Clinton Crossing Won The Outlet Battle on the Connecticut Shoreline

Right after the holidays, my wife and I spent some of our Christmas money doing one of our favorite things: Shopping at the outlet stores in Westbrook, Clinton Crossing, and Foxwoods. There are, whoops, were three great outlets along the shoreline, but one has emerged victorious.

Get our free mobile app

The Westbrook Outlets are a shell of their former selves, most of the storefronts are vacant, we counted 13 stores that were open. Clinton Crossing on the otter hand was thriving, tour buses were pulling in, food trucks were serving food. What a difference in vibe between the two. The retail apocalypse of the last 5 years has really taken it's toll on both honestly. Is there still hope for Westbrook's survival? I saw some good news for those of us that still enjoy the in-person shopping experience.

Westbrook Outlets may be on the verge of a radical reinvention, according to zip6.com. The owner of the Westbrook outlets presented a concept that is happening at a few shopping malls around the state to Westbrook's Zoning Commission. The redesigning of the property to allow people to live there. Close to 600 apartments and townhouses would be built, along with new stores and restaurants, and potentially a hotel and amphitheater. The property would be rebranded as Westbrook Commons.

It's only in the concept stage, but something obviously needs to be done to attract all of the revenue that Clinton Crossings and Tanger Outlets at Foxwoods have siphoned away. The proposed concept reminds me of Evergreen Walk in South Windsor with apartments.