The Ups and Downs of Hawley Lane Mall, Trumbull, CT, Since 1971

Shopping Malls Once Ruled Connecticut. Hawley Lane Remembers.

Anyone who drove through Fairfield County in the early seventies probably remembers the sense of arrival as they turned off the Merritt Parkway and pulled up to Hawley Lane Mall.

Hawley Lane Mall opened in 1971, planting itself in the thick of Trumbull’s growing suburbs.

Shoppers came for Caldor and Waldbaum’s, but the mall grew into a kind of local landmark, waiting for whatever wave of retailers might fill its halls next.

Anchor signs switched out, colors changed, but the bones of the place still hold on to that first-era energy, standing through every shift as the town and the trade moved around it.

You can spot it easily from Route 8, and with the right memory, trace your own story back to its corridors.

For anyone chasing things to do in Trumbull, Connecticut, Hawley Lane Mall remains a fixture with roots you can’t ignore.

Commercial Groundbreaking and Tenant Launches (1971-1981)

When Hawley Lane Mall opened at 120 Hawley Lane in Trumbull in 1971, the original draw was twofold: Caldor, known for its two-story layout and the novelty of belt escalators, and Waldbaum’s supermarket, both setting the tone for what would follow.

At that moment, shopping malls were a different kind of promise in Connecticut – newness, convenience, and everything under one roof.

The location near Exit 8 on Route 8 and exits 51 and 52 on the Merritt Parkway positioned the property for maximum visibility to passing drivers and residents alike.

Early tenants, besides the big anchors, included names like B. Dalton Booksellers and Hawley Lane Shoes.

They brought national chains together with regional retailers, trying to cover both impulse and planned shopping in one stop.

Foot traffic moved between the two floors, exploring the mix of stores that filled out the 1970s version of a modern mall.

Hawley Lane Mall spent its early years running on predictability.

With roughly eighteen tenants holding leases and anchors like Caldor and Waldbaum’s keeping the lights on, the whole operation moved along with a kind of everyday steadiness.

Nothing about the place felt in flux; Trumbull shoppers could count on what they’d find each time they walked through the doors.

Local papers occasionally reported on seasonal events or new store openings, but for the most part, the early era was about routine commerce.

The mall’s structure – two floors, a functional parking lot, and a clear entrance off the main roads – made it practical for families and commuters.

The period closed with Hawley Lane’s business model intact and its promise, at least for a while, unbroken.

Market Expansion, Retail Competition, and New Anchor Deals (1982-1992)

Change came to Hawley Lane Mall in 1982, not with a demolition crew or a total redesign, but with the quiet opening of Sage-Allen on a brand new upper level.

For a while, that move added energy and options for shoppers who wanted a department store experience without heading into Bridgeport or Milford.

Reporters didn’t miss the arrival of Sage-Allen, describing the way it combined local flair with an unusually broad selection for the area.

But as Hawley Lane Mall claimed its new anchor and upper floor, the view beyond its doors was shifting.

Milford Crossroads and Trumbull Shopping Park kept building out, adding more stores and asphalt by the season, all hoping to pull in the same wallets.

The fight for attention in Fairfield County retail had clearly started.

During this decade, smaller stores at Hawley Lane Mall kept rotating in and out.

Names like B. Dalton and Hawley Lane Shoes tried to find their footing amid the swirl of competition.

While the mall’s management kept the tenant list reasonably full, profitability slipped in the late 1980s.

Some years the traffic held up, others it seemed thinner.

Through these years, public transportation via the Greater Bridgeport Transit Authority allowed the property to pull in shoppers who might have skipped a trip by car.

Still, the combination of regional retail growth and customer migration chipped away at the steady regularity Hawley Lane had enjoyed through the seventies.

Retail Downturn, Anchor Closures, and Tenant Exits (1993-2004)

Retail churn at Hawley Lane Mall became more visible in 1993 when Sage-Allen went out of business and merged with Filene’s, only for Filene’s to close its Hawley Lane store soon after.

The rationale, cited at the time, focused on avoiding competition with larger Filene’s locations in Milford and Trumbull.

In the aftermath, the Sage-Allen space cycled through tenants, landing with Steinbach from 1997 to 1999, before that chain also filed for bankruptcy.

These closures marked a period where anchor vacancies became the norm.

Caldor, one of the mall’s original draws, shuttered in 1999 after its bankruptcy.

Waldbaum’s, which had operated in Connecticut since the mall’s opening, withdrew from the state the same year.

By the end of 1999, the property no longer had an anchor tenant holding down either end.

Shoppers looking for stability started heading elsewhere.

The smaller retail spaces inside Hawley Lane struggled to maintain traffic without larger names drawing crowds through the entrances.

There were no multimillion-dollar renovations or public campaigns to lure in new clients during these years.

Vacant storefronts multiplied, and sales volume declined.

The property entered the 2000s in need of a new approach, holding its ground but waiting for someone willing to rethink the entire strategy.

Property Acquisition, Capital Improvements, and Retail Turnaround (2005-2023)

After a stretch defined by empty anchor bays and a thinning roster of shops, Hawley Lane Mall got a new shot in 2005.

National Realty and Development Corp. took control and didn’t waste time.

They put $8 million behind a top-to-bottom renovation, trading slow fixes for real transformation.

Ownership brought in new priorities and made clear that coasting wasn’t on the menu.

The work wasn’t flashy, but it touched almost every corner – updated entrances, new signage, and changes inside that improved the look and function of both floors.

This overhaul wasn’t only about appearances.

New commercial tenants began to move in, with Kohl’s and HomeGoods arriving as anchors not long after the renovations.

Target, a national chain that needed space for its big-box model, started construction in late 2004 and eventually opened with a footprint of 124,500 square feet, which accounted for a quarter of the mall’s area.

Best Buy joined the mix, giving the mall four anchors for the first time since the late 1990s.

By focusing on the retail mix and national brands, management aimed to attract both regulars and new customers from the region.

Instead of drifting, Hawley Lane Mall had begun to reposition itself as a viable option amid Connecticut’s crowded retail market.

Lease Transactions, Store Relocations, and New Entrants (2023-Present)

Retail turnover didn’t end with the big remodel.

In October 2023, HomeGoods relocated to Shelton, taking over the space vacated by Bed Bath & Beyond.

That move left a vacancy at Hawley Lane, but the market responded quickly.

In March 2024, Ross Dress For Less, a large discount retailer, announced its entry into Connecticut, choosing the old HomeGoods space at Hawley Lane Mall for its first store in the state.

That announcement caught attention from trade publications and local outlets alike.

Best Buy, Kohl’s, and Target remained the anchors during this stretch, continuing to draw foot traffic and steady business.

Ownership and property management stayed with National Realty and Development Corp., providing continuity at a time when some malls around the region shuffled hands or sat idle.

The new lease with Ross Dress for Less showed that the mall was still a player in the commercial real estate market.

The Ross Dress For Less store opening is signaling that the site still has enough momentum to attract national chains and new traffic, proof that the mall is not done writing new chapters in its retail story.

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