[MetsNY]

Originally Posted by renovating

Fairfield residents have to go far for decent shopping? No, not really. Fairfield and neighboring Westport offer many upscale stores. Not to mention Milford, that has every store imaginable, is just up the street.

I guess decent shopping is in the eyes of the beholder.

I didn't mean to say Fairfield Residents didn't have any options when it comes to shopping, I'm just saying its much more conveinent if it was all in once place...

[jjbradleynyc]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Believe it or not, overall Connecticut is considered to be "under-retailed", meaning that it has less stores than other parts of the country. The problems with the malls noted in the distressed mall article is that there is significant competition in those areas and the weaker malls are failing. In Connecticut however, multiple malls were not built in major metropolitan areas. A metropolitan area like Hartford would normally have more than just two malls. Even more unusual is that New Haven only has one. Jay

That's a great point, Jay. It definitely appears to be that in Stamford. I've always told people that Stamford seems very under-retailed for a city its size. That is an excellent thing in this economy!

[jjbradleynyc]

Originally Posted by MetsNY

Stamford Town Center will only get better as the years go on. The mall is geared to the wealthy residents of the Stamford area and while I agree with someone that the mall is dying, upscale malls will still excell. As for the Trumbull Mall, I can't even walk into that place anymore, it's turning into a disgrace. The crime that occurs there, fighting, shouting, numerous thefts, etc. is sickening. There is a reason for the police sub-station there, and that is no environment I want to be around when shopping. The only thing that boggles my mind is the fact that the Trumbull area deserves a more upscale shopping center. The residents of Trumbull, Easton, Shelton, Monroe, Newtown, Fairfield have to go far to get any sort of decent shopping. There are some nice stores in the Trumbull Mall, but for the most part it does not compare. Look at the West Farms Mall in Farmington/West Hartford, you have J.Crew, Williams and Sonoma, Nordstrom's, etc. etc, even a Louis Vuitton for crying out loud. In Trumbull any decent store seems to be moving out and replaced with some cheaply retailer that changes every other month. I think the Trumbull Mall is an area where you can have a great, great retail shopping center but for some reason that has not, or is not occuring. I guess it just takes the right investors.

I don't see the Stamford Mall as "dying" in any way, really. I think the ultimate format may be dying (enclosed gigantic fortress malls), but Stamford Town Center remains strong and vibrant in its ability to attract some high-end tenants.
They could use a Restoration Hardware, Build-a-Bear, and potentially a Disney store, but overall I think they have most of the major smaller stores that locate in healthy malls around the country. With the recent addition of upscale Zara, H&M, Barnes and Noble, JCrew, Ross Jewelers, and Apple, I think Stamford is doing really well.
I think in the future, the mall could do well to "open itself up" more to the street, like they did with the outdoor plaza full of restaurants. But other than that, Stamford Town Center is in a great location with an excellent high income demographic.
With Trump and Highgrove luxury building tenants on the way over the next year, downtown will be attracting that many more ppl spending dough.
So, I hope the mall continues to be healthy.

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by JayCT

The degradation of Trumbull Shopping Park (it will always be that to me, no matter what the owners say) is due to the owners, Westfield. They operate their malls to serve the lowest common denominator of clientel. They simply want to fill space with anything and everything and do nothing to make the shopping experience exciting or interesting. It is sad because it could be and has been much nicer and upscale. I think most people now avoid the place unless they have to.

I've never liked this mall, but i wouldn't be quite as critical toward Westfield regarding how they run it. The major problem with TSP has always been that buses bring in undesirables from the adjacent city. At one time, Westfield attempted to discourage/stop bus service from GBTA. Obviously, this action was met with a huge outcry and was scrapped.

Westfield's other area mall located in Milford, doesn't have the issue of bordering an urban city like Trumbull does. So, Milford continues to expand and move further upscale every X number of years, while Trumbull descends. I know i've said previously that the "environment" within TSP was much better when the Hi-Ho/Crossroads Mall was in operation in downtown Bridgeport. Barring a new "shopping experience" opening somewhere within that city(like at Steel Point), i think you'll continue to see TSP do this slide. Westfield won't(and shouldn't) invest in TSP if they can't redirect the undesirables elsewhere.

[brasscitybluenwhite]

Originally Posted by Stratford, Ct. Resident

I've never liked this mall, but i wouldn't be quite as critical toward Westfield regarding how they run it. The major problem with TSP has always been that buses bring in undesirables from the adjacent city. At one time, Westfield attempted to discourage/stop bus service from GBTA. Obviously, this action was met with a huge outcry and was scrapped.

Westfield's other area mall located in Milford, doesn't have the issue of bordering an urban city like Trumbull does. So, Milford continues to expand and move further upscale every X number of years, while Trumbull descends. I know i've said previously that the "environment" within TSP was much better when the Hi-Ho/Crossroads Mall was in operation in downtown Bridgeport. Barring a new "shopping experience" opening somewhere within that city(like at Steel Point), i think you'll continue to see TSP do this slide. Westfield won't(and shouldn't) invest in TSP if they can't redirect the undesirables elsewhere.

If the undesirables aren't robbing people at an alarming rate and are actually buying stuff, then why redirect?

A few years ago, they were gonna try to ban children under 18 from going to the Waterbury mall if they weren't accompanied by their parents. For some reason, they cancelled the idea. (they probably realized that sales in most stores, ie the movies, would collapse if they would have done such a thing.)

By the way, isn't Milford closer to Bridgeport than Trumbull? Doesn't Milford have a more "urban" crowd than Trumbull? I remember hearing about a huge fight at the Milford Mall a while ago. I never heard of such a thing at Trumbull Mall (but then again, it is Connecticut, and the news tends to report in towns where more people will say "Oh my God!")

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by brasscitybluenwhite

By the way, isn't Milford closer to Bridgeport than Trumbull?

No, it isn't.

Originally Posted by brasscitybluenwhite

Doesn't Milford have a more "urban" crowd than Trumbull?

It's slightly more diverse than Trumbull. It also has a larger population. Irregardless, the urban "element" is coming in to Trumbull from the large city that it borders.

Originally Posted by brasscitybluenwhite

I remember hearing about a huge fight at the Milford Mall a while ago.

That was at a "juice" club owned by an infamously bad operator(Neil Riggione) of late-night clubs. Westfield gave him the heave-ho.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by brasscitybluenwhite

By the way, isn't Milford closer to Bridgeport than Trumbull?

No, Milford is further from Bridgeport than Trumbull is. The Trumbull Mall is closer to the edge of the town near Bridgeport, whereas the Milford Mall is closer to Orange. Most of the shoppers in Milford come from the Valley and New Haven areas, whereas Trumbull shoppers come from the Valley, Bridgeport and Fairfield areas.

[brasscitybluenwhite]

Thank you both from the info.

[Yankeerose00]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Believe it or not, overall Connecticut is considered to be "under-retailed", meaning that it has less stores than other parts of the country. The problems with the malls noted in the distressed mall article is that there is significant competition in those areas and the weaker malls are failing. In Connecticut however, multiple malls were not built in major metropolitan areas. A metropolitan area like Hartford would normally have more than just two malls. Even more unusual is that New Haven only has one. Jay

That is very true. I have to say I was a bit surprised at the lack of shopping areas. For me, there are plenty. I don't need a dozen malls nearby. I'm more than happy w/ West Farms mall.
But from living in Florida for so long, I got very used to have lots of retail nearby. The Tampa area is robust for malls and shopping as well as grocery stores and strip malls. Then we moved to Richmond Va and I was taken back by the lack of shopping. Connecticut has even less than Richmond. In my early 20's when I was a shopping fiend, this would have disappointed me but I don't mind it now. It was just surprising.
Is it because of our proximity to NYC? You would think with all of the money here there would be tons of shopping.

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by Yankeerose00

Is it because of our proximity to NYC? You would think with all of the money here there would be tons of shopping.

The lack of commercial properties that are large enough for malls, combined with community resistance to monstrous big-box retail are the main reasons.