The last time I was at the J.C. Penney store at the East Brook Mall in Mansfield, I was surprised by how the store continues to become even more subpar than previous visits.
The 35,522-square-foot store is a far cry from nearby two level J.C. Penney stores that, according to Directory of Major Malls 19th Edition, consist of a 90,000-square-foot store at the Crystal Mall in Waterford and an even larger 128,000-square-foot store at the Buckland Hills Mall in Manchester.
General Growth Properties reports that a three-floor 116,691-square-foot store is located at the Providence Place Mall in Providence, R.I.
In fact, the only other J.C. Penney small one-floor location in the region is in the Franklin Shopping Plaza on Franklin Street in Westerly, R.I. According to the U.S. Green Building Council, it is 67,447 square feet.
Most J.C. Penney stores have been recently renovated to provide a “fresh look” while the East Brook Mall store still has the same look it did when it first moved into the space originally occupied by the Sage Allen and later occupied by Cherry and Webb.
Previous to this, I remember when J.C. Penney had a large store in the Willimantic Plaza on Route 32 where B.J.’s Wholesale Club is now.
Today, in its present location, all the departments have empty spots and fixtures are spaced out. It reminds me of the Lord and Taylor Department Store at the Meriden Square Mall, right before it was closed.
The East Brook Mall J.C. Penney store consistently has little, if any, seasonal decorations.
Equally as bad is the wasted space of the former Customer Service/Catalog Sales Desk which could be utilized as additional space for merchandise if the wall between that department and the luggage department were removed.
There are several empty fixtures in the hallway leading to the restrooms that could also be used for small merchandise.
When you go to the other department stores in the East Brook Mall, which include a 71,339-square-foot Kohl’s, a 30,046-square-foot T.J. Maxx, and a 14,443-square-foot Michael’s, it’s obvious that the empty spots only exist at J.C. Penney while the other stores make full use of their space.
You can’t sell merchandise if you don’t have it in your store.
When folks realize this store is continuing to go downhill, they may decide instead to visit J.C. Penney stores at larger malls which could potentially hurt this small community mall.
