One of the vacant anchor stores at the Meriden Mall will have a new tenant come late summer or early fall.
Adventure Palace is scheduled to move into the 30,400-square-foot space previously occupied by Best Buy, which closed in 2021.
The indoor playground will have bouncing houses, ball pits, slides, virtual reality, playscapes and party rooms.
“This is a nice set up and it’s something we’ve wanted for a while,” said Meriden economic development director Joseph Feest. “This is great for young families to bring their children for parties.
“It’s good to have another tenant into the mall to give residents another place to go,” he added. “Some of the parties could have as many as 20-30 kids and that could bode well for our food court as well.”
David Roy, the general manager of the Meriden Mall, said the owners of Adventure Palace also own Kiddo Land in Stamford.
“It’s big to have an anchor store filled up and with that kind of use, which is different from standard retail,” Roy said. “It will be a big help and a big addition to the mall.”
It’s a necessary addition as the departures from the mall have piled up. Roy said the most recent retailers to leave the mall include Windsor and Michael’s Jewelers. Other recent closures include Ruby Tuesday, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Zaida’s Braiding, Bath & Body Works, FYE, Claire’s, Petrillo’s Craft Fair & Event Store and Foot Locker.
Roy noted that Moz Pizza & Grinders will be moving into the Meriden Mall food court within the next few months. This will be the business’ second location with the other in the Enfield Square mall.
Feest said Meriden is looking for additional office, medical and activity options to supplement the retail options.
The Meriden Mall was built in 1971. In 2020, Namdar Realty Group and Mason Asset Management, both of Great Neck, New York, acquired the 900,000-square-foot mall on Lewis Avenue from Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, which had owned it since 1994.
Namdar Realty Group and Mason Asset Management also own Enfield Square, Trumbull Mall and Crystal Mall, located in Waterford, in Connecticut.
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