Here's What Patch Readers Put On The Burlington Mall Wish List

BURLINGTON, MA -- Before we get into this, a note for readers under 40: for people of a certain age, the Burlington Mall is special. It turns 50 this year, making it one of the oldest malls in the region, and, for a lot of people who lived north of Boston and in Metrowest before anyone thought to call it Metrowest, it was the first mall they visited and the mall where they bought a lot of bad fashion and music in the 1970's and 1980's.

So people can be more possessive and protective of Burlington Mall than, say, any of the dozens of others that have popped up like weeds in New England over the past two decades. Simon Properties announced last week that its planning a major renovation on the end of the mall that Sears has occupied for 50 years when the anchor closes. That led to some speculation that the company would renovate the Sears end in much the same way it renovated the Nordstrom's end, adding new stores and space. And that led to readers offering Patch their suggestions on what the mall does and does not need.

Given the mall's history, the exercise ended up being more about nostalgia than retail economics. We saw a lot of people recalling the long-dead regional retail giants of the past. When's the last time you saw someone mention Zayre, Bradlees, Ann and Hope, Caldor, Lechmere and Service Merchandise, all in the same Facebook thread?

And, sorry shoppers, but Jimmy's on the Mall is not coming back no matter how many times you ask for it. But Simon may want to consider the suggestion from several readers to offer more variety in the food court. Others felt the mall has too many eateries, especially when you consider all of the place that have opened in recent years on spaces adjacent to the mall.

As for stores, the number one suggestion in a landslide was Christmas Tree Shop. And that was backed by reader perception that the mall has become too high-end and unaffordable for a lot of people who have spent their lives shopping there. We also saw a lot of people pining for J.C. Penny, T.J. Maxx and Home Goods.

The suggestions also showed how our shopping habits have changed in the 50 years since the Burlington Mall first opened. While malls once focused mostly on consumer goods, people are now looking for places where you can park once and purchase everything you need.

Or maybe we've come full circle. The Burlington Mall had a Stop & Shop when it opened in 1968; in 2018 at least one reader wants an Aldi supermarket and a Total Wine store (which is unlikely for the mall, given that the chain is already planning a location elsewhere in Burlington).

Beyond specific brands, many suggested the types of stores they'd like to see. And Burlington thinks the mall could use a sporting goods store (never mind that the tired Woburn Mall, just a few miles away, is anchored by a Dick's Sporting Goods). The suggestion for a hardware store seems to be more about replacing one of the few things people still went to Sears to get than filling a real need for hardware in Burlington.

Call Gayle Orlanzo a traditionalist: she suggested the mall add bookstores and an "old-school arcade." In response, another reader asked her if she was living in the 1980's. And, sorry, Jessica Simon, while the mall's owner has not ruled it out, we'd be shocked if they opted to add a tattoo parlor to the mix of stores.

Related Stories:

• Sears Closing Burlington Mall Location (January 4, 2018)
• 50 Facts For The Burlington Mall's 50th Anniversary Year (January 2, 2018)

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Patch file photo.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).