Stamford Town Center
Stamford Town Center is an urban shopping mall in downtown Stamford, Connecticut, with approximately 761,000 square feet of retail, dining, entertainment, and anchor space.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Stamford Town Center is an urban shopping mall located in downtown Stamford, Connecticut. The center occupies approximately 761,000 square feet and provides space for about 130 stores and restaurants. Its principal anchors are Macy's, Barnes & Noble, and Pickleball America, with the latter occupying the large former Saks OFF 5th anchor space beginning in September 2023. The mall opened on June 17, 1982, as a major component of Stamford's urban-renewal program. It was developed by F.D. Rich Co. and Taubman Centers on land that had previously contained tenement housing along and around Greyrock Place. The project was intended to reinforce downtown Stamford as a regional commercial destination, but its construction and related changes to the city center were controversial. Nearby Bedford Street and Summer Street were converted to one-way streets to facilitate automobile access, a change that surrounding businesses criticized. Commentators also objected to the removal of established lower-income residential buildings and older urban fabric. At opening, Stamford Town Center had Macy's and J.C. Penney as its two principal anchors. Saks Fifth Avenue joined the center in March 1983, giving the mall a strong department-store lineup. During the 1980s and 1990s, the property attracted shoppers from across Fairfield County, the wider New York metropolitan area, and international visitors. It was widely regarded as a particularly successful urban mall despite competition from other regional shopping destinations. The anchor mix changed materially during the 1990s and 2000s. J.C. Penney announced its departure in 1994, and Filene's took over its space. Filene's later closed, and the southern portion of the complex along Tresser Boulevard was demolished and redeveloped beginning in 2006. The redevelopment replaced the former department-store area with a more pedestrian-oriented plaza, restaurants, and retail space. A large Barnes & Noble opened in 2008, supported by restaurants and fashion tenants including H&M, California Pizza Kitchen, Cosi, Kona Grill, P.F. Chang's, Mitchell's Fish Market, and The Capital Grille. Plan B Burger Bar subsequently opened in the redeveloped area in 2012. Saks Fifth Avenue closed in 2014 and the space reopened as Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5th in 2015. OFF 5th later closed in 2021 and moved to the former Lord & Taylor location on High Ridge Road in 2022. In October 2020, Taubman sold Stamford Town Center to Safavieh, a furniture company. The mall's later repositioning included the arrival of Pickleball America in nearly 80,000 square feet of former Saks OFF 5th space in September 2023. The property also has a connection to popular culture: scenes from the film "Scenes from a Mall" were filmed at the center.
History
Stamford Town Center was conceived as a central element of Stamford's downtown urban-renewal program. Developed by F.D. Rich Co. and Taubman Centers, the mall was built on an area that had included tenement structures along Greyrock Place. Its development reflected a postwar effort to concentrate retail activity in a modern regional shopping complex while reshaping the surrounding street network and downtown land use. The center opened on June 17, 1982. Macy's and J.C. Penney were the original anchor stores, and Saks Fifth Avenue opened on March 12, 1983. The mall quickly became a major destination for Stamford and the surrounding New York metropolitan region. During the 1980s and 1990s, it drew local shoppers, visitors from New York City, and international tourists. Its performance was considered strong even though it faced competition from other shopping centers in Fairfield County and the broader metropolitan area. The urban-renewal context remained an important part of the property's public history. To improve automobile access, Stamford reoriented nearby Bedford Street and Summer Street as one-way roads when the mall opened. Critics argued that the change harmed nearby independent businesses. Other criticism focused on the demolition of housing and the loss of an older, more socially mixed downtown environment. These concerns accompanied the mall's commercial success and formed part of the broader debate over downtown redevelopment. The anchor lineup began to change in the 1990s. J.C. Penney announced its departure in July 1994, and Filene's replaced it. Filene's subsequently closed, and its former area became the focus of a substantial redevelopment. In May 2006, the southern part of the mall along Tresser Boulevard was demolished. The replacement project sought to make this edge of the property more pedestrian-friendly and to improve the relationship between the mall, nearby streets, and the downtown environment. The redeveloped plaza opened in stages beginning November 1, 2007. It added restaurants and new retail space, including H&M, California Pizza Kitchen, Cosi, Kona Grill, and P.F. Chang's. Mitchell's Fish Market opened in December 2007, while The Capital Grille opened in February 2008. The project also produced a large Barnes & Noble location, described as the largest in Connecticut at the time, which opened in 2008. Plan B Burger Bar later opened in the redeveloped area in August 2012. A proposed Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que location did not proceed. Saks Fifth Avenue remained a major anchor until closing in 2014. The space reopened as Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5th in 2015, but that format also eventually left, closing in 2021. The former anchor site was later repurposed for Pickleball America, which opened in September 2023 in nearly 80,000 square feet. This change illustrates the mall's shift from a traditional department-store anchor model toward a combination of retail, dining, services, and experiential uses. Ownership also changed. Taubman sold Stamford Town Center to Safavieh on October 23, 2020. The property remains an active downtown shopping and entertainment complex, anchored by Macy's, Barnes & Noble, and Pickleball America. The mall has also appeared in film, with scenes from "Scenes from a Mall" filmed on the premises.
- 2023
Pickleball America opens
[1]Pickleball America opened in September in the former Saks OFF 5th anchor space.
- 2020
Ownership transfers to Safavieh
[1]Taubman sold the mall to Safavieh on October 23.
- 2012
Plan B Burger Bar opens
[1]Plan B Burger Bar opened in the redeveloped portion of the center on August 4.
- 2008
Barnes & Noble opens
[1]A major Barnes & Noble store opened as a central component of the southern redevelopment.
- 2007
Redeveloped plaza begins opening
[1]The new plaza began opening on November 1 with retail, dining, and entertainment tenants.
- 2006
Southern redevelopment begins
[1]The southern portion along Tresser Boulevard was demolished and redeveloped with a stronger pedestrian and dining orientation.
- 1994
J.C. Penney replacement announced
[1]J.C. Penney's departure was announced, and Filene's was selected to replace it.
- 1983
Saks Fifth Avenue opens
[1]Saks Fifth Avenue opened on March 12, completing the original three-anchor department-store lineup.
- 1982
Stamford Town Center opens
[1]The mall opened on June 17 as a major downtown urban-renewal project, anchored by Macy's and J.C. Penney.
Products and positioning
A large downtown, mixed-use-oriented regional shopping center that combines department-store retail, specialty shops, restaurants, books, and indoor recreation in Stamford's urban core.
Department store anchor · 1982
Macy's
Macy's has been an anchor at Stamford Town Center since the mall opened in 1982. The store occupies approximately 250,000 square feet and provides broad department-store merchandise, including apparel, accessories, beauty products, home goods, and seasonal categories.
Books and lifestyle retail · 2008
Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble opened in 2008 as a major component of the mall's southern redevelopment. The location was described as Connecticut's largest Barnes & Noble and expanded the center's offer beyond conventional fashion and department-store retail with books, media, gifts, and related lifestyle merchandise.
Indoor recreation · 2023
Pickleball America
Pickleball America opened in September 2023 in nearly 80,000 square feet of the former Saks OFF 5th anchor space. Its arrival repurposed a large department-store box for sports, recreation, and experiential programming.
Former department store anchor · 1983
Saks Fifth Avenue
Saks Fifth Avenue opened at the center in 1983 in an approximately 78,000-square-foot anchor space. The full-line store closed in 2014, after which the space was converted to Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5th.
Former department store anchor · 1982
J.C. Penney
J.C. Penney was one of the mall's two original anchors and occupied approximately 160,000 square feet. It left the center in the 1990s, with Filene's taking over the anchor space.
Former department store anchor · 1994
Filene's
Filene's replaced J.C. Penney in the former anchor space after the 1994 transition. The store later closed, and its area was demolished and incorporated into the southern redevelopment that produced the mall's plaza and dining district.
Former outlet department store anchor · 2015
Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5th
Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5th operated in the former Saks Fifth Avenue space from 2015 until its closure at Stamford Town Center in 2021. The retailer later relocated to a former Lord & Taylor site on High Ridge Road.
Brand decisions
2023
Convert the former Saks OFF 5th space for Pickleball AmericaGeneration changeBackground
The approximately 78,000-square-foot Saks OFF 5th anchor space became available after the outlet store closed in 2021.
Action taken
The space was repurposed for Pickleball America, which opened in September 2023.
Aftermath
The change added a large experiential sports use to the mall's anchor lineup and reduced its dependence on traditional department stores.
2020
Sell the property to SafaviehM&ABackground
Taubman was the mall's developer and owner before the ownership change.
Action taken
Taubman sold Stamford Town Center to Safavieh on October 23, 2020.
Aftermath
Safavieh became the mall's owner; the property subsequently continued evolving its tenant and anchor mix.
2006
Redevelop the southern portion of the mallStrategyBackground
The former Filene's area and the southern edge of the complex required repositioning after changes in the department-store anchor lineup.
Action taken
The southern portion along Tresser Boulevard was demolished and replaced with a more pedestrian-oriented plaza containing retail and restaurant space.
Aftermath
The project opened in stages from 2007 through 2008 and added Barnes & Noble and multiple restaurant tenants.
Recent events
- 2023
Pickleball America opens at Stamford Town Center[1]
Product launch
Pickleball America opened in September 2023 in nearly 80,000 square feet of space previously occupied by Saks OFF 5th.
- 2021
Saks OFF 5th closes and later relocates[1]
Other
The Saks OFF 5th store at Stamford Town Center closed in 2021; the retailer later relocated to the former Lord & Taylor site on High Ridge Road in 2022.
- 2020
Taubman sells Stamford Town Center to Safavieh[1]
M&A
Taubman sold the shopping center to furniture company Safavieh on October 23, 2020.
- 2007
Barnes & Noble and the new plaza open[1]
Product launch
The redeveloped plaza began opening on November 1, 2007, with Barnes & Noble and several retail and restaurant tenants; Barnes & Noble's store was completed as a major component of the project in 2008.
- 2006
Southern portion redeveloped into a pedestrian-oriented retail and dining area[1]
Other
The southern part of the mall along Tresser Boulevard was demolished and redeveloped, replacing the former Filene's area with restaurants, retail space, and improved streetscape connections.
- 1994
J.C. Penney departure leads to Filene's replacement[1]
Leadership change
J.C. Penney's planned departure was announced in July 1994, with Filene's identified as its replacement.
- 1983
Saks Fifth Avenue joins Stamford Town Center[1]
Other
Saks Fifth Avenue opened at the mall on March 12, 1983, becoming its third major anchor.
- 1982
Stamford Town Center opens as part of downtown urban renewal[1]
Other
The mall opened on June 17, 1982, with Macy's and J.C. Penney as its initial anchor stores.
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