#crystal mall

[the-gone-ton]

I'm having to go out-of-order on my posts again to highlight another closing mall I've recently visited. The Crystal Mall in Connecticut will not be lasting much longer. Two of the last holdouts were Hot Topic & Spencer's, located next to each other at the JCPenney end of the mall. Both were closing when I visited. And check out that old Sam Goody store!

[allthecanadianpolitics]

The Story of Burnaby’s ‘Totally Quirky’ Crystal Mall

Dreamed up by adventurous city builder Stanley Kwok, it’s unlike any other shopping centre in the region.

Bright, buzzing neon will light your way through the cavernous heart of Crystal Mall, a labyrinth of stalls that sell produce alongside specialties like fresh tofu and peppercorn pig ears.

Vendors will shout that their veggies are the cheapest. Shoppers, mostly older than you, will push and shove to secure a spot in one of many snaking lines. You’ll smell buns and bubble waffles, curry and charsiu — you might even glimpse a butcher wheeling a rack with a whole animal carcass.

It’s not in Chinatown, but a suburban mall.

It may be hard to believe that this very Chinese place can exist as part of Burnaby’s Metrotown. Its chaotic charisma is at odds with the polished vision sold by the neighbourhood’s condo ads.

Graham McGarva, who worked on Crystal Mall when he was at VIA Architecture, says its role is like that of an “appendix” — something anomalous or extraneous from the neighbourhood.

“Not a negative outlier,” he said, “but an outlier.”

Continue Reading.

[the-gone-ton]

Empty stores and a barren food court at Crystal Mall

[the-gone-ton]

The Crystal Mall has been purchased by General Dynamics, a war contractor that our government pays to build nuclear submarines & jets for us so that we can go terrorize some other country instead of feeding the hungry here at home. Anyway, General Dynamics says most mall operations will end at the end of March, but a few businesses will be accommodated past that point.

[the-gone-ton]

Crystal Mall is Still OPEN For Business!

... until tomorrow that is.

[the-gone-ton]

Crystal Mall opened in 1984 with Sears, JCPenney, Jordan Marsh (later Macy's), and Filene's (later Christmas Tree Shops on level 1 and Bed Bath & Beyond on level 2). Sears left first in 2019 because of their own problems. Macy's closed in 2021 as their footprint continues to shrink. Bed Bath & Beyond and Christmas Tree Shops both went totally out of business in 2023. JCPenney was the last to go in 2024. All the while, the mall interior hollowed out as the ownership was pitched from Simon Property Group to Namdar and finally to General Dynamics, who are about to convert the place to a massive office complex supporting their military submarine production nearby.

[happyonhuntington]

The Crystal Mall in Waterford, CT. Most businesses are closed, with the few remaining as of Christmas 2025, such as Hot Topic and Buffalo Wild Wings, to be fully closed by spring 2026. Submarine manufacturer Electric Boat has purchased the entire mall and will be giving the space new life as part of their work space.

I grew up going to this mall, and all the locals are sad to see it go, but I'm happy that the space will be used.

[mortiz888-blog]

Goodbye Crystal Mall: Electric Boat Moves In — A New Era for Waterford

Goodbye Crystal Mall: Electric Boat Moves In — A New Era for Waterford