Bradlees Sinks at The Dock

Late last year, there were talks of BJ's Wholesale Club moving into the long-vacant Bradlees site at The Dock. The shopping center, well-established by seaside shares a view and locale with the Long Island Sound and Interstate 95 as a charming backdrop located at the border of Stratford adjacent US-1, along Ferry Boulevard. Months passed as the site continued to linger as it did for almost 7 years past the chain's final liquidations ensuing their declaration of closure late 2000.

A VACANT JO-ANN FABRICS BESIDE A NOW CLEARED LONG-VACANT BRADLEES SITE


ONE DOWN: TWO MORE BRADLEES SITES REMAIN UNCLAIMED IN CONNECTICUT

Back in March 2007, we scoped out the the site for what we knew might be one of the last times to document an ailing, historic Bradlees until our photo shoot was toned down to our choosing upon the sighting of a plaza realtor who was lingering around front of the property. We swung by today upon our driving through Stratford to reveal the remnants of the former site 'sunken'.

Just a few months later upon a trip which had us driving by the site via Interstate 95, we sighted a full wrecking crew clawing away at one of three vacant remaining Bradlees sites in Connecticut.

THE NOW DEMOLISHED BRADLEES AS IT WAS ON MARCH 12, 2007

Apart Stratford, two other remains of the departed Bradlees chain remain unclaimed: Hartford along Park Street and easily visible off Interstate 84 and one in Manchester at the dilapidated ghost town annex of the Manchester Parkade along Broad Street.

A DISTINCTIVE SIDE ENTRANCE TO BRADLEES AT THE DOCK

The Stratford location, which opened in 1973 originally featured the two once coupled anchors Stop & Shop and Bradlees on opposing ends, flanking the shopping center with Stop & Shop Companies brands. Today, Stop & Shop has since divorced its former location, moving to an extended annex of The Dock behind the former, leaving the remains to anchors Staples and PetCo while Bradlees has been vacant for awhile following the company's closure.

But not for long. When rumors of a mega-retailer, BJ's Wholesale Club was to swoop in and revive a site things changed. It appears a few other smaller shops next to Bradlees would also chose to close its store. One of those retailers was major plaza anchor Jo-Ann Fabrics, who's neighborly placement aside a silent Bradlees has since been given The Dock a flu that dispelled Bradlees for almost a decade. Jo Ann, one of the leading fabric chains, moved another store earlier this year in Torrington at the Torrington Parkade following a massive redevelopment for a Lowe's.

BJ's Wholesale Club, who recently opened a new store, ironically, in Manchester on the Tolland Turnpike site of a long vacant Heartland Drug plaza in a town where another dead Bradlees site lives.

BJ's aims to open its 11th Connecticut store in Stratford by Fall 2007.

Ames Store Locator

Ames Department Stores closed its doors in 2002. Most all of its former locations have been washed over or occupied by succeeding retailers with only minor remnants to remain.

Company closures always leaves the question of what to do with the scatter of unoccupied locations. Most of the time, there's a bigger dinosaur or whippersnapper hoping to gain ground by getting those spaces secured no more than the instant a store closes. It wasn't much a problem for those awaiting the doorstep of Caldor, who shuttered in 1999 having left behind many prime locations quickly snatched by replacement retailers Wal-Mart and Kohl's. As it was, Ames stores didn't share the fervor of success like Caldor or even Bradlees did in its time. It followed the flutter of the Chapter 11 black hole of retaildom that stuck its department store rivals around the same time, but is still struggling through the post-mortem stages.

AMES OF ROCKY HILL, CONNECTICUT OPENED IN 1988, IS NOW HOME TO A PORTER & CHESTER INSTITUTE

Ames, the Southbridge, MA founded, Rocky Hill-headquartered chain of discount department stores, like many others, sealed the late 20th century retail rivalry graveyard along with Caldor, Bradlees, who both were stricken with bankruptcy at or around the turn of the 20th.

THE AMES CORPORATE OFFICE AT 2418 MAIN STREET IN ROCKY HILL IS STILL UNCLAIMED

Imfamously, the Ames company has been known as the offender of overzealotry in its retail strategy and acquisition like its once rival chains. Following a lofty and damaging purchase of the diseased Zayre department store chain in 1988, Ames suffered from a misstep which almost cost the chain its life early on. Throughout the 1990's, the company struggled to balance and when they did, they continued to oversprawl.

AMES "PLANOGRAM" FACILITY NOW FLOURISHES AS A MEDICAL UNIFORM OUTLET SCRUB WEAR HOUSE.

Unlike the current juggernaut retailers Wal-Mart and Target, Ames spent what they didn't have only furthering their doom. While almost successfully expanding, covering the eastern coast as far south as Florida with stores and during its final years, even have expanded into the mid-West Chicago-area, it was only to catch up with the company. Like over a decade before, Ames swallowed itself, desperately trying to compete instead of playing it conservatively which could've kept them around today. Upon the closure of Caldor, Ames then misstepped again by overpurchasing eight former Caldor stores, exceeding the number they likely should have played.

Three years later, Ames is still short of being a distant memory.

Still fresh in the minds of many states due to vacant locations here and there, including five in Connecticut, unattractive store locations continue to showcase themselves. While a good number have successor retailers including Ocean State Job Lot, who snatched up many early locations, Lowe's has managed to weave its way into making futures of a few recent sites as of late including Torrington and Meriden.

THE MERIDEN STORE ON MAY 22, 2007 -- JUST WEEKS BEFORE IT'S DEMOLITION FOR LOWE'S WHICH HAS TASTED THE WRATH OF A FORMER AMES NOW VACANT

In 2007, three more former locations lingering post closure just recently occupied by Ames were snatched up including stores found in Torrington; at the Torrington Parkade, Meriden; at the Ames Plaza (formerly Meriden Parkade), and Naugatuck at the Mountain View Plaza. All three have found future tenants but five more are still struggling to find their futures.

A ROTTING AWAY WEST HARTFORD LOCATION ALONG NEW BRITAIN AVENUE HAS MUCH HISTORY AS AN ICONIC "RAINBOW-ERA" CALDOR, NOW GONE TO A PRICE RITE GROCERY STORE

A flurry of locked up stores are still flourishing as if they were still alive today in parts of the state and elsewhere. In Connecticut, the Rocky Hill location is nothing short of a memorable, infamous beacon whose signage can still be seen lit against the night sky over Interstate 91, Exit 24 which dons its company signage and all. A healthy looking spot sandwiched between Home Depot and TJ Maxx on Main Street in East Hartford is perking for new life, with building signage still up. Another in the boons of Dayville are lit like an oasis gas station, while a once former Caldor location in West Hartford sits darkly, slowly deteriorating with blacked-out roadside signage, without any hope to find a future tenant.

THE SEYMOUR STORE STRIPPED BARE AND THE LAST OF THE FORMERLY THREE STORES ALONG ROUTE 8

THE FORMER NAUGATUCK STORE, NOW HOME TO OCEAN STATE JOB LOT AS IT WAS ON MARCH 29, 2006


THE VACANT EAST HARTFORD STORE FACING DIFFICULT TIMES IN AN OTHERWISE VITAL PLAZA AS OF FEBRUARY 13, 2007


THE NOW DEMOLISHED TORRINGTON STORE AS IT WAS BLEEDING A LABEL SCAR UPON SUNDOWN ON AUGUST 24, 2006


THE HALF-DEMOLISHED TORRINGTON STORE ON JUNE 7, 2007


EACH SITE HAS IT'S OWN FLAVOR: THE FORMER MERIDEN SITE WAS CHARACTERISTIC OF HAVING WHAT CHRIS FONTAINE OF THE AMES FAN CLUB ONCE CALLED A "SHOPPING CART PRISON"

FREE AT LAST? A SHADOWY SAVIOR CAME TO UNLEASH THE SHOPPING CARTS FROM IMPRISONMENT

COMPLETE LIST OF AMES LOCATIONS IN CONNECTICUT (UPON CHAIN CLOSURE)
BLOOMFIELD -- became Burlington Coat Factory
DAYVILLE-KILLINGLY -- Vacant; building and road signs still up
EAST HARTFORD -- Vacant; subdivision planned
EAST HAVEN -- became Ocean State Job Lot
ENFIELD -- subdivided into Dick's Sporting Goods, Dollar Tree
JEWETT CITY -- became Ocean State Job Lot
MANCHESTER -- became Outlet Marketplace, currently Pilgrim Furniture
MERIDEN -- becoming Lowe's Home Improvement Store
MIDDLETOWN -- became Home Depot
NAUGATUCK -- became relocated Ocean State Job Lot
NEWINGTON -- became Price Chopper
NORWICH -- became Backus Outpatient Care Center
OLD SAYBROOK -- became Ocean State Job Lot
ROCKY HILL -- became Porter & Chester Institute, road sign still visible
ROCKY HILL (Planogram Facility) -- became Scrub Wear House
ROCKY HILL (Corporate Office) -- Vacant
SEYMOUR -- Vacant; road sign still up, covered
SOUTHINGTON -- subdivided into Bed, Bath & Beyond, Bob's Discount Furniture
TORRINGTON -- became Lowe's Home Improvement Store
VERNON -- became Price Chopper
WATERFORD -- became Lowe's Home Improvement Store
WEST HARTFORD-ELMWOOD -- becoming Price Rite
WILLIMANTIC-MANSFIELD (EAST BROOK MALL) -- became/expanded into Kohl's
WINSTED-BARKHAMSTED -- subdivided into Peeble's and Tractor Supply Company

OTHER YESTERYEAR AMES LOCATIONS

HAMDEN (Dixwell Ave.)became subdivided into Rainbow, Teddie's, and AJ Wright

NEW HAVEN (Ella T. Grasso Blvd., New Haven Plaza)became ?

MERIDEN (West Main St., Centennial Plaza)became Railroad Salvage, currently vacant

WESTPORT (Post Road East)became Stop & Shop

FORMER ZAYRE LOCATIONSBLOOMFIELD (Copaco Shopping Center)
ENFIELD (Stateline Plaza)
SOUTHINGTON (Queens Plaza, now Bob's Discount Furniture/Plaza)
EAST HARTFORD
NORWICH (Marcus Plaza; now TJ Maxx)

FORMER KING'S LOCATIONS
NEW HAVEN
SEYMOUR
WINSTED

FORMER CALDOR LOCATIONSMANCHESTER
MIDDLETOWN
OLD SAYBROOK
TORRINGTON
VERNON-ROCKVILLE
WATERFORD
WEST HARTFORD-ELMWOOD
WILLIMANTIC-MANSFIELD

Ames Fan Club is a paramount database for the defunct chain who, with the help of its loyal contributors, keeps tabs on existing and bygone Ames occupants by webmaster and creator Chris Fontaine so please check out their extensive photo galleries and ever-resourceful forums for further information. As always, we make sure our stats are up-to-date. If we happen to be wrong, correct us by leaving a comment or emailing myself personally at XISMZERO@yahoo.com.

Updated: March 15, 2012.

History of Meriden Square

Last Fall, The Caldor Rainbow did a story on one such Connecticut mall: Westfield Meriden, otherwise formerly known as Meriden Square. Recently, Marc Bramhall and myself chugged down to Meriden Public Library to unearth some history on the mall and came back with an impressive array of newspaper articles with accompanied photos from the times.

Meriden Square circa 1970s: G. Fox & Co., the Lewis Avenue-facing mall entrance and JCPenney. Today, the mall has slight vestiges of its past with only an enormous extending wing, plus the 1993 added Sears anchor obscuring any viewpoint beyond what's now Macy's.

Meriden Square days before its opening in 1971 already features a burnt-out "L" on the Child World parcel.

Meriden Square opened to much fanfare on October 19, 1971 as one of the first enclosed malls in Connecticut having had a full-pages spread in the weekend edition of Hartford Courant. G. Fox & Co. and Penney's (later renamed as JCPenney), who later opened on April 6, 1972 were of the featured anchor roster along a double-decker, climate-controlled corridor of shops including all the tenants of the times: Kinney Shoes, Bakers, Lerner Shops, Child World all of which who have since faded away into retail's past. Notably on that list includes CVS who astouningly holds its placement today as the eldest tenant aside anchor, JCPenney who holds the card today of least renovations since 1971.

Grand Opening advertisment featuring the now fallen toy store chain and once rival to Toys "R" Us, Child World; who opened with Meriden Square in 1971.

Meriden Square 1971: While still within the same mold of tub-like openings between floors, various in-ground stonewalled planters and shiny tiles are long gone today.


Upper Level: G. Fox & Co. readies for opening days before Meriden Square celebrates a grand opening. Today, this space is occupied by Macy's in a largely unchanged setting, who swept up the Filene's name last year.

People Mover conveyor belts enabled patrons to access both levels of the mall's 50 plus parcels with ease. They've since been removed for conventional escalators upon the 1988 renovation along with a reworking of the entire central court and inclusion of an elevator.


"15 Years Later": The People Mover escalating ramps in 1986 shortly before they were removed for the upcoming renovation and conventional escalators.


A new logo is unveiled in the early 1990's as mall management stands in front of the glass elevator to discuss two proposed expansions (and veterans of Meriden Square might also notice that dedicated tenant "Country" store in the background that smelled like rich cinnamon potpurri everytime)

Meriden Square endured its first full-fledged renovation marking the 15th anniversary which was to be completed in the Fall of 1988 with features such as increased seating, upholstery and removal of many in-ground planters as well as the inclusion of a steel-framed, glass-encased elevator and conventional escalators to replace a Disney World-inspired "People Mover" ramps which once hoisted patrons between the opposing levels of shops. While many changes have been made, it would further appear G. Fox never received any exterior improvements including the trendier "thin" faced logo Filene's later adopted upon the phasing out of G. Fox.

October 1988 squares for a hip renovation and color scheme including all new upholstery, tiling, a larger geodesic skylight dome and a neon-glass elevator which still exists unchanged today.

Shortly after, the mall was underway for expansion in 1993 with the coming of a new anchor Sears and accompanied new wing which would include a host of new shops along two-levels, a food court and a multi-decked parking garage connecting to Sears. In 1997, the mall sought to flank the Chamberlain Highway-facing end of the mall with yet another expanded wing making for a complete "plus-shaped" center which would seek to add a Lord & Taylor, and along with it roof-access parking and its own bevy of new shops along an enclosed upper-level only corridor.

A clearing for a new wing as Lord & Taylor joins the Meriden Square anchor roster in 1998... for only a few short years also featuring the now swept away Filene's namesake.

Short lived as it may have been, Lord & Taylor survived a few years before they fled Meriden only for the space to become subdivided into Best Buy, Dick's Sporting Goods and in late 2006 a Borders Books. Today, the original corridors of Meriden Square as Westfield Meriden remain a window back into 1988 and in 2007, feels the itch to renovate an aging center now 19 years later. Seeing all the progress owner Westfield has made in just under ten short years with Meriden's premiere mall, we wouldn't be surprised if a renovation plan is no more than a few years away.

For more referrence, please visit our Westfield Meriden page and one superb write-up found at Labelscar where you'll find more current aged photos and information so you can see how the mall progressed throughout the ages under different owners. We've got much more vintage material to share on other Connecticut malls and retail so please stay with us!

See the entire gallery of newspaper clippings and other snippets we've uncovered on my always updating Flickr.