Last week Lincoln and I were invited to a preview of the new Boscov’s store at the Westfield Meriden Mall to get a tour and do some shopping before they opened to the public on Saturday. (That means they’re open RIGHT NOW. You should go.)
We met up with a handful of other local bloggers to check out the store. If you haven’t heard of Boscov’s before, they’re a family-run department store founded in 1914 in Pennsylvania but now they have locations from Maryland to Connecticut. They’re similar to Belk or Dillards or Bon-Ton, none of which we have around here, so the next closest thing is probably Macys or Kohls. But I’m not a huge fan of either of those stores. I’m always worried I’m missing out on a coupon code, or rewards dollars, or some sort of secret friends and family sale that would give me half off. At Boscov’s, they don’t do any of that. Stuff is always on sale, no coupons.
And the sales are really good. All the kid’s Carters stuff was 60% off the tags. I bought Evan a high-performance winter coat for $9.99. There were racks and racks of holiday dresses for Caroline for under ten bucks. They also had a candy counter and a toy department, which is where I almost lost Linc, because he was SO excited about the stuffed animals.
The staff was also incredible. They were very friendly and even though the store wasn’t even open yet they gave great directions. We also met not one, but TWO Mr. Boscovs. Albert, the original founder’s son and his nephew Jim Boscov, who is the current CEO. Jim told the ladies at the candy counter to give us all the samples we wanted. I like Jim.
They make their own fudge. It was delicious.
That’s the excellent Mr. Jim Boscov.
Linc and I did a ton of shopping. Boscov’s had everything from blinds to Barbies, an eyewear department, appliances, all the kinds of clothes and more. Some of my favorites were accessories (because who doesn’t love trying on hats?) and the seasonal departments (I would have spent all day looking at Christmas decorations if I hadn’t been afraid the baby on my back was going to smash something).
I wish I had bought that sweater dress behind me. Isn’t that a great color?
Their dressing rooms had TWO awesome things: first, that seat where I could strap Linc while I tried stuff on. GENIUS. And second, the kind of magic mirrors that make you look thinner. They also made a great spot to nurse a tired baby who couldn’t focus with all the people walking around.
One of the other things that makes Boscov’s a great addition to the area is their community outreach. On the day I visited, they had sold early shopping passes for $5 and every single one of those dollars went to charity. They sell those passes as fundraisers for local organizations all the time, you can check out details here for the Meriden store. The store also has an auditorium room built into their space that they allow the community to use during the year. When their spokesperson was talking about Boscov’s involvement with the local area, you could really tell that it was a passionate part of their business.
It was a pleasure to be invited and such a treat to get to shop without three kids in tow. There was an unfortunate incident with one of my tires (stupid tires!) in the parking lot so Linc and I had a little extra shopping time while we waited for a repair. I had no idea the Westfield Meriden Mall was such a great shopping spot. Plus also their kid’s play area was Linc-sized. He could have played for another two hours if I’d let him.
Now I’m going to go finish off my box of fudge while wearing my bus stop slippers*. Thanks again Boscov’s for the great day!
*slippers I wear to the bus stop. Ain’t nobody got time for shoes.
I was invited to the new #BoscovsMeriden store as a member of the Connecticut Bloggers group. I received a store gift card to spend during my visit but no additional compensation was included. All opinions, words and photographs are my own.
