The SoNo Collection breaks ground and begins
In 2017, General Growth Properties moved forward on a long-planned retail project in South Norwalk.
City officials and company representatives gathered that summer to mark the start of construction on what would become The SoNo Collection.
The site lay within the Reed-Putnam Urban Renewal Area, an expanse of cleared land near Interstate 95 that had waited years for a major redevelopment.
Work began with grading and utility preparation for a three-level enclosed mall.
The project carried city approvals for roughly 700,000 square feet of retail space and two department store anchors.
Permits and zoning actions tied the plan to the urban renewal district's long-discussed transformation from vacant lots into a mixed-use area.
On August 16, 2017, shovels lifted the first soil during a public groundbreaking ceremony attended by state and local leaders.
Construction advanced through the following year, as steel framing and concrete decks rose along North Water Street.
In August 2018, Brookfield Property Partners completed its acquisition of GGP and assumed control of the project, keeping the design and schedule in place.
By the end of that summer, the site stood under Brookfield's management and fully in the build phase, with the foundations and anchor cores taking shape for what would open two years later.
Build out and phased opening
Construction on The SoNo Collection gained momentum through late 2018.
On October 18 that year, work began on the Bloomingdale's anchor, one of two department stores planned for the new center.
By early 2019, the structure's steel frame dominated the South Norwalk skyline.
The complex was designed as an enclosed, climate-controlled mall with three retail levels, open gathering areas, and parking for more than 3,000 vehicles.
The first milestone arrived in the fall of 2019, when Nordstrom opened its doors on October 11.
The debut marked the first full-service Nordstrom in southern Connecticut.
Stores opened in stages over several weeks, as finishing work continued elsewhere in the building.
Bloomingdale's, occupying about 150,000 square feet, began trading in mid-November.
Between the two anchors, the center offered about 700,000 square feet of retail and public space, including restaurants and an "Art Walk" of commissioned murals.
By year's end, the mall stood fully operational, its interior filled with natural light and glass-lined corridors.
The project completed a multi-decade redevelopment effort in the Reed-Putnam area, turning a vacant site beside the highway into a regional shopping and entertainment hub.
Early operations and anchor draw
When the mall found its rhythm after 2019, it wasn't noise or novelty that kept people coming back; it was steadiness.
Brookfield Properties ran the place with a light touch, keeping it clean, bright, and open.
Nordstrom pulled in steady weekend traffic, Bloomingdale's carried the state's only full department store under its name, and the rest of the building filled in around them.
Shoppers crossed the atrium from one anchor to the other, stopping at coffee bars or leaning on railings to watch the light shift across the glass walls.
Art was stitched into the walkways.
Painted murals climbed the walls between levels, and sculptures cut across the long corridors of storefronts.
The atmosphere felt looser, less like a standard mall and more like an open public space.
Children pressed their palms against the glass toward the street, and couples stopped under the columns of light in the main court.
By 2023, little had changed in structure, but much had changed in rhythm.
The mall was still open, still anchored, still managed by Brookfield.
The dog-friendly signs stayed, the art stayed, and traffic moved at its own pace.
What came next would test how that calm could hold once leases began to turn over.
Closures and a fast-fashion return
In March 2024, The SoNo Collection entered a period of visible tenant turnover.
The Body Shop confirmed it would close its Norwalk location as part of the company's decision to exit the United States market.
Around the same time, Michaels Jewelers, one of Connecticut's longest-running jewelry chains, announced it would shut down its store at the mall.
Both closures reduced the number of original inline tenants that had opened before the pandemic.
The space these stores left behind was quickly offset by new arrivals.
Charlotte Russe, a teen apparel chain that had once disappeared from many U.S. malls, reopened in The SoNo Collection during the same month.
The debut signified a cautious reappearance of fast-fashion in the property's network of local and national retailers.
Anchors and restaurants continued to operate, and Brookfield kept leasing activity steady through short-term replacements and event programming.
By the close of the first quarter of 2024, both department stores were still open, and the flow of shoppers barely wavered, small changes or not.
The next wave of openings would come from dining and global fashion brands planning their entries by year's end.
New dining opens, and a 2025 fashion arrival is set
Late 2024 brought a shift toward food and fashion.
On November 13, 2024, a report confirmed that Mango, the European clothing retailer, would open its first Connecticut location inside The SoNo Collection in 2025.
The brand's arrival was positioned to occupy the space once used by Amazon 4-Star, continuing Brookfield's approach of mixing international retailers with local tenants.
The holiday season added a new restaurant to the mall's street-level lineup.
Chiwa Bistro, serving Japanese cuisine, opened on December 24, 2024.
Flanked by Jacob's Pickles on one side and Yard House on the other, the restaurant filled out the mall's lineup of sit-down dining at ground level.
By the end of the year, SoNo's retail core combined established anchors, specialty fashion, and food destinations aimed at steadying customer flow.
The art pieces hanging around and the lighting inside still did a lot of the work, setting the mood for visitors.
The year closed with the mall active and preparing for another set of openings in the spring.
As 2025 approached, management turned its focus to filling remaining storefronts, balancing luxury and affordable retail, and integrating new attractions that would broaden the property's reach.
Collectibles arrive as a chain restaurant exits
In early 2025, The SoNo Collection added new categories to its tenant list while losing a major restaurant.
In March 2025, it was reported that Pop Mart, the Chinese designer-toy retailer, would open its first Connecticut store inside the mall.
The company announced an 8 a.m.
Saturday opening on March 8, 2025, bringing collectible "blind box" toys and art-inspired merchandise to local shoppers.
Pop Mart's debut introduced a younger, niche audience to the property and diversified its offerings beyond apparel and dining.
Around the same time, the mall's restaurant lineup began to change.
On May 6, 2025, Yard House closed its Norwalk location, ending four years of operation.
The chain confirmed that employees would be offered transfers to other sites in its network.
By the end of the spring, the mix of tenants reflected the fluid retail environment typical of large enclosed centers.
New specialty concepts arrived as established national chains exited.
Brookfield maintained full anchor operations, and the mall continued to function as a regional destination.
Entertainment tenant closes as a pizzeria readies
The fall of 2025 brought both a closure and anticipation of a new opening.
In early September, Pinstripes, the bowling, bocce, and bistro venue occupying the mall's third floor, appeared permanently closed after the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Delaware.
Just ten days later, on September 19, Sally's Apizza confirmed its SoNo location was nearing completion and still scheduled to open in 2025.
The restaurant, long delayed from earlier projections, would extend the New Haven-based brand's reach into Fairfield County.
Its arrival promised to restore a full-service dining option after Yard House's exit in the spring.
At present, The SoNo Collection remains open with its original anchors, Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's, operating normally.
The mall's entertainment level now stands quiet, awaiting re-tenanting, while new dining takes shape on the lower floors.
The next measure of progress will come when Sally's opens its doors and the property's late-2025 lineup is complete.
