Christmas at a Dead Mall: Stamford Town Center, Stamford, Connecticut.
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- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2024
- Join me as I take a look at the Stamford Town Center mall in Stamford, Connecticut.
This mall went from being one of the most successful malls in the US and being featured in a major motion picture to being one of Connecticut's top dead malls.
This video was filmed in November 2022 on a Tuesday around 2:00pm.
If you liked this video, please give me a thumbs up, leave a comment and subscribe to my channel! Thanks!
Source of information:
en.wikipedia.o...
#deadmall #deadmalls #mall #connecticut #stamfordct #shoppingmall #shoppingmalls #retail
Apple, Zara, H&M, Saks 5th and countless other stores are all gone. This Mall has truly fallen from glory.
I believe all or most went to Sono collection. I just heard this is going to be housing for Uconn campus.
I grew up in Stamford. Seeing the mall now is quite the stark contrast from what I grew up with. My barber shop used to be in the mall. I didn't know it closed down until you walked by where it used to be.
One of my first jobs was at one of the clothing retailers in this mall. Lots of memories of this mall.
Thanks for showing.
My brother goes to that barber shop still but I think they just moved to a different floor or part of the mall
They just moved
I live down the road in White Plains. The two cities are great.
The "vertical" nature, was to add parking. Levels 4&5 are for shopping, Level 7 is mostly food. Level 2+3 are parking and mixed use for offices, stores and services. The rest of the levels are solely parking. The fountain had a geyser jet that would shoot to Level 7. Level 7 was not a food court when it opened, it had sit down restaurants only. It was a "5th Avenue Mall" theme. But over the years, other retail destinations diluted the market (The Westchester, and 'open malls' in Greenwich and Westport), then came SoNo Collection as the new shiny mall in Norwalk that attracted several mall standard stores that chose Norwalk and a fresh start, over trying to both or stay in Stamford.
This is so sad. On the weekends, this mall used to be packed full of people, but now, there is way less people… almost to the extent as what’s seen in this video. There used to be so many good stores here too. This mall is also absolutely beautiful - I love the architecture. If they decide to knock this structure down, I’d actually be really sad.
i grew up in stamford from 1964/1998 the mall was a bad idea from the start and it was defined structurally to allow an apartment building on top but it never happened and there is a car parking lower level that had to be closed due to flooding its build over what was once a canal also the fountain use to shoot water all the way up every 15 min it was cool
I remember that fountain doing that, I'd throw pennies in there and make wishes as a kid
Growing up in Norwalk…I used to take the train to Stamford and walk to this mall with my friends. Now I go to Trumbull Mall which is top tier also sometimes SoNo Collection. Lol I remember the land SoNo collection was built on, had Getty gas station with a Dunkin Donuts inside and some old houses.
Wow. I needed that!! Talk about memories and going down memory lane. As a Stamford High Graduate in 1984 this mall was at its epitome of life. We saw the years it took to build wiping out many blocks of downtown and then enjoying the mall and all the stores. It was the place meet and hang out. Lots of friends worked there and parking deck was around and around and around. It's sad to see it so empty especially near Christmas but it's a sign of the times. Soon to be destroyed I am sure of probably to build a apartments with rent at 4000.00. Love it or Hate it Stamford will always be my hometown.
I’m currently a resident of Stamford and imo the Barnes and nobles seems to be keeping the mall at lest somewhat “busy”. Again, as someone who grew up in the area it’s depressing to see the mall in its current state. I hope the city Has a plan to get the most out of the land going forward.
As someone who grew up in Stamford in the '80s and '90s, it's sad to see what's happened to the Mall. Still, even in its heyday, it was never very crowded on weekday afternoons. I bet that you'd see far more people if you went on a weekend.
Nope :(
No you wouldn't. Brick and mortar stores with the exception of high end and niche boutiques aren't doing well overall with the advent of online shopping. The malls near highly populated cities are still profitable when they have amusement attractions and upscale food courts. The suburban mall will soon be a thing of the past.
I was yesterday at the Stamford moll and I saw many, many people even opened a new food business called " Picante " on the first level, in front of the bookstore which is also in the Norwalk moll There was a winter concert where my son from SHS participated... full of people participating in this show
I think this moll is resurrecting ..
I love this moll and I have very nice memories and I still have it, the restaurant area was full…
Nope. I lived in Stamford in 2016-17 and it was empty on weekends too. The SoNo Collection in Norwalk is more popular in any case.
ah man the memories that are coming back as i watch this. we used to go to this mall every saturday back in the early and mid 2000's. i can still remember the distinctive smell it had that i can only describe as a mix of the old barber shops and the pretzel stand on the lower level. thank you for allowing me to relive a huge part of my childhood for a moment
My childhood mall. ❤ I wish they would revive it.
'Scenes From a Mall' was filmed in both our mall and Beverly Center in L.A. since they were both built by the same architect and were almost identical in design, with filming split into both locations. I was working retail in STC at the time, and one of my coworkers had a small part in the film, and I knew a lot of folks that got paid to park their fancy cars in the Stamford mall parking lots to make it look like the story was taking place in L.A. We spent a lot of time with the crew and had a blast.
👍 *ThanKs foR shaRinG those tidbiTs I aLWaYs enJoYeD thaT paRTiCuLaR movie.!* 🎥
Stamford mall was the best!! Also, when you got tired of shopping , you could go ice skating and eat at The Ground Round.
If you remember the ground round and the ice skating rink,you're definitely from stamford
My gosh, I loved that restaurant..I had many birthdays there..I loved watching everyone skate when eating.
It’s sad to see the Stamford mall now. It was so beautiful and Most stores are closed. I used to love this place. Yes, you are right it’s a dead mall. Sad to say, sad to see.
I agree. Thanks for watching!
Greenwich resident here (super close to Stamford). I used to go to STC all the time growning up. The SoNo Collection in Norwalk took a bunch of its stores, and The Westchester mall also took over its business. It’s sad because the STC used to be MOBBED with people on any given day (just a few years back), has a movie theater right next to it (where the “offices” he mentioned were, connected by the hallway he was walking through), and it’s really conveniently located for any one in the Greenwich/Stamford/nearby areas (Greenwich doesn’t have a mall, so STC was our go to). Also, the escalator design is actually really cool looking (unique architectural design that stands out).
I agree that the escalator design is really cool. I can imagine people with fear of heights having issues with this mall though. Thanks for watching.
You guys didn’t go to White Plains and the Galleria?
Grew up in New Canaan, and it was either STC or Trumbull mall for me.
Not sure what you mean by "just a few years back". I lived in the Stamford area in 2016-17 and this mall was always empty.
Born and raised in Stamford. I grew up in this mask, it used to be popping. To see it now is sad, stores can't stay open because the rent is so expensive
We came to stamford the Philippines back in 2011, and I tell you from the first time we stepped inside this mall to what it is today is a day and night difference. Most of the shops are gone and forgotten, it used to be our weekends getaways before even on regular days you can just hang out there to pass time and you won’t be bored. Now it’s just an eyesore. So sad to see this mall fall apart.
And I filmed this during the Thanksgiving / Christmas holiday season, which should have made it the busiest time of the year. It's probably even deader right now. Thanks for watching!
They did a nice job with the Christmas decorations though!
Thanks for doing this one. Brought back a lot of memories. You are correct on the locations of JC Penney and Sacks. Macys appears to be the only store remaining from 1982.
Some stores that were in this mall when it opened...... FAO Schwartz (was near the fountain), A&W Root Beer (Food Court), Hermans World of Sports, Waldenbooks, DoubleDay Books, Sharper Image, Brookstone, Sam Goodys, KB Toys, The Computer Network (this was a local store that didn't make it very long), Mrs. Fields Cookies, Swatch. The Footlocker may also be one of the original stores, but in a different location.
I'm glad you liked it. Sometimes it's hard to verify where old stores were located, but I'm glad I got it correct. Thanks for watching!
Sounds about right. Waldenbooks, Sharper Image, Brookstone, Sam Goody's, and KB were pretty much everywhere up in my area (northern CT) during the 80's and 90's. Great memories!
So many wonderful memories of this mall. this breaks my heart to see it so empty.
I grew up in Norwalk Connecticut this was my favorite mall. So sad.
23:28 this is because this mall and Westfarms used to be owned by the same company, Taubman. They sold this mall while keeping Westfarms, though
I remember when it opened, it was awesome! The fountain used to shoot up to the top floor. Sadly, it looks so sad now compared to the 80’s and 90’s.
So many empty stores. I’m from Stamford it sucks seeing how much it has declined.
I have been to this mall - it is huge! Like most malls it has become less busy - but I think a Tuesday afternoon might have to be a very slow time for a mall in general? The weekends it does pick up a little bit - not the way it probably was back in the day, but busier than a Tuesday! Thank you for the video tour!
I wouldn’t call this mall “dead”. The Christmas decorations are gorgeous.
When the majority of stores are closed and there's not a lot of customers on what would be a busy day, it's dead.
Agreed!
Thanks so much for showing this mall! In some ways it reminds me of the old downtown department stores with the multiple floors, up and up. I can understand why Woody Allen would want to set the film in this mall - a great film set without having to build anything. It’s full of architectural interest or texture - whether it appeals or not. And the materials are expensive and pretty gorgeous. As are the Xmas decorations. The free floating escalators harken back to modernism and even the 18th century and free floating staircases - seeming to be without support. Frankly, I love it. I loathe malls and would always shop anywhere else if I could because they were so uninspired. A big box before big box stores. But I think this one’s pretty sweet. Honeycomb ceiling. Marble, granite. Beautiful stone flooring. I hate to see this one go.
Yea the mall is dead at 2pm on a Tuesday afternoon as most malls are but this mall is quite busy during the weekends especially during holiday season. I live about 10 min walk away - outdated yes but definitely would not call this a dead mall
When I was a kid me and my cousin found a helium balloon somewhere in the mall and we took it and then weighted it so it would fall slowly. We let it go at the very top level then raced down the stairs faster than it fell, and it went all the way to the bottom where you went to see the water fountain and we caught it and people applauded us for catching it lol.
7:29 you are correct. Barnes and Noble and the former H&M (above B&N on Floor 5) were constructed with the new plaza on the Street level around 2006-2008
From 1991 to 2001 I worked in an office in the Landmark Square complex, and the mall was a short distance across a courtyard or you could cut across the parking lot, so I used to go there pretty often back then at lunchtime to run errands or grab a bite to eat. There are hardly any stores left from that time - Aeropostale, Macy’s, Victoria’s Secret, and Banana Republic are the only ones I recognized. I know this was during the week in the middle of the day, but considering it was the end of November, that mall would have been pretty busy with Christmas shoppers back in the day. And so many vacant storefronts! Sad to see…
If you kept going down that hallway, you would’ve come across the movie theater there. It was recently renovated and it’s a popular theater now.
I still love our mall in the city but there are rumors all of the stores are being closed down due to it being purchased by the state institution, University of CT.
In my opinion malls were very practical and I always enjoyed shopping in them. They protected you from the weather and the food courts always had a nice selection of foods. Sorry to see them Go. But why ? Why don't people go to malls any more ? It really is very sad.
They’d rather shop online. That’s the real cause of store deaths.
@@jenniferwagner6478 you are correct unfortunately.
I think it all got too expensive too ...and the novelty of it wore off...lunch at a mall now for 4 people will be 50$ it's not worth it
As someone that grew up here and in this mall, sucks to see it so dead and empty. All of the good stores are leaving or already gone. Hopefully it is revived one day soon.
It's what happens when politicians destroy the working class
@@faranger Amazon killed the malls and all the brick and mortar "anchor" stores. Don't try and tell me you don't buy online.
UCONN Stamford planning to level it then redevelop. Hence the reason so many vacancies. Only low end stragglers hanging on.
Too many key stores have left. To name a few. Apple, Wlliams and Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Ann Taylor, Loft, Brooks Brothers. I don't understand how Barnes & Noble stays open. The space is huge. Not sure how they can move enough product to justify that.
I would assume that B&N only remains because they are one of the only remaining book stores. I can't really think of any others. But still, I also wonder how they sell enough to stay open. Thanks for watching!
Someone should convert it to a medical office center. All concentrated in one place with loads of parking.
as a current resident in stamford as of the recording of this video, this mall is definitely classified as “dead” to us. it was a very popular hang out but after the lockdown of 2020, it’s spirit died down after the closing of the favorite stores. if you walk further into the office part it turns into one of the most popular movie theatres we have so that’s one of the things that keeps it alive. thanks for touring around our local mall!
It's been dead for years. I lived nearby in 2016-17 and the place was always empty. It has little to do with lockdowns in 2020.
I think this mall is still beautiful and very festive. It must have been amazing in its heydays. I loved the video. Thank you and I’m from Chicago south suburbs.
Glad you liked it! Thanks for watching!
Oh and that fountain like once an hour would squirt all the way up like 4-5 floors, at least it did in the 80s/90s.
Ah, the Stamford Town Center. Memories. Not that dead but definitely on the decline.
It's nowhere near as dead as the Enfield Square Mall, which is without a doubt the deadest mall in CT. However, it's nowhere near as thriving as Westfarms Mall or a lot of others. Thanks for watching!
I remember when tons of people came to this mall and now it’s just dead it’s so sad to cause this mall used to be full of open stores
The passageway @ Macy's into the Landmark office towers lead to the movie theaters which are are still there. The US Social Security Stamford office is in Landmark Tower 2. Your guess as to where SFA was is correct. Starbucks, Game Stop and Williams Sonoma were located in that wing. A NEW tennant on the 2nd floor of the Macy's wing is Digital Habitat selling higher end audio visual electronics along with some vinyl. A far cry from it's heyday. My kids have pictures with Santa there and have performed Christmas Carols in the pit area.
I worked at a record & book store in the Ridgeway Shopping Center down the street from the STC when I was in college in the late 80’s. I used to go to the A&W Root Beer/Burger, and years later the Arby’s. The mall had everything you could want. It was a cool place with glass elevators everywhere, and that awesome central ‘pit’ sitting area with the high-shooting fountain. Memories…Rest in Power PatSab! 🙏🏼✌️❤️
I remember A&W root beer floats!!
@scottkronenberg Did you work at Coconuts? I remember that. I lived mostly in Stamford until 1995. Ridgeway was one of my favorite places to go to, back when Coconuts used to be Sol's toystore and Staples was a thiving Forty Boutiques. There were Waldenbooks/Borders, and the old Singer sewing shop. Gingham Dog and Calico Cat, and The Hot Bagel. Grand Central (?) supermarket that got turned into that clothing store with that name in cursive that was too difficult to read. Baskin Robbins. Red Wing Shoes. The Syhe Shoppe. The Hallmark-like store. The movie theatre. Syl-May's pharmacy and Pier 1 Imports across the street. The comic book shop. Back when First National/ Finast (which is a Homegoods now??) with the Radio Shack existed in Bull's Head, with the Sitting Room Restaurant with the middle of the parking lot with the rocking chair weathervane.
I live about 7 minutes away from Stamford Mall. Sad to see it like this.
I wish they revitalize it asap.
I remember when it was packed and filled with all the best stores.
I got my first job here back in the 80's. This mall use to be such a huge deal. That center section was called THE BLUE SECTION. Everyone would literally meet there on the weekends. That empty spot was definitely the location of saks. I'm so shocked at all of the stores closed. Definitely has become a DEAD MALL. Glad to see Banana Republic still present. On that first level there was a huge croissant bakery it was theeeee BEST!!!
Security has always been present especially after someone killed themselves jumping off the top floor.
I was born in stamford ct and truely loved this mall, going almost every weekend in the 80's.....i moved in 94 but moved back in 2002 and in 2002 this mall was PACKED!!! during christmas time forget about it.
Malls were fun in bad weather and at night when you just wanted to go out and look around, do a little shopping. But now you have criminals robbing, assaulting, and sometimes even shooting..., so most malls aren’t even safe to visit anymore. Plus, everyone is moving toward online buying to shop for deals. I remember this Mall when I lived in CT, also the Trumbull Mall.
Sounds about right. Thanks for watching.
Grew up going here in the 80's. Had to run in there for the first time in may many years to pick up something and I was speechless.
As a resident of Stamford I'd say not dead but on life support. Two businesses will leave and a new one will setup shop only to leave 7 months later.
I remember visiting the mall with my grandparents when I was younger. I had so many fond memories of it. Pretty sad that its a dead mall now.
It's so sad to see this I don't know maybe I'm just getting old but being a kid in the '80s and an adult in the 90s always the place to go
We may be the last generation that has nostalgic feelings about indoor malls. I don't think kids these days really go to malls, at least not like they did back in the 80's and 90's. Thanks for watching!
Kids after our generation will never understand how enjoyable life was without the technology. We valued friendships, going places, listening to music, talking together, laughing, exploring, being creative…
Wow, what a beautiful building!.....That's one of the loveliest malls i've ever seen!.....It's definitely a "dead mall", though.....You can see almost nobody in the hallways or shopping at the stores!😮
Actually, the movie Scenes From a Mall filmed mostly on a soundstage in Astoria Studios on a set made to replicate the mall. I was an extra in it. This mall and The Beverly Center in Beverly Hills were practically identical. What they used here was the parking garage and maybe the escalators. They did it in the East because Woody Allen didn't want to go to LA for nine weeks.
Interesting. I'm fairly certain that at least the parking garage and escalators were from this mall. The shots in the area of the "pit" also seem to me like they were shot there, but I could be wrong.
That fountain used to be a geyser--it would shoot water up as high as the tallest floor. I have no idea when or why they stopped doing it but it was always fun to see. Once upon a time you could afford to actually shop in that mall in stores that weren't all cookie cutter mall stores and you could even eat at a real restaurant in there--like Chi Chi's!
Really? That would be impressive!
There's also a movie theater at the end of the hallway near Macy's. It was a Crown, then Bowtie, and now AMC. It's...fine. No real food selection, but the individual theaters are ok.
So many childhood memories in that mall as a kid in the 90's.
17:23 this is the 7th floor. There is no 6th or 8th floor for the mall levels. This level used to have actual restaurants but they converted it into an actual food court sometime in the 90-00s. The 2 elevators on the left and right sides of the food courts used to only go 7, 9, R but with this renovation, they expanded them down to Floor 5 and 4
Wow! Excellent footage-commentary. Know the place well. Knew what the area looked like long before the mall came to town. Had many lovely times there back in 2016. What a vibrant place it was. Kinda heart wrenching to see the mall in its current state. Looks like online shopping knocked the wind out of its sails. Place really bustled back in the day. Fun to go there and watch the world go by, try on clothes, get my computer fixed at the Apple Store, grab a coffee, walk briskly around to burn calories, even see a movie. Those days are probably gone forever looks like. Funny that you found the design chaotic. There’s some truth in it. Gotta remember where you parked your car, which entrance you need, what floor you’re on. Not sure if I ever really figured the place out. Maybe that was part of its charm.
I worked there installing Carpet and the tile floors in 1980-81 it was amazing back then
Wow I’m from stamford and seeing people do videos here is crazy
How depressing. This mall is so beautiful, it's a shame people would rather shop blindly on the internet than visit a place like this.
As a Stamford resident, I will tell you that’s not what it is. The cost to maintain a shop here makes no sense so most big retailers left. They either went to other towns, or the newly built Sono Collection mall in Norwalk, which is much better than the Stamford mall. The Stamford mall is also incredibly outdated, and never bothered to upgrade its exterior or interiors. It’s sad what’s become of this mall but it’s redundant at this point, and a much better mall is just 20 minutes away. Most people go there now.
@@danix454 I live in Stamford too. What's ridiculous is they charge people to park there. Why? They should let people park for free to try to bring in business. I don't know of any other mall in CT that charges for parking.
2pm on a Tuesday in Stamford, I would think "The City that Works" is working. Curious what it's like in the evenings and weekends.
The blue center rotunda area was known as The Pit. A lot of hanging out there in large groups.Was always packed.
I spent a good decade of my life in that mall.. as a “mall rat” hanging out walking around with friends and sitting in “the pit” (one of the names for that center area) and later as an employee of Sam Goody..the only retail store on level 7, the food court.
STC had it good for a long time, when Filene’s closed we got the odd dual-anchor of Barnes & Noble on the bottom, and H&M on top. H&M ran to the Norwalk mall as soon as it heard it was opening, as did many stores.. which is likely the cause of death for the Stamford mall. It’s under new ownership who have strange plans..we’ll see how it goes.
That hallway you stopped “of an office complex” is indeed an office complex, not part of the mall, and if you’d looked in the other direction you’d have seen a movie theater that went through massive renovations to not suffer the same fate as the mall it’s attached to.
Thanks for the info and for watching!
3:20 - Yes, "Scenes From A Mall" with Woody Allen, and i think Bette Middler.
Back in the 1980s and '90s, there were actually stores, and departments within the anchors, for us guys: Radio Shack, Brookstone, and its subsidiary Sharper Image. Penneys and Macys in those years also had full-fledged electronics departments, selling everything from portable boom boxes to TVs, stereos, and home theatre gear.
If you ever go in the Stamford Macy's, bottom level, look carefully at the ceiling and the floor of the carpet department - the original '80s chintz techy ceiling trim from the electronics days is still there. On the floor, most of the original power outlets are scattered about, where racks of stereo equipment and TVs were displayed and demo'd.
4:05 - The reason for this verticality is that the "Urban Renewal" Committee at the time envisioned a regional shopping center in the historical heart of downtown Stamford.
They accomplished this by creating a traffic loop, in the late 1960s and '70s, around the section of old Main Street where the Mall would go. Broad Street, Washington Boulevard, and Tresser(the relocated U.S. 1) formed this loop, with the Mall at the center of it, parallel to Greyrock Place. This effectively cut off Main Street to Atlantic, which illustrates just how small Stamford's core downtown still is!
Even with that re-arranging of the downtown streets, fitting a traditional mall with at least two anchor stores in that space was a challenge. So much so, the only way to go... was UP. Two levels each, of both basement and rooftop parking, became necessary for this to work. Design and construction of Stamford Town Center began in the late 1970s.
Greenwich, Norwalk, Bridgeport, and even Danbury, though lacking Stamford's glittering skyscraper skyline, still technically have larger, more spread-out downtowns proper, but even then, did not land a mall right in the hearts of them.
Greenwich's 'mall', outdoor at that, is still the very much driveable Avenue, going down hill from the Post Road(Putnam Ave) to the Arch St. railroad plaza. Metered parking is available along 90 percent of Greenwich Ave. Norwalk located its SoNo Collection just south of the turnpike, on a dozen reclaimed blocks off West Avenue, which was widened during mall construction to anticipate increased traffic to and from the new property.
Danbury converted the old fairgrounds west of town, north of the airport, to the Danbury Fair Mall. Ample space existed, for a long, two-level core mall, FOUR planned anchor dept. stores, and acres of ample outdoor parking - unmetered, unlike that in Stamford's mall! There is a small two level enclosed garage though, on the north side closest to that mall's carousel and food court section.
But Stamford just had to have their mall in the middle of arguably the smallest downtown, by square mileage, along the Fairfield county coast.
Wow, thanks for all the info! Thanks for watching!
The pit and the square are LEGENDARY are us ❤
Also, roof was closed at least 2009 minimum - unalivings
Wow. I didn't realize the roof had been closed for that long.
20:38 The Roof has been closed for as long as I can remember (at least before 2010). They use the roof for car dealerships to store cars
I spent teen years in the Post Mall in Mitford CT. Was so cool in the 80s...
Thanks for watching.
Wow! This is one of the few "dead mall" videos that I have seen that looks physically great. It even has some pretty amazing Christmas decorations. So it is definitely NOT the aesthetics that is failing this mall. Makes you wonder.
Yes, the do seem to be keeping up with the maintenance. There's just a lot of closed stores and few customers, from what I saw
Fun Fact: When I worked there in 1993, I learned those GORGEOUS Xmas decorations were donated from the film production mentioned in this vid. STUNNING! 🎄🎅🏼
I’m from Stamford the mall was completely dead but has been purchase by a local business owner and they seem to be opening up a lot of shops there’s even an arcade let’s see how long it last.
That's my hometown. That mall has stores that come and go really quick. I haven't shopped there in a couple of years there's nothing much to do there. Honestly they need to one shut it down or some how bring some life back into that mall. It seems to be the only mall that you gotta pay to park at still. I once heard it was also privately owned but the title to your video is on point it is a dead mall.
Grew up going to this Mall when I was in high school back in the 1980’s my family still lives there and this Mall is a ghost town now when I visit Stamford.
Good times!
I grew up in the area and was always at the mall in my free time. Always packed, parking was at a premium, and the shopping and dining was great. This is so sad to see what the Town Center has become.
Thanks for sharing!
It used ro be an awesome mall...until they scraped all the good stores out of there and bumped up the rent to something probably ridiculous. The fountain used to shoot up high...I remember that as a kid. Also there used to be an ice skating rink in the front (where pearl vision curr is now). It was great. Now it's sad and I'm hoping it can be saved since stamford is a busy "city that works" now.
I wish I had seen the fountain shooting high like that. I had no idea.
Roof parking closed over 15 years ago. It may have reopened during holiday shopping season, but they made more money warehousing new cars for dealers, than having it generally empty.
0:15 - The fountain is running again!! In the 2010s it was dormant.
Also, the bulbs at the base of those scenic elevators were swapped out in late 2001 for most of 2002 with red white and blue to resemble U.S. flags, as a show of solidarity of the then recent terror attacks.
Interesting to note - the undersides of those escalators, and the overall ceiling height on the level you entered the mall on, is almost perilously low! In 1982, when the Town Center opened, people might have averaged a little shorter, but even then, still low. I'm 5 ft 7, (5 ft 8 back in high school), and I can reach up and tough that ceiling where you entered and viewed the fountain.
Now that you mention it, the ceiling was low for a mall. I'm glad that the fountain has returned!
it’s crazy how quick this mall died. It was rather vibrant, busy and packed with tenants during my last visit in fall 2018. SoNo collection absolutely destroyed it
I always felt that the biggest issue this mall faces was the restaurants attached to it are all located outside of the mall. The Barnes and Noble too. People go to eat or get a book and leave, there is no reason to go inside the mall itself for them! Ridiculous.
Yes, there are a few malls like this, for example the Eastfield Mall in Mansfield, CT. You can enter most of the stores without ever entering the mall. It kind of defeats the purpose of having an indoor mall area.
There was a food court at the top level, and at it’s prime it was amazing. There were also food stores scattered about (Wetzle’s Pretzel’s comes to mind). That was never the issue.
I worked security at Stamford Town Center back in 2006. You're correct about Saks location in the past. During my time there were only two anchor stores--Macys & Saks. Filene's was closed at Barnes & Noble current location. Weekdays it was usually quiet until Friday-Sunday. When working there on weekdays it would feel like only security was present in the mall. Sometimes more security would be scheduled on weekdays than on the weekends--it made no sense. Certain events would make the mall much livelier for example the Stamford Downtown Parade Spectacular being one. People would use the garage for parking then flood the mall after the parade. Weekends in December were usually chaotic with Santa there & concerts in the pit area. The food court is technically level 7. Level 2 is security & maintenance, 3 has a few "stores" while 4 & 5 have the majority as we saw in your walk thru. Parking levels are 1 (usually employee), 2 , 3 then 6, 7, 8-- if memory serves me right--with the roof being closed. So yea the roof was closed to the public when I worked there as well. However at the time Greenwich Honda had an inventory of vehicles stored on the roof. Whoever was on garage patrol would have to give Greenwich Honda access to the roof to pick up or drop off vehicles. The parking garage is confusing to say the least. If I had patrol duty in the garage, there was no doubt in my mind I'd have to assist at least one customer find where they parked. Yes, you're right--it's absolutely a dead mall.
That breaks my heart..I went there the first time when I was 4..
I was there not too long ago and it was not that quiet. I used to work part time at Macy’s many years ago. I know a lot of stores have changed.
There used to be a great chocolate shop or two there. I really have not used stores much since COVID. Have been meaning to go to the book store and Macy’s.
I live in Stamford. It is a bit dead now when I go to the mall compared to 2-3 years ago but it also depends on the day and time when you go. One reason could be covid and the lockdown and people who started to buy more online but also another reason is that they opened another big mall in Norwalk.
I'm from there. I used to go there a lot. I remember 13-15 years ago, I'd go on Monday Mornings, wasn't too busy, but I kind of preferred it that way.
Lived in Stamford for 52 years and spending a lot of time in this mall, it's a shame!
There used to be an Apple Store here, but it closed a few years ago, so it’s 100% a dead mall
The apple store moved to the SoNo collection mall.
It like so many others (H&M, etc) have moved to The Sono Collection, which has replaced Stamford as the area mall of choice. I'm surprised THAT one's doing so relatively well in an age where malls in general are on the way out.
You should visit to the JV Mall in Yorktown. Its been a dead mall for years, not sure if the opening if Dick's sporting goods a few years back helped or not.
Done. Check out my video if you haven't already. Thanks for watching!
These empty mall videos are so hypnotic! I remember visiting this one often after work when commuting to Stamford. I visited one rainy day around Christmas in 2022 and it was sad seeing all the empty storefronts. In the 80’s-early 90’s this mall was hopping.
And Scenes From a Mall . . . I saw the Stamford premiere. How sad, you put Allen and Midler together and you’d expect to see some great chemistry, but they were given little to work with.
I grew up in this area in the mid-late '00s and early 2010s; used to go to this mall all the time. Last time I visited was late 2019 I think. Very sad to see all the closed stores, and how empty the mall is. There was a menswear shop to the left of the Macy's, and past the Macy's in that office space area there is/was a movie theater, Landmark Cinemas.
The Barnes & Noble indeed opened around 2008; I remember that. The escalator to the right of the B&N leads to an area that has/had a few nice sit-down restaurants - Kona Grill, California Pizza Kitchen, etc.
This mall used to be so full of life! Although my favorite malls in the area were Danbury Fair, Trumbull, and the Palisades Mall in Nyack, NY.
It's beautiful
Yeah, it's not bad. I think the SoNo Collection is more "beautiful", but this one has its charm.
It’s such a shame. I remember going to this mall all the time when I was in the first grade(attending Julia Stark elementary school). The last time I visited there it broke my heart seeing it so empty. That’s where I saw “Finding Nemo”, got my hair cut and got my first cellphone(we visited it years later to get the phones).
Just popped up in my recommendations, beautiful vid! Born and raised in Stamford Connecticut
What on earth is keeping this mall going? Who's pays for this. I was born and raised in Stamford. This mall holds countless memories for me...the richness the smell of expenses perfumed, etc.
I worked in a few of those stores. One being Saks (fine jewelry) back in the early 90s when I came out of college. Breaks my heart.
I ask that question about a lot of malls. For example, the Enfield Square Mall. There is no way the owner is not losing money just keeping the lights and heat on in this mall.
Place needs a total overhaul and refresh. It was great when it first opened.
I'm from New Haven, CT I remember going to that mall as a kid with my grandma and aunt. I was amazed at how big it was.
It's definitely the tallest mall I have ever been to. It's got to be over 100 feet from top to bottom. I could see people with a fear of heights having a problem with this mall.
22:08 you’re actually 10 floors high lol. That area also makes for an absolutely beautiful view of the mall!
The Sono Collection and the pandemic were the one-two punch that killed this place
Barnes and Noble is an Anchor at every mall I know of within 2 hours of my house. One just lost the Barnes and Noble, but around 10-15 years ago, Barnes and Noble were being added as Anchors, and some malls were even building new Anchor spots for them.
Fair enough. I'm just used to anchors being Macy's, JC Penney and other department stores. Thanks for watching!
Wow that’s crazy! The last time I went was in the summer time of 2019 that was before the SONO Mall opened and before the pandemic. Everything was open at the time, the Apple Store etc. 👀👀👀
I remember Christmas of 1988 I drove through the entire parking structure, and there is a lot of parking, top to bottom. I couldn't find one open space. Sad.
Yeah, times have changed for sure.
If you think this mall is dead you should head on over to the Brass Mill Center Mall in Waterbury, CT.
The movie theater in the mall recently closed for business. Food court usually has a couple missing restaurants.
Macy's and Sears anchor stores are closed, JC Penney is the last anchor store when it started with 3 of them.
Half the smaller stores are also vacant with for rent signs.
Burlington Coat factory used to have 2 floors open, now it's just the upper floor.
Yup, I did go to the Brass Mill Center as well. Check out the vid. Thanks for watching!