ENFIELD SCOOP: Stores closing, struggling with absentee owner

Enfield Square Mall will be losing a number of tenants as they struggle with dwindling foot traffic, lack of transparency from mall management, and stalled redevelopment plans. The mall already struggles with a low occupany rate, sitting at around 25% currently (as stated by the developer in May.)

D Gym announced their pending closure, closing at the end of the month. The gym opened their doors in October 2023 at the mall. The gym offers personal training services. When asked for a reason for the closure cowner Ashley Tousignant stated "It was a combination of the town and the mall management. Everything that has gone on the last 2 years has been exhausting. We are a small family owned business who has just had enough. We chose to leave the stress behind and embark on a new journey."

The Moon Crystal announced their planned closure this morning. The crystal store will close their brick & mortar location and transition to their website ( www.themooncrystal.com ) while they look for another commerical space. Everything in the store is currently 40% off (excludes commission pieces.)

Another business that has closed their retail space at the mall recently is Stateline Video Games. The retro gaming store opened at the mall in 2019; expanding to add a new event space. The store announced the closure of their retail business last week; the event space is still available to rent for parties and tournaments.
At least 2 other businesses are planning to relocate from the Enfield Square Mall in the coming months. These businesses asked not to be identified for fears of retaliation. One tenant, who asked to remain anonymous, stated “No one can pay their rent because nobody’s coming into the mall. The owners will not do anything with all the utility markings all over the mall. The mall looks like it’s being demoed. They’re not making any advertisement not trying to get new businesses. The whole thing with these new buyers, that keeps either falling through or not falling through, they’re not communicating with any of the businesses in the mall. The directories are not up to date. There’s no signage telling people who’s in the mall and they don’t advertise at all for the mall.”

A VR game lounge named Quest VR abruptly pulled out of their lease with the mall. The VR Lounge was nearing their opening when the development was announced.

The redevelopment of the mall appears to be in limbo. The developer, Woodsonia Acquisitions, plans a $250 million redevelopment of the mall into a new mixed-use center with 165,000 square feet of retail, 450 housing units, and multiple hotels. The development hinged on receiving $20 million in grants from the State, grants that were not approved. The development announced plans to reapply for the next round of grants, but the project appears on hold until then. 

Enfield Square was once a healthy mall owned by the Westfield Corporation, home to many shops including Waldenbooks, Express, Ben & Jerry’s, Filenes, G Fox, and many more. The mall continued to lose stores, including many of its anchor stores. G Fox was converted into Filenes, which was then converted into Macy’s closed in 2016. Sears closed in 2016. Cinemark closed in 2023. The mall’s lone anchor store is Target, and a junior anchor of Party City. The mall is currently owned by Namdar Realty Group, owners of the Meriden Mall, Trumbull Mall, and Crystal Mall in Connecticut. 

The mall is currently home to After Hours Events, Crystals Fun Spot, CM Repairs & Accessories, Target, Da Money Pit, Furnari Jewelers, Galaxy Pops, Game Stop, Haven Games & Hobbies, Integrity Martial Arts, Mediterranean Kabob House, New Life Church, LA Subs/MOD Pizza, North Central CT Chamber of Commerce, Pelley's Sports, Party City, Rainbow Cleaning Services, Second Floor Games, SSUPhotos Designs, Wukong Tea, and Stateline Video Games (events/parties only.)