3 Years Old & Already a Dead Mall? The SoNo Collection Mall, Norwalk, Connecticut.

Join me as I take a look at The SoNo Collection mall in Norwalk, Connecticut.
This mall opened only 3 years ago in 2019, but it already shows signs that it may be a dead mall. Tell me what you think about this mall in the comments!
This video was filmed in November 2022 on a Tuesday around 1:00pm.
If you liked this video, please give me a thumbs up, leave a comment and subscribe to my channel! Thanks!
Source of information:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_SoN...
Google Maps.
#deadmall #deadmalls #mall #connecticut #norwalk #shoppingmall #shoppingmalls #retail

[@vinyl1Earthlink]

Fairfield county is loaded with wealthy people - whole towns are full of million-dollar houses. Perhaps there are enough people who like to buy expensive items in person.

[@fleabittenadventures]

It's definitely possible. I'm almost never in Fairfield County, so I'm not sure what the rest of it is like. I guess we'll just to wait and see what happens with this mall. My guess is it will be struggling within 10 years. Thanks for watching!

[@boomboxzer0914]

I'm from Norwalk and I can tell you rn that this mall is nearly unprofitable. They tried to make it appeal to the wealthier individuals of Fairfield County and those migrating from New York to Fairfield County. It's almost a joke how bad of a flop it was to build it.

[@chop3625]

They internet shop. Free shipping with no hassle returns. Norwalk not exactly the worse address but certainly not the best in Fairfield County. I’m confused that this being a new mall, what was the thought process? Considering most malls are “Dead”. Agree with the OP on this.

[@mirzaahmed6589]

Many of those wealthy people are cash poor. And in any case, they prefer shopping in smaller, standalone stores in their wealthy towns, not in mass market malls.

[@AudiophileJourneyman]

I went on a Saturday and it was busy. Don't go on a Tuesday at 2.

[@discocat4127]

Very interesting video. It is a beautiful mall, I hope it does well.

[@fleabittenadventures]

Glad you liked it! I agree that the mall is very well done. It's nice to look at, but I just can't see it lasting too long. I give it.... 15 years. We'll see I guess. Thanks for watching!

[@crixxxxxxxxx]

Obviously it’s not going to be at its busiest on a weekday at 2PM. Everyone is still at work and school. Looks like all but one store was open. So it doesn’t meet the criteria for “dead mall” by any definition.

[@fleabittenadventures]

OK. That's why I'm asking if it's a dead mall. I'm not stating that it conclusively is a dead mall. Also, many people seem to have various ideas about what a dead mall is. For example, I thought the Buckland Hills Mall seemed to be doing well, but a few people commented that it was a dead mall. Thanks for watching!

[@crixxxxxxxxx]

@@fleabittenadventures I think two main things would define a dead mall, a significant percentage of closed stores, say 50% or greater, plus the clear absence of foot traffic, in which one could walk down a section of the mall and only see people in the single numbers. You could also include more than one anchor tenant of the mall being vacant.

[@harrellchisolm9616]

There is no lunch crowd there at all during the week and the restaurants suffer

[@fleabittenadventures]

@@harrellchisolm9616 That makes sense. Thanks for watching.

[@iceman5117]

​@@crixxxxxxxxxit doesn't have a significant 0ercentage of closed stores, most of it's storefronts never opened to begin with. It was dead on arrival

[@LotsOfLove4Music]

i agree with another comment about fairfield county having a lot of wealthy people. i think the area has enough people and money to keep this mall in business. it’s unfortunate that it opened only shortly before the pandemic, but i remember going to this mall once last year on a weekend, and it seemed to be doing fine in terms of traffic/business.

[@fleabittenadventures]

It did seem to be doing OK when I went there, but I wouldn't say it was as busy as I remember malls being back in the 80's and 90's. I guess we'll just have to wait a few years and see how it is doing. Thanks for watching!

[@mirzaahmed6589]

If that was the case, Stamford Town Center would also be thriving.

[@papiowen1167]

1-2 years ago I had it as the worst mall I’ve been to but I came back 2-3 months ago to buy some stuff for vacationed and trust me, it’s one of the best malls in CT, it’s just underrated, infrastructure is elite, nice environment, good stores etc.. Don’t sleep on it 🔝

[@Kevscancave]

As an adult…malls never were my thing..sort of cool when I was a kid because of the arcade and movie theater..

[@fleabittenadventures]

Same here. I haven't been a regular shopper at malls for about 20 years, but I've been enjoying taking a look at all these malls recently to see how they are doing. Thanks for watching!

[@MikkiCio]

I see at least 10 closed or blocked storefronts. Not a good sign. I've never been, the parking situation is atrocious. I refuse to pay money to park at a mall.

[@fleabittenadventures]

I agree. And yes, the parking was ridiculous! Thanks for watching!

[@WiltonGal]

I visited this mall just once when it first opened. The parking garage was dark, kind of scary, very small spaces, confusing. Only a few stores were open then. Not the type of stores I would shop at. Not the best neighborhood for a supposedly upscale mall. Never went back. Happy to watch the video to see what is there now. Makes me realize I will never go back. Nothing of interest to me there. I stopped shopping at the Stamford Mall years ago after being followed by two men. Scary! When I need to "mall shop" I go to the Danbury mall. I really miss Lord and Taylor. Filene's used to be a great store too. I miss the stores of yesteryear.

[@jc1979af]

It comes down to execution. Arcades are "antiquated", yet places like Dave & Busters and Round 1 do well. For a mall like this you need an upper-middle class population near by along with various events and attractions at the mall.

[@Steve.Cutler]

Not dead yet, but 25 years ago, a mall like this would've been packed this time of year. All malls are on borrowed time, but this looks like a major waste of money.

[@fleabittenadventures]

That's what I was thinking too. I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens with it. Thanks for watching!

[@agilitydawg]

We go to the Norwalk Aquarium quite frequently.and I've always been curious about this Mall. Definitely too upscale for us but thanks for the video

[@fleabittenadventures]

Yeah, I don't think I would ever go shopping here myself either. Thanks for watching!

[@matrixman7706]

I think the mall has a pretty good chance, but still kind of weird that they would build it when many other malls are dying. Being that Fairfield County is a very wealthy area it might do pretty good. Westfarms up in West Hartford is doing quite well and there’s quite a bit of money up that way.

[@fleabittenadventures]

Could be. I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens, but I'll bet this turns out to be one of the last malls to ever be built. Thanks for watching!

[@felix121984]

Contrary to the current media, Retail both online and brick and morter were always dog eat dog world. In the eighties there were catalog and mail orders; online version then. Back then indoor strip malls and smaller regional malls were thriving alongside super regional malls. In the nineties with more emphasis on corporate acquisition, we had more categorie killers and big box stores. By the end of nineties and early 00's most indoor strip or smaller indoor malls were dead or dying. Now it's the larger middle class malls B malls that are dying. Lifestyle malls are the new norm apart from online. A malls or anything classified as upscale, super regional malls are still thriving.

[@chop3625]

Not Fairfield County type money. W.Farms still relatively safe compared to most, probably the reason for success.

[@__________g5894]

I remember being told the mall was slated to open wayyyy sooner, but was pushed back due to the recession and losing funding.

[@R32R38]

Dunno ... foot traffic is rather light, especially on the upper floors, but Tuesday afternoons are likely to be a slower time for any mall what with people at work or in school. There are some vacancies but they didn't look too bad, so long as they don't rise. I would have to say that the mall currently is okay but the warning signs are there. And yes, that "arcade" is pathetic!

[@fleabittenadventures]

Yes, definitely not "dead" yet, but it's definitely not thriving, at least in my opinion. We'll have to see what happens over the next few years. Thanks for watching!

[@michellemcgill9328]

I like a bit of room while shopping don’t like elbow to elbow I prefer weekdays to weekends

[@davec1615]

higher end malls tend to do better than 'normal' malls because their tenants have higher margins. so its makes more business sense. they should add more experiences instead of just offering shopping, maybe an aquarium like in the Mall of America

[@kets42]

it's funny you say that because the Maritime aquarium is right next door

[@mirzaahmed6589]

Except they don't. Every high end store at Stamford Town Center five miles west of here (like the Apple Store) closed in recent years.

[@user-mo2fv5vi6k]

Everyone in the local area want this mall to succeed.

[@NinaBabyTV]

Looks good. Hope malls make a come back, it’s a family spot for sure.

[@mirzaahmed6589]

God, no. Malls are never coming back, and there are hundreds of better things to do with your family than going to one.

[@NinaBabyTV]

@@mirzaahmed6589 guess you don’t endure heavy winters.

[@MarkNapper439]

This mall is fairly brand new since it opened in 2019 before the pandemic.

[@fleabittenadventures]

It is brand new, which I still find very odd. To open a new mall when most malls are going out of business seems like a risky move. I guess we'll have to see how this mall does over the next few years. Thanks for watching!

[@PeevedPigeon]

7:50 do you reuse like background audio? Because that exact same audio clip I've heard in like several other of your mall videos

[@michellemcgill9328]

I Love Shopping Malls especially on an otherwise boring or dreary day. I love to interact with others which you don’t get to do online. I’ll go sometimes with my Husband ( He’s always the voice of reason for or against any purchase lol) we treat it like a date. I’ve been to this Mall at least Three times and each time have looked forward to it. To go to Bloomingdale’s or Nordstrom without going into a busy city is a plus for me. It’s also only 85 minutes from my house and there’s so much else around it of interest.

[@josephconsuegra6420]

In Miami, three malls are always busy, Dolphin Mall, Dadeland Mall, The Falls. These are very alive and active. Maybe you showed review these and escape frigid CT.

[@mirzaahmed6589]

They're busy, but are people buying anything? I went to University Town Center in Sarasota a few months ago. Tons of people, but almost no one carrying shopping bags.

[@BIMMERKID2]

Go check out the mall and america in Minnesota..it's very much alive and well

[@fleabittenadventures]

I would love to, but I'm pretty much stuck in the New England and New York area for now due to my full time job and finances. Maybe if you can get all your friends to subscribe, I might make enough money off the channel to afford a trip to Minnesota. Thanks for watching!

[@David-bl5yl]

They honestly got really unlucky, they were forced to push the open earlier to Holiday 2019 without all the stores being filled -> immediately into COVID really hurt them, was very full mid-December the few times I went but it's definitely below the bar of what they wanted

[@dolittle6781]

Great job on this video! Viewers are probably looking at the aftermath of the pandemic. Folks are likely still pretty shell-shocked. Been to SoNo. Very beautiful mall, and classy. Would love to see it thrive. No doubt the popularity of online shopping arrived on the horizon with a revolutionary paradigm and sent malls reeling. Instead of shoppers going to stores to buy merchandise, online shopping brings merchandise to shoppers. For many ordinary household products, it's the way to go--no driving (and related hassles), no looking and paying for parking, no absent salesmen to help you find stuff, no waiting in line, no finding out that they don't have your size, and selection is limited, for instance. Loved malls when they first arrived on the scene but their time appears to have come and gone, thanks to the big online platforms open 24-7 every day of the year. Oh, yes! Could it be that people are having fewer children nowadays compared to the 1970s reducing the need to buy things? The absence of a food court may also contribute to limited foot traffic. People love to eat!

[@SavSpdDemon]

Visited this mall in December 2021. Wasn't sure what to expect, but it's more than 50 miles away from where I live, and we still had to wear our masks during COVID.

[@jonathanreiss5008]

I've lived in Stamford for 20 years, and IIRC, that plot of land contained a car dealership for a long time along with a lot of empty land. There was a proposal maybe 10-15 years ago for a project there called "95-7," which would've been a mixed-use property with retail and residential, but it fell through for reasons I can't recall. From day one, I thought it was an odd choice to open a mall when malls are dying across the country. And this '80s kid finds it insulting that they call that line of claw machines an arcade. I enjoyed the video!

[@fleabittenadventures]

I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for the info and, yes, that was NOT an arcade!

[@homelanderop6102]

2nd and 3rd floor got no foot traffic at all. But that maybe due to the time and day of the week.

[@fleabittenadventures]

Yeah, I would assume that it would be much busier on the weekend. It is a gorgeous mall, but I just don't see it lasting more than 10 years... Thanks for watching!

[@kennyjensen1618]

This is a stretch but id give it till 2029 but Idk because Clinton Crossing is still open but, is it fair to compare a mall to a outdoor outlet.

[@vanessagreene369]

My home town I wish they built it back in the day cuz I was tried of going to Stamford mall or Bridgeport mall very nice haven’t been yet I will go now

[@PrincessDianaJ]

Biggest reason is they built this mall a few blocks away from the "hood" and the SONO strip. Sono has shops, bars and restaurants and restaurants. so you can choose to go to the mall or walk around Sono in a intimate setting .

[@notillegal6771]

When it was a dirt construction lot we snuck in and rode dirtbikes. Years ago one of my old bosses had his shop there until norwalk took the land

[@mirzaahmed6589]

I used to work in Darien back in 2016-17, and was looking to buy an apartment in Norwalk. I recall one real estate agent excitedly telling me about how a mall was going to open. My reaction was, okay? I don't care about malls, there's already one in Stamford five miles away, and they are all dying anyway. Why would a new mall sweeten my decision to live somewhere? (I ended up not buying and moved to Florida a few years later.)

[@TrentonMiller11]

You totally missed the best part of that giant Bell with all the lights. If you stand under it, it makes a musical note, and every light bulb you stand under plays a different note and lights up. If you run around the bell once or twice, it does a special little dance. Not sure where they had something like this in the 1970s. It was just a temporary art installation during the Christmas season. It's gone now and they have something new coming in it's place.

[@plappin]

It's looks a whole lot busier than the Hudson Yards mall in NYC!

[@fleabittenadventures]

If I ever get to NYC, I'll try to take a look at Hudson Yards. Thanks for watching!

[@ruby055]

The idea was to get these store groups into the Fairfield County market, with White Plains Galleria closed and the Westchester 25 miles South and nearly an hour in traffic..the only other options were Milford also 25 miles up 95 or Danbury also 25 miles North up Route 7..all hour rides. This keeps wealthy Fairfield County $ local.

[@yeahhoo86]

Do words the end of the 20th century and from the 2000s to now, there is a trend/style in architecture and design called retro modern that has become quite popular, this mall is an example of that.

[@Foxonian]

Makes me think that this mall may have been in the planning stages for quite some time (maybe late 2000's?) and by the time all the permits and local approval came about, people's shopping habits changed. But rather than abandon it, the builders just decided to go for it finish the mall, hoping that Fairfield Co. would embrace it.

[@arturocuizon69]

Is Stamford towne center the only mall in the state of CT that has a fountain or are there others in the state of CT?

[@fleabittenadventures]

I haven't been to Danbury Fair Mall yet, so I'm not sure. However, it's the only mall in CT I know of with a fountain. By the way, I will have my video on Stamford Towne Center next week!

[@arturocuizon69]

@@fleabittenadventures do you think Danbury Fair Mall and Freehold Raceway mall are twin malls since they look the same or no?

[@Marika50]

Danbury CT had one too

[@vincentengongoro2705]

A dozen high end stores under one roof in a NOT high end city with a highway that's always jammed to bring you there??? what could go wrong with that plan.. That mall was dead before it opened and deservingly so.

[@Columbus1152]

Malls are dying because younger generations are shopping online, and WWII generation and boomers are retiring and dying off. SoNo will probably do OK for a while longer because Fairfield county attracts wealthy homeowners who can afford the area, and longtime locals retiring in place. Compared to malls of the 80's and 90's, I notice this mall isn't trying to appeal to families with kids, seems to be more focused on the ageing and wealthy shopper. The thing is, mall storefronts are expensive, and when they focus on a limited demographic, is that enough to keep a store open? I guess only time will tell.

[@gamesgeargadgets722]

Go in the evening, it’s pretty busy…

[@georgef551]

Big, glass windows right next to the bowling lanes. Can't imagine anything going wrong there......

[@mikegallant811]

Loose balls....... Or busted windows... Or both.

[@BroadwayBabyyy744]

have you hit up Darian or westfarms malls yet?

[@SSNESS]

Darien

[@mirzaahmed6589]

It's Darien, and there is no mall there.

[@jimkeogh8552]

Remember Riverside Plaza up on Bunnell Blvd nearly 50 years ago? Sono Collection in a better location, 40x more square footage and options for shoppers, but same result. Meanwhile Sono boutique shops thrive, intermixed with great dining and urban residential options. The original plan for that tract, 95/7, was a larger and more modern version of Sono on a very accessible location. Whoever banked on Sono Collections needs to stay away from JaiAlai, horse racing and Vegas.

[@merrileeleonard6372]

I would imagine it this way -- there could be far too many Malls already built in that general area and this new 3-yr young Mall just has too much competition to draw more shopping attention to the public and may not make that much profit. Holiday is usually a busy time for people to go out and shop, but this Mall isn't showing the crowd. Hopefully, it won't end up filing for chapter 11 or a candidate for a bankruptcy case. It's a beautiful shopping structure, nonetheless. San Francisco just recently reported going thru closures -- their downtown or shopping area has closed. Thanks for this tour. God bless. sep2023

[@domaisbetter]

whenever me and my friends go here it’s honestly a little sad

[@felix121984]

It's a beautiful mall not dead though.

[@fleabittenadventures]

Fair enough. It definitely is beautiful. Hopefully it does well. Thanks for watching!

[@donutoyb1711]

Aye Pinstripes I did the grand opening for that restaurant that has bocce and bowling

[@Tonyrd3000]

I remember when they were building the Pinstripes while we were finishing the rest of the mall up.

[@chm9935]

Hard to say if its dead bc its a weekday. Plus its new. Irondequoit mall in ny state initially did well but about 2 to 5 yrs later it was a dead mall. And yes, this mall screams high end

[@east103W]

Rich & affluent areas tend to host malls that survive and often thrive. Apparently, it's socially upward facing to shop for luxury goods in person now - only "the poors" shop online for high-class loot at bargain prices.

[@amym.694]

I love shopping in stores in an indoor warm environment where I can try things on. I hate online shopping. This mall is just in a crappy area.

[@solomoneque]

Yes it is. It's like this on the weekends.

[@cristianperez2163]

This mall is actually doing very well. “Traffic” doesn’t seem “busy” but it gets good traffic overall.

[@puffeiffer]

In the right area and with the right anchor stores, an indoor mall can still thrive. What I see they did here was to bring in an Apple store. Well who doesn’t need an Apple store at some point? It forces you to visit the mall. Because, in THIS neighborhood, Apple would not invest in a completely-detached brick and mortar shop. I’ve gone to shopping malls because of an Apple store visit. It’s like well… “since I’m ALREADY here… may as well have a look ‘round, after.”

[@fleabittenadventures]

True, that would bring in customers, but I bet most of them don't stay at the mall too long after they are done. Thanks for watching!

[@bikdav]

I think that you have to hit malls on the weekends to get the real picture of its health.

[@map3384]

Two high end anchors. If they pull out the mall will fall like a deck cards.

[@otachi_r2x458]

The biggest problem is there are no attractions at this mall besides shopping. They needed to build a move theater here with Premium Large Format screens and Dolby Cinema to attract more visitors.

[@PrincessDianaJ]

There is a movie theater a few blocks away in a area with lots of shops and bars.

[@otachi_r2x458]

The SoNo 8 AMC is a small no frills, old school theater with tiny screens and flat seating, there’s nothing good about it at all. They should shut it down and build a big modern theater with stadium seating IMAX and Dolby Cinema in the mall instead.

[@cliffordmarusich4111]

Come back on a Friday evening or Saturday and let's see the foot traffic

[@fleabittenadventures]

I would love to if I lived closer. It's about 1 hour 15 minute drive for me. Thanks for watching!

[@wayne8276]

Simple . Bottom line . How long will the owners accept small profits , or running in the red ? . If it's profit is withen or above there directors forecast then it will hang around . Ill never shop their , I don't live close enough . Good luck to them . Time will tell .

[@harrygilbert4593]

They did this to move people from Stamford

[@fleabittenadventures]

You mean by levelling the houses that were there before it was built?

[@Tonyrd3000]

@@fleabittenadventures No houses were levelled to build that mall. Granted, there are some houses (and a beautiful old church) across the street, but there were vacant lots where this was built.

[@1972yo2fine]

It’s not a dead mall. It’s a new mall just getting started. However they shouldn’t cater just to the rich. Just noticing the high end stores. I want to see Newbury Comics, sport team store, Barnes and noble, dicks, and fucking McDonald’s and Spencer’s.

[@1972yo2fine]

I forgot to mention, it’s BORING. The mall is BORING. Put in Round 1 or D&B. State of the art theaters, something that attracts the wide range of clientele and their budgets. It will not succeed if it’s boring and caters only to the rich. Fact!

[@diamond3838]

It was busy like 3 days ago wym😂

[@TheDylanJoyce]

Mall isn't dead right? "Well there's people still there right" Well.... yeah? "....So No!" (It's not dead)

[@frannharrison4204]

I live in Norwalk and have never been there and never intend to.

[@andreajacobs]

Why won’t go visit the mall in your area?

[@andreajacobs]

Could you go visit the mall and do a updated version of the video!

[@andreajacobs]

I live in Norwalk also , and make it the best video for your channel

[@esco200106705]

2 observations: You should get rid of the background noise that you add to your videos. You can't say the top floor is empty but then have hustle and bustle going on in the background. Secondly, this mall makes no sense. You got Stamford mall a couple of exits away already and Trumbull mall 15 minutes away. Sounds like some local politicians or bigwigs made a killing getting this mall built.

[@fleabittenadventures]

I think a completely silent video would be worse than fake background sound. Thanks for watching.

[@timhoeffel4709]

It was built as a front and the real use will be a casino as soon as state lets it fly.

[@HaeriniMe]

NOOOO

[@VictorVecchio-sv4ci]

Wow its crazy now norwalk changed the last time i was in there it was like 17 years ago it changed a lot

[@diamond3838]

If ya filmed in a Tuesday at 1 Pm then of course it’s gonna be dead. Try coming in on a Saturday evening and it’s gonna be completely different

[@Yeet112]

Yes it is dead. Since the day it opened.

[@fleabittenadventures]

I think I agree. Thanks for watching!

[@johnpapadopoulos906]

Needs a hard rock

[@Technie87]

Nice way of telling Brookfield Properties CEO that his 300 Million dollar investment is reaching bankruptcy after 3 years

[@Tonyrd3000]

Off by a few million...

[@joemeyers3127]

No Starbucks?

[@fleabittenadventures]

I didn't see one. Maybe Starbucks isn't fancy enough for this mall. Thanks for watching.

[@JL-ph9ew]

they need a starbucks to keep you awake between all the white walls

[@brad3042]

You'd have to be of a certain generation to think that something like this would be financially feasible.

[@dabisnow203]

Not true. It’s filled with people and goods. Stop lying.

[@Mindy-xh9zq]

It wont last, it is an upscale mall in a bad neighborhood.

[@theforcelockgamer2972]

Agreed

[@jojolive3353]

Fleabitten Adventures my dear sir this is a project that started years befor the pandamic do your homework before you start talking

[@fleabittenadventures]

I know it started before the pandemic. I don't think I ever said otherwise in my video. My main observation was that malls in general have been dying for at least the last 10 to 15 years. Therefore, it doesn't make sense to me that they would have gone through with building this mall so recently. Thanks for watching though.