At the junction of Route 9 and Interstate 84 in Connecticut is the 1.3 million square foot two-level Westfarms Mall which offers upscale shopping to those who live in the metro Hartford region.
The mall straddles the borders of Farmington and West Hartford in central Connecticut and is owned by the Taubman Company which specializes in development, leasing, and center operations.
The mall opened in 1974 being originally anchored by two upscale department stores of the day: G. Fox Co. and Sage-Allen.
In 1982, the mall’s first expansion was completed resulting in the opening of Lord and Taylor, another upscale department store.
The G. Fox store was converted to its sister Filene’s division in 1993 and after Sage-Allen went bankrupt; its space became the new Filene’s Men and Home store in 1995.
In 1996, a more ambitious expansion to the mall brought 20 additional shops as well as another upscale department store, New England’s first Nordstrom location which is still currently Connecticut’s only Nordstrom.
This led both Filene’s stores to be converted into Macy’s.
The size of the Filene’s Men and Home store allowed the store to be renamed by Macy’s as the Macy’s Men’s Store and Furniture Gallery.
All four of the mall’s department stores are large two-floor anchors with Nordstrom taking up 189,000 square feet, Macy’s two locations totaling 292,000 square feet, Lord and Taylor consisting of 117,000 square feet, and JC Penney with 200,000 square feet.
The mall has 520,000 square feet for mall tenant space and a total of 6,500 parking spaces with parking garage deck parking on either side of Nordstrom.
Parking in those parking decks in the past, I will caution shoppers that if they plan on dining or shopping in areas of the mall that could be open late, check the hours of Nordstrom or Lord and Taylor so that you will be able to go back to the parking deck at the end of the night.
If not, you will be forced to have security drive you to your car since walking the perimeter of the large mall late at night is not something I would recommend since there are areas that do not have adequate lighting.
This is an especially wise idea if you plan to dine at the Rainforest Café, which is open late, is the busiest restaurant of the mall, and where reservations, either by calling ahead or visiting when you first arrive, are strongly recommended.
It seems the parking lot outside Nordstrom is the least crowded of the mall and if you visit Rainforest Café, you may want to look for a spot near Macy’s Main Store on the mall’s north end since it is close to the popular restaurant.
If you dine at the Rainforest Café, a visit is not complete unless you visit their unique shop and bar, located in the front of the restaurant.
While the mall does not have a food court, it does offer several food outlets near the mall entrance on the lower level in the mall’s northwest corner including a Ruby Tuesday, Burger King, Subway, Pretzel Time, Surf City Squeeze and GNC.
Other food outlets are featured throughout the mall such as Au Bon Pain, Café Nordstrom, California Pizza Kitchen, Gloria Jean’s Gourmet Coffees, Master Wok, Praline’s Gourmet Ice Cream, Sbarro the Italian Eatery, Uno Chicago Grill, Auntie’s Anne’s, Godiva Chocolatier, Harry and David, Mrs. Field’s Original Cookie Company, Munson’s Chocolates, Pretzel Time, Starbuck’s Coffee, Sweet Factory, and Williams-Sonoma Grande Cuisine.
The mall from 1974 to 2002 had a center court on the lower level, located between the Macy’s Men’s Store and Furniture Gallery and Lord and Taylor, with waterfall-style fountains and a small stage for entertainment.
The waterfalls have since been removed but stages remain giving the space a more open look.
The center court’s name has been renamed the AT&T; Center Court and a Starbuck’s Coffee kiosk recently opened in the court with several couches and soft seating close by.
In addition to being home to the AT&T; Experience Kiosk, the court also features complimentary wireless Internet for those bringing their laptops or PDA’s into the mall.
Pay telephones are located on the lower level at the mall entrance near the California Pizza Kitchen, Cener Court near Customer Service, at the entrance to Nordstrom, and on the upper level at the main entrance near Nordstrom.
The mall is also known for a number of upscale retailers such as MAC, Coach, Apple, Bebe, Williams-Sonoma Grand Cuisine, Restoration Hardware, J. Crew, Brooks Brothers, Pottery Barn, Talbots, Ann Taylor, Hollister, Abercrombie and Fitch, Banana Republic, Babystyle, Sephora, L’Occitane, and J. Jill.
Soft seating areas are located throughout the mall primarily near the mall’s department stores and replace the hard wood benches that many malls have for their shoppers when they take a break from their shopping.
These areas consist of soft leather-like chairs with small wooden tables with little lamps.
Restrooms in the mall are located on the lower level near center court and additional restrooms are located on the lower level near Macy’s Main Store and on the upper level near Nordstrom.
Nordstrom has a family restroom on the upper level as well as the restroom near the mall entrance closest to Nordstrom’s upper level entrance.
Several different bank offices and ATM’s are located throughout the mall.
The Bank of America ATM is located on the lower level in the center court, another ATM in Nordstrom’s lower level mall entrance near the shoe department, a
Sovereign Bank ATM at the lower level JC Penney entrance, and a Farmington Savings Bank ATM with offices on the upper level near Macy’s.
For customer service and safety, the mall’s customer service center is located on the lower level in Center Court and the mall’s security department is located on the upper level and is accessible by taking the lower level elevator near California Pizza Kitchen, at the mall’s north end.
Specifically, the customer service center provides mall-wide gift cards, strollers for a $5 refundable deposit, wheelchairs by a state issued photo ID, gift wrapping, complimentary shopping bags, postage stamps, photo copies, outgoing faxes, lost and found, restaurant information, store information, gift suggestions, directions/maps, special event information, seasonal promotions, and employment opportunities.
Pepsi vending machines are located throughout the mall for those needing to quench their thirst.
On the upper level, they are located outside JC Penney and near the mall entrance close to Macy’s Men’s Store and Furniture Gallery.
Water fountains can be found outside Nordstrom on the lower level, outside Macy’s Men’s Store and Furniture Gallery, at the northwest mall entrance on the lower level near Macy’s Main Store, at the upper level southwest mall entrance near Radio Shack, near Macy’s on the lower level, outside Macy’s Men’s Store and Furniture Gallery, near the restrooms on the lower level close to Limited Too, and near the southern lower level mall entrance near Ruby Tuesday.
The mall trade map includes the cities and towns of Hartford, East Hartford, Manchester, Bloomfield, Windsor, Avon, Bristol, New Britain, Bristol, Berlin, Cromwell, Middletown, Meriden, Cheshire, Wallingford, and Waterbury.
In the trade area, Taubman reports that there is a population of 1,248,219 with 494,094 households making an average household income of $72,373 and there are approximately 174,627 households making over $75,000 a year. The average age of a person in this trade area is 39.
Additionally there are six major colleges and universities in the Hartford area which enroll a total of 15,000 students annually.
From driving around, I can tell you that the mall is very close to Central Connecticut State University in New Britain.
While the mall is a great place for college students to hang out and eat, its high end shopping may be a disadvantage for those with limited funds.
I suggest those folks visit the Corbins Corner Shopping Center located across the street from Westfarms and is anchored by Sears, Best Buy, Office Depot, and several other stores and a few standalone restaurants.
A large Target Greatland, which combines merchandise in a discount department store with that typically found in a supermarket, is located right off Route 9 exit 30 on Route 71.
The Westfarms Mall is open Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Sundays 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Department stores and restaurant hours may vary but the main entrance on the lower level at the mall’s north end between Macy’s and Lord and Taylor opens at 7 a.m. for mall walkers.
Those coming from the west should use Interstate 84 exit 40, turn right on New Britain Avenue, Route 71, and follow signs to Westfarms.
Those coming from the south and the Connecticut shoreline should take Interstate 91 North to exit 22, Route 9 North, and then use exit 30 off Route 9, then turn right on New Britain Avenue Route 71 and follow signs to Westfarms.
Those coming from Route 9 will notice that this is the last exit on the highway before the highway splits forcing drivers to choose Interstate 84 East toward Waterbury or Interstate 84 West toward Hartford.
Those coming from New Britain should take Route 71 to Westfarms or follow directions from Route 9 from above.
Those coming from the east should travel on Interstate 84 west, exit 40, turn right on New Britain Avenue, Route 71, and follow signs to Westfarms.
Those coming from the north and those from Bradley International Aiport should take Interstate 91 south to Interstate 84 west, exit 40, turn right on New Britain Avenue, Route 71, and follow to Westfarms.
The mall is located at New Britain Avenue, Route 71 and South Road, south of the Interstate 84 exit 40 interchange.
It’s nearest competing mall is the Buckland Hills Mall located about 15 miles away.
