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Somerset Square, Glastonbury


JayCT

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I am posting this to see if anyone else is concerned with the amont of vacancies at the Shoppes at Somerset Square like me. This is Glastonbury's premier shopping venue, located at a key entrance into town yet it has a number of vacant spaces and more on the way. The front building has had empty stores for a long time with the two GAP stores empty for nearly two years. Coldstone Creamry and Citi Bank closed as well as a couple of other retailers and now the centerpiece building occupied by Smith & Hawkins will be empty. I know the economy is bad and retailers are not adding stores but it is disturbing that a center such as this has so many vacancies.

Blue Back Square seems to still be thriving so why not Somerset? I really must blame the owners for this. Since Nitkin bought the center, little or nothing has been done to improve the place really. I am not even sure I like the way the MAX Fish building was placed. It seems like sort of an after thought to what was an interesting and well designed complex. Anyone else have thoughts on this? Jay

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I commented on this a while ago back in the Adrien's Landing thread.

Part of the problem, I think, is the lack of variety in the stores. With the exception of Jos. A. Bank, every single store in that place targets women, especially middle aged women. I live just a few miles away and I don't even consider going to Sommerset because there is literally nothing there I would be interested in.

On a side note, Smith and Hawken sold such overpriced, low-quality garbage that they made Pier One look good. I'm not surprised that it is closing.

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I commented on this a while ago back in the Adrien's Landing thread.

Part of the problem, I think, is the lack of variety in the stores. With the exception of Jos. A. Bank, every single store in that place targets women, especially middle aged women. I live just a few miles away and I don't even consider going to Sommerset because there is literally nothing there I would be interested in.

On a side note, Smith and Hawken sold such overpriced, low-quality garbage that they made Pier One look good. I'm not surprised that it is closing.

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this may just be a personal opinion, but I hate that place.

hate might be a strong word, but dislike the design, and there is nothing there for me.

even max fish was a waste of money.

Glastonbury has improved itself greatly my allowing that mixed use development on Hebron Ave.

the strip mall look kills the charm of that town, and there are definately better eays to live. I hope they slowly fix "yesterdays" mistakes and build a village that people can enjoy.

The riverfront park is a great addition too. now just keep building around that hebron/main street intersection.

I dont know I just am not a Glastonbury guy. great town from what I hear, but I find myself never having a reason to go there. (besides my dentist)

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this may just be a personal opinion, but I hate that place.

hate might be a strong word, but dislike the design, and there is nothing there for me.

even max fish was a waste of money.

Glastonbury has improved itself greatly my allowing that mixed use development on Hebron Ave.

the strip mall look kills the charm of that town, and there are definately better eays to live. I hope they slowly fix "yesterdays" mistakes and build a village that people can enjoy.

The riverfront park is a great addition too. now just keep building around that hebron/main street intersection.

I dont know I just am not a Glastonbury guy. great town from what I hear, but I find myself never having a reason to go there. (besides my dentist)

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I can agree with some of your criticisms. I think Glastonbury screwed up big time back when they moved New London Tpke. from the intersection with Main and Hebron. The Green that they created on the NW corner of the intersection does nothing for the city and kills any chance making the intersection the center of a proper downtown. Maybe they could fix it if they put a narrow street around the green and reconfigured the shops in Derr Plaza to face outward towards it.

Also, I think it was a mistake not to have Sommerset Square have an outlet on Main Street. If you look at a satellite map of the area, there is a corridor between the parking lot behind Max Fish that goes all the way out to Main that they could have made into a road that joined Main right where the Chili's entrance is. If more Sommerset-style development was built along it, it would allow through traffic and have made Sommerset feel more like a real town center instead of the strip mall centered around a cul-de-sac that it is.

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I so agree with you about the store mix. We live nearby too and almost never go there. We occasionally eat at Max Fish but that is about all. My wife would go to GAP kids once in a while but since then, not at all. It is too bad since it is a nice center and could really become the main shopping center for town. Nitkin bought the place in 2003 for $28.5 million. It had about 103,362 s.f. at the time. Works out to about $276 per s.f.f which is very high even for the peak a few years ago. They added an 11,550 s.f. building for Max Fish and Citi Bank during the height of the construciton boom so I am sure it cost them a lot. Citi bank is now gone. A number of the tenants in the original complex have closed. Does not sound well for the complex overall. Jay
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I miss the old days of The Great American Cafe. That was an outstanding establishment. I went there for my 21st birthday and they had the best happy hours and halftime spreads for Monday Night Football I have ever seen. It seems when that closed, The Shoppes started to lose what made it special.
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I just re-read my post and laughed when I referred to The Great American Cafe as the "old days." I remember when that entire area was farm land and you had to get off of Route 3 and drive through Downtown Glastonbury to get onto Route 2. Now something that was since there and gone is the "old days." Am I that old? :)

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