After seeing several major companies close last year, Danbury malls continue to look for new tenants to fill the area’s vacant retail space and spur job growth.

“We partner with and support property and business owners and entrepreneurs to help them build the type of retail, commercial and industrial establishments that residents are looking for, that will grow our community and increase job opportunities,” said Greg Dembowski, Brookfield economic development specialist.

Some local shopping centers, such as Copps Hill Plaza and Danbury Square, have succeeded in attracting new stores to fill vacant spaces, while other malls, such as Candlewood Lake Plaza, do not yet have concrete future plans for their spaces.

In Ridgefield, Copps Hill Plaza found three retailers to take over the space previously occupied by Kohl’s, including arts and crafts retailer Michaels, which is scheduled to open in mid-October. According to Rebecca Talley, external communications specialist for Michaels, Michaels will occupy about 12,500 square feet of space in the former Kohl’s space at 125 Danbury Road and fill dozens of part-time and full-time positions.

Kohl’s closed its Copps Hill Plaza location in January 2022 after more than 20 years, leaving about 15,000 square feet of space vacant in the mall. The home furnishings chain HomeGoods partnered with Regency Centers, the owners of Copps Hill Plaza, to open a location in about 2,000 square feet of the former Kohl’s space in September 2022. Another 2,000 square feet of the former Kohl’s space found a new tenant last November when the Marshalls department store began operations.

In Brookfield, the retail space at Candlewood Lake Plaza, which previously housed Bed Bath & Beyond, has attracted interest from new tenants, but Dembowski said “nothing is certain at this point.”

After Bed Bath & Beyond filed for bankruptcy last April, the company held clearance sales at all 360 Bed Bath & Beyond stores and 120 Buybuy BABY stores nationwide. The Bed Bath & Beyond stores in Simsbury and at Brookfield’s Candlewood Lake Plaza at 14 Candlewood Lake Road were the last two stores in Connecticut to close last spring.

Also in Candlewood Lake Plaza, Big Y Foods Inc. opened a new grocery store last spring in the space originally slated for an Amazon Fresh location. The new Big Y store in Brookfield had an unofficial opening in May, the official opening followed on June 3, and has hired 85 to 90 employees.

In Danbury, Danbury Square is leveraging its contacts and “will aggressively approach potential business owners” to bring new businesses to the mall at 19 Backus Avenue, according to Farley Santos, Danbury’s economic development and public relations consultant.

“I think Mayor (Roberto) Alves has made it clear that Danbury is open for business,” Santos said. “We are looking for companies that could create jobs in Danbury. So we are working with contacts in the Department of Economic Development to talk about grant opportunities and funding that would be attractive to new companies. We are also looking at the business incentives that we have that would make sense for Danbury and job growth. Job growth is a top priority.”

Among the major companies leaving Danbury Square was Barnes & Noble, which moved from its location on the square to the former Arhaus store in the Danbury Fair shopping center. The bookseller announced the store’s relocation plans in December 2022 and celebrated the opening of Barnes & Noble’s new two-story store on the southwest side of the mall last April.

Santos said Elicit Brewing Co. plans to move into the 13,000-square-foot space formerly occupied by Barnes & Noble, but an opening date has not yet been set.

The Christmas Tree Shops store in Danbury Square also had to close last year as part of the company’s plans to close all of its stores after filing for bankruptcy. The Christmas Tree Shops store in Danbury Square was one of four stores in Connecticut that closed.

Santos said a “national retailer” has expressed interest in opening in the former Christmas Tree Shop space in Danbury Square, though he could not reveal the retailer’s identity.

Santos said the mall also plans to open a Boost Bowls location to fill a vacancy near Legends Barbershop, but an opening date has not yet been set.