"They had everything here," a longtime shopper told The Day in March, on one of the last walks through the Crystal Mall before it closed to the public. The same article described how big the mall's Decembers used to be. Employees weren't allowed to park on site during the Christmas season. Cashiers, cooks and managers parked at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl farther up Route 85, and buses brought them in.
This is the first holiday season since the mall opened in September 1984 that Waterford won't have it. The mall was doing two jobs each December. It was a place to buy things, and it was a place to gather, with Santa photos, decorated trees and garlands among the crowds. Those two jobs have gone to different places. The shopping crossed Hartford Turnpike and spread along Waterford Parkway North, while the town green, the high school fieldhouse and Eolia took over the gathering. Most of each stayed in Waterford.
Thirteen Stores at the End
By the mall's last weeks, the holiday hub had already shrunk to a handful of storefronts. In mid-March, The Day counted 13 stores still open, plus a kiosk or two. In 2010 there had been close to 140. Sakura Japan ran the only hot grill in the food court. Toy Vault, Hot Topic, Men's Wearhouse, This n' That, Kay Jewelers, LensCrafters, H&R Block, Mr. Fix It, Finish Line, Instyle Fragrances, Froyo World and Buffalo Wild Wings served the last customers.
So the holiday season Waterford lost in March was a small one. The big-mall December had faded long before that. Where those last 13 went shows where the shopping is heading.
Across Hartford Turnpike, at Waterford Commons
The shortest move was across the road. Waterford Commons, at 915 Hartford Turnpike, sits directly across from the former mall, and it has taken in the clearest group of former tenants.
| Former Crystal Mall tenant | Where it went | Status as reported |
|---|---|---|
| Kay Jewelers | Waterford Commons, next door to Smashburgers | Open, per The Connecticut Scoop, Sept. 19 |
| Men's Wearhouse | Waterford Commons, former Lane Bryant space next to Tractor Supply | Construction expected soon, per Sept. 19 report |
| Toy Vault | Its existing Waterford Commons store, plus a new store planned at Tanger Outlets at Foxwoods | Announced in March |
The Connecticut Scoop reported in September that the Men's Wearhouse space will be about 5,000 square feet. The plaza has added new arrivals too. Boot Barn is open in the former Party City space, selling Western and work wear, boots, hats and accessories. Spirit Halloween took the former Pier 1 Imports space for the season and plans to stay through early November. On a late-October Thursday, that means the Commons is one of the last places in Waterford to pick up a costume.
The mall used to hold jewelry, formalwear and toys under one roof. Those three gift categories now sit in the same parking lot, a few hundred feet from where they used to be.
Up Waterford Parkway North
The second move was north, into the plazas around Cross Road. Hobby Lobby announced a Monday, Sept. 14 opening at 167 Waterford Parkway North, the former Bob's Stores and EMS space in Cross Roads Centre. According to The Connecticut Scoop, the store is 50,000 square feet of crafting supplies, home decor, furniture and seasonal decorations. It is the chain's first location in New London County and its seventh in Connecticut. Its neighbors in the plaza are Lowe's, Dollar Tree, BJ's and Regal. Announced hours are 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and closed Sunday. The Sunday closure is worth knowing before planning a December weekend around wreath supplies.
Next door, Restaurant Depot broke ground between Walmart and Lowe's, The Connecticut Scoop reported in June. The Scoop also listed a 7 Brew among the chains coming to town. Closer to the highway, Dave's Hot Chicken announced an April 17 opening at 13 Clark Lane, in the former Papa Gino's and D'Angelo's space at Waterford Plaza.
None of these stores came from the mall. They show that national retail is still choosing Waterford, just in buildings with their own front doors.
The Tenants That Left Town
Not every former tenant stayed in Waterford. A March roundup from The Connecticut Scoop listed where the rest planned to go:
- LensCrafters to 351 N. Frontage Road, New London
- Memories Ink to 223 Bank St., New London
- East Side Games to join Sarge's Comics and Games at 124 State St., New London
- Mr. Fix It to 310 Flanders Road, East Lyme
- Enzo Menswear temporarily to Tanger Outlets at Foxwoods
- Froyo World to a space near the Trumbull Mall food court
The food court's last grill has a confirmed new home. The Connecticut Scoop reported that Sakura Japan stayed open at the mall until early July. It has since reopened at 256 South Frontage Road in New London, in the plaza with Burlington and Staples, near Prowess Gaming. Its posted hours run 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, until 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.
Some stores did not relocate. Hot Topic and Finish Line closed without plans to reopen elsewhere, The Day reported, and Spencer Gifts had already closed. The Scoop listed Victoria's Secret among the stores with no plans to reopen nearby. Taken together, the shopping half of the mall's December mostly survived within a short drive. Jewelry, menswear, toys and crafts stayed in Waterford, and eyewear, tattoos, games and Japanese food went a few miles away to New London.
The Half No Store Replaces
A plaza can sell a gift. It doesn't give a town a December evening out the way the mall did, with Santa photos and the decorated trees people still remember. That half of the season is now run by Waterford's civic groups and nonprofits, and their 2026 dates are already posted:
- Nov. 7, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. "Harvest to Hearth in 1850s Waterford," a Thanksgiving-focused living-history event from the Waterford Historical Society on Jordan Green.
- Dec. 6, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Waterford High School Holiday Market, a juried fair with more than 75 vendors in the fieldhouse at 20 Rope Ferry Road, benefiting the WHS Class Council.
- Dec. 9, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Friends of Harkness Holiday Tea at Eolia Mansion. It is limited to 30 guests, and registration closes Dec. 1.
- Dec. 11, 5:30 p.m. The Friends of Harkness Holiday Party.
- Dec. 15 and 17, tours at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and noon Holiday tours of Eolia Mansion, also from the Friends of Harkness, with each tour limited to 12 people.
The Friends of Harkness note that their events are subject to change and require pre-registration unless otherwise noted. The Eolia tours take 12 people at a time, and the tea closes registration on Dec. 1, so those two fill first.
Santa has had a town date too. Last year's Jordan Green tree lighting was Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, from 6 to 8 p.m., and the town's listing included Santa and Mrs. Claus. If this year follows the same pattern, Waterford's main photo with Santa will happen outdoors on the town green.
What the Building Becomes
The mall's own December this year will mostly be construction. WFSB reported that Electric Boat broke ground on Aug. 21. The company expects its first employees there by the end of this year and full operation in about a year. The Buffalo Wild Wings was still open at the time, the last public business in the building.
Electric Boat plans to move 4,000 to 5,000 current employees from Groton and new hires to the 42-acre property on Route 85, according to The Day. WFSB said that would make it Waterford's largest employer. The two outlets give different sizes for the project. The Day reported 542,000 square feet with 50 training classrooms. WFSB described an 814,000-square-foot building with 40 classrooms and 73 welding stations. Electric Boat president Mark Rayha explained the choice of building to WFSB. "Malls were designed for people to move around, good light, open space. We're going to take advantage of that."
The next change residents may notice is on the roads. In September, First Selectman Rob Brule asked the state Department of Transportation to give the town land for a new road connecting the former mall to Parkway North. He told The Day the goal was to "give people another entrance and exit to the mall." In his letter he said the road would also offer another route to I-95 and to Cross Road. DOT spokesperson Eva Zymaris said an internal review was underway and "No decision has been made." If the road is built, it would connect the old mall site to the same Parkway North corridor where Hobby Lobby and Restaurant Depot are going in.
Whether you're shopping on Hartford Turnpike this December or thinking about what the Electric Boat site means for your corner of Waterford, Tammy Tinnerello follows these changes block by block and is glad to talk through what they mean for your home. Work With Tammy.
