Stamford Town Center is an urban shopping mall located in Downtown Stamford, Connecticut. The 761000 sqft mall is the eighth largest in Connecticut, with space for about 130 stores and restaurants. The mall's three anchors are a 250000 ft2 Macy's, Barnes and Noble, and Pickleball America that opened in the nearly 80,000-square-foot (7,432 m2) anchor space previously occupied by Saks OFF 5th in September of 2023.

History

Construction

Built by F.D. Rich Co and Taubman Centers, Stamford Town Center opened on June 17, 1982 as part of an urban renewal project and had been the location of tenement structures that once lined Greyrock Place, 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. 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.

Launch and success

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, and served as the mall's third anchor. 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, and was considered "one of the country's most successful malls" by the 1990s, despite stiff nearby competition. In July 1994, it was announced the mall's J.C. Penney would move out, and would be replaced by a Filene's.

2000s redevelopment

In May 2006, the southern portion of the mall, along Tresser Boulevard, was demolished and redeveloped. The redevelopment of the former Filene's anchor emphasized being more pedestrian-friendly, and improving the nearby better streetscape. This portion of the mall, which included Filene's, was replaced with space for six new restaurants, and Connecticut's largest Barnes & Noble, the latter of which opened in 2008. 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. Plan B Burger Bar opened on August 4, 2012.

Change in ownership

On October 23, 2020, Taubman sold the mall to furniture chain Safevieh.

Anchors

Former anchors

Gallery