Where do you go for a last-minute book and a box of chocolates near Westfarms this December? Until this summer, the answer meant two stops and a drive across Southeast Road. Now one parking lot covers it, while the old bookstore building across the street is still under construction and being split into five spaces.
That one relocation explains most of what changed at this corner in 2026. Gift shopping has moved inside the mall and gotten denser. The building it left behind is being rebuilt around activities families sign up for weekly, such as swim lessons and a kids' gym, and most of those open after the holiday rush.
The bookstore got bigger when it moved inside
Barnes & Noble reopened inside Westfarms on Wednesday, July 29, 2026. It took the former Forever 21 space next to Macy's on the lower level. We-Ha reported that the new store is more than 22,000 square feet.
The old store at 1599 Southeast Road was a 21,000-square-foot building, according to the Hartford Courant. So the bookstore lost no floor space by moving. It traded a standalone building for a spot beside a department store anchor, and the books now share a roof with the mall's other gift stops.
The gift end of the mall filled in around it
The other 2026 arrivals at Westfarms lean toward the kind of small, giftable purchase that fills a stocking or a host bag. In order of arrival:
| Store | Where in Westfarms | Status as reported |
|---|---|---|
| Häagen-Dazs | Center Court | Open by early June 2026 |
| Barnes & Noble | Lower level, next to Macy's | Grand opening July 29, 2026 |
| Läderach | Upper level, Nordstrom wing | Soft opening Friday, grand opening Saturday, per an Aug. 3 report |
| Pop Mart | Next to Aerie and Perfumania | Opened at 1 p.m. on a Friday, per an Aug. 24 report |
| Peloton | Freestanding Center Court showroom | Open by Sept. 25 |
| Avocado's Food | Center Court kiosk | Open by Sept. 25 |
| INDOCHINO | First floor | Open by Sept. 25 |
| Kiokii | Former White House Black Market space, near Center Court | Coming soon |
| Toys "R" Us | Upper level, Nordstrom wing, former North Face space | Coming soon |
We-Ha's August 3 business column put the Swiss chocolatier Läderach on the upper level of the Nordstrom wing. That puts chocolate and a full bookstore on opposite ends of the mall, with Häagen-Dazs in Center Court between them. We-Ha reported on August 24 that Pop Mart, the designer-toy and collectibles brand, had opened at 1 p.m. that Friday, according to its manager.
Center Court itself looks different too. The Connecticut Scoop reported on September 25 that Peloton had come back to Westfarms with a freestanding showroom in the space once used by the customer service desk, in front of Torrid. The same report placed Avocado's Food, a kiosk selling sandwiches, avocado toast and guacamole, in front of Aerie and Garage. If you last walked through Center Court in the spring, its layout has changed.
Some familiar stores have moved as well. Squishables moved near Nordstrom into the former GoVitaShot space, according to an August 11 Connecticut Scoop update. The North Face moved earlier this year to a new spot next to Alo. That move freed up the Nordstrom-wing space now reserved for Toys "R" Us.
Two holiday arrivals still on "coming soon"
Toys "R" Us and Kiokii are the two openings that matter most for holiday plans, and neither has a public date. As of mid-October, Westfarms' own store directory still lists Toys "R" Us as "Coming Soon" on the upper level of the Nordstrom wing. The Connecticut Scoop's September report said to look for it "this fall."
Kiokii is an Asian beauty and lifestyle retailer, and its Westfarms store will be its first in Connecticut, according to The Connecticut Scoop. The mall's Kiokii listing also reads "Coming Soon," with no date.
The mall's holiday schedule is also still open. Westfarms has not yet posted 2026 holiday hours or Black Friday hours on its news and events page. Last year's hours are no guide to this year's, so check the mall's page before planning an early-morning trip.
Across the road, one store becomes five
The building Barnes & Noble left is being reworked for a very different kind of visit. Farmington's Plan and Zoning Commission voted unanimously on July 13 to approve the site plan from 1599 SE Road LLC, Farmington Patch reported. The property sits across from Westfarms and straddles the Farmington–Newington town line. That makes it the second property at this intersection that crosses a town border, since the mall itself spans Farmington and West Hartford.
The plan divides the existing building into five tenant spaces. Patch's report lists these occupants:
- Hannoush Jewelers, in the largest space on the Farmington side
- Cold Stone Creamery
- KidStrong, a children's activity gym
- Goldfish Swim School, at the eastern end of the building, on the Newington side
- A fifth space, described as a possible indoor golf simulator or Pilates studio, with any change of use subject to review
Only one of the five is a classic holiday-shopping stop. The swim school and the kids' gym bring weekly visits all year, and the fifth space could add to that if it becomes a golf simulator or Pilates studio. The building used to draw people for one-off browsing trips. Its new tenants will draw people back on a fixed schedule.
Why most of it arrives after the holidays
The opening schedule is where the two sides of the road separate most clearly. In June, the Courant reported these targets for 1599 Southeast Road:
- Hannoush Jewelers, aiming for October or November 2026
- Goldfish Swim School, scheduled to open by late December 2026
- Cold Stone Creamery, thinking January or February 2027
KidStrong had no projected date in that report, and the fifth tenant had not been named. All of these are the businesses' own projections from early summer. Goldfish Swim School's Farmington page still lists 1599 Southeast Road as "Coming Soon" and invites families to pre-register.
If those targets hold, the jeweler is the only one of the five positioned to catch holiday shoppers. The swim school is aiming for the last days of December, and the ice cream shop for midwinter. Everything else in the building comes later, on its own schedule.
For this season, then, the gift shopping happens inside Westfarms. The bookstore, chocolate, ice cream and designer toys there are already open, and Toys "R" Us is still expected. Across Southeast Road, most of the swim lessons, kids' classes and ice cream arrive in the weeks after the holidays.
I follow how commercial changes like these affect the streets around Westfarms and the Farmington neighborhoods nearby. If you're wondering what the reshaped Southeast Road corner means for a home in that part of town, Ellen Sebastian is glad to talk it through over coffee. Let's Connect.
