Westfarms Mall: Still Not a Dead Mall! Update 2023! West Hartford & Farmington, Connecticut.
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- Опубликовано: 8 фев 2025
- Join me as I take another look at Westfarms Mall in West Hartford and Farmington, Connecticut.
Is it still one of Connecticut's best malls?
If you liked this video, please give me a thumbs up, leave a comment and subscribe to my channel! Thanks!
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#mall #malls #connecticut #westhartford #farmington #shoppingmall #shoppingmalls #retail #nostalgia
I'm 58 now but I can remember going there on the bus from New Britain with my friend when we were about 13...it was a nice mall then too
cause the blks are kept in line and out..go to mancester, THEY ruin that mall and that is fact.
I saw Star Wars in the theater there back in '77. I'd forgotten until watching your video that it was there!
I live close to Westfarms. It was very crowded on Black Friday, long lines in stores. Definitely not a dead mall!! I've been going there since it opened in the early 70's, when I was a kid.
I'm just old enough to have heard about some of the (dirty) politics that went into it being built. There was a book about it, IIRC by Ellsworth Grant.
My home mall! I'm 34 and have been going here my whole life. I worked at Abercrombie in 2008. I miss the water fountains, and my first memory of my grandfather is sitting with him on the tan marble wall next to the fountain. I went every year since 2002 to Godiva to get my mother chocolate covered strawberries and apricots. It sucks they closed their boutiques. RIP Rainforest Cafe. It's fitting that Stronger by Britney Spears is playing. I bought my wife her first Louis and Tiffany's piece here. I could go on and on. Thanks for this!
I found a Rainforest Cafe mug in a thrift a while ago. Gave it away to a lady whose kid absolutely loved Rainforest Cafe. I was too old by the time it showed up to be interested, but I knew someone would want the mug.
It's nice you remember your pepre(grandpa) so fondly. I have many happy memories of my pepre. He passed in 2002.
Who cares
Your comment brings back so many nostalgic memories for me. Westfarms feels like my home mall as well, and it will forever be my favorite mall in the States. I went to school in CT, and it’s been many years since I returned to my home country. It’s sad that Rainforest Cafe is closed. It seems the mall’s layout hasn’t changed much at all. Au Bon Pain and the frozen yogurt shop were my favorites, and I remember doing my homework there when the power was out at home for two weeks due to snowstorms. I could go on and on too, and I hope to revisit all these places I miss so much with my husband and future children.
@@jungwonsuk457 Thank you for your response. I am so happy it brought back those memories for you. The mall was a great refuge when the power went out. I hope you do get to show these places to your husband and children! I take my 4 year old son there, and my daughter is only 10 months old so she does not yet understand. One of the greatest feelings in life is sharing your traditions and childhood memories with your children.
I used to go there almost every night with my parents! I remember people used to throw coins in the fountains too. 😊
Thanks so much for this video! Not all malls are dead and some are thriving too. They just need to adapt to survive and attract people to come to dine, entertainment and other things besides just shop.
Happy to be a subscriber to this channel. L
I live in the area (I live in Meriden). I use these videos to see what smaller/hobby shops I want to try out. I saw a lego store for the first time on this channel.
Thanks! Glad you like the videos!
I really like your videos and they're all mostly pretty spot-on, and Im also glad you've archived a few that are now demolished or permanently closed.
Ive been in retail/ mixed use development all my adult life...so Ive seen many malls open, chase trends and then, too many fail and close.
The reasons and factors are unique to each one...and a lot of it is just the era we're in. The kind of shopper and the places they want to shop in...and how they do shop has so radically changed.
That said, Westfarms is almost a timepiece. A mid-century Taubman mall that is still dominant in its market.
I grew up in this mall.
I lived closer to Meriden Square/ Westfield, but it was already trending downmarket when I moved from CT in the late 80s...and this was before the big expansions in the 90s and early 2000s. Not to mention, if the better name/ quality stores did open in Central CT, they always came to this mall first.
I'd be at Westfarms at least once or twice a month.
I remember an article years ago in the Hartford Courant about a much larger expansion of the mall (early 80s?) where they were going to relocate JCP and were looking to add one or more of two of these stores...Saks, Steiger's, B. Altman, Bloomingdale's, Jordan Marsh or Filene's.
Lord and Taylor was already building their new store before relocating from Bishop's Corner.
This was just before all the mergers and later consolidations/ closures of the department stores was about to start.
Westfarms is far from a dead mall, and I sense will likely will outlast other retail in the Hartford/ Central CT area.
CT is astoundingly allergic to development, especially quality, high-density mixed use projects more common in the south and west which would feature similar upmarket stores that are presently in the mall...and if built somewhere in that area, might threaten Westfarms with some real competition.
The nearby Blue Back Square in West Hartford Center was an attempt, but poorly designed and opened just before the 08 crash, so it's always struggled. Ive only gone there for Crate & Barrel and REI..which is now in the old Sears across the way in Corbin's Corner.
The replacement of Lord & Taylor with Jordan's Furniture is not a good sign but I suppose that's better than an empty box space.
Nordstrom's sadly isn''t as well stocked as I remember it, and the two Macy's stores, especially the original G.Fox/ Filene's location is just horrid! This was G.Fox's core store before the merger with Filene's...and even when they rebranded, it was a great location. Now it's unkempt, poorly maintained and filled with junk. The men's store...is even worse...and haven't spent a dime on updating that store in years. And this is an upscale mall...and Macy's STILL isn't investing in one of its better locations.
Penney's is as bad as every other one Ive been to.
Much too big and should've been downsized years ago, and probably needs to be replaced with something better...perhaps an IKEA or a Bloomingdale's?!
Sadly, when I've gone 'back home' to central CT and visited this mall, I've witnessed a decline in the behavior of the customers, which seem more loud, uncouth and frankly more rude than I remember it being a decade ago. I guess this is everywhere given the brash and trashy nature of influencer culture.
I fondly remember those water fountains in the mall. I think I read somewhere that they had to remove them because too many parts were worn down and it was getting too expensive to maintain. Still though, I miss those fountains.
My parents met at this mall in the 80s when they both attended CCSU. My father worked at the camera store and my mother worked at the cheese store. I have so many childhood memories of those fountains and the alphabet sculpture. I still shop here. So many memories.
Looks like this is a great mall would love too go there
@Afterlife7377 what the hell does Jesus and his time of birth have to do with this mall
@@TOCC50 Okay but why is it a reply to a comment that has nothing to do with Christmas?
I would say just a general walkthrough of any of the anchor stores would be nice! Penney's, Macy's, etc.
Seems like a very nice clean mall.
Ok. I'll see what I can do. Thanks for watching.
@@fleabittenadventures Actually any of your mall walkthroughs are great. Thanks for putting these together.
Hi Tom I remember coming to Westfarms Mall a lot as a little girl and also as a teenager! Thank you for a wonderful video of it! Looking forward to more of your videos too. 😊😊😊😊😊😊 I also remember eating at The Rainforest Cafe and the fountains as well.
I really enjoyed this video,I felt like I was walking through there with you,I like the way you don’t rush and you have so many cool stores in America! I could quite happily spend a fair few hours in this mall no problem lol🤣 it is also a very nice clean looking mall I would definitely watch if you went back again. Thanks for a great video,and I’ll see you in your next one😊greetings from England 😊👍🏻
Thanks! Glad you liked the video! This is definitely one of Connecticut's nicer and more successful malls.
I like walk-throughs of stores because the aesthetics are amazing! A lot of the older Macy’s stores have these vintage touches from a bygone era and that’s what I think is the interesting aspect of them.
Ok. I'll see what I can do. Thanks.
These videos are so interesting to me. I love seeing other malls and their designs. As well as how they're holding up/traffic!
Hi, from Texas 👋
Glad you like them! Thanks for watching!
I worked at the pet store that used to be there when I was a freshman in college (and learned why to never buy a puppy from a pet store!) I then worked at the old G. Fox as a “floater” (i. e., never the same department twice!) my sophomore year. Both were during the Christmas season. I absolutely loved G. Fox.
Also, my parents and I used to go to the Sage Allen restaurant, Top of the Mall. I always got chicken croquettes and my Mom always had an eclair for dessert.
I remember the fountains; I must have thrown about $20 in pennies in them over the years. I also saw “Ghost Busters” and “Back to the Future” at the cinema that was next to the pet store. I was sad to see the Disney Store go.
I began going to Westfarms since it opened! I had one very cool adventure back in 1978. I was into off road motorcycling, and one summer day, I decided to go.to themselves, the HARD way! I lived in New Britain, and I knew the power line trails. I rode, off road, all the way from my home in New Britain to the mall on the power line trails!! Had a great visit at the mall, then used the paved roads to go home. I will never forget that day and that ride!!!
Something that you mentioned near the end of the video made me realize that we are around the same age. I live in Maine, and grew up here too, but my paternal grandparents lived in West Hartford, so I've been to this mall many times. After watching, I wondered if the creator of the video remembers a store called Fan Club that was in the mall around 1990, similar to Journey's. It was on the lower level likely located in the area that is now Forever 21.
Hadn't thought about the water features in ages.. also, FAO Schwarz had a store in this mall, not sure when it closed but I distinctly remember they had a massive walk-on piano key board (like the one Tom Hanks plays in the movie Big).. based on the quality of stores, I think this mall is in good shape for the foreseeable future.
FAO Schwarz must have been there during the 20 year gap that I didn't go to the mall. I don't remember that at all..
Thanks for all your videos grew up in Connecticut. Spend a lot of time walking around those malls grew up in Waterbury. Damn we went to Danberry fair a lot. Can you check that out and give us a tour love to see how it’s doing. I know Brassmill center is pretty much disasterzone 😂😂 thanks buddy
Nice piece! WestFarms long has been and remains our go-to mall. I've a clear recollection of Frank Sinatra Jr. and his band performing in the center court in the late 1970s.
Thanks! Glad you liked it. I never knew that they had concerts there.
I grew up in New England but now reside in Florida ( I LOVE LIVING HERE) on a side trip to to MACON GA. The cleanest Dead Mall I've ever toured ! It used to be the second largest Mall in GA. The two story mall has only six stores ( formerly two hundred). The carpet is cleaned and light fixtures all function! If You ever get there, check it out!
Hey you went in through the bottom rear where GameStop was. I haven't been there in like 8 years. Last time I was there that CHAMPS was a bookstore and there was a Microsoft store at the top near the main entrance. This mall was like a second home for most of my youth and my 20s. Most of my favorite stores closed down so I only went there to visit friends who worked there and check out the GameStop or accompany my female friend when she went clothes shopping. Meridian became my main mall in the 2010s. I shop at the Target down that road and the road is always super busy so I always assumed the mall was doing fine.
Same - I shopped at Meriden mall as recently as 2019 and got my nails done at the salon near the Ruby Tuesdays. They were still thriving at that time. 2020 must have been the nail in the coffin. That Target on Chamberlain Highway still does well as it’s really the only big box store in Meriden nowadays. I imagine that with Walmart in Wallingford offering affordable delivery to Meriden that it poaches many potential Target and mall shoppers.
Santa's sleigh looking like a spaceship makes it sooo much more interesting, hahaha~
It's unusual for sure. Thanks for watching
I still remember the light poles that used to be everywhere, you can see them in the old water feature pictures...they supposedly were connected to microphones and reacted to the ambient noise, but I just remember them being lit up.
Yes i remember the light poles too. I don't remember them reacting to noise though. I'll bet that feature broke after not too long.
Nice video 👋
Thanks!
Over the years westfarms makes some great upgrades. I love to see that water fountain every time i visit. I use to go to sam goody, KB toys and Lord & Taylor.
Corbin Corners across the street is pretty great too… from Sears Appliance to an Off 5th!
Where is there a sears appliance?
Sears has been gone for quite sometime, there is an REI and a Shake Shack there now.
I still enjoy going to this mall. Feels like malls used to feel like. Always preferred this mall to the other regionals when I was younger as well. No food court is odd, but I don’t go there to eat. Too many other good restaurants in WH
The forever 21 used to be a rainforest cafe. The lightning used to scare me when I was little lol
Haven't been to Westfarms since probably sometime between 1976 to 1978 when visited my girlfriend in Hartford. Remember used to complain that mall was the only place to do real shopping in the entire central Conn. area.Never did like the Hartford region.
0:19: ⏰ Update on the status of Westfarms Mall in 2023.
3:56: 🛍️ Exploring the changes in a mall over the years, from stores to new developments.
9:24: 🛍️ Update on a popular mall in Connecticut with a look at the first Nordstroms in the region, mall floor plan, and original anchor stores.
18:36: 🛍️ Exploring a vintage elevator and reminiscing about the old mall layout.
30:45: 🛍️ The mall used to have a movie theater and has undergone several name changes for its anchor stores.
Recapped using Tammy AI
I never went to westfarms that often. When I was a child I used to go to the Naugatuck Valley mall, that one has been closed for a good 25 years or more now though. There's a Staples and Walmart there today.
Then I went to the Brass Mill mall which is maybe a 5 minute drive from there, but I haven't been back there since like 2012 so I have no idea if that place is still functional in the slightest.
I’d love a walkthrough of the JCPenney and a 2024 update on Westfarms and Buckland Hills and Meriden mall. I’d love to see inside the restaurants at Weatfarms too.
Inside JCPenney id love to see mens and women’s clothing, jewelry, kids clothes, toys/games/kids section, any seasonal stuff they have for the holidays, the Sephora inside if it’s still there, luggage / home goods / kitchen stuff, and the optical center if it’s still there.
I’d love to see inside the new Abercrombie location at this mall too. It’s changed a lot since last time I’ve been there.
Interestingly, I’ve been to this mall hundreds of times throughout the years as I have family in the area, and never once noticed the sculptures!
I remember the boxy seating sections and walkways near the water fountains. Sitting on the walls.
Jordan's has been advertising that they're open. so.. I'd love to see it. Love that the shoe repair place is still there in the same place it's been since the mall opened. I don't walk malls any more, can't really, but back in the day it was my "home" mall. I remember a Czech glass and imports store with great affection. Sold GORGEOUS stuff, but it was an indie beyond the era of independant stores in the big malls and it didn't last. There was a Victorinox store on the upper level near the Lord and Taylor entrance. No idea if it's still there; it was kind of off in a corner. Used to get new batteries in my Swiss Army watch in the Victorinox store until they started sending it out in addition to charging blood money. Do it myself now for about 10% of the cost.
I just posted my video on Jordan's. Barely anyone is watching it though. Oh well.
It was a premier mall at one time. It was a destination trip from the coast just to go there. I've (thankfully) moved away from the sinking state of Connecticut, so I have no direct information other than this video. Still looking good.
I'm glad to see a Macy's. I wasn't even sure if they were still in business.
This video is a trap because it made me nostalgic for Connecticut but a quick peek at the meriden mall reminded me why I left! As you said, this sinking mess ship of a state.
i really thought this place was going to fail 5-10 years ago but it seems they were able to rebound nicely and keep attracting some big name stores to keep coming in
Wow, I'm amazed to see how well it's still doing! I worked in the catalog department of JC Penny back in the seventies. Next door was a GNC health food store. There was a chocolate chip cookie store on the second floor, and they did tons of business because you could smell those cookies baking from all over the mall. With that, you didn't need a food court! Any idea why they removed the water fountains?
I'm a more recent subscriber and love your walk-through and dives into the history of these malls you visit. I was wondering what model of GoPro do you use and what editing software do you use to put these videos together. The production on your videos is great. Keep it up. Thank you.
Thanks. Glad you like the videos. Most of my mall videos were recorded on a Gopro Hero 8. I recently upgraded to a Hero 12. I use Cyberlink Powerdirector for editing.
Wow seeing those fountains brought me back to seeing them as a kid in the 90’s. I swear the main one was as big as Niagara Falls back then. My parents used to tell me if I could get a coin in the center then Mickey Mouse would come out 😂
I used to come here as a kid to hang out in KB Toys, Electronics Boutique. The smell of the fountains and of Moto Foto film development place are burned into my brain! Also, I'm pretty sure the cobbler and Sbarros are two of the oldest stores in there. They have been around in the same spot since the 90s. RIP FAO Shwarz & The Sharper Image
love this mall been a while since ive been there
Good times! I miss the old water features...
Water fountains are getting harder and harder to find at malls nowadays
I saw a premiere of Star Wars there when they had movie theaters. It was really cool they had all kinds of TV news crews there and R2D2 was there .
I remember down by the Alphabet Sculpture to the right of it was a KB Toy and Hobby and I loved going to that place.
I loved when my parents would take us there for dinner as kids. The York Steakhouse was downstairs not far from JC Penney, that was a family favorite, and the restaurant in Sage-Allen I think it was called Top of the Mall? Oh and the Pie Plate! Those were the days.
There was a really good pizza place back in the day, too. It was near the pet store, I think it was called Cozy Corner??
I was just at the mall today, it was near a coincidence that we would've met eachother!
Small world. Thanks for watching
I went to the Woodhall School in Bethlehem, CT. And was introduced to this Mall in the fall of 83' nothing like it in NJ
I’d watch a walkthrough of the anchors even if it was just a quick loop on the main walkway. I like seeing the high end department stores even though I also don’t even shop at them.
Ok. I'll see what I can do. Thanks for watching
I love Weatfarms! This is a wonderful mall This was my childhood mall They have Pizza Hut,and it's a success!
I'd go the walkthrough route in stores. The original archaic reasoning to not allow cameras in stores/malls was the competition coming in to record prices. I did this as an Aldi to see if the very low price claim was true, and got a lot of negative comments. I forgot this was the original reason cameras are frowned upon. I still have it up from way back when.
I need some footage of photos of the Farmington Valley Mall. It was a small indoor mall on Rt44 and in 1996 was torn down to build what’s now the Simsbury Commons. I can’t find any documentation on the mall anywhere.
I remember that mall. Now it's bed bath and beyond, a movie theater and bobs if still open.
@ Bobs just closed. Same with Bed Bath and Beyond. Luna Pizza is still there, and Walgreens were both originally in the mall. There was a Walden Books, KB Toys, Radio Shack, and Tons O Fun Arcade. Those are all long gone. Bobs was also part of the indoor mall.
I went to that mall in the 90s and early aughts a lot and the JcPenney logo has always been red in my lifetime, as far as I can recall. I could be confusing it with Meriden though as I grew up going to that one a lot more frequently.
3:22 that exact setup was used every year since 2018
Thanks for the info!
The Westdarms mall is not even close to being dead. Now the Meriden mall that’s a different story.
Stay tuned....
@@fleabittenadventures I take it you’re gonna be doing a Meriden Mall video very soon?
@@matrixman7706 Yup.
I think the Meriden mall is going in a different direction. There's a bunch of smaller stores. Meridens economy is more geared towards smaller stores. There's a new slingshot place I like where $5 gets you 20 minutes of target practice. I brought my girlfriend's seven year old there and we ducked for cover but for $5 what more could we ask?
I was there christmas 2022 and it felt like i was back in the 80's, crowded.
Around Christmas time, even getting down that main street in front of that mall is a nightmare. It's always packed. Christmas time fills every damn inch of that parking lot. Even on week days, it's usually pretty packed with people. I went there in early September on a Thursday afternoon and there were still crowds. I'd say it's doing pretty well. I don't shop there much though. NONE of the stores there really cater to my interests, and they're all so expensive. This mall kind of caters to people who have a bit more disposable cash than I do. Back in the 70's and 80's, this mall had a much more diverse mix of stores where pretty much everyone could find something for them in there. Not so, today. One thing that I REALLY REALLY miss about this mall was the AMAZING giant water feature and fountain setup that they had in the middle of it in the 70's and 80's. It was so relaxing to sit down in that comfortable, overstuffed, seats in the seating area all around the water feature, and just... listen to all the waterfalls and stuff. I really miss fountains and water features in malls. The Naugatuck Mall had my favorite water features. They were so artistic and fun. They ran the length of the mall, and they looked like recreations of seaside villages. surrounded by plants, with water running and falling all around in them. There were all kinds of moving elements in there too, like water wheels, buckets that would fill up with water, then get lifted up and dumped out... I really miss those days. Malls are really boring and almost sterile, now without fun, decorative, and relaxing, features like this.
Anyone remember the restaurant there called The Pie Plate?.?
5:53 YES the last Jordan's Furniture they opened at the Maine Mall had/has a ROPES COURSE!!!!!
Hopefully they do something like that at this one. I'll take a look whenever it opens. Still no opening date yet, that I know of.
@@fleabittenadventures Yea, all we know is it opens up in December and there's gonna be a "Sally's Apizza" alongside the 5,000 Square Ft Attraction
reminds me of short hills another taubman mall minus the super upscale stores
Miss the Rainforest Cafe that was there!!! With the alligator....
nice mall . well kept for a 1970s mall
Try going into the stores that are unique to that particular mall.
I could do that. Thanks for the suggestion.
I haven't been there in a while. Is the William Sonoma gone ?
I don’t think that elevator was there in 1974. I think that was put in, in the early 2,000’s. As a matter of fact that whole wing was put on later.
Those lights originally didn't have the domes that kind of protrude from the bottom. I don't think they're original.
I recall seeing them sort of hollow - with more of a recessed lighting look when I was a kid.
I think you may be correct. I definitely remember them being cylinders though.
@@fleabittenadventures if the mall was built in the 1970’s, those hanging pendant fixtures, if still original, would be coming up on 50 years old. I would venture to say these fixtures were totally replaced at some point. The original fixtures were probably mercury vapor or metal halide. The current fixtures are most likely LED, as well as most of the other interior and exterior lighting in the mall.
This was always a busy mall, however across the street in the other stores Sears was the best. A large store and I’ll never Forget the smell of cashews
Yeah that’s my mall still open baby thank god
18:42 that elevator was actually installed in 1997 by Schindler.
Are you sure? I think that was the elevator that used to be in the center of the mall. I think it was moved to its current location in 1997. I could be wrong though. Thanks.
Westfarms is pretty much all apparel stores now. I wish they had more variety.
Back when I was in high school, decades and decades ago, a friend of mine almost got me arrested in this mall. We were there, shopping, and I was kind of hitting on the girl who came with us. My friend decided to let us be alone for a little bit so he split off from us. The problem was that this friend was always a troublemaker. When we met up with him again after getting some food, we saw him sitting in front of one of the anchor stores laughing, while watching the store intently. For several minutes, I was asking, "What's so funny?" but he kept watching the store telling us, "Wait for it...". Then, I finally got it out of him. He said, "I just went in there, and got on their payphone and called the police, telling them that there was an armed robbery in progress!" He thought it was a joke and wanted to see the SWAT team run in and throw everyone in the store to the ground. Just as I screamed "YOU DID WHAT?!" in complete anger at him, all these police and security people literally popped out from everywhere, and grabbed us. They handcuffed all three of us and had us sitting in their office. The girl and I were explaining over and over again that we weren't aware of any of this and nor had we been there when he did this stupid thing. But they weren't having it. Me and the girl were completely guilty just by association. We just happened to be there talking to him when they pounced. They didn't believe us at all. The thing that saved the two of us was that I had the reciept from the food we ate in my wallet. It was time stamped so it showed that we weren't there when the call was placed. it was lucky I had that too. I was going to toss the reciept in the trash, but got distracted by the girl and put it in my walled with my change instead. So.. my friend went off to jail. They took all our pictures and banned us from every setting foot in the mall ever again. I never talked to him again. Oh... and I also never saw this girl ever again either.
I think store walkthroughs would be nice - on your store walkthroughs Please mote the lovstion of escalators and elevators!!
Westfarms never got the message that a mall absolutely must have a food court if it's going to thrive.
Also, without doubt the reason why the mall map shows Pepsi machines is that Pepsi paid for it.
They seem to be doing pretty well as is. Definitely one of the busiest malls I've been to.
You want to feel that old vibe like old days? Fly to the 2nd largest mall in the world, Plaza las Americas in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This is dead compared to Plaza. This only happening here in the states because alot of people are lazy to go out & support the malls.
Of course your mall is busy, what else is there to do? Retail in the U S has also become high tech…Malls are not dying because of laziness.
@@suziecreamcheese211 People are lazy in the U.S.🤫
@@llorenstorrespr4409PR is in the USA….. also, lazy is ordering Amazon prime instead of going to the mall. Westfarms is a treat though. Vibrant and mostly upscale
Before this was built, there was driving range.
This is definitely an old video. Lord and Taylor closed before Covid.
This was filmed in December 2023. Lord and Taylor was not open in this video.
I used to meet a lot of hot girls at this mall, haven't been there in a long time though
Best mall in ct its jst keeps getting better always loaded with new stores and people