| Stamford Town Center | |
| Location: | Stamford, Connecticut |
| Opening Date: | 1982 |
| Developer: | F.D. Rich Co. Taubman Centers |
| Owner: | Stamford Town Center LLC |
| Number Of Anchors: | 2 |
| Floor Area: | 761000square feet[1] |
| Publictransit: | 311, 312, 328, 333, 334, 341, 344 |
| Coordinates: | 41.0532°N -73.5362°W |
| Website: | shopstamfordtowncenter.com |
Stamford Town Center is an urban shopping mall located in Downtown Stamford, Connecticut. The 761000square feet mall is the eighth largest in Connecticut, with space for about 130 stores and restaurants. The mall's two anchors are a 250000ft2 Macy's and a Barnes and Noble. An 80000ft2 Todd English Food Hall is scheduled to open by 2024.[2]
Built by F.D. Rich Co and Taubman Centers,[3] Stamford Town Center opened in 1982 as part of an urban renewal project and had been the location of tenement structures that once lined Greyrock Place,[4] the street which is its primary address.
The mall was a significant part of Stamford's urban renewal efforts, and thus its construction was not without controversy. Upon the mall's opening, the city of Stamford reoriented nearby Bedford Street and Summer Street to be one-way, in order to make the mall more accessible via car, a move which harmed surrounding businesses.[5] An opinion piece in the New York Times lamented the destruction of once lively housing complexes which hosted lower-income residences, which was done to make way for the mall.
The mall launched with two anchors: Macy's and J.C. Penney. Saks Fifth Avenue opened its store in the mall on March 12, 1983,[6] and served as the mall's third anchor.[7] From its opening, the mall was very popular and drew shoppers and tourists from as far as the New York City boroughs and even internationally,[8] and was considered "one of the country's most successful malls" by the 1990s, despite stiff nearby competition.[7] In July 1994, it was announced the mall's J.C. Penney would move out, and would be replaced by a Filene's.
In May 2006, the southern portion of the mall, along Tresser Boulevard, was demolished and redeveloped.[9] The redevelopment of the former Filene's anchor emphasized being more pedestrian-friendly,[10] and improving the nearby better streetscape. This portion of the mall, which included Filene's, was replaced with space for six new restaurants,[9] and Connecticut's largest Barnes & Noble,[9] the latter of which opened in 2008.[5]
The initial opening of the Plaza (which included Barnes & Noble, H&M, California Pizza Kitchen, Così, Kona Grill, and P.F. Chang's) occurred on November 1, 2007. Mitchell's Fish Market opened on December 8, 2007, while the Capital Grille opened on February 25, 2008. Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que had planned to open in this new space, but pulled out of the project.[11] Plan B Burger Bar opened on August 4, 2012.[12]
On February 15, 2013, it was announced that Saks Fifth Avenue would be closing by early 2014, which left Macy’s as the only anchor left.[13]
On March 10, 2014, Mitchell’s Fish Market closed.[14]
On January 14, 2015, it was announced that Saks OFF 5TH would replace the former Saks Fifth Avenue and open by June 2015.[15]
On April 21, 2016, P.F. Chang’s closed, and was later announced that The Cheesecake Factory would replace the space. The Cheesecake Factory opened on October 18, 2016.[16] [17]
On October 12, 2016, Cosi closed their space after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September 2016.[18]
On August 10, 2017, Rascal Flatts opened in the former Mitchell’s Fish Market space.[19]
On November 17, 2017, Pieology opened in the former Cosi space.[20]
On January 12, 2018, California Pizza Kitchen closed.[21]
On September 2, 2018, Peter Chang opened in the former California Pizza Kitchen space.[22]
On April 17, 2019, Kona Grill, the last remaining original restaurant tenant at The Plaza, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and closed their location at the mall. This left the mall without any of its original restaurant tenants at The Plaza.[23]
During the course of 2019, 2020 and 2021, many stores closed, either due to companies filing for bankruptcy, the COVID-19 pandemic or relocation to the nearby SoNo Collection mall. These include Gap, LOFT, Godiva, Go!, GameStop, American Eagle Outfitters, Abercrombie & Fitch, GNC, The Cheesecake Factory, Justice, Brooks Brothers, Apple, Clarks, H&M, UNIQLO, Boost Mobile, Papyrus, Chico's, Pandora, Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma, Gymboree, Ann Taylor, J.Crew, and Armani Exchange.[24]
On October 23, 2020, Taubman sold the mall to furniture chain Safevieh.[25]
On December 9, 2021, it was announced that Saks OFF 5TH would be closing by December 18, 2021. This once again left Macy’s as the only anchor left.[26] However, Saks Off 5th later returned to Stamford in the former Lord & Taylor spot in October 2022, almost a year after closing their Stamford Town Center store.[27]
With all of these closings, multiple businesses that were apart from retail opened in many of these old spaces, in an effort to transform the mall. Some of these new tenants include a dance center in the former Ann Taylor, a fitness gym in the former Apple Store, a Fun Palace play center in the former Foot Locker, and a 30,000 square foot multi-purpose hub called The Living Room in the former UNIQLO and Gap spaces, which is set to have a lounge, cafe, gaming spaces, and a theater.[28]
On January 9, 2022, it was confirmed that an 80000ft2 Todd English Food Hall would be coming to the mall, and is scheduled to open in the former Saks OFF 5TH space by 2024.[29]
On September 8, 2022, Plan B Burger Bar was confirmed permanently closed after being closed since 2020. New York Comedy Club later opened in the space in early 2023.[30] [31]
On October 22, 2022, Terra Gaucha Brazilian Steakhouse opened in the former Cheesecake Factory space.[32]
On April 5, 2023, Pickleball America announced that they would be opening a 28-court indoor pickleball court in the old Saks Off 5th space. This would make it the largest indoor pickleball court in America, and is set to open by the end of July 2023.[33]
On April 24, 2023, Puerto Vallarta Mexican Restaurant opened in the former Kona Grill space, which made The Plaza’s restaurant area fully occupied for the first time since 2014.[34]
On June 25, 2023, Forever 21 closed its store at the mall, but owners of the mall are currently finding a tenant to replace the space.[35]
The mall's design has been criticized for not being pedestrian-friendly,[5] something that its developers sought to address in a redevelopment during the mid-2000s.[5] [10]