Bristol Commons (Price Chopper Plaza)

[ynkeesfn82]

Is there anything that can help The Bristol Commons Plaza in Bristol, Connecticut? The last new store that opened was the Tobacco Shop that opened in the "Annex" building a couple years ago. They are about to get another vacancy when Feet First Shoe Store closing in couple of months. (His lease is up. He's retiring).

Current Tenants:
Price Chopper (Formerly Grants, Caldor, and Big KMART)
Vacant (Formerly Panda Chinese Restaurant)
Vacant (Formerly Rainbow Rentals)
Sally's Beauty
Frank's Diner
Vacant (Formerly Feet First)
Once Upon a Child
Kathy's Hallmark
Planet Fitness
Vacant (Formerly Citi Bank)
Fashion Bug
Vacant (Formerly KB ToyWorks)
Radio Shack
Michael's Jewelry
Sleepy's (Formerly Brooks Pharmacy. Very Short-lived)
Vacant (Former Baskin Robins later an Pasta Restaurant. ThenFormer Internet Gaming place) *This is in an awkward location in back of the Michael's/Sleepy's Addition that was built in 1993).

Separate Building #1 (At one time this entire building was The Super Natural Market & Deli now on N. Main Street).
Edward Jones Investments
Vacant (Former City Financial)
Fancy Nails

Free Standing:

Boston Market (Formerly Roy Rogers)

Separate Building #2 (The Annex)
Pizza Hut Delivery/Carryout
Citi Financial (Formerly Baskin Robbins later Jason's Ice Cream & Cafe)
Blockbuster
Game Stop
Vacant (Formerly Strawberries which became FYE)
Sun Fat Chinese
Oscar's Formal Wear
The UPS Store
Beltone Hearing Aide Center
Subway
GNC
Family Haircut
Tobacco Shop
H&R Block
Olympia Sports

(Not sure of the exact order of The Annex Tenants. There site plan on their website is a bit confuzzling).

[ynkeesfn82]

2013 Update:

Blockbuster closed in the spring of 2012.

Fashion Bug closed and is now a clothing store called Rainbow.

Rumor has it Price Chopper will close. It's not doing well plus Walmart is opening a Neighborhood Market in the nearby adjacent former Shaw's.

Will the last store left in The Bristol Commons please turn off the lights?

Aside from Price Chopper the only thing along that side of the plaza is Sally's Beauty and Frank's Diner. If PC closes they can move those other 2 stores to other spots in the plaza and then rip down that section of the plaza and build a Target.

[ynkeesfn82]

Just found out they're opening a Leslie's Swimming Pool Supply Store in the former FYE next to Gamestop in The Annex part of The Bristol Commons. At least something is opening in that plaza.

[ynkeesfn82]

November 2013 Update:

Jake's Wayback Burger took over part of the former Blockbuster in The Annex Building. Citi Financial, which was in-between Pizza Hut and Jake's in The Annex building moved into part of the former Feet First Store in the Price Chopper side of the plaza. Price Chopper continues to do well despite Walmart Neighborhood Market moving into the adjacent former Shaw's Supermarket.

Go figure that this is Citi Financial's 3rd location in this plaza since opening. Originally they were in a building in back of Boston Market in a space that still is vacant.

[ynkeesfn82]

September 2014 update:

Rainbow closed.

GNC moved from The Annex part of the plaza into the main part of the plaza next to Citi Financial.

A military recruiting office opened in the original Citi Financial location near Boston Market.

Aaron's Furniture & Appliance Rental is moving in next to Price Chopper in a location that was a Chinese restaurant that closed 15 years ago. (It's been empty that long).

There are 3 vacancies in The Annex Building - The former Citi Financial, Part of the former Block Buster, and the former GNC.

In the main plaza there are 5 vacancies - The former Rainbow Rental (they merged with Rent A Center),  the former Citi Bank, The former Rainbow Clothing Store, the former KB Toyworks, and a small little space in the back.

[ynkeesfn82]

October 2014 Update:

The owners of the Bristol Commons are doing facade work and reconfiguring space to try and get big name tenants to move into the plaza. - Those familiar with the area know where the current facade work was KB Toys and Rainbow. The KB store has been empty for years since the store closed during one of the round of store closings. Rainbow wasn't there that long. They moved in shortly after Fashion Bug closed.

[ynkeesfn82]

December 2014 update:

Planet Fitness is expanding. They're taking over the old City bank location. This is adding 4500 square feet to the gym. It also gives it an odd shape. Still no official word as to what's going in the former Fashion Bug/KB Toys. Lots of rumors though.

[ynkeesfn82]

Kathy's Hallmark has closed. Too bad they were in the plaza for years. A new gift shop called The Paper Store has opened in the former Fashion Bug space. If only Planet Fitness wasn't in such a hurry to expand they could've taken the former Hallmark store and had a normal shaped building instead of taking the old CitiBank.

[ynkeesfn82]

September 2015 Update:

Citi Financial is closing. There were people in their today working, but there are signs on the door the say Branch Closed. Payments not being accepted.

A dental office called Admire Dental has opened in the Citi Financial's previous location in the Annex Building in-between Pizza Hut and Jake's Wayback Burgers.

A new store called "Dollar Fortune" is opening in the former Kathy's Hallmark.

A team store for the new Bristol Blues Baseball Team opened in the back of the plaza

They were doing work in both the former KB Toys and what's left of the former Blockbuster Video.

[giantsfan2016]

Aaron's Rental opened in the former Panda Chinese Restaurant space in 2014 that had been vacant since the days of KMART occupying the Price Chopper space. They moved from the Bristol Farms Plaza. Their new store is much smaller than their old location.

ZZAAM Korean Grill is opening in Fall 2016 in the Annex Part of the Plaza where GNC had been until they relocated to the main part of the plaza.

[giantsfan2016]

Dollar Fortune had bad fortune and is already closed. Their crap is still in there but there is a For Lease Sign in the window.

The old KB is still vacant as is the old Citi Financial, a portion of the old Blockbuster Video, and a space next to Aaron's. The Bristol Blues also move their team store out of the plaza.

[giantsfan2016]

Pizza Hut Delivery/Carry-Out closed. The 2nd one in the area to close. The first one being in nearby Southington.

[giantsfan2016]

A weight-loss place called Medi-Weight Loss opened in the old Citi Financial next to GNC. Family Haircut in the Annex building closed. The new weight-loss place means things have come full circle in the plaza. In the early 90s when they built The Annex Building there was a Weight Watchers location there.

[giantsfan2016]

April/May 2017 Update:

Sulllivan-Hayes Realty is now handling the leasing for the plaza. Their website is under construction and thus this plaza is not on their website.

Medi-Weight Loss Center, which opened next to GNC didn't take the entire space left when Citi Financial Closed. It looks like they're making two more small spaces next to Medi-Weight Loss. Right now there is no door to get into the space. There must me a "back door" the contractors are using.

The website for Fairfield Retail the former real estate company handling the leasing shows a vacant space next to Aaron's Rental could be divided into 2 spaces.

Vacancies in the plaza:

1. Space next to Aaron's Rental which was called Rainbow Rentals. (Could be 2 spaces)
2. Space(s) next to Medi-Weight Loss.
3. Space next to Once Upon a Child that was once Kathy's Hallmark (and most recently Dollar Fortune)
4. Former KB Toy Works. (It's been vacant since KB Toys closed)
5. Radio Shack (Closing any day now)
6. Odd shaped store around the back of the plaza.

Annex Building:
1. The Old Pizza Hut
2. Part of the Old Blockbuster
3. Family Hair Cut (They left all their crap inside)

[giantsfan2016]

Photos I took of The Bristol Commons Plaza on Route 6 (Farmington Avenue) in Bristol, Connecticut. I don't know when the plaza was built, but the plaza was originally The Hub 6 Plaza. A massive renovation project took place in 1991. That's also the year The Annex Building was built. The property was originally home of Sessions Foundry.

Photo 1 shows The Bristol Commons Pylon Road sign. It's the only shopping center with an electronic listing of all the stores on the pylon sign, which is stupid if you ask me.

Photo 2 shows Price Chopper. Price Chopper was originally WT Grants. After that it became Caldor. Then it became BIG KMART. (At 86,000 Square feet it really wasn't that big). BIG KMART closed in 2003 (along with the one in Southington) and both became Price Chopper in January 2004. The landlord wouldn't let Price Chopper change too much of the exterior, which explains why it doesn't look like The Price Chopper in Southington or The ShopRite on Wolcott Street in Waterbury which had been a Price Chopper until 2008.

Photo 3 shows Aaron's rentals. They opened in 2014. They are around 4,000 Square feet or half the size of their old location at the other end of Farmington Ave. Until Aaron's opened this spot sat empty for more at least 14 years. It had been occupied by Panda Chinese Restaurant.

Photo 4 shows GNC, Frank's Restaurant, Sally's Beauty, and an empty spot. This is GNC's 2nd location in this plaza and 2nd location in Bristol. The other location in Bristol was at the now demolished Bristol Centre Mall. The original location in this plaza was in The Annex Building. GNC's current spot was part of a locally owned shoe store called Feet First which closed several years ago when the owners retired. Frank's Restaurant has been there for years. The empty sport has been empty since Rainbow Rentals merged with Rent-A-Center.

[giantsfan2016]

More photos I took.

Photo 5 Shows Medi-Weight Loss and you can partially see the children's consignment chain Once Upon A Child. Medi-Weight Loss's space was part of Feet First Shoe Store. Once Upon a Child was once a local electronic's chain. Previously Once Upon a Child was located further down where Radio Shack was until May 2017. Speaking of which there was someone painting the interior of the old Radio Shack today. (Radio Shack had been located somewhere to the right of where Medi-Weight Loss is).

Photo 6 shows the sign for the Paper Store, part of Planet Fitness, and vacant space that had once been Kathy's Hallmark. Part of Planet Fitness had been House of Fabric's and later was another gym called World's Gym.

Photo 7 shows The Paper Store and part of Planet fitness. The Paper Store had been Fashion Bug and then very briefly it was woman's clothing retailer Rainbow. The other part of Planet Fitness had been Pilgrim Furniture City and then Herman's World of Sports. Then Olympia Sports (they relocated to The Annex Building). Then Party City. Then Citi Bank.

Photo 8 shows the former KB Toys. This was a location that had been The Toy Works. This 12,000 Square foot spot is completely gutted and has been vacant since this KB location closed.

Photo 9 shows part of The Annex Building. That building was built in 1991. Admire Dental was originally a relocated Baskin Robins. Then it became a local place called Jason's Ice Cream and Cafe. Then it became a relocated office of Citi Financial. Wayback Burgers has been part of Blockbuster Video. The remainder of Blockbuster Video Remains vacant. To the left of Admire Dental is a vacant spot that had been Pizza Hut Carry out that closed in 2016.

[Brammy]

November 2019 update:

Vacancies in the Bristol Commons/The Annex total 10 including Olympia Sports which is currently having their store closing sale. The largest vacancy remains the 12,000 Square Foot former KB. They're doing work in the former Family Haircut salon, which I count as one of the vacancies until I find out something is going in there. A Mixed Martial Arts center has opened next to Planet Fitness in the former Kathy's Hallmark. Edward Jones a financial place has closed.