.

    Dan

  86. @Dan Brady,
    Thanks for the info. I look forward to our trip.
    Tracy

  87. @stuart kinsman,

    Yes – Chrissy! She always stood out in those T-shirts. Then there was Marissa C the daughter of the jewelry store behind your t- shirt stand. Then there was weird Harvey – poor guy died in a motorcycle accident after his brother closed the Card and Party basket.

  88. @tmbbgirl, thank you for posting this. i lived in Hartford in the late 70s, used to spend lots of time walking around at Glen Lochen mall. i remembered where it was, but had forgotten the name of the place. i vividly remember the small specialty stores, several short, sort-of hidden hallways, and i think there were also some small interior bridges, and stairways, leading to even more hidden stores. and wood, everywhere! i see on the link that the building is still there, and has been renovated somewhat into offices. thanks for helping an old lady to remember this place!

  89. @SP, The Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse is Now a New Hampshire State Liquor Store, Because New Hampshire Loves Their Liquor!

  90. Can you do an article on the Independence Mall (Now called Kingston Collection) in Kingston, Massachusetts. That malls been losing stores the last couple of years.

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