[Csiko]

There is a Burlington Coat Factory on the Wallingford/Meriden line on Rt 5. I highly recommend it.

Also, the Meriden mall is not sketchy, lol @ whoever said that. It is, however, very small compared to even Milford now. Milford is much bigger than it used to be. West Farms is very nice but there aren't very many stores that are different than Milford now.

Also, if you're making the trip up to West Farms, you might wanna try Evergreen Walk. Nice shops there. It's like an outdoor mall kind of.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by krdpm

You've gotten great mall info on the area. Not a mall, but just thought I'd mention that it seems at least 75% of the kids at my daughter's school have some type of Land's End coat. (Also backpacks.) You can get great deals right now and might be a good idea to get her through the rest of the winter. Sears in the Milford mall has a Land's End store but limited selection...you can head there to double check for size and maybe style and then order exactly what you want online. Or just order.

Dick's at the Milford mall is another option.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by chelseagiel69

Ive always wondered and scratched my head as to why in the world downtown new haven does not have some kind of mall?? I guess it could have something to do with wanting people to support independent boutiques, however the average person is not going to be buying much in there wayy too steep

Downtown New Haven did have a mall for years. It failed. Part of a lot of failed New Haven urban renewal policies to make the city more like suburbia with malls, parking lots, and freeways.

Downtown is too dense to have a mall, it would be a mess with traffic.

The proposed mall SCR is referring to is where Ikea is now. I don't know if that really would've benefitted New Haven's improvements downtown as it would've sucked all the retail activity out of the city. I think Ikea was definitely more beneficial for the city.

[clutchrider]

Funny Land's End was mentioned because that is what we had growing up. LE backpack each year and our coats and boots which lasted forever. I actually have a slip on pair of boots for getting to work from them.

I should not though that aside from malls Route 5 in Wallingford right up to the Meriden line has pretty much everything you need. Consider it like a Route 1 Post Road in Milford/Orange but without such bad traffic. It gets a little slow sometimes but your not sitting for any long period of time to get moving.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by clutchrider

I should not though that aside from malls Route 5 in Wallingford right up to the Meriden line has pretty much everything you need. Consider it like a Route 1 Post Road in Milford/Orange but without such bad traffic. It gets a little slow sometimes but your not sitting for any long period of time to get moving.

Whenever I drive that road I'm surprised anything survives on it with the low traffic. I mean, it's good to not have to deal with traffic - but it never seems super busy.

[NewJeffCT]

Originally Posted by pulpfiction

It doesn't get more 'sheepish' than purchasing a North Face coat

I'd go with either Eddie Bauer or LL Bean. Both can be found at Evergreen Walk in South Windsor...an easy 35 minute drive for the OP. Both have superb quality stuff, and you just can't beat LL Bean's lifetime guarantee. It's a bit pricey ($150-200 for a good coat), but seems like a great deal considering how long it will last.

Yes, if you make it up to the Buckland Hills mall in Manchester, Evergreen Walk is right down the road in South Windsor. It's a very busy retail area (the busiest in CT?) - in addition to the indoor and outdoor malls, you'll find just about every big box store around there - Target, Best Buy, Home Depot, Lowe's, Wal-Mart, etc - as well as most of the better known chain restaurants.

[clutchrider]

Originally Posted by Stylo

Whenever I drive that road I'm surprised anything survives on it with the low traffic. I mean, it's good to not have to deal with traffic - but it never seems super busy.

Probably because you can take backroads to get pretty much anywhere around there. There are a lot of side routes that can drop you literally a block away from the store you need so your not spending all that time sitting at lights.

The only major connection is the parkway and 68, and 68 is an over/under pass setup so you aren't sitting at a light on 5/68 unless you want to get onto one or the other. Still no complaints from me and the stores seems to be busy. If you look at Orange/Milford there is several exits on 95 along Route 1 and the shear number of stores along that area is gotta be at least double what is on 5.

[sesasheep]

Originally Posted by Stylo

Agree. Though it would be cool to see urban locations in CT. I could see them in Stamford, New Haven, and West Hartford.

Do you work for UNIQLO or something Just saw that they announced they'll be opening in the Stamford mall.
UNIQLO Announces The Opening of Five New Stores For Spring/Summer 2014 | UNIQLO

[cdhpotter]

Milford Mall has come a long way in the last 10 or so years. It's easy access and low traffic so I don't mind going there. I avoid Westfarms as much as I can. It's gone downhill in the last 10 years or so.

I don't find Meriden Mall sketchy, but I haven't been there in a few years.

I would definitely start with Kohl's or Burlington before venturing out to the mall though.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by sesasheep

Do you work for UNIQLO or something Just saw that they announced they'll be opening in the Stamford mall.
UNIQLO Announces The Opening of Five New Stores For Spring/Summer 2014 | UNIQLO

Heh, nope. When I said urban, I meant outdoors.