Construction crews have started tearing into the long-vacant Party City and Joann Fabrics storefronts at The Plaza at Buckland Hills in Manchester, clearing the way for a new Ross Dress for Less and Nordstrom Rack. The preliminary demolition work marks the start of a project that will bring the 308,000-square-foot shopping center to full occupancy, with the notable exception of a recently closed Starbucks location.
According to The Connecticut Scoop, Ross Dress for Less will occupy roughly 32,000 square feet across the former Party City space and part of the former Joann Fabrics unit, while Nordstrom Rack will take the remaining 26,000 square feet of the old fabric store. Both stores are set to open at the plaza, located at 1470 Pleasant Valley Road, in late spring or early summer 2027. Heavy construction, including new building facades, is expected to begin by the end of 2026, the outlet reports.
The Starbucks at the plaza has also recently closed.
A Landlord Betting Big on Off-Price Retail
The project is the latest move by Brixmor Property Group, the real estate investment trust that purchased The Plaza at Buckland Hills for $67.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2024 from Plaza at Buckland Hills LLC, controlled by Washington Prime Group’s CEO; the outlet disclosed the purchase in January 2025, according to the Hartford Business Journal. Brixmor's acquisition targeted upside from leases signed well below current market rates, and the landlord has since worked to convert mid-box spaces left behind by bankrupt chains like Joann Fabrics and Party City into an off-price retail cluster, per Brixmor's own October 2026 property disclosures.
The Ross and Nordstrom Rack additions follow a string of similar moves at the plaza. Off-price retailer Burlington moved into a former Big Lots space in June 2025, and sports merchandise chain Rally House filled a former Dollar Tree unit in August 2026, the Connecticut Scoop previously reported. Bakery chain Nothing Bundt Cakes also signed on for an 1,800-square-foot inline space once occupied by Sally Beauty, which relocated to the nearby Plaza at Burr Corner, per Brixmor's leasing disclosures.
Part of a Statewide Expansion
The Manchester store is one piece of a broader Connecticut rollout for Ross Dress for Less. The Connecticut Scoop reported in 2026 that Ross Dress for Less had additional locations planned for Hamden and Newington. Off-price chains have moved quickly to fill suburban mid-box vacancies left by legacy retailers across the region.
The trade area around Buckland Hills offers an obvious draw for those brands. The center already sees over 7.8 million customer visits a year, averaging roughly 21,000 visits daily, anchored by Trader Joe's, Marshalls, Total Wine & More, PetSmart, Michaels, and Ulta Beauty.
Brixmor's footprint in Manchester extends well beyond Buckland Hills. The landlord also operates four other retail centers in town, including Crossroads I and Crossroads III along Pavilions Drive and Buckland Hills Drive, according to the Hartford Business Journal.
