Civic Center occupants

[Deepster]

One of the 18 other Civic Center threads got me to thinking of the places that actually used to be part of "the mall".

Chuck's Steak House
Gaetano's
Margarita's
The Whaler Gift Store (with the whale shaped entrance)
Wendy's
Lord Jim's Pub

I'll leave it there....what else?

 

[August_West]

One of the 18 other Civic Center threads got me to thinking of the places that actually used to be part of "the mall".

Chuck's Steak House
Gaetano's
Margarita's
The Whaler Gift Store (with the whale shaped entrance)
Wendy's
Lord Jim's Pub

I'll leave it there....what else?

It was actually "Chucks Cellar"
There was a tobacco shop and a camera store in there too.

 

[August_West]

Aetna should be shot for what they did there.

 

[8893]

Al Franklin's Musical World

De La Concha Tobacconist

Luettgens

Unique Antique

Henry Miller's

Casual Corner

Fusco Shoe Repair

Koenig Art Emporium

B. Dalton Bookseller

Ann Taylor

Civic Center Opticians

 

[businesslawyer]

When I was at Trinity, 77 to 81, there was a fancy restaurant upstairs that was unbelievable to get your parents to take you to to Sunday brunch. I want to say the Signature, but I can't swear to the name.

 

[HooperScooper]

Ann Taylor was upstairs. Only way I remember that is a friend worked there and she would use her employee discount to buy what my wife wanted.

There was a nails salon also upstairs. Only way I remember that is one day I'm walking through the mall a few hours before a UConn game and Ray Allen is in there getting a manicure. Thought that was funny that a college male was having his nails done.

 

[8893]

There was a place upstairs that sold UConn merch for several years. The Husky Shop I think.

 

[8893]

There was a nails salon also upstairs. Only way I remember that is one day I'm walking through the mall a few hours before a UConn game and Ray Allen is in there getting a manicure. Thought that was funny that a college male was having his nails done.

Yeah that would have seemed strange to me, too.

But let's get Hawkins a manicure asap!

 

[Huskybass]

I bought my first good stero system at Al Franklin's Music World. Denon receiver, Polk speakers. Bruce Franklin was great to deal with. What a great store that was. De La Concha was great too. I think we would buy a cigar there and smoke it right in the store before a game. Bought a suit at Luettgan's...that "mall" was pretty cool in it's day.

 

[Squeeze]

This thread is already bumming me out.

It's really no wonder how small cities like Hartford became ghost towns when you think about how many shops were killed by amazon, walmart, costco, etc.

 

[Deepster]

Al Franklin's Musical World

De La Concha Tobacconist

Luettgens

Unique Antique

Henry Miller's

Casual Corner

Fusco Shoe Repair

Koenig Art Emporium

B. Dalton Bookseller

Ann Taylor

Civic Center Opticians

Got my first suit after college at Henry Miller's. A very fashionable double breasted number.

 

[August_West]

This thread is already bumming me out.

It's really no wonder how small cities like Hartford became ghost towns when you think about how many shops were killed by amazon, walmart, costco, etc.

They were killed by Aetna.

 

[TRest]

There was a Rein's Deli there for a while in mid 80's that was an after bar destination. I had a boss in a former job who drank the afternoon's away at George's restaurant, which looked across Asylum at Max Downtown.

 

[huskymedic]

When I was at Trinity, 77 to 81, there was a fancy restaurant upstairs that was unbelievable to get your parents to take you to to Sunday brunch. I want to say the Signature, but I can't swear to the name.

You got it - overlooked Trumbull Street.

 

[freshler40]

There was a Rein's Deli there for a while in mid 80's that was an after bar destination. I had a boss in a former job who drank the afternoon's away at George's restaurant, which looked across Asylum at Max Downtown.

Yes, Rein's was great, high energy, large portions and decent prices. The entire package of shops made for a fun after work or week-end experience. Times have changed. There doesn't seem to be easy answers to this vacancy issue. The Whalers and corporate boxes added an element of support that isn't there anymore.

 

[Kathy]

Al Franklin's Musical World

De La Concha Tobacconist

Luettgens

Unique Antique

Henry Miller's

Casual Corner

Fusco Shoe Repair

Koenig Art Emporium

B. Dalton Bookseller

Ann Taylor

Civic Center Opticians

Unique Antique was a cute store. Used to like window shopping before games.

 

[Kathy]

There was a place upstairs that sold UConn merch for several years. The Husky Shop I think.

Yup

 

[Hoophound]

Hartford was killed by losing its affluent residents due to bad planning. What’s funny is we remember the glory days of Hartford in the 80’s, but it was dying then. From 1820-1970, Hartford was an elite city. Up until 1960, it was a world class city.

 

[Hoophound]

I bought my first good stero system at Al Franklin's Music World. Denon receiver, Polk speakers. Bruce Franklin was great to deal with. What a great store that was. De La Concha was great too. I think we would buy a cigar there and smoke it right in the store before a game. Bought a suit at Luettgan's...that "mall" was pretty cool in it's day.

I remember my mother complaining that there was so much cigar smoke in the mall before the Journey concert in like 1987. It reminded her of her mean uncle.

 

[uconnric]

Hartford was killed by losing its affluent residents due to bad planning. What’s funny is we remember the glory days of Hartford in the 80’s, but it was dying then. From 1820-1970, Hartford was an elite city. Up until 1960, it was a world class city.

With the exception of Boston and New York, most mid-sized cities in the Northeast lost their downtown retail to the suburban malls. Amazon, etc. was really the final nail in that coffin. During the pandemic, many office workers are working remotely, which is hurting the restaurants downtown.

 

[8893]

With the exception of Boston and New York, most mid-sized cities in the Northeast lost their downtown retail to the suburban malls. Amazon, etc. was really the final nail in that coffin. During the pandemic, many office workers are working remotely, which is hurting the restaurants downtown.

Providence's downtown mall seems to be thriving.

 

[AzHusky]

There was a Rising Sun restaurant in the Civic Center in the early 1970's enjoyed eating there before a Uconn or Whalers game.

 

[Kathy]

With the exception of Boston and New York, most mid-sized cities in the Northeast lost their downtown retail to the suburban malls. Amazon, etc. was really the final nail in that coffin. During the pandemic, many office workers are working remotely, which is hurting the restaurants downtown.

When I first graduated in 1980 I remember going to Hartford shopping esp G.Fox. I remember my mom and her family talking about taking the train from Wallingford to Hartford for clothes shopping when she was a kid. The big trip was Hartford, not New Haven.

 

[HooperScooper]

Providence's downtown mall seems to be thriving.

Not exactly. It's been in a downward trend for a while. Nordstrom was the big get and they pulled out a while ago. Most indoor malls around the country aren't doing that well.

“Like malls nationally, Providence Place has been impacted by several recent shifts in shopping-- most notably the growth of online retailing and COVID-19. As a result, our mall is not what it used to be. It still has time to be the economic asset to the city that was intended and I hope that city and state leaders work together to get things back on track," said Smiley.

GoLocalProv | News | Another Mini Crime Wave Hits Providence Place - What Is Mall’s Future?

Providence Place Mall opened in the late 1990s with a black-tie event packed with dignitaries and featuring top-level retailers. In the past ten days, episodes of violence and a robbery are just the latest incidents raising concerns about the safety of the mall.

www.golocalprov.com

 

[Huskybass]

G. Fox was a beautiful store. Not far from Brown Thompson's, that place was cool, as was Scarlet O'Hara's on Pratt Street. I was lucky to catch the end of some old school goodness in Hartford.