TRUMBULL — Town economic director Deborah Cox has high hopes that the recently completed, multimillion dollar renovation of Westfield Trumbull Shopping Mall will turn the facility from a mere shopping center to a destination.
On Friday, Westfield Trumbull revealed the results of the renovation, which involved significant upgrades to the 1.2-million square foot shopping center, including new facades and entryways. The mall has also added several new stores over the past few months, including the boutique Metropark, the beauty store Sephora and the tea emporium Teavana.
Other major changes include a new Dining Terrace in the area surrounding what used to be the mall’s food court. The terrace is a bistro-style space featuring 11 eateries, such as Salad Works and Mongolian Grill. A Trumbull branch of the popular restaurant Panera Bread also opened at the mall, overlooking the new dining area.
Cox said these and other changes have completely transformed the mall from a run-of-the-mill shopping spot to a gem of the community. “People from outside of Trumbull are going to know Trumbull as a great place because of the experience they’re going to have at the mall,” she said.
The revitalization, which cost about $35 million, began in July 2009. The project has had some stumbling blocks along the way. During the construction, there were two incidents involving facade collapses in the food court. On June 4, a 200-square-foot section of roof over the food court’s Taco Bell restaurant fell. No one was injured in that incident. But two people were sent to the hospital with minor injuries after a 40-to-50 foot section of the facade above Sbarro’s pizza collapsed on July 17. Westfield regional marketing director Lee Sterling said the collapse was “completely unrelated” to the construction project.
Like Cox, Sterling is excited about the metamorphosis of the mall. In addition to the aforementioned changes, upgrades include renovated rest rooms and a play area outside the JC Penney store.
And, there’s more to come. A number of new businesses — H&M, LA Fitness and Skechers — will be opening in the coming months. More planned retail offering will be announced next year. Sterling said she thinks visitors to the mall will be surprised by how much it’s changed. “It’s certainly going to exceed their expectations,” she said.