Near the intersection of Interstate 395/290 and the Massachusetts Turnpike (Interstate 90) lies the Auburn Mall.
The entirely enclosed 592,000 square foot one-level mall currently features 75 stores, fast-food outlets, and kiosks anchored by Sears on the eastern end, Macy’s Home Store on the western end, and Macy’s main store on the southern end.
The mall built in 1971, was originally anchored by Sears and Denholm’s Department Store.
Denholm’s was converted to Forbes and Wallace, a department store based in Springfield, Mass.
It was later converted to The Outlet, a Providence, R.I.-based department store before becoming a Caldor discount department store in the 1980’s.
Filene’s was added as a third anchor in 1997.
The same year, the mall experienced a major renovation changing the face of the mall’s specialty stores.
I remember being in this Caldor store since it was one of the few I went to in an enclosed mall and had a pretty classy lobby and the old brown Caldor letters in front before being converted to the red techno Caldor logo which was established only months before the chain announced it would close its doors forever.
After the bankruptcy of the Caldor Discount Department Store chain in 1999, the store was converted into a Filene’s Home Store.
In 2006, both Filene’s stores were converted to Macy’s as a result of the merger between Federated Department Stores and May Department Stores.
The Macy’s main department store is two-levels with 165,000 square feet while the two-floor Macy’s Home Store is 87,500 square feet.
Unlike some malls, the distance between the Macy’s main store and the Macy’s Home Store is quite short only requiring one to walk half the mall, which in this case is not that far of a distance.
While some of the actual sizes of specialty stores in the mall are small and there is a small variety of stores in the mall, all three department stores are quite large in comparison.
The mall reminds me of the Enfield Mall in Enfield, CT which also is anchored by Sears, Macy’s, Macy’s Home Store, Target, and a large National Amusement movie theatre, all under one roof.
Enfield Mall used to have a JC Penney store which later became the Filene’s Home Store, later converted to the Macy’s Home Store.
However, Enfield Mall has more strip malls and restaurants around their mall as compared to the Auburn Mall.
The Sears store at Auburn Mall is also two levels with 165,120 square feet and is one of the highest-volume Sears stores in the region.
This store is unique since it has signs above the escalators detailing which departments are on the upper level and which departments are on the lower level.
The store has received a recent renovation as a result of a renovation performed on most Sears stores throughout the country.
There is a Sears Auto Center in the mall parking lot on Route 12.
The mall’s food court, which is located near Macy’s Home Store, includes Auntie Anne’s, Burger King, Konstantine’s/Kokoriko’s, Master Wok, Orange Julius, Pizzeria Regina, and a Subway/TCBY.
The food court does not have its own entrance into the parking lot but can be easily accessed from the mall entrance near Macy’s Home Store.
Other specialty food outlets in the mall include Lindt Chocolate and My Alma Mater Café.
The other mall entrance is located near Sears.
There are two-level parking garages near Sears and Macy’s providing customers with free parking.
Examples of some of the many choices in specialty stores include Aeropostale, American Eagle Outfitters, Bath and Body Works, Express, Finish Line, General Nutrition Centers, New York and Company, Victoria’s Secret, and many more.
The mall also features a small Kids Clubhouse in the rear of the food court near the Guest Services Desk which has literature and is staffed by mall employees who can answer questions regarding the mall and locations of stores and eateries.
It appears the clubhouse and Guest Services Desk used to be places where additional food court outlets were located.
Unlike malls like Buckland Hills in Manchester, CT and Crystal Mall in Waterford, CT, the clubhouse is located in a space hidden away from most of the mall.
Also unlike both of those malls, there is little immediate seating in the area for parents but chairs and tables from the nearby food court could easily be moved immediately outside the clubhouse area.
While the clubhouse is free for kids, Simon Malls has a Simon Kidgits Club which allows those who pay a $5 annual membership fee to receive lots of fun stuff such as newsletters with games, entertaining lessons in safety, health and more, special Simon Mall discounts, a birthday card and birthday gift, and more.
Strollers can be rented at the Guest Services Desk at a cost of $2 for single stroller rentals and $3 for double stroller rentals.
Photo ID or car keys are required as a deposit when renting strollers.
Complimentary wheelchairs can be rented free of charge at the Guest Services Desk with a photo ID required as a deposit when the wheelchair is being used.
Stamps can be purchased at mailboxes located at both mall entrances.
Pay telephones are located in the food court, in front of Macy’s main department store, and near the mall entrance next to Sears.
Lost and found items are kept at the Mall Security Office in between Gymboree and The Children’s Place and at the Guest Services Desk.
Coca-Cola vending machines are located throughout the mall with locations in the food court, in the mall entrance hallway near Macy’s Home Store, outside the mall near the mall entrance next to Macy’s Home Store, near the junction of the mall’s main hallway and the side hallway going to Macy’s main store, in front of Radio Shack, in the mall office corridor, and in the corridor near the mall entrance adjacent to Sears.
These machines sell Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Sprite, Dasani water, and more for $1.25 per bottle.
The mall has one ATM located outside Macy’s Home Store.
The mall is open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Department store and restaurant hours vary as well as holiday hours.
The mall opens to mall walkers at 7:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. on Sunday.
Four laps around the common area of the mall is slightly more than one mile in length.
The mall currently boasts that it has a trade area population of 337,078 who make an average household income of $60,249.
The median age of the trade area is 34.1 with approximately 52 percent of shoppers being predominately white-collar workers.
Those going to the mall tend to live in the Worcester metropolitan area and in nearby northeastern Connecticut which does not yet have its own major shopping mall or shopping center.
In fact, the closest large shopping center to northeastern Connecticut is Lisbon Landing which is off Exit 84 off I-395 and has several strip-mall buildings anchored by Wal-Mart Super Center, Home Depot, Kohl’s, Olympia Sports, Cingular Wireless, O’Neil Cinemas, Linens ‘N Things, Old Navy, Bath and Body
Works, Famous Footwear, Pier 1 Imports, and Ruby Tuesdays.
While there are directory signs in the mall and brochures they give each tenant, including kiosks, numbers ranging from 1 to 72.
The Simon website divides the mall into four quadrants.
The southeast section of the mall is labeled A, the southwest section of the mall is labeled B, the northeast section of the mall is labeled C, and the northwest section of the mall is labeled D.
Vendors interested in renting the mall or existing vendors should keep in mind that Simon Business Network’s Total Facility Program allows Unicco Services to have constant staffing at the mall for needs related to maintenance, housekeeping, and construction.
They also perform work on heat, ventilation, and air conditioning, HVAC, plumbing, and electrical services.
Auburn Mall is located at 385 Southbridge Street in Auburn and is on Route 12 close to the Connecticut/Massachusetts border.
The easiest way to access the mall is to use exit 9 off Interstate 290 or exit 10 off Interstate 90.
