Crystal Mall (Waterford, Connecticut)

Crystal Mall is an enclosed, two-level regional mall in Waterford, Connecticut. It is situated in a central retail area off the Hartford Turnpike (Route 85), across from a smaller, open-air shopping center, Waterford Commons. The mall covers a gross leaseable area of 782,786 sq ft (72,723 m2), making it Connecticut's ninth largest mall, boasting 110 shops.[3] Its primary trade area includes a trade population of 296,161 people, mostly serving the nearby towns of Waterford, Stonington, Norwich, Groton and New London.[4] It is currently anchored by the traditional chains Christmas Tree Shops and JCPenney while featuring traditional stores including but not limited to Bath and Body Works, Forever 21, Men's Warehouse, Rue 21, Talbot's, and Victoria's Secret.

Crystal Mall
The entrance for the Crystal Mall, 2017
LocationWaterford, Connecticut, United States
Address850 Hartford Turnpike
Opening dateSeptember 30, 1984 (September 30, 1984)
DeveloperNew England Development
ManagementSpinoso Real Estate Group[1]
No. of stores and services103[2]
No. of anchor tenants5 (2 open, 3 vacant)
Total retail floor area782,786 sq ft (72,723 m2)[2]
No. of floors2
Websitehttps://www.crystalmall.com/

History
The original Sears anchor store at the mall.

The mall was developed in 1984 by New England Development. When it opened, it was the only regional mall in the area, and many smaller shopping centers faced strong competition. Some, like nearby New London Mall, were eventually forced to change strategies, such as becoming a "lifestyle center". The original anchors were Sears, JCPenney, Filene's, and Jordan Marsh. Jordan Marsh became Macy's in 1996.

After about 10 years in operation, Crystal Mall's look was becoming outdated, and management realized it needed to be renewed. In 1997, the mall underwent a renovation to upgrade its interior design. The previous dark color scheme was replaced by a brighter white, the food court was remodeled, and lighting as well as other fixtures were improved. The elegant center chandelier was slated to be removed during the renovations, but the fixture was popular with shoppers, so it was shined and has remained. The mall has still been criticized for its aging exterior look, and for not updating its tenants to keep up with the times.[5][6]

In 2006, one of the mall's longstanding anchors Filene's closed its store, as this was one of a number of New England Malls that had both a Macy's and Filene's. After the May Co Department Store Company was purchased by Federated Department Stores (now renamed Macy's, Inc.) duplicate stores were closed at many New England malls. In 2007, it was announced that two anchors would backfill the original Filene's Christmas Tree Shops and Bed Bath & Beyond.[7] Both retailers opened a few months later in early 2008, with Christmas Tree Shops on the first level, and Bed Bath & Beyond on the second level.[8]

On October 15, 2018, It was announced Sears would shutter as part of an ongoing plan to phase out of brick-and-mortar. The store closed on January 6, 2019. Several prospective tenants have been in discussion.[9]

On January 6, 2021, Macy's, which maintains additional larger outposts, announced as part of a strategy to focus on their highest achieving locations that they would be leaving the center.[10] The store closed on March 21, 2021. On November 1, 2021, it was reported that the original Macy's location had been sold to a development firm.[11]

On September 15, 2022, it was announced that Bed Bath & Beyond would close their Crystal Mall location as part of their plan to close 56 of their stores.[12] The store closed permanently on January 9, 2023.

On February 2, 2023, a fire broke out in one of the kitchens located in the food court, causing the mall to be closed temporarily. No one was injured during the incident.[13]

List of anchor stores
NameNo. of FloorsYear OpenedYear ClosedNotes
Macy's219962021Replaced Jordan Marsh.
JCPenney21984Open
Bed Bath & Beyond120082023Replaced the second floor of Filene's.
Christmas Tree Shops12008OpenReplaced the first floor of Filene's.
Sears219842019
Jordan Marsh219841996
Filene's219842006

References
  1. "Crystal Mall - Waterford, CT". Spinoso Real Estate Group. Retrieved 2021-11-06.
  2. "Crystal Mall". Simon Property Group. Retrieved 2011-02-23.
  3. Emil Pocock (February 23, 2009). "Largest Connecticut Shopping Centers". Shopping Center Studies. Eastern Connecticut State University. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved February 24, 2011.
  4. "Crystal Mall" (PDF). Simon Property Group. 2010-05-03. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-06-28. Retrieved 2011-02-23.
  5. "Crystal Mall; Waterford, Connecticut". The Caldor Rainbow. January 26, 2007.
  6. "SHOPPING MALLS - RETAIL" (PDF). TMP Consulting Engineering, Inc. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-17. Retrieved 2011-02-24.
  7. Corey Sipe (November 11, 2007). "Crystal Mall in Waterford, Connecticut, to Have Non-Traditional Anchors". Associated Press.
  8. Corey Sipe (February 29, 2008). "Crystal Mall in Waterford, Connecticut". Associated Press.
  9. Bomey, Nathan; Tyko, Kelly. "Sears store closing list: 142 more Sears, Kmart locations closing in Chapter 11 bankruptcy". USA TODAY.
  10. Thomas, Lauren; Rattner, Nate (2021-01-06). "Macy's is closing dozens of stores this year. Here's the full list". CNBC. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
  11. https://www.theday.com/local-news/20211101/macys-at-crystal-mall-has-been-sold/
  12. https://patch.com/connecticut/waterford/bed-bath-beyond-close-waterford-location
  13. "Firefighters battle fire at Crystal Mall in Waterford". NBC Connecticut. February 2, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2023.

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