The Shoppes at Buckland Hills facts for kids
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Mall interior, 2018
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| Location | Manchester, Connecticut |
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| Coordinates | 41°48′25″N 72°32′43″W / 41.80694°N 72.54528°W |
| Opening date | 1990 |
| Developer | Homart Development Company |
| Management | Brookfield Properties Retail Group |
| Owner | Brookfield Properties Retail Group |
| No. of stores and services | about 145 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 6 (5 open, 1 vacant) |
| Total retail floor area | 1,180,000 sq ft (110,000 m2) |
| No. of floors | 2 |
The Shoppes at Buckland Hills, often called Buckland Hills Mall, is a large shopping mall in Manchester, Connecticut. It is currently owned by Brookfield Properties Retail Group. This mall is easy to find, located right off I-84, close to where it meets I-291.
Contents
Discovering Buckland Hills Mall's Past
How the Mall Began
The idea for this shopping mall started way back in 1972. A person named John Finguerra and his business partner, Richard Ripps, first planned it. John Finguerra worked for JCPenney, which had a huge warehouse nearby. This warehouse was once used for their old catalog business.
John Finguerra knew a lot about the local area and thought a big mall would do very well here. The spot they picked for the mall was high up, looking over a valley. It was also very close to a major highway, which would make it easy for people to visit. This location also helped new businesses grow around the mall later on.
Opening and Growth
The mall first opened its doors in 1990 and was called "The Pavilions at Buckland." It quickly became popular, and many new shops, hotels, and restaurants started to appear in the area around it.
In October 2003, the mall got a big makeover and was made even larger. After this, its name changed to "Buckland Hills Mall." Later, it was renamed again to what it is today: "The Shoppes at Buckland Hills."
Exploring the Mall: Shops and Design
Mall Size and What You'll Find
The main building of The Shoppes at Buckland Hills is very large, covering about 1,180,000 square feet over two floors. But when people say "Buckland Hills Mall," they often mean the main mall building plus all the other stores, hotels, and restaurants nearby. This whole area is huge, almost 6,000,000 square feet!
Inside the mall, you can find around 145 different shops and places to eat. It also has five main "anchor" stores, which are usually big department stores.
Main Stores and Changes Over Time
Some of the big stores you'll find include:
- Macy's: This store was originally called G. Fox and later Filene's.
- Macy's Men's, Children's, Juniors, and Furniture: This part of Macy's used to be Steiger's, then Lord & Taylor, and then Filene's Men's, Children's, Juniors, and Furniture.
- JCPenney: This store opened in 1992.
- Dick's Sporting Goods: This used to be a store called Sage-Allen.
- Barnes & Noble: A popular bookstore.
There was also a Sears store, but it closed on January 24, 2021. It was the last Sears department store in Connecticut. In 2006, Newbury Comics opened its first store in Connecticut right inside this mall. There used to be another department store called D&L (Davidson & Leventhal) below the food court, which later became Filene's Men's Store, and now it's home to various smaller shops and restaurants.
