Freehold Raceway Mall; Freehold, New Jersey
While it’s not necessarily the best time to take pictures of malls (too busy; people get in the way), the Christmas season can be one of the most fun times to go shopping. Even when I worked in retail management, and found this to be the most stressful time of the year, I kind of enjoyed the hustle and bustle and the way that so many people (bar the miserable crankies of course) were in such a good mood.
That’s why I figured I’d share this set of photos taken the weekend before Thanksgiving at the Freehold Raceway Mall in Freehold, New Jersey. This huge, cavernous, super-regional mall (truly the most dominant player for all of the Jersey shore and the southeasternmost New York suburbs) was completely decked out for the holidays and packed to the gill with shoppers.
The 1.6 million square foot Freehold Raceway Mall is anchored by Macy’s, JCPenney, Sears, Lord & Taylor, and Nordstrom and is managed by the Macerich Company. The mall opened in 1990 on the site of former stables for the Freehold Raceway, located directly across the street. According to Wikipedia, the JCPenney store was originally supposed to be a Hahne’s location, but the chain went out of business during the mall’s construction. The mall was built in phases, with its final anchor, Macy’s, opening in 1998. Also according to Wikipedia (which is of course not always the most reliable of sources, since someone could just as easily write that Freehold Raceway is anchored by the CarrotTop All-For-a-Dollar Bonanza), there are two current proposed expansions for the mall: one would add a sixth anchor and a parking deck between Macy’s and Nordstrom, along with a hotel, and the other would add an outdoor “lifestyle portion” (wow, how 2006 of them) with restaurants, a major bookstore (gee, which one?), and space for 15 other tenants.
The Freehold Raceway Mall also laid waste to a far smaller mall several miles to the north. The Manalapan Mall was a small mall that housed a Steinbach’s store and 25 other small stores. Plans originally called for a second expansion to hold a total of 100 stores, including JCPenney and Macy’s locations, but the mall was never completed due to financial problems. Steinbach went out of business in the mid-late 1990s, and was replaced by Value City, but the remainder of the mall was later cleared in favor of Target, Wegman’s, Marshalls, and other big box retailers.
To me, Freehold is more than a bit reminiscent of the similarly expansive Danbury Fair Mall in Danbury, Connecticut, with its long corridors and high ceilings. Due to its relatively recent vintage, it’s not a terribly unique mall, but it certainly does well, and these are definitely pleasant pictures to fetch your eyes upon. The Christmas-y photos were taken by me in 2006, the others were taken by Prangeway in 2001. Enjoy!
2006:
2001:
DayGlo!
December 14th, 2006 at 2:07 pm
There’s a trip down memory lane. Used to go there all the time; an ex of mine lived 10 minutes away. Never got a chance to go to Manalapan Mall. From what I heard, the small chains emptied out the minute Freehold opened, so I’m surprised it lasted as long as it did.
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XISMZERO
December 14th, 2006 at 4:13 pm
This mall is almost a bizarro copy of the Danbury Fair Mall in Danbury, CT (while I will be covering on my site in the next month). Wilmorite Company must’ve built it because if they didn’t, someone stole plans from somebody… Take a look and compare; I’ve posted a bunch at the Ames Fan Club (http://www.amesfanclub.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=768).
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Steven Swain
December 14th, 2006 at 5:17 pm
I used to have a friend that lived near Freehold so I knew a little about the mall, but never saw any pictures. It looks good; completely anonymous, but good.
Hahne’s must not have started construction before they pulled out, because the JCPenney is a pretty typical JCPenney design for that period. The bubbled and arched entrance gives it away
I’m kind of surprised about the Lord & taylor though. It looks like it’s in a one-story portion of a mall that looks two stories throughout. Anybody care to verify this?
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alpha
December 14th, 2006 at 11:12 pm
Yep… this is definitely a Wilmorite Mall, or was.
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XISMZERO
December 15th, 2006 at 2:28 am
Heads up; Macerich Group is currently renovating a slew of their previously Wilmorite-built malls. Freehold made the list… http://www.freeholdracewaymall.com/aboutus.asp
As you can see, this mall is slated to become an outdoor *ghast* lifestyle center. Sounds a little silly, good luck to Winter in New Jersey. The 20-year old Danbury Mall, however, is staying indoor (thank god), and getting a pretty nice overhaul. I’m not too eager though, this is about a desecration of childhood memories…
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Caldor
December 15th, 2006 at 2:46 am
Actually, if you read closely, they’re just planning on *expanding* the existing mall with a lifestyle component. These things are kind of faddish and destined to become white elephants someday, but in this case it’s not going to replace the massive–and massively successful–main mall.
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Dave Lansing
December 15th, 2006 at 3:13 am
Yes, the mall opened in 1990 by Wilmorite. Originally, it opened with the 2-story Lord & Taylor and Sears. JC Penney opened about a year later, then Nordstrom in 1995-ish. The Macy’s location was planned to be an A & S, but Federated killed them. It was going to be a Stern’s, but finally Federated killed them too and decided on a Macy’s. I have maps of all 3 department stores featuring coming soon logos on the location. I went opening weekend (August 1990) and the mall was deemed a failure. Almost 40% of the stores were empty, and they filled the walls with pictures of the old Freehold Raceway and the fire that destroyed it. Nobody thought the mall would be the success it has become today.
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Chris Whittaker
December 15th, 2006 at 12:33 pm
Holy S**t, it’s Irondequoit Mall with open stores and people actually shopping there (Another former Wilmorite mall built at the same time).
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Caldor
December 15th, 2006 at 1:10 pm
Steven:
You’re right about the L&T oddity. The photo above was taken from the second floor. The design there is strange; esentially the L&T store doesn’t meet the mall flush across both levels, but instead the mall continues further on the second floor–on TOP of L&T. You can get some sense of the difference if you go to the official site and toggle between the two floors on the directory.
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Kristen
December 16th, 2006 at 1:09 am
That first picture… looks JUST LIKE the Danbury Fair Mall. It’s even the same colours. WTF.
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bagman64
December 16th, 2006 at 11:40 pm
I can’t get over how much this looks like the Danbury Mall, even down the the carousel in the food court. Although the carousel in Danbury is a double-decker and was originally part of the Danbury Fair on the grounds where the current mall is built. It’s really uncanny. Even the fountain pics are similar. Amazing!!!
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XISMZERO
December 17th, 2006 at 1:26 am
Same here. I’ve been going to Danbury Mall since I was 4; around the year this mall was built. It really shocks me to see Wilmorite barely had an original plan for this mall especially because the Danbury Fair Mall was modeled *after* the 181 year old Danbury Fair (with the glass/tent-esque ceilings, carousel). If you see one of my pictures of the center court, notice how the Haagen Dazs is on the bottom level in the same place at Danbury; except that one is on the top!
I’ll say it again; Freehold Raceway is a bizarro, alternate world Danbury Fair Mall that sems to have only received slight interior makeup aside from it’s more insipid exterior. Nonetheless, all the more reason to make this a possible destination for this Summer. It seems the Macerich renovation, which I misunderstood, will make the mall a little more distinct from Wilmorite’s original uninspired copycat.
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Debbi
December 23rd, 2006 at 10:58 pm
Hi everyone! I’m the author of the second comment on the Manalapan Mall page at deadmalls.com. I also live 10 minutes away from this mall.
Dave is correct in saying that Freehold Raceway Mall did not open as a success–old habits die hard in this area. However, this mall did not immediately kill off Manalapan Mall–key word being “immediately”. Large sign on the surrounding highways (Routes 9, 33, and 537) aside, this is not an easy mall to find. You cannot see the mall itself from any highway, and from one entrance (Route 33), can’t even see any outposts. This is another reason why Freehold Raceway Mall did not immediately take off.
According to my mom, who has lived in this area for over 25 years, little Manalapan Mall hung in there for a few years longer than average, being it was very much visible on Route 9. It was only the last three or four years of its life (1993-97?) that was truly its death knell.
If I remember correctly, Stern’s was among one of the original anchors (along with Sears, Nordstrom, and JC Penney); it later became Lord & Taylor after it closed, although I could be mixing up L&T with Nordstrom.
I can’t say I miss Manalapan Mall; if it weren’t for Freehold Raceway Mall, I would still be trekking 30 minutes to Monmouth Mall in Eatontown, or worse, the funny-smelling Brunswick Square Mall (yuck!) in East Brunswick.
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Debbi
December 24th, 2006 at 2:50 am
Also, to answer Steven’s question: The Lord & Taylor in this mall is indeed two stories; there are mall entrances on both levels. Otherwise, what Caldor said.
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Steven Swain
December 24th, 2006 at 8:57 am
Caldor & Debbi:
After looking at the map, the L&T configuration does make sense.
I’ve seen a Belk in North Carolina set up like this (except that it was three floors instead of two) and a similar setup at Bloomingdale’s in Tysons Corner Center.
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Gary Nelson
December 25th, 2006 at 11:28 am
Is the JCPenney store a half octagon shape? Aside from the colors, it looks exactly like the one at Westmoreland Mall in Greensburg, PA.
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Mark
December 27th, 2006 at 3:48 am
The malls planning to add lifestyle center components connecting some of it’s outside enterances to the mall
should be interesting……
Anyone know how the mall got it’s “Raceway” name? honestly I was expecting some kind of race track in the mall, lol.
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Mark
December 27th, 2006 at 3:49 am
okay never mind I found out about the name earlier in the post :rollseyes:
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Gary
December 27th, 2006 at 5:24 pm
There’s an actual Freehold Raceway about a mile or so from the mall, according to Google Maps. I also have confirmed my own previous question regarding the JCPenney store.
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Debbi
December 28th, 2006 at 5:06 am
Not even a mile–right across the highway. It’s actually easier to find than the mall, LOL.
I’m not entirely sure on this–I’m on vacation away from the Freehold area as I write this–but portions of the adjacent “lifestyle center” may be open already. The last time I was at the mall (early December), I saw Christmas Tree Shops already open and a coming soon/now hiring sign on the entrance of Marshall’s.
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Jay
January 2nd, 2007 at 10:52 pm
I’m a local, and want to add a few things.
The “Raceway” is not only across the street, but has its stables in a corner of the mall property. The horses/sulkies (this is a harness facility) cross over US9 to get to the track.
The name “Freehold Mall” belongs to a strip center (not a big one) just south of FRM. They were unwilling to relinquish their name when FRM opened. Locals getting in a cab have to be specific, or they get a ridxe to the wrong place.
The fencing off of the lot for the new space started today. If nothing else, it should help unify the main mall with some of the eastern outparcel “big boxes.”
When I was last in Danbury Fair, ti was before FRM had opened, and I didn’t make the connection. I just looked at the Danbury map, and, gosh, it is uncanny.
If you want to look for bizarre ities at FRM (and comment if they have parallels at other Macerich properties), I have observed:
- directories completey removed at some major entrances to make room for kiosks
- payphones in the service hallways removed.
Somehow, as a kidless almost-50YO, it makes me feel like the message is “if you’re not one of the thousands of teens who knowe this mall by heart, AND have a cell glued to your ear, you’re not one of our people.”
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chris
January 10th, 2007 at 4:52 pm
I went to the freehold raceway mall back in 1990 on its opening day pretty nice mall but not on of the best malls around when I was living in freehold in the 1980’s it was a struggle to go to a mall we would either had to go to monmouth mall or the old seaview square you know with stern’s,steinbach’s????? to do our shopping but since then Im not too thrilled with freehold mall its not on my favorite list I like going to monmouth mall a lot better even though I live 20 mins away in woodbridge.
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Michael
January 28th, 2007 at 1:05 am
Just gonna put this out here…the food court and some of the interior spaces remind of the Providence Place Mall in downtown Providence. Im from CT but have never been to the Danbury Fair Mall so couldnt compare it.
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chris
February 16th, 2007 at 8:42 am
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/abrahambamster/
this is my new group on yahoo I urge you all to join if you love the days when there was a lot of local chains and not 10 million Macy’s join this group I need members post memories of the defunct chains
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scott42188
March 2nd, 2007 at 8:45 pm
i wenbt to this mall back in 2003 and it comptnley looks just like the danbuy mall on the insdie only diffreence is that danbury open in 1986 with macys and JC Penny opening in 1988 and lord and taylor opening in 1991
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Debbi
March 5th, 2007 at 1:36 am
I went back to this mall today for the first time since before Christmas. Here’s what I found:
–quite a few stores have closed including Delia’s, Gadzooks (made redundant by the opening of Forever 21 last fall), Babou (local upscale boutique), and a local upscale pet boutique. However, there are also stores that have opened or will soon including Jasmine Sola, Skechers, Robert Wayne Footwear (not sure if this is a chain or local), Baudino (designer shoes), a Soup Man kiosk in the food court, a local candy store, and a blast from my past, Bakers Shoes. (yet more shoes! Yay…ah, ahem.
) Seems to me FRM is going more and more toward the upscale route.
–construction on the parking deck by Macy’s has begun. I can only hope this doesn’t take too long; this has made finding parking extremely annoying.
–similarly, I believe ground has been cleared for the “lifestyle” portion. If I observed correctly, it’s on the roadway leading to Route 9.
–I keep hearing rumours there’s supposed to be a Cheesecake Factory arriving soon. I’m guessing it will be with the “lifestyle” portion? It’s ridiculous that a mall as big as FRM only has two restaurants. Unless you count the Chili’s that’s across Route 9, which I don’t.
–as far as I know, I haven’t seen any sign of ground broken for the sixth anchor yet.
Also, to comment on Jay’s post above…I’m a late thirtysomething, also childless, though I do admit I occasionally have the cell glued to my ear when walking around, LOL. I do feel quite comfortable there.
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mallguy
April 2nd, 2007 at 3:04 am
Beginning this month, Freehold Raceway Mall will embark on an interior renovation that will drastically change the apperance of the mall with new flooring, lighting and a brighter paint job. While the mall will be better lit and have a more modern look, they sadly are taking out the big center court fountain in favor of a smaller center court fountain, seating area and coffee kiosk (most likely a Starbucks..a la Tysons Galleria and Fair Oaks). If there’s something they need to change, it’s the center court elevator…for the size of the mall, it’s still way too tiny.
Update on the expansion:
-most of the steel sturctural supports are up
-while I am not totally sure, the bookstore is going to be a Borders. I am guessing this because the steel supports near the entrance of the store resemble the design of the Eatontown and Ramsey Borders, BN already has two route 9 locations (Freehold and Howell) and I have heard no word of them vacating the behind the times Freehold location. Also, this will be Borders’s 1st 2 level location in Central Jersey and 1st route 9 location.
-no update on the other stores, but the Cheesecake Factory opening is looking pretty belivable because the steel structure resembles that of the Meno and Riverside Cheesecake Factory.
-there has been a lot of clearing between the route 9 entrance of the mall and JCPenney/Lord & Taylor…don’t know what that’s going to be yet since they have to even out the land….it will be interesting, though
-The expansion will make Freehold Raceway Mall the 2nd largest mall in NJ behind Garden State Plaza (which is also going through an expansion of its own)
The wooded area across from Lord and Taylor and the route 9 entrance road has recently been cleared. Still too soon to tell what will be there being that they still have to even out the land. At the conclusion of the expansion/renovation, some stores/restuarants I’d like to see in FRM are Teavana, Brooks Brothers, JCrew, Williams-Sonoma, Champps, Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel and Restoration Hardware. Exciting times for the Freehold Raceway Mall!
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Mitch
April 11th, 2007 at 7:21 pm
All of this conversation is interesting… and brings back memories for me…
I grew up in Manalapan in the 1970s and 1980s, only 5 minutes away from Freehold and the mall (when Route 9 wasn’t so jammed with cars!)… returned home from college in upstate NY during normal holiday breaks and summer vacation in the late 80s and early 90s before permanently moving to the West coast in 1993…
Remember vividly the very beginnings of FRM… as it was exciting to see the retail landscape change dramatically in central NJ… no more long trips to other malls (Monmouth, Brunswick Square, Menlo Park and even Short Hills) from the talk and town approvals to build it, to the announcement of what department stores were going in to opening day in August of 1990… I was even at Nordstrom’s grand opening two years later in August of 1992…
The original retail line-up announcement stated Sears and Lord and Taylor (it was never scheduled to be a Stern’s) would open first when the mall opened in 1990, Hahnes would open in 1991 and Nordstrom in 1992… the actual buildings for the latter two were not even built at the grand opening… Macy’s arrival wasn’t announced until a few years later… in 1995, I believe…
Originally, the Freehold Nordstrom was going to be the company’s first NJ store but when Hahne’s went out of business (and pulled out of Freehold, hence JCPenney), the upscale retailer quickly expanded in other parts of the state (Garden State Plaza and Menlo Park) by renovating the former Hahne’s stores… which didn’t take as much time, where Freehold was an entire new structure… so Freehold became the company’s third NJ location…
Even though Manalapan Mall was never really a great place for retail, it brings back lots of memories for me… from eating at Friendly’s with my family to hanging out with friends at the Sam Goody to seeing my art work from school be a part of the mall’s annual art show…
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mallguy
April 13th, 2007 at 11:45 pm
According to an article in Wednesday’s Asbury Park Press, it’s official (and nearly official)…PF Changs is coming to the new lifestyle center and Cheesecake Factory is in negotiations, likely to come to the new lifestyle center. Haven’t heard whether the bookstore will be Borders or Barnes and Noble (I’m still guessing Borders), but I did hear that Reuhl 33 is coming to the mall, most possibly the lifestyle center. Still don’t know yet what all the clearing near the route 9 entrance will bring.
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chris
April 15th, 2007 at 5:58 am
to respond to mitch’s comment stern’s was proposed to be at the freehold raceway mall but it fell through then A&S was proposed for the mall until their demise in 1995 so they settled for macy’s which opened in 1998 I remeber when it opened they had Brandy to come out there to sign autographs and stuff
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bill
April 29th, 2007 at 7:23 pm
from what i gather, the open parcel that is being leveled on Raceway Mall Drive, is going to be remote parking for employees. If it is going to be anything else, they will definetly need a few more traffic lights, as it gets really bad heading to route 9.
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Debbi
April 30th, 2007 at 12:56 am
Haven’t heard whether the bookstore will be Borders or Barnes and Noble (I’m still guessing Borders),
I’m guessing Borders, as I highly doubt B&N is moving from their highly profitable and often crowded Route 9 location. Though you never know.
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mallguy
May 3rd, 2007 at 7:46 pm
Changes are starting to take place at Freehold Raceway Mall. A large wall and tarp is covering the majority of center court and the fountain is GONE. Also in center court, they are starting to re-do the elevator. In other areas of the mall, the copper ball things below the skylights are gone, as are the arched beaded lights below the skylights. The mall now has a musty construction smell and they haven’t even started tearing up the tile yet.
The lifestyle construction is really coming along and I am convinced the bookstore will be Borders, but I have no confirmation on it yet. The cleared area near the route 9 entrance is starting to look more like a parking lot and they are also building a small parking area in the back near Nordstrom.
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Mike
May 11th, 2007 at 1:13 pm
Link to an article in today’s Asbury Park Press regarding the addition to the mall. Borders has been named as the first tenant, ending the speculation here…
http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070511/BUSINESS/705110374/1003
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XISMZERO
May 11th, 2007 at 6:03 pm
I remember how exotic PF Changs was just a few years ago. Now, it and Cheesecake Factory are becoming the new homogenized standard for these upscale big box lots. If one is installed, there’s a damn good chance the other will as well.
We still don’t have any in Connecticut although one such hyper-scale center planned…
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Debbi
May 12th, 2007 at 7:48 pm
Thanks for the confirmation, Mike. I wonder if the arrival of Borders will mean the Waldenbooks in the mall proper will close.
Last week I was once again in this mall. This time, in addition to the construction already mentioned, I noticed that UNI-QLO, a shop that opened with much fanfare a little under two years ago, has closed. Guess lots of other people figured what I did: that the place is little more than a Japanese version of Old Navy. Also gone is Nancy’s Coffee, unsurprising since I never saw anybody in there. Things Remembered (their 2nd time around) is gone too, as is The Game Room Store (drywalled with a sign with the word “Ruehl” on the door….don’t know if this is the replacement store or just the construction company, LOL)
This gives me a twinge of concern, as an outlet mall opened up recently on Route 9 about 8 miles away, though most likely the mall that should really worry is Brunswick Square, which blows anyway.
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Bobby
May 12th, 2007 at 8:24 pm
Ruehl is a clothing store operated by Abercrombie & Fitch, I think. There’s one at 12 Oaks Mall in Novi.
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mallguy
May 13th, 2007 at 12:57 am
It is very unlikely that Waldenbooks will remain, as both Borders and Waldenbooks are a part of the same company. As occurred in Menlo Park Mall when Barnes and Noble opened, B Dalton Booksellers closed down, as they are both part of the same company. Speaking of B&N, it’s time to upgrade the Freehold store with the new competition across the street. The large Borders Books/Music may also lead to the demise of the music stores in the mall, as B&N has done in both Menlo Park and the Shops at Riverside. FRM will be Ruehl’s 2nd location in NJ (one is in GSP) and maybe with the closing of Uniqlo (the Menlo store is still open) we’ll finally see JCrew come to Freehold. Teavana may be opening at FRM in late 2007-early 2008.
True about Brunswick Square not being a great mall, but this place will survive as it has a large movie theatre that the majority of the EB/Spotswood/Monroe kids frequent, the Barnes and Noble cafe is consistently busy during the evenings, and the mall itself is convenient to those who live in its immediate area. Additionally, it has great visibility on Route 18. Most recently, I heard that Simon has plans for additonal development there, spefically building a Bistro Row b/t Ruby Tuesday and JCPenney, on a smaller scale of what will be done at Cherry Hill Mall. There was actually going to be a 2nd floor addition there back in the 90s, but many EB residents were against it and even if it were to be built, Route 18 and Rues Lane would both need major construction.
Back to Freehold Raceway Mall, I am excited to hear the other stores planned for the expansion. There is a great chance this place will become the GS Plaza of the Jersey Shore!
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Debbi
May 13th, 2007 at 11:07 pm
The only music store at FRM is a huge FYE located right next to Macy’s (I think…my memory is foggy). I’m not sure of the traffic there (I didn’t say it was good, just huge, LOL), but I would think it would stay open. Then again, as you said, the music department at B&N in Menlo Park did kill off Compact Disc World there. The deciding factor is going to be the selection at Borders; the one at the B&N on Route 9 is pretty anemic.
You are right about Brunswick Square’s B&N and movie theatre; the latter will get lots more traffic when the Regal 8 in Marlboro is closed and demolished. And yes, it is convenient to those in the EB area (don’t you just love New Jersey…everyone has a car but nobody wants to go very far for anything). But BS has no food court, is dated and smells funny. Hell, even the candy in the machines is rancid. IMO, they should just keep the movie theatre, the B&N, and the restaurants and just turn the place into a lifestyle center.
I’m excited about the expansion as well. I wonder what other stores will be part of the next wave. I’d love it if they gave the Sanrio Store another chance, but that’s just my wishful thinking, LOL
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Mike
May 14th, 2007 at 1:12 pm
I wouldn’t be surprised if they found a way to put an H&M store in Freehold. It seems to be turning into the type of mall one of those stores would do well in.
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mallguy
May 28th, 2007 at 4:43 pm
Stopped by the mall today and noticed a few more changes with the ongoing construction and expansion:
- They are now beginning to tear up some of the old tile
- Repainting of the ironwork below the skylights has begun. It looks as if it will now be changing from green to beige. A couple of the iron rungs under the skylights have been painted and the crane that is sitting in the Lord and Taylor wing will probably move across the mall to do the rest of it.
- The tarp has been removed covering center court and few remnants of the fountain remain…the planters have been torn up and only a few blue tiles remain.
- More of the facade of Borders looks to have been completed and the lifestyle construction progresses.
- The new parking lot behind Nordstrom looks complete and the parking lot along the route 9 entrance is beginning to take shape.
Still waiting for announcements of the new stores to take up the space of the lifestyle expansion as well as the vacant spots within the mall (fingers crossed for JCrew, Teavana, the 2nd coming of Williams-Sonoma and Brooks Brothers)
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Debbi
June 3rd, 2007 at 6:45 pm
A correction to what I wrote a few posts up: Things Remembered has not closed; they merely moved locations. Sorry about that.
There are, however, more vacant spaces in the mall than I am comfortable seeing. Not to imply FRM is going to join the list of the dead anytime soon, but the vacancy rate appears to be about 15% as far as I can tell, the most I have seen since I moved back to the area in 1999. Can anyone confirm or dispute?
On a brighter note, there will be a fountain at FRM after all. According to a radio ad, it will be on a smaller scale in the main area. Also, the targeted date for the openings is November. Hope everything is going in time for the Christmas shopping season!
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mallguy
June 10th, 2007 at 8:58 pm
Another official announcement. The Cheesecake Factory will be joining the lifestyle expansion. This was speculated by me and others for the past few months and it’s good to see we were right. Looking forward to hearing the other tennants in the mall.
And no worries about the higher vacancy rate…probably just a re-shuffling of tennants…the same thing is going on right now in Menlo Park Mall.
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mallguy
June 18th, 2007 at 11:40 pm
Made a trip to the mall this weekend and here’s an update on the progress:
- Most of the work is being done in the Lord and Taylor wing
- All the plants and trees that were once implanted in the mall floor have been torn up
- The small globe lights along the skylights and supports have been removed.
- Some of the glass of the skylights looks as if it is being replaced
- The tiles have been torn up throughout most of the mall
- The stairwell in front of Sears has been removed
- The painting of the ironwork under the skylights, as well as the atrium concrete has progressed and by the looks of it, they are shooting for earth tones…lots of tan
- The atrium lights in the Lord and Taylor wing have been removed…probably soon to follow in the Sears wing
- No noticeable change in the center court renovation
- Rear parking lot complete, route 9 entrance parking lot still under construction
- The buildings of the lifestyle center are progressing nicely…looks as if the majority of the steelwork is done…waiting on more announcements of openings
- Store changes: Ruehl 925 announced a fall opening, NY & Co space is available, UNIQLO space is available
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Debbi
June 23rd, 2007 at 7:44 pm
NY & Co space is available,
Wait a minute…I was back at FRM about two weeks ago and the sign in NY & Co said “closed for renovations, will reopen in six weeks”. Of course, I take all closed for renovations signs with a pound of salt, but I remember The Gap did the exact same thing two years ago and they’re still open and doing fine. Unless something changed in the past two weeks?
NY & Co was one of the shops I frequently visited, and though most of their staff left me unimpressed, they did get a decent amount of business.
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shaney_oyeah
July 2nd, 2007 at 12:01 pm
If anyone’s interested, I have some photos of the mall’s progress here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shaneyoyeah/sets/72157594182696692/
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mallguy
July 6th, 2007 at 10:45 pm
I stand corrected, Debi. I was at the mall this week and more signage about the NY&CO status was available…they are in fact renovating. Also noticed that Charlotte Rousse (sp?) is taking over the UNIQLO space.
As for the renovation and expansion, more of the original tiles are gone, some new tiles by Lord and Taylor are down, new lights on the skylights are up and the painting of the skylight area goes on…not much new progress in center court, but the lifestyle center is coming along nicely and the new parking lots are almost done.
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Debbi
July 11th, 2007 at 3:31 am
No probs, Mallguy. It’s all good.
One new parking lot (on the right side as you’re entering the mall property via Route 9) is now open. Not too many changes with store openings/closings. Bakers Shoes is now open, and Amuse Accessories has been announced for fall. Also, a second branch of Gloria Jean’s is now open in the Nancy’s space.
Good luck to Charlotte Rousse; they’re going to have some *serious* competition with Wet Seal and Forever 21 nearby. But I’m excited that CR is coming: IMO more cheap semi-trashy fashion is always a good thing, LOL.
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mallguy
August 2nd, 2007 at 4:37 pm
Haven’t been to the mall in about a month, but there were two articles released about upcoming opening….one in the Asbury Park Press and the other a mall press release. Joining Borders and Cheesecake Factory in the lifestyle center are PF Changs and two new to the area retailers, Jared’s The Galleria of Jewelry and The Territory Ahead. Curious to see what else will be opening there. Hopefully, the FRM lifestyle center will be better than the one recently opened at Bridgewater Commons.
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mallguy
August 3rd, 2007 at 7:35 pm
I did stop by the mall today and noticed a lot more changes since I was last there about a month ago:
- The New Tile is down on the Nordstrom wing, JCPenney wing and Lord and Taylor wing…this area of the mall is a lot brighter as a result.
- Most of the old tile has been stripped.
- Painting of the ironwork under the skylights is more than halfway done.
- Temporary lights have been placed on the skylights
- Most of the fountain area has been raised to the level of the rest of the mall, except for the central portion..probably where the new fountain and coffee kiosk will go…I would think this area of the mall would be done by the holidays.
-Forever 21 will open in the former Delia’s space.
- It looks as if the Lifestyle Center will come out to the ring road and allow easier access to Dick’s (following the pattern from Flatiron Crossing in CO). At the lifestyle center, Cheesecake Factory will be located next to Borders and I am not yet able to discern where other stores will go.
- Both new parking lots are complete.
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Debbi
August 4th, 2007 at 6:59 pm
Got a question aimed toward Mallguy, but of course anyone else can feel free to answer.
This week my travels have taken me to Woodbridge Center and Monmouth Mall, as well as Hamilton Mall in South Jersey. To my amazement, I see many stores open and doing fine in those malls that have bombed at FRM. UNI-QLO and Sanrio are the only two that come to mind right now, but I could probably come up with others when my memory is refreshed.
What I’m asking is…why is that? Granted, WC and MM are aimed toward different demographics (especially MM, which seems to be aimed more at a working-class clientele, though they do have most of what FRM offers), but the number of stores I’ve seen that were fly-by-nights at FRM seemed unsettling? Perhaps they are giving narrow focus to the upscale customer?
BTW, I don’t want to leave Shaney out here…great pics!
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mallguy
August 7th, 2007 at 4:18 pm
I’ll attempt, Debbi, at answering your question.
Freehold Raceway mall has always has size on its size, as well as potentioal to get bigger and bigger (as it has done and is doing). Throughout most of its history, FRM, has always used this size to say in marketing and attracting stores that we can be all things to all shoppers. Examples: stores like Nordstrom and Sears, Old Navy and Apple are all under the same roof. This has caused some of the upscale stores some concern such as Pottery Barn and Williams-Sonoma which pulled out three years ago. Now FRM is transitioning to marketing to a higher end shopper as we have seen and see with some of its recent additions. Plus, they are trying to keep their Mercer County base of shoppers now that Quakerbridge Mall is planning an expansion with Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom. Why Uniqlo didn’t make it…I’d say that they felt their Menlo store was more successful and has a larger customer base.
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Zach
August 23rd, 2007 at 8:03 pm
I have to make a pilgrimage to this place when it is done. I live about 80 minutes away but it will be worth!
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Zach
August 23rd, 2007 at 8:04 pm
Worth it I mean. Sorry!
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pat
August 27th, 2007 at 8:06 pm
Not related to the Freehold Raceway Mall, but does anyone remember what stores the Manalapan Mall had before it got creamed by the FRM? I was a young kid then, but besides Steinbach’s the anchor, I remember there was a Friendly’s, CVS, Daemart’s (? kinda like dollar store), a jewelry store.
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mallguy
August 28th, 2007 at 4:44 pm
Pat,
In the Manalapan Mall, you also had a fur store, a candy store (Jo-ann something or other) The Cupboard (an early Lechters or Sur La Table), Mandee…the others I don’t remember. But they were supposed to have an expansion wing with Macy’s and Sears, but that never transpired.
On Freehold Raceway Mall, I haven’t been there in a while, but I did read that Borders and the Cheesecake Factory are planning September/October openings and Rhehl opens in November.
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mallguy
August 31st, 2007 at 12:16 am
Stopped by today for the 1st time since earlier in the month. The lifestyle center is progressing nicely…not all the stores are finished, but they have started to put in place some of the pavement and planters…one thing I did notice is that the pavement is a reddish/maroonish hue…a similar color to that of Future World in EPCOT. The openings of Borders and Cheesecake Factory seem to be on target. It seems that the majority of the ceiling has been painted and the pattern I’ve been noticing is they are working in a north to south fashion. The Lord and Taylor wing is fully tiled and they haven’t yet started in the Sears wing. Also, it seems most of the equipment, cranes, etc has been relocated to center court. They have also started to put in piping for the new fountain, and maybe have even begun to build the foundation for the new coffee kiosk. I would be surprised if center court is finished before the holidays. As a result of the renovation, they are bound to have new holiday decor in the mall.
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Debbi
September 1st, 2007 at 8:14 pm
Pat, in addition to what Mallguy mentioned, there was also a Musicland and an independent pizza place. Someone upthread said the Musicland was a Sam Goody’s; this might have been the case for the last few years of its life. The Jo-Ann’s candy store was actually a kiosk across from Friendly’s and the pizza place.
Mallguy: Thank you for answering my question. I like the “all things to all shoppers” (without getting *too* downscale) idea. FRM is in the middle between an upper-middle income area (Manalapan, Marlboro) and middle to lower-middle (Freehold Boro, Howell). I always thought the balance was just right, but I understand from a business viewpoint the trend toward getting the higher-income shoppers. Although if they boot Hot Topic, I will raise holy hell, LOL.
Speaking of Hot Topic, there’s something called Robot Factory going in next door; I recall reading that’s supposed to be a combination store/interactive experience of some type, kind of like Build-A-Bear if I remember correctly. I’ll try to research this and report back. I do remember reading this is the first store of theirs in New Jersey. Not sure of the opening date.
Now it’s my turn to go OT: Upthread I mentioned the Shoppes at Old Bridge, and how it might be a thread to FRM. Well, I was there recently and the place was totally dead. To be fair, the day I went–a sunny Tuesday afternoon in early August–was not prime time for shopping. But the place, for a lifestyle center that received a fair amount of hype, was not looking too healthy. The jury is still out on whether this place is going to make it. Either way, I would say FRM and Brunswick Square don’t have much to worry about.
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mallguy
September 2nd, 2007 at 12:21 am
I noticed the upcoming Robot Factory as well…I’ve never heard of it, but it does look interesting. Something I also noticed is they have taped up the majority of mall entrances that look out on to the lifestyle expansion (they are currently closed off to normal traffic and are designated as fire doors until the lifestyle expansion opens)…you can still see through, but only slightly…maybe they are trying to heighten the suspense.
Debbi, thanks for mentioning the Shoppes at Old Bridge. I also agree that it poses no threat to Brunswick Square or Freehold Raceway Mall. It will serve as a complement to the mall(s) in the same way that the Grove at Shrewsbury serves as an complement to the Monmouth Mall (and a better alternative at times). The jury is still out on the Shoppes at Old Bridge as some stores and the majority of the dining options have not yet opened (Bensi and Panera are supposed to open here). Also, the highway visibility is not as strong as it is for the other Stanbery lifestyle centers opening in NJ (already open: The Shoppes at Union Hill, Route 10, Denville; and opening in the fall: The Shoppes at North Brunswick at the interesections of Routes 1 & 130, North Brunswick)
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Howard
September 7th, 2007 at 12:50 pm
There is a free-standing building in the parking lot, across from where Borders is going in the new “lifestyle” section. This building seems like an afterthought, and kind of messes up the streetscape. Do you know what is going into that building? .
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SEAN
September 9th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
Heads up! my girlfriend reports from Dambury fair they lost not only has Filenes closed but so has JCPenny & L & T as well.
Who knows whats happening
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Bobby
September 9th, 2007 at 1:00 pm
She’s wrong — L&T and Penney’s are still open at Danbury. Unless they’re temporarily closed for renovation.
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SEAN
September 10th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
Bobby when was the last timeyou were there? Debbie was there sat sep 8. She says Lord & taylor & JCPenny both have left leaving Sears & Macy’s.
Those are her exact words.
Sorry about the last post i couldn’t see the errors i made.
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Michael
September 10th, 2007 at 1:23 pm
Just to give an update, both the Lord & Taylor and JCPenney stores at the Danbury Fair Mall in Connecticut are open today until 9:30pm. They are open for business in spite of previous postings. The former Filene’s does remain dark.
You may call both L&T and Penney’s for confirmation if you’d like. The only Lord & Taylor that has closed since they were thankfully freed from Macy’s owners last year was the location at Chicago’s Water Tower Place. It was not their decision to close that store. A greedy landlord made that decision.
However, it is interesting to note that at 79,000 square feet, the Danbury Lord & Taylor store is the smallest in the company.
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SEAN
September 11th, 2007 at 10:28 am
Thank you Michael i’ll let Debbie know.
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Howard
September 13th, 2007 at 10:21 am
Freehold Raceway Mall officials say they’ve signed four new tenants for the new outdoors “lifestyle” section, namely Ann Taylor, Chico’s, Coldwater Creek and White House|Black Market. They join five previously announced tenants — Borders Books, Cheesecake Factory, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Jared the Galleria of Jewelry and Territory Ahead. This completes the opening day roster.
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mallguy
September 14th, 2007 at 8:42 pm
And there are still about 5 more stores that will eventually open there, according to the Press. Sounds like a pretty good lineup so far and a very similar lineup to the Village at Bridgewater Commons (the newly announced stores are all at the Village), but better…just hope for maybe a Brooks Brothers, Sharper Image or JCrew to open up there.
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pat
September 14th, 2007 at 11:04 pm
Thanks, mallguy and Debbi for your info on Manalapan Mall.
Also, Here’s the lease plan that shows where the new outside stores will be placed…
http://www.freeholdracewaymall.com/assets/freeholdracewaymall/Merchants%20First/Demographics/Lease_Plan/lease_plan_2.pdf
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mallguy
September 16th, 2007 at 6:20 pm
Looks like I’ve seen more renovation progress in my mall trip today. It seems they have the new lighting connected in the Lord and Taylor Wing and they are also beginning to install the new lighting on the columns. I have a feeling that once everything’s done, FRM will look pretty impressive at night with its lighting…who knows, maybe even to the level of Menlo Park. The Sears wing is seeing some more construction…the ironwork has all been painted and they are installing a new escalator where the staircase next to Sears was located…I would not be surprised to see the escalator in the center of that wing be dismantled, as was the one on the Lord and Taylor side when the stairs in front of Lord and Taylor were replaced with an escalator. I continue to stand by my previous prediction that center court will not be ready for the holidays…not much new progress over there. Also, more new tile is down in the food court. Throughout the mall, they have done a lot more painting and most of the ironwork except for center court, a few areas in the food court, as well as near Lord and Taylor have all been repainted. In terms of new stores, Ruehl is open, which I am excited about, and Charlotte Russe has also opened. On the lifestyle center, they have put up street lights, but the building that is going next to PF Changs has not yet been started. Also nameplates and letters have begun to go up on the buildings. Freehold looks like it’s definitely going to be the Garden State Plaza of Central Jersey.
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SEAN
September 20th, 2007 at 12:27 pm
What are they going to do with the Loews cinema?
I think it would be a good idea to add a new theatre to the lifestyle section.
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mallguy
September 21st, 2007 at 7:13 pm
I agree and I believe that moving the Loews to the new lifestyle section would be a good thing and would not only improve the selection of entertainment options there, but give further help to Borders, PF Changs and the Cheesecake Factory (not that they’re going to need it). However, I don’t see it happening anytime soon (pretty sure the mall won’t sacrifice any more parking), eventhough a stadium seating theatre would be nice in Monmouth County.
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SEAN
September 24th, 2007 at 10:05 am
Does anyone know when Loews opened?
As for the parking issue Mall guy i think a structure might do the job. Roosevelt Field for example had 3 structures that were built there & can handle the traffic flow. There is a case for AMC to replace that theatre, why not frm? Then again the same could be said for Menlo Park & Newport Centre, the latter 2 have older theatres than FRM. But i still say move the Loews to were the lifestyle wing is. Just trying to be practical.
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shaney_oyeah
September 24th, 2007 at 10:47 am
If they move the theater to the lifestyle section, they can build a surface lot over the old theater.
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mallguy
September 24th, 2007 at 4:56 pm
Funny…the idea of a parking structure didn’t even come to mind. It is a good idea and I would definitely endorse that. FRM could definitely handle the extra traffic, more so than Menlo Park, Garden State Plaza or Tysons Corner. Garden State Plaza even built parking underneath their new AMC Theatre. Who knows…maybe we’ll see the AMC move.
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SEAN
September 24th, 2007 at 7:53 pm
Mallguy maybe we can work on an site plan & sell it to macerich.
I assume that you know that the Menlo Park theatre is on top of the parking structure, there’s somthing to go on. FYI many new AMC theatres are on the 2nd floor with parking under them. L.A.s Centry City, Fashon Valley & GSP come to mind since they’re based on the same prototype.
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SEAN
September 24th, 2007 at 8:03 pm
mallguy since you brought up menlo’s traffic problem i’m not sure what the problem is. Is the ring road off route 1 & Parsonage road? Or is it the way the traffic flows?
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mallguy
September 24th, 2007 at 8:44 pm
Lol…actually Sean, the Cineplex at Menlo Park technically covers the lower level parking area near the Macy’s midcourt entrance whereas in Garden State Plaza, there is more of a deck like structure underneath the AMC. The Cineplex is not a part of the 3 level parking deck in the back, but the theatres do have access to it.
With the traffic issue at Menlo Park, the design of the ring road is flawed for a couple of reasons and they causes major traffic backups:
- The ring road drops from 2 lanes to one lane when it makes the turn toward Barnes and Noble, The Cheesecake Factory and Nordstrom. When they built B&N and TCF, they didn’t think through how that area would be congested with pedestrians crossing toward the mall and people slowing down to looking for parking, as the parking is quite tight over there.
-Also, where the front part of the ring road intersects with the rear part of the ring road near Nordstrom and Fox and Hound are two major traffic chokepoints. On a weekend, this could significantly back up as a result of the lack of traffic lights at these places and also because the front ring road portions are only one road. The traffic and construction situation on route 1 doesn’t help matters much either.
With Freehold Raceway Mall, eventhough the traffic may run smoothly now, I would not be surprised that within 5 years, the route 9 and route 537 entrances are overpassed.
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SEAN
September 25th, 2007 at 9:43 am
Thanks mallguy. I have 1 more question what should simon do with the cineplex’s at Menlo Park & Newport Centre? Menlo needs a new theatre desperitly & Newports is even worse.
But what else would you expect from cineplex odeon
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mallguy
September 29th, 2007 at 11:25 pm
To answer Sean’s earlier questions, the prospect of renovating the Cineplex at Menlo is very appealing. Its interior screams late 80s early 90s and it is not a stadium seating theater, where one would expect a mall that size to have one, especially with the large number of entertainment options Menlo Park has. The cineplex actually replaced a 2 screen movie theater where Macaroni Grill now stands. The new AMCs at Rockaway and GS Plaza are quite impressive and do set a standard of what a movie theatre should look like. I think it is unlikely that the Menlo theater will be renovated, as it will be quite a challenge considering its location in the mall and also due to the fact that Hartz-Mountain plans for a large movie theatre 2 miles down the road at the new Edison Town Center (former Ford Plant). I haven’t been to Newport in years, but since the mall recenlty got a facelift, why shouldn’t the movie theater get one too!
On your earlier question, the Loews in Freehold opened in 1994/1995. It was nice when it opened, but it’s a little tired and way too populated by teenagers on the weekends.
On my most recent trip to the mall, I had the chance to check out the new Ruehl and it’s quite a cool store. The design of the store is quite impressive (they cut corners in this one though in that it doesn’t have the different levels that the ones in GS Plaza and Tysons Corner do) and the clothing they sell is a much higher quality than its counterparts in Abercrombie and Hollister.
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SEAN
September 30th, 2007 at 3:22 pm
Thank you mallguy!
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SEAN
September 30th, 2007 at 3:41 pm
There may be a way to turn the Menlo Park theatre into a stadium seating setup-by gutting it, raising the roof & only having 9 or 10 theatres instead of the current 12 or 11 in the case of Newport.
I never sead it would be easy or cheep.
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SEAN
September 30th, 2007 at 3:44 pm
I nnever said it would be easy or cheep!
EXCUSEME!
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SEAN
October 1st, 2007 at 9:35 am
Some days i just cant type at all.
for the third time, I never said it would be cheep or easy.
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mallguy
October 6th, 2007 at 6:42 pm
I was in the mall again today (was going to do an “on the scene update” from the Apple Store, but I’d put more thought in doing it this way) and here are the construction updates. A lot of visible progress:
- The promenade area of the Lifestyle Center is now open and the area looks pretty darn good. Cheesecake Factory is also open. Don’t know if the “performance stage” is up yet and I wonder where it will be…unless the performance area is the small grassy knoll in front of Borders. I hope they install speakers in the planters to have a little “mood music” in the same fashion as in The Grove.
- The ceiling is almost fully painted and most of the lighting is installed. There is also lighting underneath each column, which is probably going to look cool at night.
- In terms of lighting, they are also putting in the cables, supports and wires for the hanging lights that will be directly under the skylights.
- The food court area has been repainted and re-tiled, they still have some of the old bead and neon lighting up that may get removed.
- 70% of the mall is re-tiled…also there are areas that aren’t tiled that are seating areas and I think they will be installing carpets, along with soft seating in these areas…we’ll have to see.
- Center Court had a lot of progress. The new fountain is beginning to be built, the utilities for the coffee kiosk are installed, the elevator’s exterior was redone and the ceiling over has been painted.
- On the second floor in center court, they added frosted glass to the atrium gating where the new customer service booth will go.
- The old escalator between Center Court and Sears was taken out, as were the Sears stairs, and the escalator is now next too Sears.
A whole lot of changing going on. I did not notice any additional announcements for new stores, but I am hoping for more. More and more each day, Freehold Raceway Mall is starting to remind me of Rockaway Townsquare in that they are gradually going more upscale and are continuing along with the marketing philosophy of being everything to everybody. FRM is going in a very good direction.
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SEAN
October 7th, 2007 at 10:57 am
Wonder if circuit city or best buy should open a store there. They both have locations on route 9 but it maybe a good bookend for borders.
What dou say mallguy.
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mallguy
October 7th, 2007 at 5:56 pm
Sounds pretty interesting, but I don’t really see it happening. The Best Buy is at a particularly good location and I doubt they’d give it up…same for Circuit City. As we had discussed earlier, I think moving the Loews/AMC to the lifestyle center by rebuilding it as a stadium seating theater should be an option that is considered.
While I think the new lifestyle center is pretty nice and I like the setup of it, something I would have liked to see (and maybe in a few years, who knows) is more stores built between the mall and Dick’s, creating a lifestyle promenade between the mall and Dick’s.
And it definitely is time to start considering to build parking decks.
I forgot to mention in the previous post that I hope FRM decides to change their Chirstmas decor…what they have is a little tired to me…nothing beat the Christmas decor the first 5 years of the mall and I rather miss it.
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SEAN
October 8th, 2007 at 4:51 pm
You are right about moving AMC first then the rest will fall into place. I think Macerich has plenty of cash on hand to do the verious projects we’ve been thinking through.
Anything i for got mallguy?
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mallguy
October 8th, 2007 at 7:55 pm
You covered it all, Sean. True, it seems that Macerich has a project going on with all its big malls (e.g. Danbury Fair, Tysons Corner, Scottsdale Fashion Square, for those who aren’t familiar with their mall lineup).
Some of the best lifestyle centers attached to malls are The Streets at Southpoint (NC) and Flatiron Crossing (CO…also a Macerich mall)…maybe the NJ malls that eventually build lifestyle centers will get to that level.
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SEAN
October 9th, 2007 at 9:57 am
What should be done with:
1. Livingston
2. Woodbridge
3. Menlo Park with or wiithout the cineplex issues already discussed.
What are your thoughts mallguy, i am sure there are things going on.
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SEAN
October 9th, 2007 at 3:09 pm
check MAC wevsite http://www.macerich.com nov. 8 grand opening
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mallguy
October 9th, 2007 at 8:25 pm
Sean,
On the three malls you mentioned, Livingston mall is the only one that is being worked on. They are just beginning a renovation, they are adding a Barnes and Noble and the new food court will be opening shortly. With Woodbridge, I would have liked to see a greater buildout of the new wing where Dick’s is, even make that wing 2 levels. On Menlo, they are adding a few new stores (A/X Armani Exchange, Hollister, H&M, and some chinese/japanese restaurant where The Wiz used to be, to name a few). While a renovated movie theatre would be nice, as well as the other traffic fixes, what I would really like to see is a Bloomingdale’s…there is room to build out where Rainforest Cafe is located and that wing that stretches out toward it could be made into two floors and they would be able to add new stores there as well. To account for additional parking, the parking structure in the back needs to be extended to where the new Bloomingdale’s would be located and a new parking structure near Macy’s facing Route 1 needs to be built.
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SEAN
October 10th, 2007 at 10:14 am
Funny you brought up bloomingdales-i thought macy’s should change to bloomies. Who needs 3 macy’s stores within a 15 minute drive of each other.
Both ideas are good, we’ll see what happens.
I visited Short Hills saturday, there is nothing that needs to be done to that mall exept tipical cosmedic updating.
By the way i could not believe the number of strollers i saw with children under the age of 1. I sware it’s a baby boom. The same could be said for nearby Summit.
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mallguy
October 10th, 2007 at 3:52 pm
The Menlo Macy’s is actually the best one (and biggest one) in Middlesex County and I don’t believe it should change over and I don’t believe it will ever change over. Central Jersey could use a Bloomingdale’s (especially with the upcoming Quakerbridge expansion not including Bloomingdale’s) since Bridgewater Commons is not as convenient for everyone in the area. As I’ve mentioned on this site, Monmouth Mall would even be a good place for a new Bloomingdale’s (with an expansion wing) as it would be able to keep up with Freehold and also there are many in that area (Rumson, Spring Lake, Colts Neck, etc) that would appreciate a Bloomie’s.
The Mall at Short Hills in my opinion is the best mall in NJ if not on the east coast. I am very surprised that Cheesecake Factory or Grand Lux Cafe has not gotten in there yet. If they ever do, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them build out close to Macy’s near the mall entrance facing JFK Parkway.
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SEAN
October 10th, 2007 at 4:32 pm
short hills is just the place for cheesecake, but mallguy you are 100% correct SH scream Grand Lux cafe. I went to leagal sea food & it was a good thing Debbie made a reservation because when i sat down the wait was 2 hours. Just imagine the throngs of people that grand lux could draw from a 6 county area. I rather drive to short hills than say willowbrook less hassle for parking.
I’m trying to figure out were dou place such a high profile eatery like gl, it is a little harder do to the malls zig zag configuration.
your turn mall guy
we seeme to be almost on the same wavelength.
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mallguy
October 10th, 2007 at 11:10 pm
Well, Grand Lux Cafe has just recently opened in Garden State Plaza so I think it will be a little while before they open a 2nd location, although one can never really tell. (I went there last month and GLC is AWESOME!!!!) Short Hills has a history of not re-newing leases, hence the exit of Ruby Tuesday (present-day Qdoba location) and Houlihan’s (present-day Legal Sea Foods location), which is why they’d wait until the Johnny Rockets lease ends. That’s really the only place where there is space to build out…either Cheesecake Factory or Grand Lux Cafe would work well in that location…and it’s right in the center of the mall basically.
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SEAN
October 11th, 2007 at 10:07 am
Would you go back to glc? I think it’s better than cf.
How long did you wait? At least you could always go into best buy for a few minutes if the wait is long, wich is the case most of the time.
We know all about taubman’s leasing practices, 6 years if even that, then it’s by by! Ever notice how many stores move within Short Hills mall every time you go there? Its INSANE!
Parden the crazy eddie reference
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SEAN
October 12th, 2007 at 9:05 pm
Oh what to do with Brunswick Square, maybe demall it & make it a lifestyle center?
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mallguy
October 12th, 2007 at 11:53 pm
Sean,
I thought Grand Lux Cafe was pretty good…the wait was about 20 minutes and it was pretty early. It’s attached to the mall and Border’s is just right across the way so you don’t have to walk outside for a “time kill.” They also have really good desserts. I would put it on par with the Cheesecake Factory and would definitely like to see more NJ Grand Lux Cafe locations in the future (The new Cheesecake Factory at Freehold looks pretty good and they have a HUGE patio).
Yeah, Short Hills rotates their stores around…I’ve noticed that too. I was just over there today and that previously mentioned buildout location where a Grand Lux Cafe or Cheesecake Factory buildout would go could definitley work.
Brusnwick Square I believe will still continue to be an indoor mall. Believe it or not, they get a lot of business for a mall that size…go in there on a Friday night, and many of the area hs kids will be in there, especially MegaMovies and Barnes and Noble. When Macy’s has big sales, it can be a zoo in there! The mall has the basics and is a good alternative for the Freehold Raceway Mall and Menlo/Woodbridge traffic, it serves its purpose and again, it will hang in. I’ve heard rumors that they will try to keep the mall current by adding a Bistro Row of restaurants along the Route 18 side between Ruby Tuesday and JCPenney with the new Summerhill Square coming in.
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SEAN
October 15th, 2007 at 10:11 am
After giving it some thaught i would agree about grand lux in short hills, looking at the directory i picked up i can see your point were it should go. Sometimes it is not rocket science.
On another note took a trip to Fort Lee saturday, whenever a area mall wants to expand everyone gets up in arms about traffic problems that will come. That’s nonsence, no mall expantion could ever bring traffic to levels found on Bergenline Ave in Union City.
Yeh i know route 4 & 17 can be bad at times but not at the extreme levels found on Bergenline. In the time it took me to go down Bergenline from 91st street to 48th street you can walk to Jersey City.
[Reply]
SEAN
October 15th, 2007 at 12:39 pm
Mallguy,
your right, forgot about borders. that was dumb. I’m just a best buy guy.
What is going in across from grand lux &AMC?
[Reply]
mallguy
October 15th, 2007 at 5:31 pm
The key to dealing with routes 4 & 17 is to learn the side streets through Paramus, Ridgewood, Oradell and Maywood…using them will save a considerable amount of time. I can’t argue with you about Hudson County …a total traffic mess (goes for the entire county…Paramus gets the most press because of the malls).
At GSP, aaerie (women’s spinoff of American Eagle Outfitters) and Quiksilver are going in…there might be others but I don’ t remember. I can understand why you’d forget about that Borders…the new one is totally non-descript, they gave up their outside entrance and to be honest, I miss the old one. That Best Buy is pretty big though.
I don’t know about you, but I miss the Short Hills Borders…I understand why they left through…no room to grow…and if that extra space does go to Cheesecake Factory or Grand Lux, it’s pretty safe to say there wouldn’t be much room for any other expansion as the mall is already packed tightly into the space it’s located.
[Reply]
SEAN
October 16th, 2007 at 10:06 am
My friends & i do miss the old borders at garden state, the new store is there brand new prototype & just stands there like an adopted child not sure were they fit in.
As for short hills yes i to miss the old borders but it never had music nore a Seattle’s Best Coffee as most stores do.
I read an artical on borders a few months ago reguarding there restructuring wich includes new & renovated stores like the ones at gsp & King of Prussia.
http://www.planevanillashell.com.
That will link you to current retail news from many sources. You do not need a password. Just click & read, i’m there every day at work staying up to date on whats happening.
[Reply]
SEAN
October 16th, 2007 at 10:35 am
Two more sites for you to look at :
http://www.icsc.org.
Go to shopping centers today.
1st of the month or 1st Monday.
http://www.shoppingcenterbusiness.com
15th of the month
Enjoy!
[Reply]
Allan
October 16th, 2007 at 12:56 pm
And thanks for posting a link to those 3 retail news sites, SEAN. I actually kept wondering what were some good sites that list such information, personally.
You misspelled the first website you mentioned, which is actually http://www.plainvanillashell.com And I’m just correcting that, so others are able to access the site, like I did.
[Reply]
SEAN
October 16th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
Thank you Allan:
I’m not a good speller or typest.
[Reply]
mallguy
October 21st, 2007 at 6:50 pm
Another Freehold Raceway Mall visit, another construction update:
- The only areas of the mall still to be retiled are lower level center court and the lower level food court wing. Tile is down everywhere else in the mall.
- The new escalator in front of Sears is open.
- The entire ceiling area has been painted over to earth tones.
- The support for the lights that are hanging down under the skylights are all up and a few of the lights have been installed. At first, I wasn’t too cool about how they were going to look, but after seeing them, they look pretty cool…will definitely provide the mall with more light at night.
- There are still some of the old beaded lights left
- They have placed directional signage around the mall (not that it’s hard to get around, but a lot of malls are doing this now)
- Still waiting for them to do seating areas.
- Center court is making some progress, but it’s not there yet and I still wonder how that will be finished by the holidays. The elevator has been re-glassed and re-painted. They have also begun to retile the stage. I think the coffee kiosk is going to go where the high jet for the former fountain was and the fountain looks as if it will go near Abercrombie Kids, where the side jets of the old fountain were.
- While it hasn’t been announced, I have a feeling that Anthropologie will be moving into the lifestyle center…the facade of where I believe it will go is similar to that of The Grove.
- I am still hoping that JCrew will decide to move to FRM (there are still at least 2 vacancies remaining that would fit their size)
- I was right! Waldenbooks has closed down since Borders will be opening up in the mall….Borders and the other stores of the Lifestyle Center open 11/8…I am very, very interested to see what the holiday decor will look like…I assume it will change and I really hope it does.
[Reply]
SEAN
October 22nd, 2007 at 10:36 am
Should they add condos like Natic colection?
Just a thaught.
[Reply]
mallguy
October 22nd, 2007 at 7:03 pm
That would be interesting, but I don’t see it happening. A few years ago, they were planning on building another mall access drive to Wemrock Road and along with that was going to come a hotl and convention center, but that never happened.
[Reply]
SEAN
October 22nd, 2007 at 8:48 pm
Were else could condos or other housing option could be built? A few places pop out at me, such as ;
1. Tysoner corner 2. Galleria Houston 3. The Wester over the garage 4.South Coast Plaza 5.MOA.
What would you add or change.
[Reply]
SEAN
October 22nd, 2007 at 8:50 pm
sorry tyson corner & westchester
[Reply]
mallguy
October 24th, 2007 at 8:27 pm
The Condos and mini-city at Tysons Corner aren’t going to happen until the Silver Line gets built. Amazing what they want to do over there. They do have 5 hotels in walking distance though. I could see condos at The Westchester, but other than Newport Centre, I’m not seeing it happening in NJ right now.
I’m still hoping that Freehold Raceway Mall gets the hotel…and in a few years, overpasses over routes 9 and 537.
[Reply]
SEAN
October 25th, 2007 at 9:38 am
Any place else were you think were a mall & housing could mix?
NOT nessessarily NJ
[Reply]
Debbi
October 27th, 2007 at 6:33 am
Heard an ad for the grand opening of the lifestyle portion–I believe it’s Nov. 11 if I recall correctly.
And yes, Mallguy, Freehold *needs* another hotel. Badly. The Days Inn on 9 was pathetic even before half of it burned up. The only reason that saves that place is that Six Flags still hasn’t gotten around to building that hotel yet.
[Reply]
SEAN
October 27th, 2007 at 11:07 am
Actualy it’s november 8th.
[Reply]
mallguy
October 28th, 2007 at 10:23 pm
Good point, Debbi…hat Days Inn is a mess…and the Freehold Gardens Hotel is OK, but it was nicer when it was a Sheraton years ago. A hotel on mall property would definitely be an additional boon to the mall in the same way the Hilton Short Hills and Bridgewater Marriott help out Short Hills Mall and Bridgewater Commons, respectively.
And we have two more weeks until the lifestyle expansion opens…and there are still a couple of vacancies/unannounced stores in the lifestyle center between JCPenney and Center Court.
[Reply]
SEAN
October 29th, 2007 at 9:50 am
I can see a hotel built there, when you think about it your not to far from the jersey shore. Yeah i know it’s a few miles away but any time you can add aditional hotel rooms to an area whose capassity is some what limited it could return divedens. Specially along route 9 with it’s car traffic. What is it-10 15 minutes from the beaches?
[Reply]
Debbi
November 2nd, 2007 at 4:25 am
10-15 miles from the beach? Only if you’re driving 150 mph. It takes me a little over 45 minutes and I’m ten minutes from the mall. You do the math.
I do recall reading they’re trying to build a Hampton Inn (I think–could be wrong) in Howell. As far as I know, ground has not been broken on that.
Cheesecake Factory is now open, as is Robot Factory. I was right–it does appear to be in the same vein as Build-a-Bear. You can build your own robots–pretty cool. Also, Hot Topic has been under renovation to change to the new design (way *after* Woodbridge and Eatontown); they should be open within a week or two if they’re not already.
On the other hand, looks like Jasmine Sola is about to become another victim to the works-everywhere-but-FRM curse. They’re not closed yet, but the telltale red and yellow signs are all over the store. It’s a shame; I don’t think they’ve even been open for a year.
[Reply]
Jonah Norason
November 2nd, 2007 at 5:22 pm
Hmm…a quick Google search reveals JS is having a huge-chain-wide sale, and the signs look like out-of-business signs.
See for yourself.
[Reply]
mallguy
November 3rd, 2007 at 3:35 pm
The signs at Jasmine Sola were also visible at the Bridgewater Commons store.
One more week until the official grand opening of the lifestyle center expansion. All the lighting in the mall is done as is all the flooring except for center court. Center court has develped nicely…the fountain is almost done, the tiles haven’t been laid yet, but the coffee kiosk is up and it will be a Starbucks. The Santa Set is up (don’t know if it along with the remaining mall decorations are complete) and it looks alright…definitely a lor more low-key than the holiday decorations of past years. The santa set has been moved to the intersections of JCPenney, Nordstrom and Lord and Taylor. At the lifestyle center, the store that I thought was going to be Antrhopologie is going to be Coldwater Creek.
Looks to be a busy opening next weekend.
[Reply]
SEAN
November 6th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
I don’t mean to be a pane in the coffee mug, do we realy need another starbucks? There are 4 stores on route 9 in &around Freehold already. I mean i like there coffee but this is going a little overboard-don’t you think?
In White Plains were i work there was no starbucks until 2002. Now we have 3 within a 7 minute walk, 2 of wich are a block & a half away from eachother. When Target gets remodled they will add another- wich will put 1 location in B & N over the one in Target. That is chop full of nuts.
Pardon me, i must run over to starbucks & get me a decaf cafe moca grande. MMMM coffee.
[Reply]
Jeremy
November 6th, 2007 at 9:49 pm
I wouldn’t complain about having too many Starbucks locations. Most people are lucky to have several Starbucks near by in states like California, New York, & New Jersey. In Ohio, there are several locations, but are not easy to access (Target locations for example, you have to go inside just for coffee; Toll plaza locations, long roads to center, if your not on the turnpike; and busy intersections/sharp corners.) As you can see Starbucks is hidden gold where I live, not like water everywhere.
[Reply]
mallguy
November 6th, 2007 at 11:01 pm
With the proliferation of Starbucks in the NJ malls, we had to expect in sooner or later in the Freehold Raceway Mall (some of the area malls have as many as 3). Honestly, I would have preferred a Dunkin Donuts, but wiht the more upscale trends FRM is taking, the Dunkin Donuts in center court wouldn’t have been considered acceptable. While the new mall design looks really nice, I do miss the big fountain in center court and the new center court setup will probably take some getting used to. Four different coffee places (Starbucks, Seattle’s Best in the new Borders, Nordstrom, Gloria Jean’s) in the mall now!
[Reply]
SEAN
November 7th, 2007 at 10:07 am
In my office we are split between Starbucks & Dunkin Donuts. To me Nordstrom has the best coffee, although i rather go to Starbucks than Dunkin Donuts.
MMM COFFEE.
[Reply]
mallguy
November 9th, 2007 at 1:41 am
Gotta go with Nordstrom too in terms of coffee.
Today begins the grand-reopening festivities at the Freehold Raceway Mall and I was able to stop by. They are putting the finishing touches on center court…all tile is down, the new fountain is covered right now because of the stage that was put up for the grand opening festivities (I don’t think it’s done yet anyway) and Starbucks isn’t quite ready yet. Around the rest of the mall, the new customer service center on the 2nd floor is open, the soft-seating has been put in (Menlo Park, Short Hills and GS Plaza are the only NJ malls that have gone with soft-seating areas so far) and the majority of the lifestyle stores are open. I think the lifestyle center will be a success and I will look forward to hearing what the 4-5 remaining stores will be….who knows, maybe they’ll expand it as we had discussed above.
[Reply]
Debbi
November 9th, 2007 at 5:45 am
I stand corrected on Jasmine Sola. If they’re having that sale, I should pop in soon.
On the Starbucks issue: I’m thrilled they’re coming to FRM, though I wonder what that means for Gloria Jean’s. Their downstairs location does well, but where they took over for Nancy’s *still* doesn’t get much traffic, though that might be because of the upper level entrances being blocked off for a long time.
I’m opening myself up for flames by saying this, but I think Dunkin Donuts is the most overrated coffee on the planet. That and I find their presence on Route 9 obnoxious. Between Freehold and Sayreville, I counted no less than six stores (7 if you count the one on Union Hill Road right off the highway). Plus I swear they’re opening up another location in what used to be an independent cafe every other week. I’m glad FRM is being spared from the DD invasion.
Yes, I’m a coffee snob, why do you ask?
I do like Gloria Jean’s though.
Can’t wait to go back to this mall to see all the new changes. BTW, has anyone eaten at the Cheesecake Factory yet?
[Reply]
SEAN
November 9th, 2007 at 11:23 am
I’m with you Debbi, they opened a new DD location near Wal-mart not far from were i work. Oy vey, just what we need.
[Reply]
mallguy
November 9th, 2007 at 7:11 pm
A couple other things I noticed yesterday in my visit to Freehold Raceway Mall, but forgot to mention. The music being piped through the mall is now classical, trying to bring in more of an upscale feel. A Dockers store will be opening in the former Williams-Sonoma/Pottery Barn near Nordstrom and the new Brookstone design is very different from every other one. I haven’t eaten at the new Cheesecake Factory there yet, but their patio area is very impressive, bigger than the patios of the other NJ Cheesecake Factories.
On the great coffee debate, here is my coffee ranking:
1) Nordstrom
2) Borders/Seattles Best
3) Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks (tied for 3)
4) Panera Bread
5) Gloria Jean’s
[Reply]
SEAN
November 11th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
Were is W S moving to.
[Reply]
mallguy
November 11th, 2007 at 5:50 pm
Williams-Sonoma and Pottery Barn left the mall about 2-3 years ago and their former spaces were never occupied by any long term tennants. I am guessing it was a lack of space that caused them to vacate…both did the same thing in Menlo Park about the same time.
Both malls are trending upscale and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Pottery Barn and Williams-Sonoma try to get back in when the space becomes available.
[Reply]
SEAN
November 11th, 2007 at 8:53 pm
Thanksmallguy; i haven’t been there in a few years. Hope to return soon.
Have you been to Grand Lux cafe lately? Went there yesterday & i reccomend it if you haven’t
[Reply]
SEAN
November 12th, 2007 at 6:58 pm
Never mind; forgot to look at an earlier post.
sorry about that
[Reply]
Jerry
November 12th, 2007 at 10:39 pm
Just thought I would join the club and comment.
I was born and raised in the suburbs of New Jersey. I am closing in on 40 and it is weird how malls become places in our lives. If you grew up in NJ you or a family member probably worked at a mall at some point. I met my first serious girlfriend at a mall and I still wander back there from time to time to think about those days. I take my kids to malls now. It’s all good.
Hey, somebody get me a pretzel and diet coke I am going to the gameroom!
[Reply]
SEAN
November 14th, 2007 at 10:35 am
Today on Plain Vanilla Shell
“what’s the trouble with starbucks”
Since i brewed this debate in the first place, & had no idea the pashons it would stir up, here is something for all of us to read in the coffee wars as PVS put it.
[Reply]
SEAN
November 17th, 2007 at 11:55 am
Let me add that NBC News had a report yesterday about how Starbucks is a reflection of the econemys health. Although they left out the fact that if you like Dunkin Donuts coffee your not going to Starbucks anyway.
A bit overated. But isn’t that what news has become?
[Reply]
mallguy
November 17th, 2007 at 3:08 pm
It seems not everyone got that memo. I’m in the mall right now (posting from the Apple Store) and many are carrying around their coffee from Starbucks. I did see the report of the drop in traffic at Starbucks, though.
The new construction looks great! They are still not fully done as the fountain is not complete and they are adding new lights to the columns. This place is going to be much brighter at night!
[Reply]
SEAN
November 19th, 2007 at 10:49 am
Hay-mallguy;
Thank you for making my point about that NBC News report being overrated.
Hope you have a joyus thanksgiving holiday!
[Reply]
mallguy
November 21st, 2007 at 8:04 pm
Also very impressed with the new lifestyle center…if the expansion that we discussed earlier were to take place, that would surely make things more interesting. That Borders is one of the most strangely organized around…it’s two levels, but the departments aren’t where you’d think they’d be…the best Borders in NJ are still in Eatontown, Livingston and Riverdale.
[Reply]
SEAN
November 22nd, 2007 at 12:07 pm
The one in Paramus is aquard at best. It is hard to find anything in that store.
[Reply]
Max
November 23rd, 2007 at 9:27 pm
Wow! This is by far the mall with the most posts at labelscar.com.
Anyway, I have two things to say about this mall’s twin sister, the Danbury Fair Mall. First, do the renovations that have been going there still result in a mall that looks identical to the Freehold Raceway Mall? (If not, what makes the two malls–post-renovations–look different?) Second, it just amazes me that the Filene’s space still remains vacant almost two years after that store closed. I’m amazed that both Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom passed on it given that (1) it is in an affluent area and (2) Nordstrom currently has just one store in CT was Bloomingdale’s has zero.
Also, I was wondering that aside from the Irondequoit Mall (which is neither getting a renovation, nor even owned by Macerich), were there any other malls that initially looked identical to both the Danbury Fair Mall and the Freehold Raceway Mall?
[Reply]
mallguy
November 23rd, 2007 at 10:02 pm
Max:
Freehold Raceway Mall and Danbury Fair Mall (along with Irondequoit) were orginally controlled by a comany called Wilmorite. They also owned a few malls in New York State (Wilton Mall, Rotterdam Square, Shoppingtown Mall, to name a few) and most of them looked identical in architecture and they also had a signature center court fountain. Macerich bought out Wilmorite and took over the control of all the malls.
I too am surprised that Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s have passed on the old Filenes at Danbury Fair and would not be surprised to see that space torn down and (dare I say) have a lifestyle addition built on in the future.
[Reply]
SEAN
November 25th, 2007 at 1:18 am
I to have to agree with of you reguard ing the Filenes space not being turned into a nother department store. The welth factor is there but as i recall DF is in no hurry to develope the space, why? who knows. Maybe a cinema with restaurants AKA Garden State Plaza.
thoughts…
[Reply]
mallguy
November 25th, 2007 at 11:23 am
I do believe that Danbury Fair Mall will eventually build a lifestyle expansion on the footprint of the former Filene’s. The expansion built at Freehold Raceway Mall was a test for Macerich to see if the idea of a lifestyle center attached to a mall would be successful. As a result of last night’s observation, I would say it was pretty successful (and we’re talking in 38 degree weather).
Again, DFM will eventually build their lifestyle center and it will be bigger than Freehold’s.
At Freehold, the only unfinished part of the renovation is the fountain. It will probably be done after the holidays.
[Reply]
Jonah Norason
November 25th, 2007 at 4:48 pm
I actually heard DFM will get a Nordstrom on the Filene’s spot. Caldor Rainbow says so.
[Reply]
SEAN
November 26th, 2007 at 10:41 am
If they do add a lifestyle section please include ; cheesecake factory, theatres & best buy.
[Reply]
Debbi
November 27th, 2007 at 3:02 am
The Starbucks in Center Court is now open, as is the surrounding seating area. Also open is a children’s play area next to the carousel with couches for the adults. Outside the play area is a cute rendition of a Colonial-era soldier, a nice touch.
A belated welcome to the board for Jerry and Max. Yes, this is the most popular mall on the site, isn’t it? LOL
[Reply]
SEAN
November 27th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
I guess it turned out that way Debbi, between mallguy’s updates just like sport scenter & my questions to him & others, i guess i helped in that reguard if i intended to or not.
Took a trip to King of Prussia saturday, it was shocking to see no traffic at all going there & getting a parking space as soon as i got there. It was about 9:30. The mall was empty til about late afternoon when i had to leave abruptly when my girlfriend fell ill. When i noticed how empty the mall was i became uneasy about the holiday shopping season dispite black friday’s madness, since i follow the retail industry at work.
Would you believe after all that i ended up in mallguy’s neck of the woods @ Woodbridge Center? After a 3 hour drive that included a detour on I-195 because the nj turnpike was stop & go all the way home. So in stead took 7A to 195 to GSP to route 9. Not what i would call a “Great Adventure” but it worked.
[Reply]
Debbi
November 28th, 2007 at 2:42 am
Sean: Ai yi yi, that sounds like a long drive home. I don’t know PA quite that well, but you could have just as easily taken 195 to Route 9 straight, or alternatively taken 537 (that’s where Great Adventure is) to Route 9, although that would have dropped you off further north.
As for my Black Weekend report: On Sunday, FRM was packed, but the Jackson Outlets (down the road from GA), while crowded, started to thin out in the early evening.
And as long as we’re headed OT again (LOL), and besides, there’s no entry for this mall yet (::not-so-subtle hint to Caldor::), I’m going to mention that I was at Brunswick Square Mall the week before, and was pleasantly surprised. I don’t know whether Simon recently acquired this mall or has had it forever, but the renovations they did were absolutely gorgeous. The mall no longer smells funny, and while most of their stores were cramped versions as to what I’ve seen at FRM (Charlotte Russe comes to mind as a rare exception), it looks overall much nicer and, dare I say it, more upscale.
[Reply]
SEAN
November 28th, 2007 at 11:19 am
Debbie;
Going to woodbridge was an afterthought, if i had any idea that the nj turnpike was messed up like that i would have taken the last exit in PA & gone 2 blocks to I-95. I’ve done that before, it’s like going to Sesame Place or Trenton. We were getting hungry & went to applebees. My friend John knows that area better than i do. I’m not as knowledgeable about the shortcuts around that area as you & mallguy are.
How about a quick road tour, it will make things a hole lot easyer.
Thank you.
[Reply]
AceJay
November 28th, 2007 at 12:59 pm
I’m just guessing you’re coming from the Philly area…
You probably wanted to do this:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=10120056706756539230,40.147008,-74.896784%3B12500939729849513717,40.160050,-74.424330%3B2575934739301039598,40.163420,-74.419500&time=&date=&ttype=&saddr=Delaware+Expy%2FI-95+N+%4040.147008,+-74.896784&daddr=I-195+E+%4040.160050,+-74.424330+to:Raceway+Mall+Dr,+Freehold,+NJ+07728&mra=mr&mrcr=0&via=1&sll=40.158935,-74.426494&sspn=0.015776,0.028925&ie=UTF8&ll=40.251232,-74.75235&spn=0.504142,0.925598&z=10&om=1
Also, that’s not the last exit in PA, there are actually two more
I live in Princeton, I know the area.
[Reply]
AceJay
November 28th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
Sorry for the double post, but I’ll be going there later today. I’ll snap some photos.
[Reply]
SEAN
November 29th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
I live in New York but we go to King of Prussia once or twice a year. We would have stayed on the nj turnpike if the traffic wasn’t a nightmare.
Since you live in the Princeton Trenton area; how offton do you go to King of Prussia?
There are many malls within 45 minutes of were i live & work, but going here is a real treat for me. there are restaurants there i don’t have in my area like rock bottom brewery wich i went to for the first time & would absalutely eat there again. It is fun just to go there & try all of the restaurants even if you don’t buy a thing you can still have a fantastic time filling up your stummach.
Next time i go back i want to try the cafes above the william sanoma home store. Ahhhhhh! so many interesting choices so little time. Just thinking about it is making me hungry.
Hint hint; CALDOR.
[Reply]
AceJay
November 29th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
Honestly I’ve only been there once and I was too young to remember it in detail.
I do a lot less shopping than normal people, the last time I bought clothes was last March.
Nothing fits me =/
The only place I can get clothes is Big and Tall/Casual Male, but they have horrible styles so I’m wearing old clothes form years ago.
I’ve done most of my shopping at QuakerBridge though. KoP is too far at $2.90/gallon with 18mpg cars. I’ve never really had any interest in going there. I suppose I’ll check it out sometime if I’m in the area.
[Reply]
SEAN
November 29th, 2007 at 5:52 pm
Give it a shot, you won’t regret it reguardless what the gas prices are.
It’s a treat, not an every day thing. Just take my word for it.
[Reply]
mallguy
November 29th, 2007 at 10:05 pm
I was at King of Prussia during the summer and it’s really nice, but with GS Plaza and Short Hills nearby, it’s not worth the trip alone…unless you’re in the Montgomery Co, PA area. (the same way that I visit Tysons Corner when in the DC Metro area) 95 over the Scudders Falls Bridge to US 1 South to the PA Turnpike (picking up at Bensalem…right near Neshaminy Mall) is the best way to get there from points north.
My Black Friday update: Short Hills was quiet around 9 but got really busy by 10:30. Bridgewater Commons was very busy and it took a good 20 minutes to find parking.
Saturday: Freehold Raceway Mall was buy but manageable and the Grove at Shrewsbury was very, very busy.
Traffic was really bad in certain areas, considering that there were at least 2 really bad accindents that Northstar (the medivac) had to be called in.
[Reply]
SEAN
November 30th, 2007 at 11:09 am
Mallguy;
I’ve never been to either of the tysons malls, is it worth the trip if i am down there? based on what i have read it looks like macerich has major plans when WMATA’s silver line opens.
[Reply]
mallguy
November 30th, 2007 at 4:56 pm
I must say, Sean, that both the Tysons Malls are worth the trip…the area where it is located is like Paramus with left turns and there are tons of hotels around…many of which offer free shuttle service (the area is less than 3 miles from the West Falls Church Metro Station). Tysons Corner Center is huge (very Garden State Plaza-esque) and they finished an expansion 2 years ago that made it even bigger. Tysons Galleria reminds me somewhat of the Shops @ Riverside, but a little bigger. I’m down in that area a lot and I can tell you the Silver Line is years away, as is “Tysons Future.”
Both are worth a visit when in the DC Metro area (along w/ Pentagon City and White Flint).
[Reply]
SEAN
December 3rd, 2007 at 11:23 am
Thanks mallguy;
i’ll keep that in mind.
My GSP report.
Arived about 11:30 the mall was almost empty, even the food court at lunch time was extremely quiet. that was odd considering the time of year & what reputation Paramus has as a year round shoppers heaven. The lines at best buy were almost non-existent as it made it easy to find what i needed & get out. I wasn’t sure if it was christmas season or just another saturday. A little after 4:00 the shoppers finally showed upon mass, now we’re talking tipical Paramus. Grand Lux Cafe if you could believe it only had a 20 minute wait? I just thaught this is not an average christmas season, everything semes much slower, almost like a cars transmission out of wack & needing a tune up.
[Reply]
Debbi
December 5th, 2007 at 9:48 pm
Sean, it’s early. My experience every year is that the malls don’t start truly getting ridiculous until either Dec. 15 or two Saturdays before Christmas, whichever comes first. After that, I steer clear of any mall until Jan. 2. Me, I have all my shopping done by Dec. 14.
[Reply]
SEAN
December 6th, 2007 at 11:44 am
Debbi; i don’t know what malls you shop in, but from my experience GSP has always been crazy know matter what time of day or year it is. The same could be said for Roosevelt Field. I go to both malls a lot & i can tell you first hand this is not normal compared with holiday seasons in past years. Even my girlfriend who does the driving has been commenting on this very subject, she notest that it was just to easy getting a parking space when you use to serch & serch. That challenge just isn’t there anymore.
The reasoning maybe not easy to figure out, first online sales have been flattening out, second the sales started earlyer this year, third feul costs have jumpt, forth house prices tumbled in many places & are stil falling & fifth we know all about what is happening whith defaults with ajustable rate morggages.
The retailers better watch out thing are not going to get better for a wile. They better not stock up with inventory because they won’t be able to move it.
[Reply]
SEAN
December 6th, 2007 at 4:27 pm
More to the point plain villa shell has an artical on retail sales.
A must read.
[Reply]
mallguy
December 6th, 2007 at 5:40 pm
On my last trip to Freehold, I was noticing something about their renovation and other recent mall renovations…they are all starting to look the same. While I like the new look of Freehold, they’re not the only ones adopting that look. Livingston Mall, Rockaway Townsquare, White Marsh and the Mall @ Columbia have all gone through/are going through their own renovations. Personally, I don’t think that Livingston and Rockaway need an interior renovation, but I don’t make those decisions. These malls are all starting to look the same…Freehold lost its fountain (at least they kept the skylights and the openness of the place), Livingston will lose its, Woodbridge finally filled in the large JCPenney fountain that hasn’t been turned on in years (and they probably will fill in the center court fountain they never use). The developers need to realize that the renovations should preserve some of the mall’s character, otherwise shopping in America will end up becoming a boring experience.
[Reply]
danroman
December 6th, 2007 at 7:19 pm
I agree that most mall renovations look boring. There’s a big mall here in Michigan I went through (Twelve Oaks Mall) that used to have 12 big oak trees inside (hence the name) and some art statues. But after a renovation some of the oak trees were gone and the art statues were no where to be seen.
I hear that fountains and things like that are being removed because the maintence is expensive and some mall owners are too cheap to keep then. But if that’s the case how can they afford multi-million dollar renovations?
And if FRM is going upscale then why would it throw out it’s upscale character?
[Reply]
SEAN
December 6th, 2007 at 9:02 pm
Most people just don’t care about that sort of thing until they realize how bland there mall is. We just pay more atention to such detail.
Stay tuned for my White Plains report.
[Reply]
SEAN
December 10th, 2007 at 1:58 pm
OK Here it is…this spands over the cource of three days, but mostly saturday afternoon.
For the most part crowds are almost non existent, the busyest store was Wal-mart & even that didn’t blow me away. There were people there but not many buyers.
At the Galleria it was sort of the same thing but the food court was very active around 5:00. As for Macy’s & Sears both were extremely quiet. As a side note Sears has been almost empty since they moved from were Wal-mart now stands.
The City Center again was not as busy as it should be being 2 weeks away from christmas, a bright spot was Barns & Noble, although not exactly earth shattering. Target had almost nobody in the store same for filenes basement. By this point i thought to myself that this was really odd but not shocking when you consider what has transpired over the past few months with the general economic picture and all that comes with it.
Moving to the Westchester the most exclusive mall in the northern burbs i thought maybe i would have seen plenty of people with shopping bags but this was not the case, just like before plenty of walkers but few shoppers. at just past 6:00 the food court was almost devoid of activity. Neiman Marcus & Nordstrom were so quiet i could here what was happening several departments away from me.
It was the same thing on the streets as well. Mamaroneck avenue & main street were also quiet. When i got to Cheesecake Factory there was an hour wait, i guess that is what they wanted spend on food & not much else.
[Reply]
mallguy
December 10th, 2007 at 9:14 pm
It was a Freehold Raceway Mall weekend for me all the way and that place was hopping! Saturday night was very, very busy…Cheesecake Factory was mobbed, many in Borders had their Cheesecake Factory buzzers and parking was not easy to come by. On Sunday. it was quiet until about 1 (Christmas Tree Shops (who really don’t sell any Christmas trees, lol) was more busy than the mall at this time) but once 1 came around, the mall was a zoo! When I got out of there, parking was really, really scarce.
And as I said, they are still adding things and fixing up things here and there even though the majority of the construction is done. They are changing the upper level rails on the atrium gates from brass to wood…looks pretty interesting. Work on the fountain, I am to assume will resume after the holidays. More soft seating continues to be added and the mall added more Christmas decorations (hanging lights, lit/decorated garland and wide red ribbons). The mall is looking great (and really, really bright at night)!
Sean, I think as we get closer to Christmas, we’ll see the crowds come in. I was in Short Hills today after work…the place was busy and it looked as if everyone had a bag or two. If in Short Hills and you have an AMEX card, be sure to check out the AMEX Members lounge: free coffee/esspresso drinks, snacks and Internet surfing!
[Reply]
SEAN
December 11th, 2007 at 11:17 am
Mallguy;
I hope you are right, i know it was a snap shot but i do remember in past years when christmas shoppers would be in the malls at all times of the day not a few select hours. The people i did see were walking through, almost nobody had shopping bags with them. If people were spending you should have sene bags from many retailers, i saw almost none.
Macy’s, Sears, Neiman Marcus & Nordstrom had no shoppers to speak of, the first 2 didn’t shock me the latter 2 did. If those who could aford to shop in Neiman’s or Nordstrom are staying away that is not a good sign.
Maybe things are better at FRM but i haven’t been there in 3 years, so i cant make a judgement call. Maybe jersey shoppers are more willing to open there wallets, i just don’t know. But as of right now this i can say for sure figures for most retailers will be much lower than last year at this time. Unless people baught gift cards wich may explain lower sales to some degree, but it would not be enough to save this holiday season.
As a foot note
Prire to going to White plains I stopped into Best Buy & even there sales were somewhat slow as well.
[Reply]
SEAN
December 13th, 2007 at 5:18 pm
In the last 2 days both the A P & CNN Money had stories reguarding how slow holiday sales have been. Unless sales pick up in the next 14 days reports indecate sales would only rise 1.4% year over year. In the CNN story it stated that malls are such that you cant park directly in front of the store you want to shop in, that is why mall traffic is down.
Is this what it has come down to? pure lazyness come on, GET OFF YOUR ASS AND WALK it’s good for your health.
[Reply]
Jonah Norason
December 13th, 2007 at 6:18 pm
The media has largely given up on malls, and its a myth that you can park right in front of a store. During the holiday rush, do you really expect to get a perfect spot at Big Box Plaza?
It’s slow because of the toxic toys coming out China.
[Reply]
danroman
December 13th, 2007 at 9:12 pm
The media as a whole is lying about the reason behind slow sales. It’s not that people are lazy to walk a mall, it’s because the cost of living has risen and wages have’nt gone up in years. Add in the toxic China stuff and high gas prices and that’s why sales are slow everywhere (even at Big Box stores).
[Reply]
SEAN
December 14th, 2007 at 11:31 am
I totally agree with you that people don’t have the money to spend because the sub prime mess & all it intales hasn’t compleettely come to light yet. The side effects still aren’t known.
If you want to educate yourself on this subject google “LIFE AFTER THE OIL CRASH” when you do you will find two identicle links, it will be the 2nd one down. Or you can access it at http://www.kuntsler.com “other websites i like”
[Reply]
SEAN
December 14th, 2007 at 11:40 am
I’m sorry the web site is http://www.kunstler.com everything else in my last post is correct.
[Reply]
SEAN
December 14th, 2007 at 11:40 am
I’m sorry the web site is http://www.kunstler.com everything else in my last post is correct.
[Reply]
AceJay
December 14th, 2007 at 5:17 pm
Damn it.
I just went there today and wasted $15 on gas and $10 on food for nothing.
Here are pictures, close to the same ones I took. Yay.
http://www.freeholdracewaymall.com/redevelopment/freeholdracewaymall/visuals.asp
Mine:
http://s10.photobucket.com/albums/a124/AceJay/Malls/
I have to say, it looks REALLY nice. This is how all malls should be. *Braces for flames*
Anyway, the interior is nice, though they covered the Fountain with basically a box.
Also there’s some grass space between P.F. Chang’s and the mall that could be used for more retail. Great spot.
Basically, nothing else changed. It looks awesome though. Very crowded today.
Nice expansion, hopefully QBM looks as nice as this when it’s done.
[Reply]
SEAN
December 17th, 2007 at 10:31 am
A quick update, went back to White Plains for another walk through. Stores were a bit busier than last week but not as many as one would expect with about 2 weeks to go before christmas.
You maybe right mallguy people may have waited to the last minute, but it won’t be enough to put most retailers in the black.
[Reply]
SEAN
December 17th, 2007 at 10:31 am
A quick update, went back to White Plains for another walk through. Stores were a bit busier than last week but not as many as one would expect with about 2 weeks to go before christmas.
You maybe right mallguy people may have waited to the last minute, but it won’t be enough to put most retailers in the black.
[Reply]
SEAN
December 19th, 2007 at 10:12 am
I was listening to Mike & Mike in the morning today & they had a segment called “Mike Golic’s news of the weired”. It was about a 33 year old woman at Danbury Fair Mall Who was arested for “sitting on santa’s lap.”
Why? I’ll let you figure that one out your self.
[Reply]
NJmallfan21
December 21st, 2007 at 5:15 pm
Was at FRM today 12/21 the mall was busy. the renavations look really good, havent been to the outdoor stores yet. anyway mall looks good and everybody should go and check it out.
also we need reatil history on other jersey malls like woodbridge,menlo park and garden state plaza. whoever runs this site or know info on malls should make new pages on thoese malls.
[Reply]
mallguy
December 23rd, 2007 at 2:51 am
I was over there tonight (FRM has been open until Midnight most nights this week) and it was very, very busy. When I left at 11ish, the mall still seemed crowded and it looked as if there was a wait for tables at the Cheesecake Factory.
I second the request for features on other NJ malls.
[Reply]
AceJay
December 23rd, 2007 at 12:47 pm
I’m attempting to put a feature together on the retail of Mercer County (Route 1 area)
[Reply]
SEAN
December 23rd, 2007 at 4:22 pm
Mallguy, i’m with you. Please come to westchester. You could do a great feachure on White Plains. Mallguy & Debbi, i hope you both have a happy holiday & a great new year. I’ll see you in 2008!
[Reply]
Zach
January 5th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
Drove 50 miles to make my first visit to FRM. It was worth it. The place is huge and the lifestyle addition looked great.(How crowded does that Cheesecake factory get around dinnertime?) I didn’t think there was a mall entrance to the borders but there was (me being a bookworm). Very impressed with the mall, can’t wait to make another trip there one day!
[Reply]
Zach
January 7th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
Judging by the posts above that Cheesecake factory does get really crowded just like the one in Cherry Hill. By the way, I heard that they were sup post to put a parking deck near Nordstrom’s and Macy’s but I didn’t see any construction. Did they abandon the idea?
[Reply]
SEAN
January 7th, 2008 at 9:07 pm
Zack,
Last saturday cheesecake factory in White Plains had a 90 minute wait @ 8:00pm! Who says people are eating out less, i couldn’t find them.
[Reply]
mallguy
January 7th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
The Menlo Park Mall STILL gets 90 minute waits (last Saturday evening for example around 7) and it’s been open since 2003! Getting a Cheesecake Factory is a boon to any mall and Freehold Raceway Mall is now reaping the benefits.
[Reply]
SEAN
January 8th, 2008 at 11:17 am
Mallguy,
is there a cheesecake factory location that doesn’t make money? Only Grand Lux in Paramus has next to no waiting time.
Happy new year mallguy!
[Reply]
danroman
January 8th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
I wish we had a Cheesecake Factory here in Michigan so I can see what the big deal is about this place. From their menu, it looks like they sell fall kinds of food but I did’nt see anything that was “special”.
[Reply]
Rich
January 8th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
They serve big portions and cheesecake is very sweet. Not much to miss.
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ghome
January 8th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
You know danroman the Original owners/ founders of the Cheesecake Factory started there Cheesecake buiness in a small shop in Detroit.
http://www.thecheesecakefactory.com/aboutus.htm
[Reply]
mallguy
January 8th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
lol, Sean…I was pretty surpised they opened up in Cherry Hill where they did (not in the mall)…but then again, I haven’t seen the new shopping area built on the former Garden State Park. The first one I visited was in White Flint Mall (MD outside of DC) and I’ve been hooked since. I have a feeling that the FRM Cheesecake Factory (along with the new lifestyle exanison will be more consistently busy during the summer months.
danroman: Some of my menu picks @ TCF: Chicken Caesar Salad, Louisiana Chicken Pasta, Chicken Costolletta, Chicken Maideria, Linda’s Fudge Cake, Factory Mud Pie, Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake.
[Reply]
SEAN
January 9th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
AS for me i love the herb crusted salmon salad, tri it you eat all of it & still get cheesecake. Infact i would like that salmon salad right now! AHHHHH! so good.
[Reply]
Jonah Norason
January 9th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Hey, who deleted my comment? It was just getting back on the subject of the mall, not some restaurant…
[Reply]
mallguy
January 10th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Jonah:
“That restaurant” is quite relevant in the discussion of the mall and also the evolution of the mall. As the traditional anchor store is being either phased out or absorbed by Federated/Macy’s, REITs need to look for someone to keep malls relevant. The restaurant will get new people to come to the mall (they will walk around with their little beepers/viabrator thingies) as they wait for a table…mayble they’ll even buy something along the way. The restaurant will also extend the hours of the mall and this is definitely the case with places like Dave and Busters (an adult ChuckECheese’s) and Champp’s (with the karaoke). Additionally, people will travel longer than average distances to go to that restaurant and this is the case with Maggiano’s and Grand Lux Cafe. The Cheesecake Factory has been one of the major contributors to this theory…they saved White Flint and Shops at Riverside and along with the new lifestyle center, they breathe new life into Freehold Raceway Mall.
The mall is not just a place to shop anymore, but also a center of entertainment.
[Reply]
Jonah Norason
January 10th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
While the restaurants do bring in big people groups and business, and department stores are past their prime, I think the picture painted by the anchor stores dying is a bit bleak and unrealistic.
[Reply]
SEAN
January 10th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
An artical in Shopping centers today demenstrates how restaurants have become the tenent of choice, CF in poticular. Cheesecake was the focus but other chains could also aply. As the department store declines the restaurant & mega plex theatre assume the role of major tenent.
Look at Palisades Center, most of the new store oppenings last year were restaurants
[Reply]
Rich
January 10th, 2008 at 11:38 pm
Doubtful that restaurants will save the mall. White Flint limps along at best and CF has not saved the Shops at Chevy Chase. In both cases, the restaurants are easy to visit without really spending time in the mall. Sit-down restaurants were a fixture in early shopping plazas and malls. Usually they were delis or places that were step up from a diner (roughly the same class as CF, et al). Department stores had coffee shops (Sears & Penney) or tea room/family type places like the downtown stores. These all pretty much disappeared, even before food courts. If sit down dining and shopping didn’t work when more women were working and shopping was more of leisure time activity, then they won’t save malls now.
[Reply]
SEAN
January 11th, 2008 at 10:44 am
Rich,
Times have changed, restaurants have become more importent to a malls bottom line. I said this before that metro DC is over malled & as a result of that fact many centers as you say “limp along.”
Go to http://www.icsc.org find shopping centers today, enter cheesecake factory in the serch box.
1st choice down. It is a few years old but still very interesting.
[Reply]
danroman
January 11th, 2008 at 11:38 am
ghome: I’m aware that the Cheesecake Factory was started in Detroit and that’s why I found it weird that they don’t have a location here in Michigan. There’s like 4 malls here in Michigan that I think would be perfect for a CF location. And though the menu does’nt look that special, I’m willing to try something new if they ever opened here lol
[Reply]
Jonah Norason
January 11th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
Rich, you’re right. Although restaurants do help a mall significantly, it won’t quite bring in mall traffic. Restaurants just help bolster the mall’s sales per foot (like kiosks). After all, many people shop and eat fancy meals at malls…but not necessarily at the same time. Eating and shopping is clearly the game of the food court and any food kiosks (gourmet coffee, soft pretzels, and smoothies…you know the type).
For the record, Palisades Center does not have as many “new restaurants” on the now open list. The only new food establishments include Buffalo Wild Wings and Jamba Juice. And if every mall gets a Cheesecake Factory, what’s the point if every mall has the same thing? Like…Macy’s, perhaps?
[Reply]
danroman
January 11th, 2008 at 9:32 pm
From that link (and article about CF) that was posted by SEAN
For now, however, developers are drooling over Cheesecake Factory, though not all will get a taste. This is just not an easy tenant to snag. Cochran wooed the chain for a decade before he got a unit at Chandler Fashion Center, for example.
“They’re sought after, so they have a lot of opportunities on their plate,” said Daniels, of Plaza Associates.
Cheesecake Factory restaurants range from 5,400 to 17,300 square feet. The chain seeks sites with 250,000 residents within five miles and average annual household income of $50,000 to $75,000, Gordon says. It likes shopping centers — 80 percent of the restaurants are in a center of one type or another. “We’re very site-driven [though],” Gordon said. “ [We have] very controlled growth. We don’t go, well … Mission Viejo — we have to be there.”
I’m guessing that CF is’nt likely to expand to be in every single mall, just malls with the right demographics and space.
[Reply]
SEAN
January 14th, 2008 at 10:41 am
Thanks Danroman.
[Reply]
shaney_oyeah
January 14th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
^^
that was the 200th comment yay
[Reply]
Debbi
January 18th, 2008 at 5:07 am
Wow, 200 comments! I could use a martini and a slice of cheesecake at TCF right now…who’s with me?
To change the subject…I was on my way to do another marketing project at the mall recently, and had been informed that CVS had closed at the beginning of this month. I won’t be able to make it to this mall for a couple more weeks; can anyone confirm or deny in the meantime? And if it is true, why would CVS split? Unless their sales were on the low side, but I always saw people in there.
[Reply]
AceJay
January 18th, 2008 at 9:32 am
Really? When I was there they were booming.
Maybe the mall just didn’t want that kind of a store.
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Caldor
January 18th, 2008 at 10:07 am
CVS is actually leaving malls in favor of larger, free-standing stores all over the country. They want more convenient locations and don’t want to be tied into large shopping centers. I doubt that the closing of this store has much to do with its performance; it’s probably that they wanted instead to focus on another location nearby.
I do think this is too bad because I always liked that CVS offered a place to buy practical items (toiletries, a soda or snack, etc.) while at the mall. Unless there’s a Target or something in the mall then there’s often no other place to get these things.
[Reply]
Debbi
January 19th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
What’s more convenient than a mall, though? If I had to do an errand on the same day I wanted to hit the mall, I would just naturally pop into CVS there. With gas prices still hovering around $3 a gallon, I’m sure many others thought the same.
The closest Target is, ironically, where Manalapan Mall used to stand, about five miles away.
I don’t know what location CVS would want to focus on. There is one about a mile or so down on Route 537 in a strip mall, but I heard rumors that one also closed up shop. The other two I can think of offhand are in downtown Freehold and on Route 79 (separated by 3-4 miles if my math is correct). If the one on 537 is also history (again, I haven’t been in that area lately, so I can’t confirm), I don’t know what CVS could be thinking.
[Reply]
SEAN
January 19th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
Were i live there are 5 cvs’s with in 15 minutes & 3 locations were i work. Enough already, it’s worse than radio shack & starbucks.
[Reply]
mallguy
January 20th, 2008 at 11:41 am
Caldor makes a few good points and in addition, CVS wants freestanding stores so they can also locate a pharmacy there. I have never seen a pharmacy in a mall store and for that reason, they are looking away from those types of stores. CVS has also closed their mall stores in Brunswick Square, Menlo Park and Monmouth Mall. Debbi, the CVS on 537 is still open, as is the one in Freehold Center.
[Reply]
SEAN
January 20th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
If there is a Target in a mall you don’t need CVS, like Palisades Center.
GO GIANTS!
[Reply]
mallguy
January 20th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
Something else CVS can’t do in a mall, as they do in freestanding stores (so does Drug Fair, Rite-Aid and the others) is a drive-thru pharmacy. Has been quite the trend in the past 8 years in NJ.
Let’s hope that the former CVS will end up being something good.
To second Sean: GO GIANTS!!!
[Reply]
Jason
January 20th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
A mall-based pharmacy is not quite the impossibility some think it is. I have seen mall based Eckerd and Walgreen locations before that were full line stores including pharmacies. I believe that CVS saw the Freehold location as simply not practical when there already was an over saturation of CVS’s in the area including a brand new, huge store on Route 33.
On the otherhand, I can’t really think of what regular (non-temporary/urban wear) store they could easily transition the former CVS into. Seems to be pretty oddly shaped to me.
[Reply]
Jonah Norason
January 20th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
I believe Latham Circle Mall’s CVS (now closed) was a pharmacy as well.
Maybe the former CVS could transform into some sort of entertainment option (mini-golf? bowling?)
[Reply]
Debbi
January 21st, 2008 at 2:37 am
Jason: If I remember where the Route 33 location was correctly, I don’t think it’s really that close. It takes a little under ten minutes to drive from the mall to my day job; I think the CVS is about 10 minutes beyond that. You’re probably right with the oversaturation, though, especially since Mallguy said the Route 537 store (a little over 5 minutes away) is still open.
Mallguy: Thank you for giving me peace of mind about the Route 537 store; it’s the one I hit whenever I go to the Post Office. The one in downtown Freehold has a pharmacy, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see it also bite the dust sooner rather than later. Hell, both Dunkin Donuts and Windmill failed there–I’ve never seen Dunkin Donuts fail *anywhere*. (though that may be due to the much superior independent cafe across the street). Back on topic (somewhat), the CVS at Monmouth Mall has been gone since at least the summer.
Jonah: That would be nice, but since FRM is a skewing-upscale mall, I doubt it, especially since they were located in the high-traffic main corridor on the lower level. Besides, FRM already has an arcade tucked away in the corner next to Macy’s.
Glad the Giants won.
[Reply]
AceJay
January 21st, 2008 at 10:13 am
Fuck yeah Giants!
Also, yeah, the arcade at FRM is quite crappy. The only thing they’ve got going is the glass storefront, which entices people watching me play DDR, haha.
They used to have some good games too =/
I was going to say H&M, but 7Ksf is too small for that. I thought it was a lot bigger…
[Reply]
SEAN
January 21st, 2008 at 3:25 pm
I don’t know of any CVS stores with drive through windows in my area. Although i think the Rite Aid in King of Prussia plaza is a full service location because that location is huge!
BRING ON TOM BRADY, WE ARE READY FOR YOU!
[Reply]
mallguy
January 21st, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Another mall CVS bites the dust: Bridgewater Commons…and it’s been there since the mall opened in 1989!
Speaking of entertainment anchors and I don’t see it in Freehold anytime soon, but one that I would hope would expand into NJ is Dave and Busters. There’s one in Palisades and one in Philly and hopefully someday soon, they’ll come to Central Jersey/Jersey Shore.
[Reply]
AceJay
January 21st, 2008 at 5:58 pm
mallguy: QBM would be awesome.
[Reply]
SEAN
January 21st, 2008 at 8:48 pm
Maybe Woodbridge, Menlo Park in the back of the food court or Willowbrook could also work.
HERE COME “THE NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS”!
[Reply]
Mike
January 21st, 2008 at 11:15 pm
I was at Freehold Raceway mall today and I asked about the Disney store. The lady at the customer service desk told me that it was closed for remodeling and was going to reopen in June where CVS used to be. I think that is a smaller store then they currently had in that mall.
[Reply]
Debbi
January 22nd, 2008 at 5:58 pm
Mike: The Disney Store is closed too? ::eyebrow raise:: If it is going to open in the former CVS space, yes, it would definitely be a smaller store. I wonder why they would relocate down instead of up? Are their stores in that much trouble?
Mallguy: I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for D&B to locate in Freehold. We’re talking a town that goes ballistic at the very mention of the word “nightlife”. I could tell you a funny story about when my dad briefly mulled the idea of opening a teen nightclub in the area–he said the woman he spoke to on the phone was practically shaking, LOL.
AceJay: I didn’t say it was a *good* arcade
[Reply]
Debbi
January 22nd, 2008 at 5:59 pm
An addendum to my comment to Mallguy: I think if there is a D&B on the Jersey Shore, Eatontown would be a more likely choice.
[Reply]
mallguy
January 22nd, 2008 at 8:30 pm
Many of the Disney Store locations have been siding toward a smaller, more streamlined design that looks less “Disney.” This is the case in Woodbridge Center, Rockaway Townsquare and Menlo Park….Bridgewater Commons and Willowbrook have the larger Disney-ized version while I think Monmouth’s Disney Store is still the same as it opened in 1991/92.
I agree, Debbi, that Eatontown would be a better choice. Under the Monmouth Mall post, I posted my thoughts on remerchandising the single level Loews/Food Court wing as an entertainment/lifestyle wing anchored by not only the movie theatre but a Dave and Busters and Barnes and Noble. It would be a great location actually! I don’t see Dave and Busters working in Freehold, and Sean, there’s really not much room for it in Menlo. Who knows…with Fort Monmouth closing and Eatontown looking for an increased tax base, Monmouth Mall may want to expand.
[Reply]
AceJay
January 23rd, 2008 at 2:03 am
Okay, this took quite some time.
I made this in MSPaint, it’s what I believe the new QuakerBridge Mall SHOULD be.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a124/AceJay/Malls/QuakerBridgeMallV2.png
As you can see, Neiman Marcus is moved to the other end, with The Cheesecake Factory sitting between NM and Nordstrom with a Valet in front, Parking Garage, maybe.
The biggest new feature is the addition of the D&B here, hopefully it’s well-placed.
Also, the added space on the south side would be something like what Freehold Raceway Mall did, with a huge Lord and Taylor sign at the opening of the patio area. I don’t think you’ll like the whopping 4 entrances to L&T, but it seems wrong not to. the shops at the south end would be the same lineup as what FRM has, only without the CF.
With the new JC Penney wing cutting directly through Old Navy, they might move to the right of the Food Court.
…
Oh hey, a Food Court! This location would be the best in this plan. The parking garage outside would leave enough parking for this.
Also a really weird secondary version if you hate the Lord & Taylor having 4 entrances:
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a124/AceJay/Malls/QuakerBridgeMallV22.png
But it’s weird.
Any comments? Rival mock-ups?
[Reply]
SEAN
January 23rd, 2008 at 5:56 pm
Nice work; either one works for me.
Mallguy is right about Dave & Busters @ Monmouth Mall.
[Reply]
mallguy
January 27th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
I was at the mall today and noticed that they finally took the wooden box off the new fountain. It looks like it’s almost done, but not yet running. It will be the same earth tones colors as the rest of the mall and will also have underwater lights.
Other things I noticed: they finished the wooden rails that replaced the brass and the three stores in the lifestyle center closest to JCPenney and the center court entrance are still unoccupied and have not been announced.
By the way, AceJay, I like your Quaker Bridge Mall design.
[Reply]
AceJay
January 27th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
Which one?
I love the first one, I just made the second as an alternative to Lord & Taylor having 4 entrances, since some people might not like it.
But I myself love it. I think it’d be perfect, since there are only a handful of stores that don’t have locations in the area.
Either way, I wonder if I should pitch the idea to the redeveloper or Simon.
[Reply]
SEAN
January 28th, 2008 at 10:50 am
Pitch them both, you never can tell wich will go over well.
IT’S GIANTS VS THE BRADY BUNCH!
[Reply]
mallguy
January 28th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
AceJay:
I liked the first one better. I’m not surprised you didn’t attempt a GS Plaza like design…the new wing at GSP surrounds JCPenney…the new wing should also surround Lord and Taylor…there’s enough room for it and Lord and Taylor doesn’t need to be relocated. Is that center court mall entrance wing on both levels?
Wouldn’t hurt to pitch as I don’t think they’ve gotten started on anything yet. According to the Wikipedia entry, the JCPenney there is supposed to close very soon (after Holidays 2007 according to the site).
[Reply]
AceJay
January 29th, 2008 at 12:34 am
Original:
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a124/AceJay/Malls/QuakerBridgeMall.png
I called Penney’s December 28th, the manager (or one of them) said they have no plans of closing “anytime soon.”
So hopefully I’ve got enough time
Anyway, I realized I should do an interior layout too.
Notable things:
-Lifestyle component has outward-facing storefronts on the Lower level, as indicated by arrows.
-Food Court moved to Upper Level, only removes Express and a smaller store.
-Borders MAY feel like getting rid of their Nassau Park store, and the Express in the mall to build a bigger store in the New Lifestyle Component.
-All Eateries move to Food Court, thus freeing up space for demolished retail, though they can of course move to new wing if they like.
-Upper Level of Lifestyle area is inward-facing storefronts.
-Old Navy moves to a 2-floor location to gain a new storefront, next to DnB.
-All Red Arrows indicate Dual-level Entrances/Exits.
-All L&T courts should contain some type of tall foliage.
-Parking garages should be no more than 2 floors tall. Underground is preferred to maintain a clean upper lot and visibility. The Sears/Penneys garage can be full overground if desired.
Oh, and this is not perfectly drawn to scale. Obviously it will look nicer if done professionally.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a124/AceJay/Malls/QuakerBridgeMallRedesign.png
Comments please.
Also, WHO would I go about submitting this to? =/
[Reply]
Jason
January 29th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
I believe it was said in an Trenton Times article around September that the JCPenney will only close once the replacement store is finished being built, I would have to look for it though. I’ll have to change the wikipedia entry once I find it.
[Reply]
SEAN
January 29th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
I think you have 2 options,
1. Eatontown town planning board or
2. vornado in Paramus 201-368-3159.
I think that will put you on the right track.
[Reply]
AceJay
January 29th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
Jason, let me know if you can find that Article.
lol Sean, this is QBM I’m talking about, not Freehold.
I guess I should call Simon or something.
Lawrence Township Officials already are enthusiastic about the existing plan, and actually I live next door to the mayor, so I’ll just let him know casually, haha.
[Reply]
SEAN
January 30th, 2008 at 10:43 am
Sorry about that, as long as you got the big picture it’s OK with me.
It’s been a few years since i’ve been to QBM, time for some updating. Those cheep lights were just ugly, what happend to just plain sunlight? The Hamilton Mall in Maze Landing looks remarkably like QBM to me. Or it did, since the last time i went their was a few years a go.
[Reply]
AceJay
January 30th, 2008 at 11:01 am
Hamilton’s got a great Food Court @_@
But nah, I’d compare Hamilton to Oxford Valley. QBM is too…80’s to compare to those two.
Albiet less, after they removed the fountain(s?).
[Reply]
Howard
January 30th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Hamilton, QB and Oxford were all developed by Kravco. Along with Montgomery Mall, Lehigh Valley, The Court and The Plaza at King of Prussia, and others. Simon has since bought 50% ownership, and new ownership name is Kravco Simon..
[Reply]
Jonah Norason
January 30th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
It’s weird isn’t it. FRM is almost like the anti-dead mall. Most dead malls started WILDLY SUCCESSFUL and died a slow, horrible death as competition came, crime sucked the life out of it, abandoned anchors left monstrous dead boxes behind, and finally closing.
FRM started as a FAILURE, and now it is one of the most successful malls in NJ!
[Reply]
AceJay
January 31st, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Crap!
http://kravcosimon.com/contactus/job_detail.asp?job_posting_id=52&
They posted that 4 years too early!
I’ve found my calling /dies
[Reply]
shaney_oyeah
January 31st, 2008 at 5:29 pm
At first when I saw the plan with the L&T having 4 entrances but when i saw the alternative, i am beginning to like the forst one more and more.
And Sean & Acejay are both wrong (no offense lol), sean got QBM mixed up with the MONMOUTH MALL, not FRM, lol.
[Reply]
SEAN
January 31st, 2008 at 6:09 pm
Do you blame me? After a wile it all blends together.
[Reply]
shaney_oyeah
February 1st, 2008 at 5:03 pm
hah, its okay
[Reply]
mallguy
February 2nd, 2008 at 9:25 pm
Good observations, Jonah.
Speaking of observations, I was there today and they are coming along a little further with the fountain. It looks like there is going to be some spherical structure incorporated into the fountain in similar, but smaller fashion to the globe fountain at the Mall at Short Hills…looks very interesting. To any CT readers, is the fountain at Danbury Fair Mall done yet? Some additional observations about the mall…they seem to be adding more soft seating areas, as well as changing the seats around. Also, it will be interesting to see the new stores that will come to the mall as Bombay, Disney (which I know will be relocated to the former CVS) have all closed up shop.
On another NJ note, Work Out World (local NJ gym/health club) is opening a location at Menlo Park Mall. This is the 3rd mall I know of (Palisades Center and Dulles Town Center near Leesburg and Chantilly VA) that will have a health club…Menlo has later hours than most malls because of the movie theatre, Barnes and Noble as well as the restaurants…this will be another thing to keep the crowds there past 9:30.
[Reply]
SEAN
February 4th, 2008 at 10:58 am
A new fitness club opened @ Roosevelt Field next to Bloomingdales Home store, upper level.
This is a new trend adding non treditional tennents to malls. Who knows, maybe you will start to see supermarkets come to a mall near you, like in Canada & Europe.
THE GIANTS! WIN SUPER BOWL! 42!!!!!!!!!!!
[Reply]
AceJay
February 4th, 2008 at 11:47 am
Well, Vorhees Town Center is going to have a Stop and Stop, and Bergen Town Center is getting a Whole Foods.
AND FUCK YEAH GIANTS!!
[Reply]
Michael Lisicky
February 4th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Stop & Shop has pulled all of their stores in Southern New Jersey so it is unlikely Voorhees will be opening as such. Most of the Stop & Shop (former Super G) stores were switched over to a Shop-Rite franchise about a year ago.
[Reply]
AceJay
February 4th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Oh. Interesting. I’d reccommend a Wegmans but there’re already 2 in the area.
[Reply]
AceJay
February 5th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
Shoot, I just remembered that Marketfair already has all the tenants I was planning on having in the Lifestyle part…
But it looks like Montgomery Promenade will too =/
What now?
[Reply]
Alex
February 10th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Long Time lurker here…
Just wanted to join in on the fun!
sorry to get sidetracked, but does anyone know anything about the Woodbridge Center Mall redevelopment? I know that they plan on adding outparcel restaurants, but what are they doing after they demolish the Fortunoff Department store?
[Reply]
SEAN
February 11th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
Say what? Their doing what to Woodbridge Center?
[Reply]
AceJay
February 11th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Nice, it looks like GGP is headed in the right direction.
I can’t find anything, but if it’s anything like Natick, that would be great.
[Reply]
mallguy
February 11th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
As of now, Fortunoff will remain open . Lord and Taylor will be adding a gift section to most of their stores selling Fortunoff merchandise. I haven’t heard anything about the Woodbridge Center renovation, but something does need to be done. Have a feeling they won’t go upscale, as Menlo Park is doing that and is 3 miles down Route 1 from Woodbridge. We’ll see what happens there.
[Reply]
SEAN
February 12th, 2008 at 10:58 am
When you go to Woodbridge Center you almost expect Monty Hall to show up in a plad jacket & hager double nit slacks & offer you what is in the box on Jay Stewart’s tray. LOL
This is still the only NY area mall i know of that gives you the true 70’s flashback. Lights, floors, handrails, benchs, you name it they got it.
[Reply]
alex
February 12th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
haha i guess your right^…
Somewhere on this site I was almost sure that I saw something about redevelopment there….I know that theyre at least adding a Bahama Breeze.
Anywho, Freehold is a great mall, and hopefully they’ll fill the spaces still occupied in the Lifestyle Center.
Do you guys ever think that Freehold will attract luxury retailers, like Burberry, Louis Vuitton ect.?
[Reply]
SEAN
February 12th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
I wouldn’t disagree with you Alex. It’s a good 45 minutes & 42 miles to Short Hills from Freehold. Bridgewater commons is 40 minutes & 36 miles. Menlo Park is closer, but is stil a good 35 minutes away.
[Reply]
alex
February 12th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
Hmm true, And I know that there is a signifigant luxury market to be tapped out there, as Freehold is very close to very wealthy areas…my only question about Freehold going super-lux is that Red Bank, (for those who dont know, is near middletown) is starting to see lots of boutiques, such as Tiffany and Co. that opened up there in like november or december or something….so maybe the retailers see that as being the Central NJ shore’s Upscale shopping destination.
[Reply]
SEAN
February 12th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Not everyone may know this, not to many years ago Red Bank was on the down slide. The village created a “BID” or business improvement district. They raised funds by self taxation &used those funds to rehab buildings & streets. What resolted is the downtown we see today, new shops, restaurants & dare i say it-nightlife.
I read about the bid because i work for one.
http://www.wpbid.com
Come take a look around maybe you’ll stay awile.
[Reply]
mallguy
February 12th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
Very true, Sean…the story behind Red Bank is remarkable. Red Bank has great potential to be the Hoboken of the Jersey Shore. Every June, they have Riverfest/Jazzfest in Marine Park which is always tons of fun…the neighborhood along Shrewsbury Avenue south of the train station is, unfortunately, not as rehabbed…other communities in the area such as Long Branch are attempting to follow in Red Bank’s footsteps. Just south of Red Bank along route 35 is the Grove at Shrewsbury which is the 1st lifestyle center in NJ (I think even in the US) that today has many upscale stores both nationally known (Brooks Brothers, JCrew, Williams-Sonoma, etc) and locally known (JMcLauglin, Stacy Gemma). Brook 35 Plaza in Sea Girt is like a “little brother” to The Grove and has many of the same stores. Monmouth Mall, as I have explained in the MM thread, has great potential to attract upscale stores and with its upcoming expansion, maybe it will start.
Freehold Raceway Mall is poised to attract very upscale stores as it already has many new to market stores and restaurants that have just opened. This will only grow as Quakerbridge Mall will be in direct competition when they complete their expansion (if they ever get started).
On Woodbridge Center, Sean, the decor you see today is as a result of the 1987 renovation. Prior, there were about three additional fountains, a closed in staircase where the carousel stood before it was moved to the old JCPenney fountain and concrete columns. While there is some orginality left in the design, Woodbridge Center is tired and an updating is very much needed.
[Reply]
SEAN
February 13th, 2008 at 11:49 am
Wow mallguy, I had no idea that Woodbridge called that a renovation. What did it look like before?
As far as Red Bank goes, if the bid extends south of the train station, just give it time they’ll get to those areas you spoke of. With the econemy the way it is right now it may take longer to complete those projects.
But i don’t know if the bid extends over their.
[Reply]
Alex
February 13th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
Sorry to get side tracked again…but I dont really know where else to put this…
I was reading Wikipedia (which is not always a credible source) about the Newport Center Mall in Jersey City. There was a segment about the 2008-2009 renovation or something like that. It said that alot of stores will be moved, and alot of new stores will be moving in like Hollister Co. and Abercrombie and Fitch, along with a “super” Victoria’s Secret and some other stuff.. does anyone know if this is credible and going to happen? I think that these stores would fit well into the mall, considering there is a HUGE population that is very yong and has ALOT of money. The whole mall should have a renovation in my opinion..
As for Freehold, all they need now is a Gilly Hicks and all of the Abercrombie spinoffs will be in the mall!
[Reply]
Jonah Norason
February 13th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
What’s in FRM’s lifestyle section?
[Reply]
mallguy
February 13th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
Jonah: So far, these stores are in the lifestyle section of FRM: Borders (2 levels), Cheesecake Factory, PF Changs, Ann Taylor, Chicos, White House/Black Market, Territory Ahead, Jared’s and Coldwater Creek…there are still 4 vacant spaces and they plan to build next to PF Changs.
Sean: The rebuild of downtown Red Bank took place along 1994-95. In Red Bank now, they are rebuilding much of the area where West Front Street and Route 35 cross. I don’t think the BID goes south of the train station, but I could be wrong. It’s probably the least safe part of town and it’s very unfortunate.
In terms of Woodbridge Center prior to the 1987 renovation, picture The Mall in Columbia (MD) prior to their renovation. Other things to note about the before/after: the globe lighting/bubble lighting in the mall were flourscent light prior to the renovation, the tan tiles all over the mall were brown bricks, the whole area between the former carousel location/enclosed staircase was a lowered seating area and the turquoise colors you see on the rails was gray. Wish there were pics of it.
[Reply]
SEAN
February 13th, 2008 at 9:07 pm
Thanks for the info mallguy, Woodbridge must have been one ugly mall at that time with that color pallet.
Alex have you ever walked around the Pavonia Newport area? I have-nnumerus times. It’s fasonating, the views, buildings & the surpprises around each corner. Newport Center mall doesn’t nessessarily reflect the welth in that area of Jersey City or that general area along “The Gold Coast.” Condos in that area can reach over $1,000,000 from Fort Lee to Bayone, but the mall is more middle of the road. That will change slowly over time.
Here is one of my favorite real estate sites http://www.newjerseygoldcoast.com you will find listings for condos all over the area, plus profiles of buildings & various towns & cities.
I figured i might as well give it all to you Alex; even if i go somewhat overboard. Take a walk around you’ll find more to explore than you expect.
Hope i helped!
[Reply]
Alex
February 13th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Sean, thank you for your analysis, and yes, I absolutely adore that area. It is just simply stunning. The views, the buildings, and the INCREDIBLE pace of construction around there. There are just luxury condos popping everywhere. Its simply beautiful… I suggest that everyone take a trip up there =). Anyway, Sean your right about Newport Centre mall not really representing the feel of the area, it is definatley not as upscale as it should be…although they just did add a coach store there ….but cross your fingers for a redevelopment haha
[Reply]
mallguy
February 13th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
Sean/Alex:
Newport Centre completed a renovation within the year (its 1st) to make it a little more aesthetically pleasing. The new Macy’s is also very nice. I agree that they are not directly catering to the Pavonia/Newport area and do believe that it will change. Newport Centre also attracts many from New York City since PATH stops right at the mall and also that the sales tax rate is 3.5% due to its location in a UEZ (Urban Enterprise Zone)
[Reply]
SEAN
February 14th, 2008 at 11:12 am
On a nice day i could spend the whole day their, walking around the Newport erea. Forget about the mall, i’m checking out all of the development up & down the HBLR line. Pick up a sandwich & drink, and away i go.
Hence my Fort Lee post awile back.
Back to Newport for a minute, how does a mall like that have both a Coach store & Pay Half? I think we danced around this , but i wonder if anyone else finds that odd from a retailing standpoint based on what was said earlier. Also notice their are no sitdown restaurants at Newport other than the food court.
[Reply]
mallguy
February 14th, 2008 at 11:58 am
I do find that a little odd myself, but apparently, that PayHalf will be closing in favor of a larger Victoria’s Secret. Apprarently, Newport Centre is following Menlo Park’s policy of adding larger locations (semi-flagship) of their current stores…they’ll be doing a lot of shuffling over there. Isn’t the brick oven pizzeria still open at the mall?
Bridgewater Commons also comes to mind in terms of malls lacking sit down restaurants…they only have McCormick’s and Schmick’s and at the Village, which is the new lifestyle center that is about a 10 minute walk from the mall, there is Maggiano’s. At least the FRM expansion added some good ones.
[Reply]
SEAN
February 14th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
The pizza place closed, i don’t recall what it became. Some time ago i visited i went down stairs to pick up a slice & it wasn’t there. What a shame, they had good pizza.
With all of the residents, shoppers & office workers you would think there would be better restaurant choices than just the food court. There are restaurants closer to the health club & apartment buildings but most shoppers won’t walk that far to have a sitdown meal. What a pitty, the views are nothing short of breathtaking. And the walk isn’t even 5 minutes away.
[Reply]
Alex
February 14th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
Yeah, true about the restaurants.. I think that a PF changs and probably a Cheesecake Factory would do fantastically in Newport.
The area around the mall is very upscale, not just Jersey City, but Hoboken too, which is like a 2 minute drive without traffic. So I think with the correct retailers, this mall could be VERY upscale… All they need is to get rid of Kohls and replace it with a Nordstrom or something, add some restaurants, and a copule more high end shops (ie Armani Exchange, Apple, and some designer places), maybe some mid-level retailers like Abercrombie and Hollister, and I actually think that a Ruehl and Gilly Hicks would do well too..
[Reply]
SEAN
February 14th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
I agree with you alex, but there are 2 problems. 1st you are so close to midtown Manhattan that all you need to do is hop on the PATH & you are there in 22 minutes! 2nd it maybe more profitable to add Cheesecake Factory or any other restaurant like that outside Newport Center do to the number of residents that reside around there. Don’t forget those who live along the HBLR who can ride there in just minutes, the walk is 2 minutes away from the station. Now if the mall goes more upscale AKA Menlo Park now we are talking about something entirely different.
I just remembered that the nearest CF locations to Jersey City are Riverside Square & Menlo Park. You maybe on to something Alex. Now if CF opens in midtown, you could forget about Jersey City, unless one of them is a Grand Lux Cafe!
[Reply]
SEAN
February 14th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
I just read NJTransit is constructing a new pedestrian walkway over the long slip from Newport to Hoboken Terminal. It will take about a year or more to complete. When fully built it will strech 18 miles along the Hudson.
http://www.njtransit.com
Click news then news releases 2-11-08
[Reply]
SEAN
February 14th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
I ment this section will take a year or more to build. The entire walkway will be 18 miles in length when completed.
[Reply]
Alex
February 14th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Sean, I really do think that CF would do great in Downtown Jersey City somewhere…I sincerely doubt that they will go into Manhattan, because 1) the rents would be rediculously high and 2) I have never seen any of these “Lifestyle” restaurants (Cheesecake Factory, PF Changs, Legal Sea Foods, Grand Lux) in Manhattan, which i personally think is strange.
Anyway, the point is, Newport can definatley become “menlo park north”, the new residents of waterfront hudson county have the money, and the style to do so.
LETS CONTACT SIMON AND TELL THEM TO RENOVATE! haha
[Reply]
Alex
February 14th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
^ I meant that the residents of Hudson county have the money and the style to be able to support Newport center becoming more luxurious.
[Reply]
SEAN
February 14th, 2008 at 9:18 pm
http://www.simon.com
Alex, if you could redevelop Newport Center WHAT WOULD you change? As for me-first i would get those discount stores out as fast as i can, but keep Kohls because believe it or not they make money were ever they go-like Best Buy & Target. Secondly add some fine dining restaurants like Cheesecake Factory, Legal See foods,maybe PF Changs& those types of eateries. Third upgrade or replace the cinema with statium seating in the existing complex or even build a new one. To me replacing the theatres at this point would be less costly than rehabbing the existing complex because they’re nearing the end of their 20 year life cycle. forth bring Apple, A E outfitters & stores like that to replace the cheep stores.
Everything you said in your last post is spot on.
Your thoughts, observations…
[Reply]
Alex
February 14th, 2008 at 11:10 pm
haah yes what you just said would be perfect.
Maybe add some fast service restaurants to replace at least some of the food court…if they didnt do a PF changs then maybe they could have a Pei Wei, maybe Panera, Cosi or Chipotle, along with the Upscale restaurants.
Out with the discount stores, and in with the Reuhls, Levi’s, Gilly Hicks, Who AU, and Abercrombies of the world.
Oh yeah, maybe instead of a PF Changs, they could do a second location for their Taneko Japanese concept.
[Reply]
SEAN
February 15th, 2008 at 10:43 am
Just for the hell of it i checked the store listings at NC last night. There are more shoe stores & cell Phone shops than anything else. Half of the clothing retailers i have never herd of. Although they have Saphora & swarovski, wich means they will move to bring more upscale retailers in,for reasons we already know.
[Reply]
Alex
February 15th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
yes, that is true, but again like you said. the swarovski and sephora are among the newest retailers at NC along with Coach, so we know that they are at least trying to cash in on their potential.
[Reply]
SEAN
February 15th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
As a foot note Roseland property company owns most of the residential buildings around the Newport area.
http://www.roselandproperty.com
Roseland also owns most of the apartment buildings at Port Imperial & up along River Road for about 1 mile north.
They are all expencive rental units, but what an easy walk to either path or NY Waterway, depending on the building you choose.
There are also condos as well, most of them along River Rd as far north as Fort Lee.
[Reply]
SEAN
February 15th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
I GOT IT.! The new Newport Center, how about Knocking out sears & replace it with small shop space with quick serve restaurants like Cosi open to an outside plaza & the local street network & a new food court on the first floor, with a new cinema above. As for the existing 3rd level 1st remove the existing theatres & food court & 2nd add new sit down restaurants keeping the openness in tact & call it “The Atrium.” Putting in places like LegalSea Food & CheesecakeFactory.
This is a adaptation of Stamford Town Center’s redevelopment plan wich opened a few months ago.
[Reply]
mallguy
February 15th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Sounds interesting…it could definitely do for that area what the redevelopment of Stamford Town Center did for Stamford. The complaints of that mall were that it was separated from the city. Now with the new space at the mall, there is a lot of street access and street activity…very similar to what was done when Providence Place was built.
I was at Freehold today and the new fountain is now operational. It looks like a smaller version of the globe fountain at the Mall at Short Hills with water coming out of the top of the globe and below the globe. The water than falls into a larger basin…very nice design.
[Reply]
Alex
February 15th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
oh I love the Short Hills fountain, I need to get to Freehold soon to check it out =).
As For Sean’s idea for Newport. Love it. Need to let simon know that their property has tremendous potential. Haha I just need to see this renovation actually happen.
[Reply]
SEAN
February 15th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
I to love the globe fountain at Short hills with the vantage point up on the 2nd floor looking right down on it, between the escalators & stairs. It’s both pieceful & full of oppertunity for people watching.
How do we get started getting this Newport idea off the ground? Who is with me?
[Reply]
Alex
February 16th, 2008 at 12:38 am
I have absolutely no idea. haah wish i knew..
Also, another retailer that both Freehold and Newport could use: Anthropologie.
[Reply]
mallguy
February 16th, 2008 at 1:04 am
Anthropologie is in The Grove at Shrewsbury and I could definitely see it in Freehold soon.
Both fountains at Short Hills are great and I like how sculptures are incorporated into the movement of the water in the fountain. Something else interesting about the Freehold fountain…it is illuminated with red underwater lights…maybe a Valentine’s Day theme, but we’ll soon enough see. Another store to soon go vacant at Freehold (and its other locations too like Short Hills and Bridgewater Commons): Domain. This is a very large space and hopefully something good (JCrew…fingers crossed) will go in there.
[Reply]
AceJay
February 16th, 2008 at 1:34 am
Woah woah woah, before we get on with Newport you guys have to help me with QBM =/
[Reply]
SEAN
February 16th, 2008 at 11:38 am
why cant we work on both at the same time?
How can i help.
[Reply]
AceJay
February 16th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
I dunno, haha. I’m just saying we need to act on QBM before they commit to site plans or anything, which SHOULD be soon.
I don’t think a petition would work. What If I made an appoinment with someone/group at Kravco and did a presentation?
[Reply]
SEAN
February 17th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Give it a shot, You’ll never know unless you try.
On a different note , went to Kona Grill in Stamford CT Last night. After seeing what Stamford Town Center did to open the mall outward to the rest of downtown,i am more convinced than ever that something similar needs to be done at Newport Centre. The main difference between the 2 is STC didn’t include a cinema, although there is one in the office complex behind Macy*s. This configuration requires walking through the malls entire 4th level. Anice walk but can be a pain in the but if you have dinner reservations & plan to catch a movie,.
What i would do is put those uses together to make it as conveniant as possible. Just make sure that there is proper ventilation for all of the restaurants & cinema. Maybe if there is still some room add either Borders or Barns & Noble.
Even if you take public transportation it still is not all that far to walk, so this works out for everyone-no matter what the weather or time of year.
Thoughts? Questions?
[Reply]
AceJay
February 18th, 2008 at 11:06 am
I’ve never been to Newport, I wouldn’t know what to tell you there Sean.
Anyway, I’ve edited my plan a bit to include parking and a new outdoor promenade:
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a124/AceJay/Malls/QuakerBridgeMallV3.png
The outdoor one will have one or two restaurants that aren’t CF or PFC. Maybe Bahama Breeze. That would be awesome.
Red Parking lots are underground, 1 level, Green is over-ground 1 level, and Blue are normal parking lots.
I really want to see this happen. I think if it’s done right it’d attract Princeton area shoppers in addition to the current Middle class base.
Comments? Should I get a professional site plan done? Anyone know anyone that can do that?
[Reply]
AceJay
February 18th, 2008 at 11:07 am
Forgot to mention what I;m going for is to have all the MarketFair stores move to QBM, to be spread throughout the old sections, new wing, and outdoor part. Yes, I realize I would be “killing” a mall, but I think it should be done.
[Reply]
SEAN
February 18th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Why do you want to commit malltriside? What is wrong with Marketfair??
I would have Your plans looked at.
[Reply]
Alex
February 18th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
AceJay, I really like the QuakerBridge plans…
As for other news, heard that Garden State Plaza is adding alot of new retailers (American Apparel, Fossil, Juicy Couture, Kate Spade, Michael Kors, Rootz, Samsonite Black Label, Urban Outfitters and Who.A.U!), but while also reading wikipedia’s page for gilly hicks, i saw that GSP was a future store location..
[Reply]
SEAN
February 18th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
Nice work Ace Jay, could work quite nicely. Is there parking under the promanade? Your going to need as many spaces as you can get. That theatre at Marketfair is an old one,are you adding a new one like i want to do at Newport Centre?
Speaking of Newport Centre, i thought about it for a few days & came up with a second configuration. Leave the food court in tact, add a restaurant or 2 in the existing cinema space, add aditional restaurant & retail uses were Sears currently stands with a new cinema above. this wing could be enclosed like Garden State Plaza or open with a plaza & landscaped walkway like Stamford Town Center. Any of the options & configurations work for me. The 2 requirements are 1 anew cinema is built & 2 outdoor patios for all plaza restaurants/ retailers to make padestrian movement easier & more pleasant when the weather is nice.
AS i write this, i checked on B & N locations in the area. There is a B Dalltons already open there, so they can copy Menlo Park set up to one extent or another.
[Reply]
mallguy
February 18th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
There is a B&N in Hoboken and while it is pretty small (no music department but a cafe) it does very well…plus it’s in Hoboken on Washington Street and I don’t think they’re going to be vacating too soon. Maybe Borders would be a better choice there.
Not too sure if that Sears is going anyplace anytime soon, but what about Kohls…if it were moved to one of the area strip malls, maybe…then you can remerchandise it to restaurant/lifestyle space in the same fashion of the old Strawbridges at The Court @ King of Prussia.
I haven’t been to this area in a very, very long time, but it is something to see how this neighborhood has been built up and it’s mighty impressive! The pictures of the aesthetic renovations I have seen that have been completed at Newport Centre have also made the mall look a lot nicer and have given it a more upscale feel.
[Reply]
AceJay
February 18th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
Nothing’s wrong with MarketFair, I just want QBM to be the best as possible. Also, I don’t know what would happen if they were to open a new theatre, because AMC has it’s new 24-screen megaplex pretty closeby, which killed 3 theatres in the area, including the one formerly in the Mercer Mall’s DSW Shoes location.
I mean MarketFair DOES get a relatively decent amount of Movie traffic. I don’t know though. MarketFair’s advantage is that it can be accessed from another much smaller road than Route 1, which brings Princeton traffic that doesn’t want to deal with Rt. 1 traffic.
What do you guys think?
Also yeah parking underneath the promenade sounds really cool, and would be neat if you could make Subway-styled stairway entrances, haha.
[Reply]
SEAN
February 18th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
The reason i chose to dump Sears was 3 fold. 1 that Kohls location is almost brand new, 2 If Sears is in as bad finantial shape as reports indicate because both JCPenny & Kohls are taking their customer base away, it maybe time to close that Sears down. 3 there is more land to build on that side of the mall then the Kohls side wich i think is sourt of landlocked like Macy*s is. On my next trip out there i’ll dubble check all of this out.
Mallguy,
thank you for the Borders idea. The nearest stores to Newport if you could believe it are Newark airport & Schlosser street in Fort Lee.
Here is a list of restaurants i would like to bring in, pick your favorites, or add any you think might work.
CHEESECAKE FACTORY, LEGAL SEA FOODS, KONA GRILL, COSI, MITCHELL SEA FOOD, DAILY GRILL, DAVE & BUSTERS? MAYBE,a personal favorite of mine is a restaurant called CITY LIMITS DINER, The food is fantastic. It may look like a diner but the quality of the food is beyond what you would get in most restaurants. There is a location in Stamford & 2 in White Plains.
Feel free to add others, i’m sure i overlooked quite a few places.
[Reply]
SEAN
February 19th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
AceJay,
How far is QBM FROM Marketfair? You maybe able to split the difference between the 2 malls. This way both centers can atract the high end stores & restaurants they need to thrive, in these market condissions. Like your ideas, your on to something big. Make sure to place parking under the promonade.
Sears maybe at it’s witz end, or put more exactly it’s lands end, acording to PVL. If this fails you could say good by to sears all together. Hence the Newport Center redevelopment idea i have been thinking long & hard about.
[Reply]
AceJay
February 19th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a124/AceJay/Malls/Untitled.png
TWO WHOLE MILES, lol.
Have you been to MarketFair?
It’s pretty much the Mall that has every single high-end store that belongs at QBM:
Acorn
Americana Grille
Anthropologie
Art & Frame Source
BabyGap
Barnes & Noble + Cafe
Big Fish Seafood Bistro (Local PF Changs (Fish version))
Brookstone
Cafe Sweet-E-Pie
Carlton Cards Retail, Inc.
ChazMaTazz Formal Wear & Tailoring
Chico’s
Eastern Mountain Sports
GapKids
GNC Live Well (also at QBM, Nassau Park, and Mercer Mall, hahaha)
Greenstreet Cafe
Gymboree
Harry and David
Jos. A. Bank Clothiers
La Festa
LensCrafters (already at QBM)
Mystique Hair & Skin
PF Chang’s China Bistro (Just built last year)
Pip, Squeak & Wilfred
Pizza Bene
Platypus
Pottery Barn Design Studio
Pottery Barn Kids
Restoration Hardware
Smith & Hawken
Starbucks
Sunglass Hut
T.G.I. Friday’s
Teriyaki Boy
United Artists Theatres
Victorias Secret
Villeroy & Boch
White House Black Market
Williams Sonoma Grand Cuisine
http://marketfairmall.com/
It’s actually pretty high end, but yeah.
[Reply]
Jonah Norason
February 19th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
So is GNC Live Well different than the regular, ol’ in-every-single-mall-whether-it-be-successful-or-dead GNC?
[Reply]
AceJay
February 19th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
It’s just a bit bigger and has more products is all. They’re trying to convert all stores to that.
[Reply]
SEAN
February 19th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Ace Jay,
I have actualy been to Marketfair twice, but not for a few years. When i have gone there i’ve gone to QBM AS WELL. It’S A SINGLE BUS RIDE BETWEEN THEM. For me to get there it takes 2 trains, a bus & 2 plus hours, that is why i haven’t been back in so long. I however do remember the horifficly cheep floressent lights at QBM & thought to my self, who designed this terreable lighting package? Also there was little natural sunlight comeing in, making this mall very unpleasant.
As it is QBM is on the same level as Rockaway Townsquare.
I thought that marketfair was nice but needed a little TLC.
Have you brought your ideas to the town planning board?
[Reply]
mallguy
February 19th, 2008 at 8:38 pm
When Quakerbridge renovated a few years back, that florescent light was supposed to brighten up the mall (mall was pretty dark at night) and there was also a crime issue in and around the mall at this time. The center court is actually pretty bright on sunny days. I think the construction and remerchandising will improve the mall tenfold.
It will be interesting to see how Marketfair is affected by it. Wasn’t the UA Theater remade into a stadium seating theatre? Since you’ve been to Marketfair, they have tried to remake themselves as an indoor lifestyle center and have had much success with that as they have attracted Smith and Hawken, Williams-Sonoma and Restoration Hardware. I am also a fan of Big Fish Bistro.
And Sean, I would say that Rockaway Townsquare is a few steps above the socio-economic ladder of Quakerbridge now. Rockaway Townsquare is currently in the middle of a renovation project and they have a problem of attracting/having sit down restaurants in the mall itself (there are on the outskirts).
[Reply]
SEAN
February 19th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
WOW! 300 comments! lets keep going. BOO-YAH!
I stand corrected, thanks Mallguy for the info on Rockaway. They had to do something to keep the welthier households from going to Bridgewater Commons. Although the 2 malls are 35 miles apart, communities like Bedminster,denville & dover fit somewhat in between giving the residents a choice were to spend their dalers.
Keep trying to get restaurants in the mall,you will atract the right ones, don’t give up.
Can you walk to the AMC theatre & ajacent shops from the mall?
[Reply]
mallguy
February 19th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
Sean:
Bridgewater Commons has been making an upscale surge of their own. The renovation a couple of years ago, Bloomingdales, JCrew, Pottery Barn and the Village at Bridgewater Commons to name a few. I always wished the mall itself were expanded and they very well can build a small three level wing from the 202/206 side of center court and anchor it with Nordstrom. It could be done, but I don’t think they ever will. The Mall at Short Hills also isn’t too far off.
Rockaway Townsquare’s movie theater is quite large and it is walkable from the mall, but I don’t really know of many who do. Haven’t been over there in a while, but they are starting to lay out the new tile…it will be interesting to see what they do because, frankly, I didn’t think the mall was in need of a renovation as much as Monmouth Mall is.
[Reply]
AceJay
February 19th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
No, I haven’t brought it to the planning board because my plans are quite unprofessional. Does anyone know anyone that could mockup some site plans/lease plans for me?
[Reply]
SEAN
February 19th, 2008 at 10:02 pm
This idea maybe totaly nuts, replace Lord & Taylor at Bridgewater Commons with Nordstrom. Forgot how close Short Hills is to that area. Oh how could i forget something as simple as that?
[Reply]
SEAN
February 19th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
Maybe someone on the planning board can lead you in the right direction, or even somebody in the malls management office can help. I would try the planning board first & see how far you can go.
[Reply]
AceJay
February 19th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
So what, just call them and say I have a proposal for an alternate QBM expansion?
[Reply]
SEAN
February 20th, 2008 at 10:34 am
Tell them that you have some ideas for the expantion of QBM, and ask those people who can you talk to about incorperating some of the ideas that you brought up here. The worst thing that happens is they say no. If you don’t try you will never find out. I wish you luck. I like your plans, there is no reason why at least a portion of your plans couldn’t BE intagrated into QBM’S EXPANTION.
[Reply]
AceJay
February 20th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
New plan!
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a124/AceJay/Malls/QuakerBridgeMallV3UGP.png
Check it out.
“The Promenade at Quaker Bridge Mall” sounds nice I think.
Purple is the underground parking lot.
A “P” in Red and yellow indicates a link to the parking garage, whereas on the upper side of the mall, the purple is underground and the green is the link, covered with access to the nearest entrance/store indicated.
The Arrows in Orange indicate uncovered parking links, similar to NYC Subway entrances.
Oh and I placed a large fountain in the outdoor L&T court, and the Promenade is closed to traffic and the orange/yellow tghing south of the court is a large, lit, raised crosswalk for pedestrians.
Also I don’t think I would have to speak to the Planning board for exactly this, rather the architect and Kravco Simon. The town’s already shown massive interest in the plan, I doubt they’d dislike mine.
[Reply]
AceJay
February 20th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Whoops, and the Red X’s scattered throughout are car entrances to the underground lot.
Comments?
[Reply]
SEAN
February 20th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
WOW! What are you waiting for! Show your plans to KS right away, it’s great! I just cant help you with finding someone who does perfessional sight plans though.
[Reply]
shaney_oyeah
February 20th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
I like the idea a lot
[Reply]
SEAN
February 21st, 2008 at 6:20 pm
What IS happening with QBM.
[Reply]
AceJay
February 22nd, 2008 at 2:54 am
Nothing yet, which gives me time!
They want to do this:
http://www.simon.com/mall/LeasingSheet/QuakerBridge849.pdf
[Reply]
mallguy
February 23rd, 2008 at 7:23 pm
Very interesting plans, AceJay. Whether you get or way or KravcoSimon does it their way, Quakerbridge will be very successful and end up turning into the Garden State Plaza of Central Jersey…they will definitely force Freehold into further expanding into the upscale market.
Speaking of Freehold, I noticed with the new fountain that the underwater lights constantly change colors. This is pretty cool and reminds me of a time when fountains had multi-colored underwater lights (like Quakerbridge used to with the old center court fountain, as well as Altamonte Mall in Florida before its renovation). If the crowds were any evidence today, this expansion for Freehold Raceway Mall is going to be incedibly helpful for the increase in business and traffic over there.
[Reply]
SEAN
February 24th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
The pier at Ceaser’s in Atlantic City has a fountain with molti-colored lights as well, but is part of a free show with anamatronic statues. Based on the same show in LasVegas. A sight for all to enjoy without blowing up your walet. LOL
[Reply]
mallguy
February 24th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
On the new Freehold fountain with the changing lights…that would probably look really cool at night.
That’s right! I totally forgot about the Pier @ Caesar’s. The fountain show there is actually really cool and gives AC some needed entertainment to make it more on par with Las Vegas. They don’t have audio-anamatronic statues (you’re thinking of the Las Veagas Forum Shops) but there is a “rain curtain” and fog involved with the show, which is entirely computer operated…again, very, very cool. Here is a YouTube of the show (not my video, but very well done whoever did it).
On the subject of Atlantic City, I am very surprised that other casinos don’t have major retail plans on the drawing board after the successes of the Pier @ Caesars and The Quarter @ Tropicana…one project that I would love to see get off the ground is a New Orleans/Bourbon Street themed shopping promenade…you can go so many places with that!
[Reply]
SEAN
February 24th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
Oh i forgot it’s just audio at caesars Atlantic City. The 2 shows are somewhat alike, both of them are very cool & worth the time.
[Reply]
Alex
February 25th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
I LOVE THE NEW AC!
There is tons of new construction going on there right now. At least 3, possibly 4 casinos to break ground this year, and with the development of bader feild, another 4 or 5 casinos on top of that could be built.
Revel, a new casino currently under construction next to the Showboat will have tons of shopping (about 500,000 square feet), and it will be a very cool and edgy urban design.
Also, MGM Grand, which will break ground this year and will be located inbetween the Borgata and Harrahs will also have about 500,000 square feet of retail.
AC is becoming a true shopping mecca!
[Reply]
mallguy
February 25th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Let me clarify my earlier comments about a possilbe New Orleans/Bourbon Street themed shopping/entertainment district. This, for those unfaimliar with AC, should be at Showboat, the New Orleans themed casino (I failed to mention the location). It can be done in the same fashion that Quater @ Tropicana is done…leading from the parking garage to the main lobby, and even to the boardwalk. The potential for that is limitless!
Good to hear about the possibility of new retail at the new casinos in AC. In addition, The Walk is going to expand again…maybe we’ll eventually see Dave and Busters in AC!
[Reply]
Alex
February 25th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
I really like the New Orleans themed shopping area idea. I think that they could really make it nice and pull it off. They actually have a small property that isnt built on yet on the northern border of the property where this could go. I envision something 200,000 square feet to 300,000 square feet.
Some things that could go into that new retail space are:
The Cheesecake Factory ( there isnt one in ac yet, which I think is dumb.)
Fogo De Chao (Churrascaria Brasileiro, sim, meu fala portugues)
Dave and Busters
Maybe a PF changs (although there is one at the Trop)
and stores like Apple, Bose, Armani Exchange, Abercrombie and Fitch, Abercrombie, Gilly Hicks, Hollister, Rheul, Sephora and other mid ranged stores. (you dont want to put the pier at caesars out just yet)
[Reply]
SEAN
February 25th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
What is going to happen or should happen to the retail strips along the boardwalk?
It’s time to get some of the t-shirt places & fast food joints out of there & put either more casinos or better retail offerings in those locations. There is a lot more dead space/ undeveloped land along the boardwalk than people realize.
Mallguy’
I second the ideas you posted above.
[Reply]
SEAN
February 25th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
I second your ideas also, Alex.
[Reply]
Alex
February 25th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
Sean, Alot of the space you mentioned above is wasted, but alot of it is soon to be developed.
1) where the sands once stood, Pinnacle entertainment is planning to build a 1.5 billion dollar resort that will occupy a boardwalk front lot along with the former sands site. This will add alot of activity to the boardwalk there.
2) Further up the boardwalk, a development by digeorge atlantic properties called “The Prasada” which will be over 50 stories and will hold a boutique hotel and possibly residences. It will also occupy an under-utilized lot on the boardwalk. It will be located directly to the south of the Atlantic Palace.
3) Even Further up, past the showboat, Revel Casino and Resort is being constructed as we speak, and that will definatley add more retail and entertainment options on the boardalk as well as within the property.
For the smaller strips of stores, TShirt shoppes and pizza places, within due time they will probably be baught up by casino developers and will be redeveloped into spectacular retail, entertainment, dining and gambling destinations, but this is all in due time.
[Reply]
SEAN
February 26th, 2008 at 11:03 am
I hope so, Alex. What would you do to upgrade the boardwalk?
[Reply]
SEAN
February 26th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Alex, i found a great blog for you on Pavonia Newport & Jersey City buildings http://www.newyorkssith.com.
[Reply]
SEAN
February 26th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
http://www.newyorkssixth.com. that is the adress. Disregard the last link.
[Reply]
Alex
February 26th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
Thank you sean, that is actually one of my favorite jersey city sites.
Things I would do to upgrade the boardwalk would be to completely deomolish every t-shirt shop, and low end type of building, and sell those peices of land they stood on to casino developers, condo developers and retail (or a combination of all 3) developers. Just for a tropical effect, add some hardy palms to the beach side of the boardwalk. (there is actually a type of palm, which I planted at my house last summer and is doing great even in the dead of winter, that can survive winters here in New Jersey. It is called “trachycarpus fortunei” or Chinese Windmill Palm.
[Reply]
Caldor
February 26th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
This comment thread has gotten WAY off-topic, guys!
I have to admit, I’m kind of curious… with the focus on unique, diverse, regional retail that Labelscar has, and the reverence for many of the chains/shopping malls/department stores that have been eradicated as a result of consolidation adn homogenization, why are you championing those very same processes in a place like Atlantic City? Shouldn’t Atlantic City retain some of its unique, original character?
[Reply]
Alex
February 26th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
I actually think while atlantic city should retain it original character, most of its original character has already been butchered. There used to be grand old hotels that made way for messy Holiday Inns and Econo-Lodges. I dont think that these dumpy places should remain. With all the new development going up in AC, these areas of cheeziness shouldnt ne around anymore. AC is really going in the right direction in what it is doing. In 5-10 years, I think AC will give Las Vegas a huge run for its money.
[Reply]
AceJay
February 26th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
Caldor: Not our fault you’re missing some NJ mall posts
[Reply]
Jonah Norason
February 26th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
The comments page HAS gotten long and unruly, but the other NJ mall posts SHOULD be there (and dozens of comments here be deleted…).
[Reply]
SEAN
February 26th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Caldor, one of the great things about threds like this is you never know where topics & conversations may lead you. I wouldn’t worry so much about it, i find it a total fasonation to see were we end up. Hence Pavonia Newport, atlantic City & other locations.
Alex, again i totally agree with you.
Do you have any other links to sights like the one on Jersey City i posted above?
[Reply]
Caldor
February 26th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
I don’t really want to limit discussions (and again, if what you guys actually DO want is a more homogenized/upscale retail landscape, then that’s certainly your right) but at the same time, the sheer amount of off-topic comments in this thread concerns me. There are a few reasons for this: One is that people who read all of the daily comments added to Labelscar via RSS are getting almost nothing but a long-irrelevant thread on an old post, making it very difficult to find much of the new, relevant comments on other posts without a significant time investment. Another reason is that if someone brand new to this page did show up and share some history about FRM (and I do realize that with this particular mall, there isn’t much), it would be so far down in the comment thread that NO one would ever find or read it in the future. No one new to this site is going to scroll through 300 comments.
I just worry because a lot of people who used to comment regularly (and were clearly following comments via RSS, given their posting patterns) seem to have left the site completely and I worry it’s because the conversations have veered so far off-topic.
As far as generating more posts on NJ malls, they’ll come at some point, but please also recognize that we have limited time and resources (we both have full time jobs, lives apart from this hobby, etc.) so it can be difficult to find the time. Believe me, I have a ton of stuff in the can that I would love to have up here for everyone, I just haven’t had enough time. I’m going to try a bit harder to post a bit more frequently now that I’m settled but it still takes a significant time investment to put together even one post. It do take heart in the fact that you all enjoy and appreciate the effort, however, and I’d rather have that problem than being ignored!
[Reply]
shaney_oyeah
February 26th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
yea the thread has gone to places like Starbucks, White plains, newport, and now atlantic city!
And i think they should level those old ghettos in atlantic city and build huge places, like luxury residential towers with of course affordable housing units scattered around the building to replace those slums that were destroyed.
And its funny how some people in an old shack in ac complain about a big nice casino which will bring revenue & jobs and improve the scenery replacing their house but are willing to give it up for a parking lot. Ive seen many houses replaced by parking lots in ac.
[Reply]
Jonah Norason
February 26th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
Caldor’s right. I subscribe to this site on RSS and half the stuff I get is some irrelevant stuff that happened to be on the FRM page. Bobby doesn’t seem to be in here anymore, and I hope that with Caldor’s return, we can hope to see changes in the normal stream of comments.
[Reply]
Alex
February 26th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
here’s some Jersey City websites:
jcconstruction.blogspot.com
http://www.hobokenx.com/html/modules/newbb/viewforum.php?forum=8
Jclist.com
uhh thats all I can think of haha
[Reply]
AceJay
February 26th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
Sorry Caldor and Jonah, I can’t just NOT talk about my favorite malls =/
Also, this is all new information, so wouldn’t it be as relevant as a new blog post’s posts?
[Reply]
SEAN
February 27th, 2008 at 11:36 am
Alex, thank you.
I can solve the whole thing. Caldor, can you create a page for redevelopment descussions? This way everybody can join in with out having these long threds to deal with. Nobody should be shoved to the margins.
Having said that, a major point of this blog is not just the historical roll of the mall, but how to redevelop & keep the mall alive & kicking.
Caldor your point is well taken & totally understandable, but Ace Jay’s point is equally valid. Infact Caldor let me have the floor for a moment. The deversity of topics on this thred wouldn’t be possible with out the hard work & dedacation you & Prangeway put into it. So let me be the first to say THANK YOU! & sorry for making the thred so long in the first place. The off topic discussion happend because this was the perfect forem to bring up our own redevelopment ideas & problem solve in a healthy & constructive manner. both of you and i see the mall differently, this is the best place to express those thaughts. It just happend to be on this thred. that is why i thought that the salution above would be best for all. (I am sure others would agree.
[Reply]
Caldor
February 27th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
Actually this isn’t a bad idea. I really don’t want to limit discussion if people want an open-ended place to discuss individual centers or redevelopment solutions, but for a variety of reasons I dont think adding forums is a great solution for us (it’s beyond my technical ability and it would eat up a lot of server space quickly, making it pretty expensive). I think Im going to create a page for just that, and it will be linked from the top-right navigation with the sitemap.
[Reply]
AceJay
February 27th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Sounds good. Also, I don’t know if it’s possble, but could you expand the “Recent Comments” to everything after the user’s last visit with cookies? I recall seeing that done on another blog, not sure if it was WP though.
And yeah, a Redevelopment Discussion would be great, but please at least divide it into Regions, Mid-Atlantic, Mid-West, South, etc.
[Reply]
SEAN
February 27th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Maybe go a little farther by breaking it down into groups of greater metro areas, like this,
1. BOS, NY, PHL, WAS/BAL.
2. CHI, MKE, MSP,
3. PACIFIC NW
4. SF BAY AREA
5. SO. CAL CITIES
It maybe to many divisions, but you get the idea. I hope it works, if anyone else has an idea bring it up.
[Reply]
Jonah Norason
February 27th, 2008 at 6:13 pm
I think that the “redevelopment/offtopic” pages should have their own separate RSS feeds so I can get real comments on the Labelscar Comments Feed.
Is it possible to move/delete comments?
[Reply]
Mike Pugz
March 6th, 2008 at 3:07 am
This is responding a question many posts back, but yes Danbury’s fountain is finished. It was finished back before the holiday season. It sounds very similar to Freehold, down to the color phasing lights and globe flowing into the basin below. Danbury Fair is actually COMPLETED. Last weekend in celebration they hosted a weekend of events to kick off their “grand re-opening”. Circus/ acrobat type acts were held in the center court and the foodcourt seating was replaced as well as the opeing of the former stage seating area. Mall looks great, it just isnt the Danbury Fair I have grown up with. Mall also introduced new logo which features the removal of the word ‘mall’ and a new geometrical symbol which can be seen on some new stone planters as well as the ligting fixtures which hang below the skylights.
[Reply]
alex
March 10th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
great, this board is sooo dead after everyone complained about the development updates.
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Caldor
March 10th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
I think I’m going to take Sean’s suggestion and create general pages to discuss centers/redevelopment of centers (or other relevant topics) in specific regions of the country. There’s clearly an interest in the conversation and I want to give it a home in a more relevant place, if I can. It doesn’t make sense to have it all on the Freehold page when it’s of a more general nature, but that doesn’t mean we have to get rid of it entirely… I just have to create a new place for you guys to use.
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SEAN
March 11th, 2008 at 9:58 am
GREAT!!!!
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Josh
March 20th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
Does anybody remember back in the 90’s ( I suppose when FRM was new) they used to advertise on WPST 97.5, with a jingle for Freehold Raceway Mall?. I suppose the advertisement was really only for Mercer County but I used to hear that advertisement in Southern NJ, having no idea about this place. Now, the mall has its own base, but its interesting to see read its history and how its a real power mall.
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mallguy
March 20th, 2008 at 9:32 pm
There were two that I remember:
“Bet you’re gonna have fun..Freehold Raceway Mall”
“The fast track to better shopping (Kentucky Derby trumpets) Freehold Raceway Mall.”
Scary that I remember that!
PS: Got a pic of the new fountain.
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shaney_oyeah
March 20th, 2008 at 11:17 pm
I don’t know if you’re thinking of the jingle i’m thinking of “I won’t stop drivin till I see that sign on 33 and Highway 9″ and then it ended with something like “I wont stop shoppin at the Freehold Raceway Mall”, in the form of a song. It was on the radio several years ago, idk if it still is.
Btw, where can e see the pics of the fountain?
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Max
April 6th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
I really dislike this trend towards making malls more upscale. (Although at least Freehold Raceway Mall still has JCPenney and Sears.) It greatly strips malls of their variety and also makes middle and lower class shoppers feel unwelcome.
Bridgewater Commons is the latest NJ mall to jump on this bandwagon. The mall has already blocked off its cool food court. In its place will arrive several expensive shops, along with a couple of sit-down dining options. Bridgewater Commons is also evicting some lower scale tenants (once their rents come up for renewal) and replacing them with “trendy” boutiques.
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SEAN
April 6th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Max,
You go were the money is.
Reguarding the remark you made about making lower & middle income shoppers uncomfortable, isn’t that the point? The best example i can think of is Short Hills vs Newport Center.
Your thaughts
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mallguy
April 6th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
Max,
On Bridgewater Commons, the food court is not being eliminated. When done, it will mainly be located along the wing where the main entrance is and they are closing in one of the atrium overlooks to allow for more room. Where Wedy’s was is what will be changed into additional dining options. Let’s face it, for the type of mall Bridgewater Commons strives to be, they are heavily lacking sit down dining options.
Most shopping centers feel that attracting upscale stores and shoppers is the best route to profit. The affluent populations are the ones that spend the money and if we have looked at economic history, the Nordstroms, Neiman Marcuses and such have always stayed successful, even in challenging economic times, If you look at the successful malls in the Northeast, they have all in their merchandising followed along in this belief.
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SEAN
April 6th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Neiman marcus & Nordstrom are the only department stores that still have a good deal of room to grow in the US. You may still see growth with other chains, but not as agressively as those two.
If you want to go one step further, chains like Macy*s & Sears will have reduce there store count to stay alive.
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mallguy
April 7th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
To follow up my earlier comments on Bridgewater Commons, architectural designs are now shown that exhibit what I said will become of the food corut area.
On Freehold, has anyone learned what will occupy the far end of the lifestyle expansion? Noticed the other day that Coach is going to move into the former Disney Store location and that Lucky Brand Jeans is moving in by JCPenney. Timberland closed and Disney will be moving into the former CVS. Haven’t heard any other new store developments, but I hope that JCrew will be in the plans for Freehold.
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mallguy
April 13th, 2008 at 2:30 am
Some more developments on store happenings…the following stores are coming to Freehold Raceway Mall sometime in the very, very near future: Teavana (lower center court), Aerie (opening where the current American Eagle is and American Eagle will move closer to Sears where Children’s Place used to be), Lucky Brand Jeans (lower level near JCPenney) and Crazy 8 (upstairs near Sears).
Still no developments on the remaining spaces in the lifestyle center, but fingers are still crossed for JCrew and a Pottery Barn/Williams Sonoma return.
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chris
April 13th, 2008 at 2:43 am
I went to freehold raceway mall today wow that mall has changed makes you wanna go back there I went to eat at cheescake factory which the meal suxed by the way nut wow the mall looks totally different a borders,pf changs,coldwater creek and some other sotres i was like wow I didn’t go into the mall buy my god the mall looks great now
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SEAN
April 13th, 2008 at 9:10 am
Went to Danbury Fair yesturday, it looks remarkably like what Mallguy’s discription of Freehold Raceway sounds like, even down to the center court fountan with the globe & the Starbucks kiosk. Are there seating areas with beastro tables in the area where the old fountain use to be?
The remoddle also looks somewhat like Queens Center after it was redone a few years ago.
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mallguy
April 13th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
I haven’t yet been to Danbury Fair, but I have seen the pictures and they are nearly identical to that of Freehold…the main difference is that the fountain is a little off center in Freehold and the Starbucks is closer to the elevator. Also, there are less trees in Freehold than in Danbury. I do miss the big fountain, but I like the new look.
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Joey
April 21st, 2008 at 6:00 pm
Newport Centre Update: This is true~! The website still hasn’t been updated in months.
Victoria’s Secret is staying just where it was.
Hollister Co. is opening later next month downstairs occupying a former vacant spot, Gymboree, and Ashley Stewart.
Pay/Half is having a store-closing sale. Guess what? Turns out the former Pay/Half building will be split into 2, being an Abercrombie & Fitch and RUEHL! Yay!!!!!
Ghetto stores like 7FOX, Citi Casuals and Epic Design are closing. 7FOX is becoming a new AT&T. Epic Design is unknown. Citi Casuals is becoming an American Apparel.
Downstairs Avenue is closed, becoming Armani Exchange in summer.
The former Lane Bryant building downstairs will become Aerie.
That’s all I know.
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Joey
April 21st, 2008 at 7:19 pm
My plan for Newport: Add a Barnes & Noble outside. Also maybe a Pei Wei by PF Changs. On each side of JCPenney will be entrances to B&N and a new Gap superstore. This space will be located on JCPenney’s current lot. A new lot will be built near B&N. I think The Cheesecake Factory, A&F, Juicy Couture, Ruehl, and H&M are the best here.
http://s293.photobucket.com/albums/mm53/JVilla1009/?action=view¤t=NC1.jpg
level 1 ^
My favs on Level 2 are.. Urban Outfitters, G by Guess, XXI, PacSun, J. Crew, Super Foot Locker, and J. Jill.
http://s293.photobucket.com/albums/mm53/JVilla1009/?action=view¤t=NC2.jpg
Hope You Enjoy! And Make a Newport page!
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SEAN
April 22nd, 2008 at 10:08 am
Joey,
Not a bad lineup. I have a few questions for you.
1. What about a new AMC theatre to replace the existing Cineplex?
2. Is Sears nessessary? If not what to do with that space since the garage raps around it. Personally i think Sears should be terned into a new cinema & food court upstairs with barns & Noble below with a few smaller retailers, with restaurants on the existing third level called “The Atrium.”
It is so ironic you posted this Joey, i was just there on Saturday looking at Newport’s configuration to see what could be done to bring it up to a Menlo Park level. If J c Penny has to go instead of Sears, then so be it.
Any ideas?
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Joey
April 22nd, 2008 at 3:25 pm
1. I was thinking of them demolishing and rebuilding the theater and convert it into AMC Newport 13. Make it like GSP’s AMC.
2. I was thinking of getting rid of both JCPenney & Sears. Convert the JCP building into Nordstrom.
Demolish the Sears building, and have a new expansion called The Lux at Newport Centre, a little Short Hills-type center. Anchored by a 100,000 square foot, 3 floor Neiman Marcus and Williams-Sonoma. Restaurants include Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, Papa Razzi, and Moonstruck Chocolate Cafe. Smaller shops include Jimmy Choo, Prada, Anthropologie, Bose, Cartier, Bottega Veneta, Club Monaco, Banana Republic, Tourneau, Origins, Under Armour, Vera Bradley, True Religion, Caché and more. Like a mix of Short Hills & Natick.
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Alex
April 22nd, 2008 at 3:37 pm
I like your ideas, both of you.
Joey, how do you know this? Im not doubting you but just wondering if there is any solid proof out there supporting what you said. If completely true, its great that Newport is finally being tapped for it’s potential.
Newport Definatley needs some restaurants. Cheesecake Factory with a street level enterance would be ideal.
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Joey
April 22nd, 2008 at 4:01 pm
I’ll make a layout of the Lux soon.
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SEAN
April 22nd, 2008 at 5:28 pm
Joey,
Love it! Just for that reason I went around the Sears store to see what could be done, to my surprise the parking garage raps around Sears. I would assume that the garage also raps the other way towards J C Penny.
Does your plan include a new parking structure, or are your plans just within the existing mall’s foot print.
There is quite a bit of dead acreage where the parking structure stands, how are you going to fix that?
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Joey
April 23rd, 2008 at 2:55 pm
There will be a parging garage near NM, and a new one for Nordstrom. They will be tall and sorta like GSP.
And yes, i’m doing a map on the interior, sry. I’m working on it now! It will b up soon!
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Joey
April 23rd, 2008 at 5:16 pm
Maps of The Lux!!!!!!!!
Lower Level:
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm53/JVilla1009/NC21.jpg
Upper Level:
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm53/JVilla1009/NC22.jpg
overall mall views coming soon!
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Joey
April 23rd, 2008 at 5:34 pm
Overall:
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm53/JVilla1009/Overall.jpg
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SEAN
April 23rd, 2008 at 6:19 pm
Nice work Joey!
With the new parking structures on the ends of the mall you can now bump out the back OF THE building if you want to & add a new section of retail. This would require the displacement of the rest of the existing garage wich you want to do any way, the road between the garage & the mall & the loss of the bus stops for NJT & Coach USA, wich could be moved to Washington Boulevard near the Pavonia Newport PATH station where they belong.
What i think could fit, are either junior anchors like Dicks Sporting Goods, Best Buy or a beastro row of restaurants. Although there are plenty of eateries a block or two away around the office & apartment towers by the water. With all that said there are plenty of oppertunities for future growth, we are well on our way to uncovering them.
Thaughts?
Keep it up Joey, you are on to something big.
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Joey
April 23rd, 2008 at 9:43 pm
Thanx, I think i’ll send this to SIMON, lol. We should work on Livingston Mall and Woodbridge after this.
I’ll do some more work soon.
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SEAN
April 24th, 2008 at 10:06 am
Livingston just added a Barns & Noble & a new food court. Unless you add a new theatre complex, i don’t know where you can go with that one. I think Menlo Park maybe a better option for you.
As for Woodbridge Center, oh where to begin. That mall is so in need of a renovation & expantion.
My wish list,
1. anew food court
2. a 20-screen theatre
3. a beastro row
4. a few big box retailers
That is just for starters, the entire mall will need an extreme makeover from top to bottom. Time to call in Ty Pennington & ABC for this job. LOL
What kind of ideas do you have Joey, I’m all ears.
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mallguy
April 24th, 2008 at 10:51 am
True…Woodbridge needs A LOT of work. According to Wikipedia, they are supposed to get Olive Garden and Bahama Breeze, as well as a renovation, but I have seen nothing new in my last visit about a week ago. The only noticeable thing I’ve seen in the mall is the fountain by JCPenney is gone…the pool has been eliminated and raised to level and now there is the train and carousel.
The only thing Menlo could use is a Bloomingdales and an exanded 2 level wing leading from Macy’s to around where Rainforest Cafe is today. Menlo (along with Freehold) is currently among the best malls in NJ.
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SEAN
April 24th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Mallguy,
Don’t forget about a new theatre complex to replace the AMC/Loews 12 in the back.
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Joey
April 24th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
I know Menlo needs a 3rd anchor, but i was tkinking a AMC Woodbridge Center 16 and Bloomingdale’s for Woodbridge. Get rid of Fortunofff, they’re bankrupt, get a new wing with Bloomie’s, AMC, and 30 shops will be great. parking garage for AMC like GSP. Layouts & Woodbridge redevelopment coming soon!
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Caldor
April 24th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
Fortunoff may have gone bankrupt but they are not going anywhere anytime soon. They were sold to the same company that owns (and was responsible for turning around) Lord & Taylor, and in fact Fortunoff-branded housewares departments are going to be rolled out in L&T stores across the country. The Fortunoff brand is definitely not ready to be buried just yet.
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mallguy
April 24th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
Sean:
Totally forgot about the movie theatre. Definitely needs an overhaul…it screams late 80s/early 90s.
Joey:
Bloomingdale’s works much better in Menlo Park due to the current store lineup and upscale trend the mall has been having in recent years (it is supposed to get Ruehl this fall). There is definitely room in the back, as well as to expand the parking garage. I also find it interesting (a good interesting) that Menlo is getting a Work Out World (large Central Jersey regional gym chain)…it will definitely allow the mall to have activity late on a weekday evening. I would even love to see the expansion wing include Neiman Marcus, however, they will have to tear down the small office tower on the property and relocate Fox and Hound for that to happen.
Woodbridge has A LOT to work out (renovation, deal with the crime issue) before they can even think to bring in upscale stores.
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Joey
April 24th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
First, We will restructure Woodbridge. We’ll get new glass ceilings upstairs, a bubble type-thing in center court. In center court those weird stairs leading to chairs will be replaced with a new spiral marble staircase similar to Livingston or Menlo. A New fountain in center court. Get rid of those nasty lights in between the lower and upper level, mostly on the lower level. These are similar to what Freehold and Newport used to have. EWW! new marble walls and colums along the mall, and improved lighting similar to GSP’s AMC/Borders wing lights. JCPenney will be fully renovated. Say goodbye to Fortunoff. The new wing will be very similar to GSP’s new one. A new borders book store, Bloomingdale’s, AMC, P.F. Chang’s, and Joe’s Crab Shack will be part of the new wing. New shops such as Quiksilver/Roxy, aerie, Martin + Osa, Guess, J. Jill, J. Crew, L’Occtaine, Rootz, Who A.U., The Art of Shaving, Twelve by Twelve, Tourneau, Lucky Brand Jeans, Zara, For Love 21, Dooney + Bourke, Abercrombie & Fitch, abercrombie, Ruehl, Gilly Hicks and more are in the new wing. Also, NJ’s biggest H&M is duplicated in a new, 2-floor, 24,000 square foot store. More L8er!
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Joey
April 24th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
I know finally Menlo’s getting a Ruehl! There will be 4 in NJ by mid 2009.
GSP, Freehold, Menlo, and Newports RUMORED store.
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SEAN
April 24th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
Woodbridge is not an upscale mall by any means. Bringing in top level stores may not atract those customers because those shoppers tend to be at Bridgewater Commons or Menlo Park for the most part.
If any store should leave Woodbridge it’s J C Penny. It would be far more practical redeveloping that store into a 2 level entertainment wing with a 16-screen theatre, Borders Books & restaurants like Cosi, California Pizza Kichen & Rock Bottom Brewery. My consept is based on what was done at Stamford Town Center, wich is fantastic.
Should the new theatre at Menlo Park remainin the same location or relocating it in a more desirable spot. With MP’s configuration this is a more challenging question than at first glance, i’m not sure on this one. If it was up to me i would build a new theatre in the same location with a few more screens & expand the garage at the same time with a newly configured drive.
Mallguy you are right, Menlo is where Bloomingdale’s belongs. Is it a full line store like Willowbrook or fashon only like Bridgewater that you would want to be built there.
Joey,
I like your ideas, but in this case transfer them to MP from Woodbridge & see how that could work. I think you would be pleasantly surprised. Take out the office building, rework the ring road & reconfigure the parking structure & you would turn a great mall into one that would be unmatched in that area.
Questions?
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mallguy
April 24th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
Sean:
I would keep the movie theater in the same place, but I would also make it stadium seating and increase it by a few screens. I would also below the movie theater wish to add Dave and Busters…this would be the 1st NJ location and the Cetral Jersey location would save many from driving to Palisades or Philadelphia. In terms of Bloomindale’s, got to go full line as there are none in Central Jersey. Also parking must be exapanded…the rear deck should be extended to where Bloomindales would go and the front deck should be rebuilt to include additional levels…and here’s why: a lifestyle addition between Barnes and Noble/Cheesecake Factory and Parsonage Road (with a little underground parking to boot). They just fixed up the pavement and lighting over there…who knows, maybe there is something already planned that they’re keeping under the radar.
To better configure the ring road, they may have to add a traffic light or two since getting out of the parking lot by BN/Cheesecake is an absolute bottleneck…and I think with the route 1 construction, NJ should have thought this one through better and built an overpass to replace the Parsonage Road light.
The new Menlo would definitely give Freehold and Bridgewater (and if it ever gets done Quaker Bridge) a run for their money.
BTW, Bridgewater is FINALLY fixing up their food court…maybe better dining options (one can hope).
[Reply]
Joey
April 24th, 2008 at 7:14 pm
I think we’ll do Menlo first! Then Woodbridge, then Bridgewater, then Livingston.
[Reply]
SEAN
April 24th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
Mallguy,
It is INCREDIBLE that you & i see the redevelopment potential of Menlo Park the same way. Would you move the Fox & hound restaurant to another out parcel or inside the mall. either way the office building is removed opening all that untapped acreage. One thing working in MP’s favor is Simon doesn’t have to rush this one, but they should get there ducks in a row. Once the credit market eases
they’ll be ready to get started. In the mean time we can put forth the ideas that we believe that will bring the most shoppers & get them to stay longer THAN 90 MINUTES & SPEND MORE.
Joey what are your thaughts on;
1. Menlo Park
2. Livingston
3. Bridgewater Commons
You have great ideas & insite, I would like to find out what you have to say. If it is anything like your Newport Centre plans we’re in for one hell of a presentation.
[Reply]
mallguy
April 24th, 2008 at 10:55 pm
Sean,
I would keep Fox and Hound attached to the mall and keep it in the same area but attach it to one of the mall entrances. Don’t want them too close to Champp’s or Cheesecake Factory even thought they have their loyal following (F&H has billiards, Champp’s has karaoke, TCF always has a crowd, and if they ever came to Menlo D&B’s would get “big kids”…also all the bars/restaurants would be spread out). Maybe add PF Chang’s or Maggiano’s to the Lifestyle Center, along with some of the other shops Joey had mentioned.
With Bridgewater Commons, I think we could see at least 1 or 2 sit down more dining options with the food court renovation near the movie theatre. I would also like to see a new 3 level wing jutting out from center court toward 202/206 anchored by Nordstrom…and for crying out loud, bring back The Gap (even though it’s in Somerville Shopping Center). The Village at Bridgewater Commons should also be exanded and while there may not be enough room, the shops should be built around the current pond (which would have to be somewhat drained and made smaller).
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AceJay
April 25th, 2008 at 12:57 am
Reposting my plan as it seems a lot more people are interested in this kind of thing.
Original:
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a124/AceJay/Malls/QuakerBridgeMall.png
I called Penney’s December 28th, the manager (or one of them) said they have no plans of closing “anytime soon.”
So hopefully I’ve got enough time
Anyway, I realized I should do an interior layout too.
Notable things:
-Lifestyle component has outward-facing storefronts on the Lower level, as indicated by arrows.
-Food Court moved to Upper Level, only removes Express and a smaller store.
-Borders MAY feel like getting rid of their Nassau Park store, and the Express in the mall to build a bigger store in the New Lifestyle Component.
-All Eateries move to Food Court, thus freeing up space for demolished retail, though they can of course move to new wing if they like.
-Upper Level of Lifestyle area is inward-facing storefronts.
-Old Navy moves to a 2-floor location to gain a new storefront, next to DnB.
-All Red Arrows indicate Dual-level Entrances/Exits.
-All L&T courts should contain some type of tall foliage.
-Parking garages should be no more than 2 floors tall. Underground is preferred to maintain a clean upper lot and visibility. The Sears/Penneys garage can be full overground if desired.
Oh, and this is not perfectly drawn to scale. Obviously it will look nicer if done professionally.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a124/AceJay/Malls/QuakerBridgeMallRedesign.png
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a124/AceJay/Malls/QuakerBridgeMallV3UGP.png
Check it out.
“The Promenade at Quaker Bridge Mall” sounds nice I think.
Purple is the underground parking lot.
A “P” in Red and yellow indicates a link to the parking garage, whereas on the upper side of the mall, the purple is underground and the green is the link, covered with access to the nearest entrance/store indicated.
The Arrows in Orange indicate uncovered parking links, similar to NYC Subway entrances.
Oh and I placed a large fountain in the outdoor L&T court, and the Promenade is closed to traffic and the orange/yellow tghing south of the court is a large, lit, raised crosswalk for pedestrians.
Also I don’t think I would have to speak to the Planning board for exactly this, rather the architect and Kravco Simon. The town’s already shown massive interest in the plan, I doubt they’d dislike mine.
Any suggestions/critique?
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SEAN
April 25th, 2008 at 9:41 am
AceJay,
Sounds good, is there room for a new theatre complex? Perhaps about 10-screens in size that would either replace or complement U A’s MarketFair movies 8.
Mallguy,
Same question, AMC has the 7-screen theatre with no or little compitition in the Bridgewater area.
[Reply]
AceJay
April 25th, 2008 at 11:47 am
Well that’s another story.
http://i26.tinypic.com/n32hp0.jpg
Here’s an area map. The new AMC 24 built maybe 10 years ago is south, with a red arrow.
Marketfair is up north with a Green arrow. And QBM is in the middle with a Blue arrow.
The problem with getting rid of UA10 at Marketfair is that the proposed one in QBM would PROBABLY not be UA, it would be AMC. The problem with that is that AMC already has the 24-plex down Quakerbridge Road, highlighted in orange and black.
Now of course it would be great if QBM had the AMC24. if the current AMC moves, it would hurt the local area and businesses, especially Taco Bell which gets so much traffic from pre/post moviegoers.
However by moving the AMC to QBM, the people to the south would still be able to see movies at that one smaller theatre still in operation at the Independence Mall (Not a mall, maybe demalled?) which would of course, bring a lot less lower income people to QBM, in turn displaying the Upper class status that QBM wants to become.
I would love to have the AMC at QBM, it’d be great.
Now of course since this is a 7-anchor mall, one of the least popular ones may go out of business, though unlikely. IF Sears ends up closing for whatever reason Kmart Execs are thinking of, the theatre can go there.
Honestly I think I’m being way too optimistic.
HOWEVER, why not add a THIRD FLOOR onto the mall and tenant it with the theatre and the food court?
Or something.
There’s not a whole lot of ground floor space on that parcel.
[Reply]
SEAN
April 25th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
AceJay,
There is pressident for a build up like what you discribed at QBM. Aventura mall added a 3rd floor for an AMC 24-screen theatre with aditional restaurants. Besides AMC is a better run theatre company than regal is.
Is MarketFair a stadium seating theatre? If not it’s days are numbered. resurch shows that theatres without stadium seating tend to be a drag on an exibitors bottom line. This has been true for over a decade. What will excelerate this trend is the fact that movie goers now demand aditional options at the theatre they attend, like adult only theatres away from the kids, bars & sit down restaurants, sometimes even special areas with bowling alleys & pool tables.
Take a look at http://www.muvico.com to understand fully what trends are emerging.
[Reply]
mallguy
April 25th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
Sean:
On Bridgewater Commons, I wouldn’t mind seeing the theatre relocate to the Village and expand it to a 16 screen stadium seating theatre (you can reconfigure the parking to be deck parking) and make the old movie theatre either a Bloomingdales Home or move Borders across the street to that location. On the Village, I am not very impressed and would like to see it reworked somewhat. Freehold has done a much better job on the lifestyle center and The Grove at Shrewsbury is even better.
Something like this was originally planned, but they kept it the way it is because Bloomingdales decided not to locate a home store at Bridgewater. Word is they are trying to attract Cheesecake Factory to the remerchandised dining area. The closest big movie theatre to Bridgewater is in Manville about 4-5 miles away.
On Marketfair, the movie theatre was recently renovated to be stadium seating…about 4 years ago.
[Reply]
Joey
April 25th, 2008 at 11:07 pm
Menlo Park: Hmmm… Yup Bloomingdale’s and maybe even Saks Fifth Avenue would work. I think if we give Newport, and the upcoming QB Neiman Marcus’s, plus the two we have now, we’ll have too many in my opinion. We only have 2 Saks, and Bloomie’s should seriously expand. I’ll make maps of MP next week, i’m busy. A new wing with both Bloomie’s, a new AMC and Saks is coming. built along the current lots of Steve & Barry’s and Rainforest Cafe. New garages will be built for Bloomie’s and AMC like GSP did. 2 new restaurants! I don’t know what they should be. Gimme ideas. and over 45 new stores on 2 floors! Give me store & restaurant ideas.
Livingston: Let’s see. We’ll update decor on the upper level, it sort of looks like a warehouse. Then we’ll add new store instead of ghetto and weird 1’s. They’re getting a Hollister. Give them at least A&F and A&F kids. Add Sephora, Armani Exchange, an expanded H&M with guys stuff, Club Monaco, Metropark, and more. Give me ideas. Yet again, a new wing. with Nordstrom as lead anchor, stores, and new reataurants, not a huge wing. also, add a DSW shoe warehouse outside, with an inside restaurants.
Bridgewater: Ok, they don’t even have an Hollister yet! Give them a new Saks, expand the theatre, a new Borders bookstore, new restaurants, give mi ideas. They seriously need more Short Hills-type stores! or the one I made in the Newport expansion. That’s about it.
Maybe we should do Moorestown Mall, or Monmouth, Paramus Park, or Willowbrook.
[Reply]
Joey
April 25th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
Livingston: For DSW, i meant inside entrances.
[Reply]
AceJay
April 26th, 2008 at 1:16 am
Yeah Marketfair is stadium.
Mercer Mall’s theatres (afaik) were never stadium, same goes for the original AMC Twin in QBM.
And man a Muvico would be freaking AWESOME.
But how would that happen, do you think they’d seriously build a new theatre when AMC’s 24 is so close?
[Reply]
Jason
April 26th, 2008 at 3:09 am
I work at the AMC 24 in Hamilton and from what i can gather…we have absolutely no plans on moving to the Quaker bridge Mall in the expansion. In fact…we are actually planning to undertake our first major construction in a while and may be converting two of our auditoriums (13 and 14?) into an Imax screen and might also expand the theater to make up for the lost auditorium space.
Of course, this is very tentative, but needless to say…I believe the idea of a theater (at least one with AMC branding) at the Quakerbridge Mall is a total pipe dream.
Let me get back to Freehold for a second. Wasn’t there also a second proposed expansion that was going to add Boscovs as an anchor to the mall? Whatever happened to that plan?
[Reply]
Joey
April 26th, 2008 at 10:07 am
Muvico is coming to Xanadu, it rox from what I see!
[Reply]
mallguy
April 26th, 2008 at 10:44 am
Jason:
A while back (around 2001) Freehold was considering adding a Sterns where the lifestyle center currently is. I think the only expansion we’ll be seeing that is upcoming is to the lifestyle center and they are also considering building a mall access road from Wemrock Road.
Joey:
Livingston Mall is currently under renovation and is too close to the Mall at Short Hills to attact the upscale stores. Plus there’s really not very much room to expand. Any further expansion of Livingston I wouldn’t be suprised to see in “lifestyle format.” And I think they are also getting A&F.
[Reply]
SEAN
April 26th, 2008 at 11:10 am
AceJay/Mallguy/Jason,
As a rule when a film plays at your local theatre it is licensed exclusively to that location, AKA a “licencing zone.” A zone is about 3 to 5 miles in radius in most urban/suburban areas. Because the AMC 24 is so close to QBM, the likelyhood of a theatre opening there is very slim. With MarketFair’s theatres being stadium seating that changes the whole picture. Unless Regal closes MarketFair Movies QBM will not get a theatre at all.
How ever you could build a new complex at Bridgewater Commons, because there is a demand & it is far enough away from Manville’s 12-plex.
Joey,
Here are some restaurants to consider, i’ll leave it up to you to choose wich ones go to wich mall.
1. KONA GRILL
2. STIR CRAZY CAFE
3. PAPA RAZZI/ JOE’S AMERICAN BAR & GRILL
4. CPK, yeah i know every mall has been getting one lately, I’m just throwing it out there
5. CF & or GRAND LUX CAFE
6. DAVE & BUSTERS this will make Mallguy very happy
7. MITCHELL’S FISH MARKET
8. BRAVO
9. COSI
10. STARBUCKS(just kidding on that last one.) LOL
mix, match, add, delete & repeat.
[Reply]
Joey
April 26th, 2008 at 11:22 am
WoW! MITCHELL’S FISH MARKET amazed me! That’s going to Menlo for sure! Also, I decided to make the old theater grounds, not the new one in the new wing, at Menlo, a DAVE & BUSTERS. It will work, believe me. Livingston will get Kona Grill and California Pizza Kitchen. Bridgewater will get Stir Crazy, Cheesecake Factory, and The Shannon Rose Bar & Grill http://www.theshannonrose.com/ The Clifton one is amazing!
[Reply]
SEAN
April 26th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Joey,
What do you want to do with Rainforest Cafe? There finantials are just as bad as the food.
I forgot to add another restaurant for your consideration,. DAILY GRILL. The food is good & worth adding to your list of options.
[Reply]
Joey
April 26th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Keep Rainforest until it dies dwn. And for Bridgewater cancel Stir Crazy, Cheesecake Factory’s new Asain concept Rock Sugar will be better. http://www.rimag.com/web-exclusives/articles/rock-sugar.asp
[Reply]
AceJay
April 26th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
Jason that’s pretty neat about IMAX.
And yeah, I know I’m just dreaming, haha.
It’s too bad they built the theatre there instead of keeping it in QBM. Oh well. Their loss
[Reply]
SEAN
April 27th, 2008 at 11:12 am
http://www.eastontowncenter.com
Guys,
Go to the link i posted above & see if that inspires some new restaurant, retail & design ideas for the malls we have been thinking about. Easton is unique in that it blends the best of malls, lifestyle centers & entertainment themed retail centers. There success has been unmatched, many retailers have there top performing stores either regionally or nationally at Easton.
AMC has a contract to install the latest projection systems from Imax. These systems don’t require the 6-foot high screens, they can be retrofitted using a projector that is about the same size as tipical projection systems but with higher ressilution & more flexability. http://www.amctheatres.com has a press release on this under the investors page.
[Reply]
SEAN
April 27th, 2008 at 11:31 am
12-07-07
“Imax signs 100 theatre deal”
[Reply]
AceJay
April 27th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Oh my god, that is beautiful. If only every mall was like that :
[Reply]
mallguy
May 4th, 2008 at 1:08 am
Apparently, Freehold Raceway Mall’s (and Danbury Fair’s since they’re controlled by the same company and are both very, very similar) renovation has been so successful that other malls are attempting to copy what they’ve done. Take, for example, Livingston Mall.
I happened to stop by the other day and they are coming along with their renovation. The new tile on the lower level is a similar color to that of Freehold’s and is also ’stone style.’ Part of the renovation is also carpeting the entire second floor of Livingston Mall (which is kind of weird to see at first) and the carpet seems to be the same that is the soft seating areas at FRM. The mall has also been repainted in earth tones…same colors as Freehold. Center court still has to be completed and the lighting still isn’t fully done yet, but it’s all coming along more so than the last time I was there about a month ago.
And another mall is copying Freehold in terms of adding a lifestyle center and that’s Paramus Park…we’ll see how that turns out.
[Reply]
SEAN
May 4th, 2008 at 10:46 am
What is with the copy cat remoddling of all of these malls, it’s like having every student in an american history class being the same in almost every way. LOL
Mallguy,
Did you check the link i posted on Easton Town Center? Go take a look & tell me what you think. This was only one of a few retail projects that truly impressed me from top to bottom.
[Reply]
mallguy
May 4th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
I haven’t been in a while, but Rockaway Townsquare’s renovation will mirror both Livingston and Freehold…last I was there, the new tiles were down and they seemed to look exactly like the ones in Livingston.
And Sean, I did see the Easton Town Center link and I must say it’s very, very impressive. It’s a shame that we don’t have anything like that in NJ. The closest thing that I can think of is Princeton Forrestal Village . It orginally started out as an open-air upscale center but could never get off the ground. It then changed to an outlet center and now it is remerchandising back to upscale. They did get two great restaurants (Salt Creek Grille and Ruth’s Chris) but there’s still a long way to go, especially with the upcoming Quakerbridge expansion, Palmer Square, Marketfair and new Montgomery lifestyle center.
[Reply]
SEAN
May 5th, 2008 at 9:35 am
I wonder if all of these malls are using the same design ferm, RTKL or Baltimore Design Group. What happend to the innovative & bold design features that made a good mall stand out.
[Reply]
AceJay
May 5th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
Mallguy, what? PFV is not going upscale unlss you count the two restaurants.
I’m dissappointed that the indoor part of the mall was converted to the fitness club, I literally hadn’t been there in 5 years, and when I go in to check it out, nothing’s left.
Also, there’s a freaking convenience store in one spot.
That’s not upscale.
The only reason that place is surviving is because tons of employees from the surrounding office parks go there for lunch, and the Westin of course.
It’s too bad, I have great memories of that place.
Anyone got pictures of the mall originally and then right up until it closed?
Also Ben and Jerry’s left, which SUCKS because that was the only B&J in the area.
Where do you live Mallguy? I’d guess Princeton/Trenton area.
As for Montgomery Promenade, that place is going to be strange.
I just can’t picture a lifestyle center in that location.
Especially with the Airport too haha.
The next 5 years are going to be interesting.
[Reply]
shaney_oyeah
May 5th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
They should renovate the mall section of PFV. It looks cramped and a bit outdated. They should also add a movie theater somewhere there, maybe southeast of the parking garage.
[Reply]
shaney_oyeah
May 5th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Oh and the montgomery promenade is probably the worst design. It’s in a bad, unattractive location in the middle of nowhere and its hidden behind a row of houses.. and an airport.. I think its the next dead mall, i cant possibly imagine it doing well…
[Reply]
mallguy
May 5th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
I stand corrected, AceJay…it has been a while since I’ve been there. Although I do remember it when it was upscale in the beginning. It’s a shame this place never really got off the ground. It’s really pushed back from Route 1 and with the newer overpass, it can definitely be missed.
Instead of making it into a really bad factory outlet mall, they should have made it into an entertainment and district with a group of restaurants and lounges and a movie theatre. The mall area is still very nice and it was very sad the last time I walked though it as it’s a shell of its former self. I guess the website is overstating their upscale turn.
And with The Bent Spoon and Thomas Sweets in the Nassau Street area, Ben and Jerry’s won’t be missed.
[Reply]
SEAN
May 5th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
I haven’t been back there in a long time, has that area been over retailed? If so-sounds like Nanuet Mall on this site. The difference being that NM is on Route 59 a main road with big boxes along it & PFV is mixed with housing around it. This prevents PFV from achieving it’s full realization as a retail draw, instead as a half baked outlet center.
[Reply]
shaney_oyeah
May 5th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
Princeton Forrestal Village didnt include houses in its original plan. Sometime in the 90’s, senior condos opened across the street and a retirement community was built surrounding it. Also, another office complex was built just south of it, off of the mall road. And also around the corner are these nice luxury apartments.
[Reply]
mallguy
May 5th, 2008 at 9:21 pm
If we can say anything about the Trenton-New Brunswick corridor of Route 1 is that it’s “over-officed.” I remember a time when all you saw on this highway was the Sears in New Brunswick, JnJ, the Princeton Hyatt/SMALL Carnegie Center and Quakerbridge Mall. In about 20 years this area has seen tremendous growth not only with large corporate campuses, but also on the retail side and on the traffic side (thats why 8 traffic light intersections have been changed into overpasses during that time).
If Princeton Forrestal Village came about 10 years later in its orginial upscale form, I think it would have had a better chance at surviving as with towns like West Windsor, Plainsboro, Hopewell Jct and Montgomery, the area is better able to support upscale shopping. That’s why QB is getting the expansion and Freehold Raceway Mall completed its expansion.
[Reply]
AceJay
May 5th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
Outlet? You need to take a visit there now. The old Market Court aka the indoor mall has been gutted and turned into the Can Do Fitness Club, KEEPING THE ORIGINAL RAILING:
http://www.princetonforrestalvillage.com/images/cando-3.jpg
“Where, in the Princeton Forrestal Center, is the club located?
The official club address is 121 Main Street, Princeton Forrestal Center, Princeton, NJ 08540. It
is the building that used to house the old food court (with the cupola) just opposite Tre Piani.”
Current Stores:
BLC
Calico Corners
Luxe Home Company
Monday Morning Flowers and Balloons
Silver Shop
Exquisite Bride
Edible Arrangements
Businesses:
http://www.princetonforrestalvillage.com/professional_services.asp
And the new Food court is here:
http://i27.tinypic.com/svhxyt.png
So basically it’s just a big Office park, a hotel, and a food court to the surrounding office parks.
Honestly I’d say it’s a great place if you’re emplyed around there. Walk to the food court for lunch, go to the fitness club after, pick up some milk and eggs at the One-Stop, and walk home after a drink at Tre Bar.
But yeah, anyone got any old photos?
BTW mallguy…The Bent Spoon? You MUST be a Princeton guy, haha.
Speaking of, Princeton Shopping Center is looking awesome. Now if they could just move or get rid of the Amoco =/
[Reply]
SEAN
May 6th, 2008 at 9:39 am
The last time i traveled to QBM I remember the NJT bus traveling through one of the enormous office campuses, it was the only way to get from PJ station. Did they build more of them since 2000? With the corporate jobs in the area you could turn QBM into a more upscale center, as AceJay has suggested.
[Reply]
mallguy
May 6th, 2008 at 11:12 am
It’s not just the corporate jobs in the area, Sean, it’s some of the towns too that could help make QBM more upscale. They have really come along in the past 10 years and continue to develop and attract affluent populations. And yes, they have built more office complexes….Carnegie Center has gotten bigger since 2000 and also since they finished the Meadow Road overpass on route 1. They’ve also expanded the Nassau Park shopping center, diagonally across Route 1 from Quaker Bridge Mall.
And AceJay, I’m not a Princeton guy…just like Bent Spoon…lol.
[Reply]
SEAN
May 6th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Thanks Mallguy for the info.
Now let me ask the $64,000,000 question, what the hell is taking so long. The reconstruction of the I87-I287 interchange in Tarrytown didn’t take this long. LOL
I hope that AceJay’s plan gets some consideration.
[Reply]
dave
May 6th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
Brunswick Square is finally getting a Hollister
[Reply]
AceJay
May 8th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
^Interesting.
Also an update on QBM:
Phase 1: Demolish existing Pennys and build the new store near Sears
Phase 2: Road improvements (THANK YOU) on Grover’s Mill Road, etc.
Phase 3: Anchors and rest of expansion “Still conceptual” (yay!) says Epstien, Lawrence Associates attorney.
THIS MEANS I STILL HAVE TIME! YES!
“John Albright Senior VP of Development says there may be an expansion for Macy’s.”
“When Councilwoman Pam Mount (former Mayor of Lawrenceville) asked about the prospective tenants, Mr Albright declined to release any names.”
Which means they’re serious and are planning something involving the Marketfair stores, or they’re not sure at all.
“…Open Parking Garage”
“…JC Penney will be a “green” store”
^Interesting.
Also it’s too bad I didn’t know about this meeting or I’d have come up with some concept drawings and pro site plans and actually presented it.
Either way I still have a long time especially if they’re saying the expansion is still conceptual.
I REALLY want to do this.
Again, I’d like to ask you all if you know people who can get quality site plans done for me free or at a discount.
I want QBM to be the best mall in the East. EVEN BETTER than Natick Collection.
[Reply]
SEAN
May 17th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
I just came back from Freehold, the mall looks fantastic! Exactly like Danbury Fair, down to the hanging clusters of lights & the center court Starbucks. The lifestyle center wing I think could support a few more restaurants & as said numerus times already a new AMC theatre. The land is there, it’s just a matter of time.
[Reply]
Joey
May 19th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
The Freehold website says Lucky Brand Jeans is coming downstairs, next to Guess.
http://www.freeholdracewaymall.com/map.asp?id=251&s=g108
The Armani Exchange website is looking for employees at an upcoming Freehold store. Where could this location be?
http://www.armaniexchange.com/storelocatorresults.do?method=view
[Reply]
mallguy
May 19th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Also getting Teavana and aerie! Lucky Brand Jeans will be going near JCPenney and the coming soon sign is prominently displayed. I did not hear about A/X, but that’s a good thing. Now all we need is JCrew!
[Reply]
Joey
May 19th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
Ya Teavana has been long planned. I heard aerie is taking up the old CVS. Am I true? They should open Gilly Hicks where Domain is.
[Reply]
mallguy
May 19th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
aerie is actually going where the current American Eagle Outfitters is located and American Eagle Outfitters will be moving upstairs in a very large space between Sears and Borders. Teavana is going to be in center court where the old Haggen Daz used to be. I’m very surprised the lifestyle center isn’t fully occupied. There are still two vacant spots between center court and JCPenney. The new Coach is open and I thought Disney was supposed to go where the old CVS was, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s where the new A/X will be.
[Reply]
SEAN
May 19th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
That is going to be one hell of a A E location, it must be 3 store spaces long. Sort of the H & M type, where stores move to creat these massive spaces fore a single retailer.
If Freehold has one thing going for it it is the fact that the number of empty stores is very small under 5%.
This maybe crazy but i think after seeing the new lifestyle center it should be enlarged with JC Penny moving to a new store someplace else at the mall with new retailers in the current Penny’s location.
Ideas?
[Reply]
Joey
May 19th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
I was thinking of demolishing the JCPenney, and making a whole new wing from the food court. With over 100,000 square feet of stores. With anchors JCPenney and Bloomingdale’s! Also, it will be accessable from downstairs, near Old Navy. With the lifestyle wing, definatly add new space. But they need new stores in the 3 blank spots. Add C.O. Bigelow, next to Coldwater Creek. And Anthropoligie next to CO Bigelow. The vacant spot next to PF Changs should be Carino’s Italian Grill. The extended outdoor wing should have stores like American Apparel, Martin + Osa (even though it’s odd), Chanel, Betsey Johnson, Origins, Soma by Chico’s, a NEW Pottery Barn, PB Teen, and PB Kids! In one building! Also, a new Williams-Sonoma, a new Ann Taylor Loft, SPACE.NK.apothecary, Polo Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Kids, and more. gimme ideas. i’ll make a presentation.
[Reply]
mallguy
May 19th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
Interesting, but what I think would be more viable would be to expand the lifestyle section further into the parking lot, kind of like what has been done at Streets at Southpoint. Make a promenade large enough that it connects with Dick’s Sporting Goods. The same stores you mentioned can work in this area. If there is the need for it, rebuild the movie theatre as an AMC Stadium Seating theatre and put it on the lifestyle center. While there is room in the back, it’s not as viable, especially since there are already two anchors back there and the lots there get crowded enough. To compensate for the lost parking, decks can be built between Sears/Macy’s and Lord and Taylor/JCPenney.
[Reply]
SEAN
May 20th, 2008 at 9:47 am
Mallguy,
Your configuration works out perfectly & joey, your store choices also can work. It is esential that that parking decks are added to replace any lossed spaces.
The new theatre should be built beyond the turn where the valet is located , around where the out parsel building is, just a few yards from Cheesecake Factory.
I might need some help with this.
[Reply]
goldfish
May 21st, 2008 at 10:45 pm
who keeps updating the bridgewater commons wikipedia page with false information?
[Reply]
mallguy
May 27th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Interesting news on Freehold Raceway Mall’s Wikipedia page…apparently, some of the vacant stores at the lifestyle center have been leased and they will be Urban Outfitters, Bath and Body Works (moving outside) and Chevy’s…I could be wrong, but there are still two small spaces available that could be cafe size and are next to the Center Court entrance.
Also according to the Bergen Record it was reported that Shrimp Market, which is opening in both Bridgewater Commons’s new food court and Willowbrook this year will also be opening in the Freehold Raceway Mall food court.
[Reply]
Joey
May 27th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
That’s Interesting! ^
[Reply]
SEAN
May 28th, 2008 at 9:49 am
I don’t know if it is just me, but i have problems believing the info on Wikipedia at times.
Macerich must be doing something right, dispite all of the economic news as of late they still atract good retailers to all there high profile malls like Freehold Raceway.
[Reply]
Joey
May 29th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
Hey, I got news on Woodbridge:
Upstairs, where Bombay used to be, a new Canadian women’s apparel store called Garage is coming.
http://www.garage.ca
Charlotte Russe has moved downstairs! I wonder what the old space will be upstairs.
579 also moved, in the old Denim Valult by Center Court
[Reply]
SEAN
May 30th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Joey,
Garage has been open at Palisades for a few months. I had no idea that they were Canadian, EH?
[Reply]
AceJay
May 31st, 2008 at 1:11 am
Holy crap guys check this out:
http://madisonmarquette.com/files/mf_brochure.pdf
Amazing.
I didn’t think they’d do it. But this will be awesome.
[Reply]
SEAN
May 31st, 2008 at 10:40 am
AceJay,
Whats going on there, I tried to read it but my screen reader won’t let me.
[Reply]
AceJay
May 31st, 2008 at 10:43 am
Redevelopment for MarketFair, try downloading it.
[Reply]
mallguy
May 31st, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Very impressive! Looks like they are trying to protect themselves against a soon to be a renovated Quakerbridge Mall and a just renovated and still evolving Freehold Raceway Mall.
[Reply]
Joey
May 31st, 2008 at 6:07 pm
News on Newport!
The Hollister opens mid-July! I peeked inside the barracade, the whole front is done! It look amazing!
Next to HCO, where the old Victoria’s Secret Beauty was, is going to be Bluemercury. They have one at the Village @ Bridgewater Commons.
The new Whitehall Jewelers opened, and the old Whitehall is going to be Godiva!!!!!!!!!
That’s all I know.
[Reply]
mallguy
May 31st, 2008 at 8:51 pm
According to the Trenton Times, the repositioning of Freehold Raceway Mall’s competitors, Quaker Bridge Mall, will begin this summer. Freehold raised the stakes and now it looks as if Quakerbridge (and as AceJay pointed out) and Maketfair will answer.
[Reply]
AceJay
June 1st, 2008 at 1:18 am
^Woah, that says they’re going to have a REAL Food Court.
Also June 2 vote, should I bring my plans to that vote?
“two new skylights will be installed in the corridor connecting JCPenney and the mall”
I wonder what this could mean… Is JCP just going to be tacked on to the side with no new wing? =/
[Reply]
SEAN
June 1st, 2008 at 10:40 am
AceJay,
Enter stage left, time to make your debut
[Reply]
mallguy
June 7th, 2008 at 2:04 am
Big news from FRM…J.Crew (2nd Monmouth Co location) will be opening this fall in the spot formerly held by The Disney Store! Very glad they will be joining…this is what I’ve been waiting for!
[Reply]
Joey
June 7th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
wow! That’s good! But that spot is coach!
[Reply]
mallguy
June 9th, 2008 at 5:14 am
JCrew is going to be right next door to Coach. I think there were two or three vacant stores next to each other (including Disney) that had their spaces reconfigured for Coach and JCrew.
And on the subject of Cheesecake Factory, it seems we will be getting another one in Central Jersey sometime in the future…this one in Bridgewater Commons .
[Reply]
Alex
June 9th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
Thats cool, it makes at least 2 new planned Cheesecake Factories in New Jersey.
1) Bridgewater Commons
2) Meadowlands Xanadu
I could also see Cheesecake Factory in:
1) QuakerBridge Mall
2) Somewhere in Atlantic City
3) Newport Centre Mall
4) Deptford Mall
[Reply]
SEAN
June 9th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
Hay Alex,
Didn’t we talk about Cheesecake going into Newport several months ago?
As for A C hell no! Thats the worst place to put CHEESECAKE FACTORY. Putting one on “THE STRIP” may work in Las Vegas, but the market is different here. A C atendence has been dropping do to Philadelphia park, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway & Connecticut casinos.
As for the other locations, yes they could work.
[Reply]
Alex
June 9th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Attendance has not been dropping, its actually going up. And 35 Million people per year is not shabby at all.Its the casino revenue that is dropping, and it might be becuase of the racetracks and such, but that is short term. AC is going for a more upscale crowd and couldnt care less about the people who are abandoning it for Yonkers and PA. Those places are like arcades compared to Atlantic City. There are over 5 billion dollars being invested into AC right now, so I would say The Cheesecake Factory would do extremely well there. (ps, try getting into PF changs in AC on a weekend night..you’ll end up waiting for at least 3.5 hours, sometimes up to 4.5.)
[Reply]
SEAN
June 10th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Alex,
You maybe on to something. The problem is A C has to shake the dive immage that has been hanging overhead for so long. The best thing that is happening is that smoking will be BAND on ALL casino floors in I believe October, I’m so thrilled!
The other thing that the city must do is rehab the old slum buildings & turn them into afordable housing units.
[Reply]
Alex
June 10th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Today it was published that casino revenues in May actually jumped 1.6 percent, so it looks as if maybe the loosing streak may be over.
Sean, it is true what you say about the slum buildings, and yes they should either be rehabed or just plain torn down.
Still, I think AC might be one of the future’s hottest retail meccas.
[Reply]
mallguy
June 10th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
And if the other hotel/casinos build themed retail in their expansions, AC will definitely have the potential of being a retail mecca…A New Orelans/Borbon street/square themed shopping for Showboat, an Asian theme in the Trump Taj Mahal, a tropical theme in the new Margaritaville casino (the soon to be former Trump Marina) and a NYC themed shopping area in the Hilton expansion. Pier at Caesars showed the high-end can make it in AC and The Walk proved that dinining and entertainment can make here as well.
[Reply]
SEAN
June 10th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
Alex,
I don’t mean to come up snake eyes, LOL but the real fly in the ointment is the fact that most AC travelers come from 2 to 4 hours away. With the price at the pump people may end up staying closer to home, unless they take the bus wich may end up costing them next to nothing. With the econemy right now going gambling maybe the worst finantial disision you could make.
ps This is coming from someone who enjoys a day at the AC casinos now & then.
[Reply]
SEAN
June 10th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
I forgot about the impact about the casinos in CT. if CF wants to open in a casino they should open in Foxwoods. They opened a new hotel in conjunction withMGM Grand. I’m sure they would welcome Cheesecake Factory with open arms.
FOX! WOODS! LOL
[Reply]
Alex
June 10th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
While Foxwoods might work, they still dont get 35 million people per year. I think somwhere in a new resort or shopping area in AC would do much better.
Also, AC is really targeting recession-proof customers ($800 per night hotel rooms…), and thats whats going to set it apart from anyother slot parlor that pops up.
[Reply]
SEAN
June 10th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
If that be the case Alex, then AC casinos better redeploy there marketing teams for that type of customer. As i type this only Borgada & the new MGM cater to that base. The boardwalk hasn’t caught up yet, and it shows. Although you wouldn’t know it from the higher & higher minimums as of late. $15-$25 at blackjack & craps, or $3 slots in nickels per spin.
[Reply]
Alex
June 10th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Yes, it is a work in progress. Caesars is higher end, and don’t forget about Revel on the north end of the boardwalk (opening 2010.)
[Reply]
Joey
June 10th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
News on Newport!!!!
Armani Exchange has asn orange slip on the board thing that says construction has holted til further notice. And CVS is getting a makeover. The Woodbridge one closed already.
Macy*s has a great sale. I got a Puma t for $5. lol.
I asked a Guest Services person, and they said its possible that A&F and Ruehl are coming
[Reply]
Joey
June 10th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
Newport should close McDonalds, and those blank huge spaces behind Sephora & Bath and Body Works. With that make a CF with a sidewalk entrance.
[Reply]
SEAN
June 11th, 2008 at 9:53 am
Thats not a bad idea Joey, for Newport’s redevelopment plan. How much space are we talking about, most CF locations are around 10,000 square feet or more.
I still want a new cinema & more sitdown dining options. the way it is now is really pathetic. You have much better food options on the streets throughout Newport than in the mall itself. Weall know just how bad that AMC location is, I hope they invest money in a state of the art theatre like the one at GSP.
[Reply]
Joey
June 11th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
I know, but here what they have to do to attract upscale shoppers & movie goers.
Make The Lux that I created, or similar with Neiman Marcus or Bloomingdale’s.
Turn JCPenney into Nordstrom.
Add all the Lux stores
Expand Level 3 with a new thEATery like in Walden Galleria & Palisades Center. Add a whole new food court, a Pei Wei, Joe’s American, Panera Bread, and Mitchell’s Fish Market.
And a whole new 14 screen AMC Theatres mimicing GSP’s complete with large theatres, huge murals, statium seating, and more!
[Reply]
SEAN
June 11th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
Joey,
What about removing Sears instead, if it’s Penney’s that goes I’m OK with that. As I said a wile ago the 3rd floor should be a theatre plus restaurants with a new food court built someplace else.
The one thing I overlooked was the garage goes around both Sears & J C Penny. To do what I want in my remoddle the parking structure needs to be replaced by building 2 structures on the sides of the mall nearest the S & J & the remaining section becomes a new lifestyle wing with Boarders, restaurants & Best Buy.
Joey, I’m going to need your help on this.
[Reply]
Joey
June 11th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
The Sears wing is going to become The Lux. Sears is over 190,000 sq feet.
If NM is 100,000 sq. feet, we can add parking , and add over 120,000 sf of retail.
Nordstrom has a disconnected lot, so does NM.
The reststarants are in the thEATery, save for TCF on the sidewalk.
Borders will come outside, near the new Nordstrom lot, which is smaller, but taller. B&N was my idea, but Hoboken has 1 like 10 mins. away. Also, next to Nordstrom downstairs, will be a big Gap with all the lines. The old babyGap will become Puma, Gap Men will be Metropark, and Gap Women will be j.jill.
[Reply]
SEAN
June 12th, 2008 at 9:58 am
Sounds good, although I just read yesterday Gap is shrinking store footprints & combining different consepts into a single store. It just depends on how large that Gap will be. LOL
I must have restaurants in my development plan other than CF, something that the general area doesn’t already have, such as Kona Grill & Mitchell’s fish market. Joey, You braught up Pay way, what is that. What kind of food do they serve, sounds like they’re from PF Changs. Do you have the web adress.
What other ideas do you have Joey, so far things look pritty good.
[Reply]
Joey
June 12th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
As I said b4, Mitchell’s Fish Market is coming in the thEATery. Maybe we can also add The Melting Pot and Jack Astor’s Bar & Grill, both in Walden Galleria to the thEATery. http://www.jackastors.com/EN/
Pei Wei is a subsidary of PF Chang’s. Enough of PF’s for now, and more Pei Wei. http://www.peiwei.com/
[Reply]
Joey
June 12th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
I have ideas for Livingston Mall!
I’m not going to make it super-upscale, but I am going to make the mall better.
Move Modell’s outside, and make it’s inside space Carol’s Daugter, Zara, Urban Outfitters, and aerie.
Get rid of Old Navy, and make that space Ruehl, Gilly Hicks, Heritage 1981, and Franklin Covey.
Some other new tenants upstairs include….. Chico’s/Soma, Abercrombie & Fitch, abercrombie, Puma, A|X Armani Exchange, Vans, Levi’s, The Body Shop, J. Jill, and bebe.
Downstairs new tenants are…. Forever 21, Coach, ESPIRIT, American Apparel, Sephora, Brookstone, Swarovski, and bebe sport.
[Reply]
SEAN
June 12th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
I went to the melting pot & the food is over priced, over rated & if you have plans to catch a movie forget about it. Plan for a 3 hour tour at at least $50 per person. The real flaw with TMP is after you go there you ask yourself OK, NOW WHAT?
[Reply]
matt
June 12th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
I know my mall sucks but does anyone have ideas for Brunswick Square in East Brunswick? lol
[Reply]
Joey
June 13th, 2008 at 10:49 am
Brunswick Square should build a new Mega Movies outside the mall, and make a Lord & Taylor wing where the current MM is and beyond. They should also add a second level, including the new wing.
[Reply]
SEAN
June 13th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Joey,
Maybe it’s me, I don’t know why Brunswick Square needs to exist at all. You are just a few minutes from 2 other centers that are so much better, although Woodbridge needs an extreme makeover ASAP. Menlo Park is a great mall that could be expanded with another department store wing, an AMC theatre complex replacing the existing Loews & a few more restaurants. Most inportently the expantion of the parking structure & reconfiguration of the surface parking lots & roadway system are nessessary reguardless if MP is expanded or not.
Now I realize there are a lot of people residing in East Brunswick, but unless BSM is raticly altered it won’t survive as an enclosed mall. There are 2 forces working against it. First the economic down turn & second compitission as already noted from MP & WCM.
We have a similar situation with Jefferson Valley Mall 45 minutes away from me, it’s existance maybe in question because Danbury Fair is only 20 minutes away with better stores & lower sales taxes. I don’t know how these smaller Properties will be viable in the longer term, unless they go the mix use route.
[Reply]
Joey
June 13th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
I have the perfect idea for the Woodbridge Center renovation.
1. new, bold logo
2. new lighting, including some track lighting. Most importantly, get rid of the little lights all over the place downstairs looking upwards.
3. NEW CENTER COURT! Get rid of the weird stair/seating area upstairs. get rid of the fountains and weird angles downstairs. Redo both floors courts with stone and tile floors. Have lounges downstairs with Plasma TV’s and soft seating. Have a new glass elevator in the middle replacing the weird stair/seating area. This will make WC’s center like a true center court. Also, a new glass, crystalized dome on the very top of CC.
4. New tiles and stone all over the mall.
5. new paint jobs in amber and gray
6. New glass handrails replacing those ugly green gate things. Also get rid of those things in front of GNC and foot locker. The green “gates” i mean.
7. Ramps
and 8. New art and sculptures.
[Reply]
matt
June 13th, 2008 at 11:01 pm
I live in East brunswick and I highly doubt Brunswick Square will be closing. With gas prices the way they are now, most people are not willing to drive all the way to Menlo, Woodbridge or Freehold. The mall is Simon owned which is a big company. Many people do visit the mall in the area. It suits what most people need in the area and has had better store come in and yet to come in.
[Reply]
mallguy
June 14th, 2008 at 12:11 am
A lot of activity here…I’ll put my two cents in.
Newort Centre: Happened to be in Hoboken today so on the way over, I had to check out Newport…what has been done with that neighborhood is absolutely AMAZING (haven’t been over there in a while). The mall renovation did brighten up the place more and now with that neighborhood, the PATH access and the Hudson-Bergen Lightrail access, I do believe there is the potential to go upscale. As had been mentioned by Joey, street level dining needs to be included in any long term plans…this neighborhood was old factories a few years ago and is now quite walkable. Kind of reminds me a little bit of Providence Place. That traffic level is astronomical and commuters will definitely stop here for some after work shopping and dining.
Livingston Mall: With the addition of Barnes and Noble and a fresh look, Livingston Mall has become a little more of a destination, but not an alternative to the Mall at Short Hills. They may attract some upscale store, but the majority will still go to Short Hills. The majority of the stores Joey mentioned are already at Short Hills or are about to go into Short Hills.
Brunswick Square: I disagree, Sean. Brunswick Square will continue to exist and despite its size it does quite well. Overall, the mall has a teenage problem due to the lack of a downtown in EB, but the mall is a good place for those local in Sayreville, South River, NoB, SB, OB and Monroe. Actually, Simon proposed an expansion for Brunswick Square back in the late 80s to consist of a new design and additional floor. Unfortunately, EB fought it and won because they did not want the extra traffic and were not willing to rehabilitate Route 18 in that area. Simon will throw additional funds to Brunswick Square very soon due to the fact of the opening of Summerhill Square, a lifestyle center one mile north on Route 18. Joey, your idea sounds good, but believe it or not, there is more room in the front, as opposed to in the back. Therefore, put the food court on that side, further expand MegaMovies, add more dining and deck the whole rear parking area as there is not very much room back there.
Woodbridge Center: Something definitely needs to be done! I would agree with lighting changes, replace the “gates” with glass, but also skylight changes becuase it’s a pretty dark place…and the lights above the skylights, which look like construction lights need to change. Flooring also needs to be brightened up and they should have given 2nd floor access to Dick’s.
[Reply]
SEAN
June 14th, 2008 at 10:41 am
I had know idea that passions ran so high on Brunswick Square, I stand corrected. As the old saying goes “you cant see the mall through the retailers.”
Joey,
Your Woodbridge Center Plans are really intrigueing, down to the center court elevator adition. That mall needs a new food court, restaurant wing & a new 16-screen theatre in adission to everything you posted above. there’s enough dead acreage at this mall to build a 2 level wing about 500,000 to 750,000 square feet if parking structures were built on the other lots. I know that sounds crazy but I have drivin around the entire property & the potential is there.
As for Livingston Mall, there is an upscale market for it if Lord & Taylor trends that way. However as Mallguy already braught up the lions share of the upscale market goes to Short Hills, as it has for years.
On the Newport front the more I go there the more interesting it becomes, pay atention to the different moving parts, such as mass transit, highrise commercial/ retail/ residential buildings, street activity day & night & how that is intigrated into a mixed use neighborhood streching into Hoboken & beyond.
[Reply]
Max
June 14th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Livingston Mall needs to expand to an extent far greater than just adding a Barnes & Noble. (The mall’s parking lot is so big that there is certainly more than enough room to expand.) I believe that the addition of either JCPenney (which really does not have any locations nearby) or Boscov’s (which has zero locations in Northern New Jersey) is exactly what the mall needs in order to better appeal to its core market of working and middle class shoppers.
[Reply]
mallguy
June 14th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
I would agree that JCPenney could work at Livingston Mall…the closest ones are in Wayne Town Center, Rockaway Townsquare and Newport Centre. Without demolishing any current anchors, the only other area an additional wing could be built would come off from the upper level mall entrances (better the Sears wing than the Macy’s wing. They really can’t build too much on the Eisnhower Parkway side because of the high tension wires that run right through the lot.
[Reply]
SEAN
June 14th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Here’s an idea for Livingston mall, add a wing like the one at GSP with restaurants & cinema. Just make the extention a little smaller . The nearest theatre is AMC Mountainside on route 22 several miles away, a 12-screen should do the job.
[Reply]
matt
June 14th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
I know there was once plans to add a second floor, but did they plan to add a parking deck like Menlo? They are supposed to build an outdoor section between Ruby Tuesday and JCpenney though that space seems small. I hope they do build a second floor someday but I doubt. Yet, you never know, and it would be a pretty big mall if another floor was added.
[Reply]
matt
June 14th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
^^
I’m talking about Brunswick Square. Sorry I forgot mention it.
[Reply]
Joey
June 14th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
Woodbridge: I think that JCPenney should be moved in a new wing replacing it’s old space. Bloomingdale’s should be added there. It will do good, believe me. It will be similar to Willowbrook’s. They should also transform the Fortunoff into a wing with AMC 14-screen theatre with new stores, a food court, and restaurants. Also, cut out all ceilings in the mall build large dome like, brighter ceilings with large windows on the top and the sides. Also, add new hang lights, similar to GSP’s AMC wing lights.
Livingston: Cut out the current Steve & Barrys, and build a new Boscov’s/AMC Theatres wing. There is already a entrance downstairs where the wing will be. Also, build a new Steve & Barry’s.
[Reply]
mallguy
June 15th, 2008 at 12:04 am
I could also see a large movie theater at Livingston Mall, however additonal dining options must also be added…Applebee’s alone doesn’t cut it. Without the dining options the theatre idea won’t work especially if they want to attract customers away from the Headquarters Plaza Theatre in Morristown and the AMC 12 in East Hanover.
Joey-Bloomingdales will work much better at Menlo Park than at Woodbridge. Neiman Marcus would also work well at Menlo Park. Would we move Fortunoff to another area of the mall?
I would defnitely support a second level at Brunswick Square. Again, build a food court in the rear of the mall attaching to an expanded MegaMovies and add a new wing coming out of center court and facing route 18 anchored by a Lord and Taylor. The entire rear parking area will be decked. Also, add more dining options. To fix the road situation, transform the Rues Lane intersection with Route 18 into an overpass, add two traffic lights on Rues Lane while dividing the road and transform the main Route 18 entrance into an overpass that can also connect with the Red Lobster, Denny’s, IHOP, hotel and office park across the highway. Both Macy’s and JCPenney also need to be fixed up and modernized. Along with Livingston’s Macy’s the Brunswick Square Macy’s is the only one not to be significantly renovated.
[Reply]
SEAN
June 15th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Mallguy,
At Woodbridge, it would make more sence to put an extention where JC Penny is located. Now if you want to… try this , take out the retail space between Penny’s & fortunoff then add a wingwith more restaurants, new retailers, perhaps a 2 level borders & an AMC all digital theatre with 14-18-screens. This could make WC over 2 million square feet in GLA.
I’m trying to picture where neiman Marcus would go at Menlo Park, I remember what you rote reguarding extending the mall out from the hallway where Rainforest Cafe is located & taking out the office building that’s in the middle of the lot. Now how large would this 2 story wing be. Would you just add Bloomingdales or Neiman Marcus as well. I could see it done either way, but most if not all of the parking would need to be in new structures or extend the existing ones out & around to accomidate the lost surface spaces. as for me a new theatre complex is a priority, that could go into the new wing as well depending on configuration.
You are so right about applebee’s at Livingston Mall. A mall like that could do so much better there are many new restaurant concepts out there just ripe to be tried out. I guess having Short hills so close by makes it more challenging, however that is no excuse for throghing in the placemat & not trying something innovative to atract your customer base.
I just had a brainstorm of an idea for Brunswick Square, the mall is 2.4 miles south of the transportation center. What if the mall had it’s roof removed & something like Americana at Brand was built around the property, with housing on top of the retail stores, along with green spaces & outdoor dining options. If this could be done it could really change the whole dynamic of the area.
[Reply]
mallguy
June 15th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
Sean,
The plan you discussed is actually going to happen at the Transportation Center. Sams Club will be leaving within 1-2 years (and moving to Edison). Trust me, Brunswick Square will be successful if it is ever expanded. Route 1 traffic levels to Menlo/Woodbridge are astronomical, especially with the current construction going on and Route 9 to Freehold Raceway Mall is progressively getting more congested every year. Those local to EB will go here to avoid the traffic, especially in this time of high gas prices.
On Menlo, I would put both Bloomingdales and Neiman Marcus on that new wing coming off Rainforest/Steve and Barry’s. That wing would be made two levels and where Rainforest Cafe currently is, a domed court will be built. On the immediate left will be Neiman Marcus (in the parking area where Fox and Hound and the old Arcadian Gardens is located…Fox and Hound is a great place and will get another spot in the mall). Just beyond the domed court would be Bloomingdales. The deck in the back would be exanded all the way to Bloomingdales (and given additional levels) and the deck facing Parsonage Road will be rebuilt with additional levels. Steve and Barry’s should also relocate to Woodbridge. I would rebuild AMC in its current spot but make it two levels and in also include a Dave and Busters. Menlo is already going to open a Work Out World at the Macy’s midcourt entrance in the back of the mall. Also as I had earlier mentioned, a lifestyle component near Barnes and Noble/Cheesecake Factory would be added and the current parking could be made into underground parking. And as we had earlier said, the interior road network must be improved with additional lanes and traffic lights wherever possible.
I think a Woodbridge expansion and JCPenney relocation is viable, but if you build an entertainment wing, the crime issue has to be addressed somehow.
And to add on Short Hills, I’d love to see a Grand Lux Cafe open here and there is room to build outside the mall entrance by Macy’s facing JFK Parkway.
[Reply]
SEAN
June 16th, 2008 at 10:09 am
Mallguy,
I had no idea that the EBTC was going to be transformed that way, that solves a hole slew of issues, if that property is large enough you could build a transit village there & leave Brunswick Square alone.
Policing is always an issue with entertainment wings at malls, but those areas are becomeing the difference maker for longterm viability. If you patrol constently & serve notice that out of control teens will be delt with through legal channels problems will subside. One mall that hasn’t done that is Poughkeepsie Galleria, on one visit there was a riot amung 2 gangs of youth below the restaurant I was eating at. I was told to stay inside the restaurant while the maylay went on. Based on what I was told you could assume this was not the first time this has happened.
[Reply]
SEAN
June 16th, 2008 at 10:16 am
Is the theatre in Sayreville being replaced? The Sayreville theatre closed a few years a go driving people to Mega Movies.
[Reply]
mallguy
June 16th, 2008 at 10:48 am
Amboy Multiplex closed because it was sinking. A big crack developed in the foundation and Ntl Amusements decided not to reopen. When the Riverfront and former Dutch Boy factory is redeveloped (they have something on the table, it’s just an act of actually building it), the movie theatre will be replaced.
The EBTC redevelopment is still another year two away, but Summerhill Square will be opening most likely in the fall giving Brunswick Square some direct competition.
[Reply]
mallguy
June 16th, 2008 at 10:53 am
Another interesting note about Amboy Multiplex…it used to be a drive-in movie theater and drivers coming south on the Edison and Driscoll Bridges got a clear view of the movie playing. Obviously, it caused a many an accident back in the day.
[Reply]
SEAN
June 16th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Speaking of movie theatres or lackof them , I find it weird that Woodbridge the 5th largest community in NJ doesn’t have one at all. the best place would be at the mall with all of the redevelopment ideas posted above.
As I type this I just realized that National Amusements also closed there theatre in Newark as well.
[Reply]
matt
June 16th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Mallguy,
Speaking of Macy’s being renovated at Brunswick Square, they just started renovating it last week lol. I didnt really look to see what they were doing but I saw some of the tile was torn out and there was sign that said something like “Pardon our appearance for Renovation.” I’m guessing they’re gonna put nice new tile and maybe renovate other parts of the store.
[Reply]
SEAN
June 16th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Mallguy,
I just checked out milage figures from Brunswick square to other area malls & I thaught they were closer than they were. I UNDERSTAND What you have been saying all along. I guess when it’s mostly highway & not street driving it can fool your sence of distence. Take a look at the chart I posted Below. Locals like you know this, but out of towners like myself may not.
mall miles min
Menlo Park 11 15
Woodbridge 13 15
Freehold R 14 15
Monmouth 25 25
assuming no traffic delays. HA HA!
All I can say is MY BAD!
[Reply]
mallguy
June 16th, 2008 at 11:41 pm
LOL…15 min to Freehold and Menlo from Brunswick Square…maybe in the 1970s.
Matt: Thanks for the update…I haven’t been over there in a couple of months, so if it’s a long term construction project, it’s about time.
Sean: Ntl Amusements only has 4 theatres in NJ left…another interesting fact…along with Amboy Multiplex, All-Jersey (Newark) and Hazlet were built on the grounds of former drive-ins. Woodbridge used to have Movie City 5, but that closed in the early 1990s…I think they are also hemmed in by the fact that Edison has 2 movie theaters (AMC Menlo and Clearview Oaktree…the former Movie City 6). I don’t see anything wrong with a movie theater in Woodbridge by the way.
[Reply]
SEAN
June 17th, 2008 at 10:29 am
Mallguy,
Drive in theatres were the oregins of National amusements, the first one opened on Sunrise Highway in Valley Streem Near where Green Acres Mall stands. Today it is a 6-plex in dire need of replacement, along with a 14-plex just up the road.
I never said that the time & distance figures were actual numbers just aproxamations. I can see adding 10 minutes to each, however I did say if there was no traffic, and we both know how horific some arteries like Routes 1 & 9 can be on a good day.
Take my word on this, when gas prices pass the $5 mark & it will happen soon, you will see a marked decrease of traffic levels on the major roads & ever higher use of NJT services. If you think the busses and trains are busy now, in about a year NJ Transit won’t know where to put all of the new riders.
What that means for guys like you, myself, Joey, Alex & others it is time to put our ideas to work & turn properties in to mixed use projects. Each one has unique elements , so each site must be examined closely for maximum utilisation.
[Reply]
Joey
June 20th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Went to GSP yesterday, they’re getting…..
a new Guess
a new Foot Locker
Lululemon Athletica
Kira Plastiniva or something like that she’s a designer that was on E and
True Religion!
Urban Outfitters was amazing, it’s a real nice store.
[Reply]
Barb
July 1st, 2008 at 11:42 am
Freehold Raceway mall used to just be a hang out for all the mall rats. Now they added a bunch of “rich’ stores to get rid of the teens. Didnt work but its only been a year.
[Reply]
mallguy
July 2nd, 2008 at 12:37 am
I was over at the mall tonight and noticed that Lucky Brand Jeans is now open and Teavana will be open very soon…at least within two weeks.
Although not fully leased, it seems as though the lifestyle center has been successful. After the mall had closed, both Cheesecake Factory and PF Changs were MOBBED and Borders was also pretty busy. Also noticed earlier in June that they have live jazz at the lifestyle center on Wednesday evenings.
[Reply]
mallguy
July 2nd, 2008 at 4:17 pm
One more thing I noticed…they are changing the lights in the parking lot to make the lot brighter at night…now I always thought the parking lot was pretty bright, but apparently this change made it brighter. I guess with the increase of after hours customers with Cheesecake Factory, PF Changs and Borders, they wanted their customers to feel as safe as possible.
[Reply]
Joey
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Kira Plastinina is open at Garden State Plaza
[Reply]
SEAN
July 6th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Visited Menlo park yesterday, & a few interesting developments occured. First, Esprit closed, second, Sharper Immage may close as early as next week, everything is for sale including all display shelving units. Third, and this is very strange, the space formerly occupide by Callifornia Pizza Kitchen which had beenwalled up for years had the walls removed. I got to look inside & it looks like nothing happend. Tables & chairs were set up as if they were ready for business, mind you they had been closed for over 15 years. When I went to the information booth to ask what was going in there, the two women told me “nothing untill the lease was up.” I said “are you kidding me? That space has been empty for over 10 years.” It terns out CPK has been paying rent all that time with an empty location..
Am I the only person who finds this weird? Perhaps they will reopen, but who knows. IfCPK is in Short Hills, why not Menlo or even Freehold Raceway, the latter 2 have markets that are somewhat alike.
[Reply]
JP
July 6th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
A lot of companies continue to make lease payments after they close a store, if only to keep out competition. Seems dishonest to me, but if the mall management gets paid, most malls don’t really try to stop it.
[Reply]
SEAN
July 6th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
If that be the case JP, then wouldn’t CPK use legal means to try to keep Cheesecake Factory out of Menlo Park? Perhaps they tried & lost, but I don’t think so.
On another note, Mallguy, this may peak your interest, Fox & Hound is having work done on there building. Left side next to the roadway. AsI walked over I could invision what you want to do with the mall & a possible expantion, it could really work.
[Reply]
mallguy
July 6th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Sean,
I was at Fox and Hound about a month ago and didn’t notice anything on their building, but if it’s the building near Fox and Hound that used to be Nobody Beats the Wiz, then the work being done is to transform the building into Todai Seafood Buffett. I never drive by that end of the mall, but next time I head over, I’ll check it out
That is pretty interesting about CPK and I didn’t know anything about that.
[Reply]
SEAN
July 6th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
Mallguy,
Yes it was the old Nobody Beats the Wiz I saw being worked on. my bad
Do you think that CPK would reopen at Menlo park? I know that they are everywhere, but I would like them to open another at Freehold’s lifestyle wing if possible.
[Reply]
mallguy
July 6th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
Sean,
Frankly I could see them reopening at Menlo and think it would be good for them. I remember when they closed and it was at the time that Champp’s and Macaroni Grill were the only sit down restaurants at the mall. Each restaurant there has their own way of attracting crowds and keeping regulars. And unlike Short Hills, the Menlo Park location still would serve liquor, assuming they still have their license (liquor licensing laws are much different here in NJ). I could also see them at Freehold and they would be far away enough from Menlo (30 miles between with a very congested route 9 in between them) to be successful.
On Freehold, I’m very surprised the lifestyle wing is not yet fully leased.
[Reply]
SEAN
July 7th, 2008 at 9:46 am
Just give it some time Mallguy, I’m sure those stores will be filled.
By the way Steve & Berry’s at Menlo Park was dead. I know thats on another page, but it relates to your redevelopment ideas here.
[Reply]
Joey
July 25th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
looks like Boscov’s is on its deathbed….
http://www.plainvanillashell.com/article.asp?ID=10206
—–
and at Newport Centre…
Hollister, Cinnabon, and A|X Armani Exchange are now open!
Godiva opens soon
Zara and Abercrombie & Fitch are coming in 2009.
[Reply]
Joey
July 28th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
Newport Centre:
I went on Saturday before I went down the shore.
They already got rid of Gulf Coast BBQ, which was formerly Cosmo’s Brick Oven. I liked GCB. They had such good food. They also are closing the Clip Joint next door, and Rave next door to Clip Joint. I won’t be surprised if all 3 are going to be where the new Abercrombie & Fitch will be. On an old lease plan, i added all 3 stores by square feet. If A&F is there, it will be 8,297 square feet.
Also, i took a lo-quality vid of the new Hollister.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fP3E6hcq1sY
Godiva opened. I liked it.
Armani Exchange isnt opened, the website was misleading. They’re an open house today.
http://www.simon.com/MALL/event_details.aspx?ID=114&EID=84071
I think the Pay/Half is becoming H&M. It was proposed Ruehl and A&F were going there, but… They should put Ruehl downstairs where Active Wearhouse & the old Lane Bryant are. I added both together by square feet, and it would be 10,446 square feet. Maybe they can add another, smaller store in the space to shorten it to about 9,200 square feet like Lululemon Athletica.
Aerie is going where Carlton Cards is now.
—–
When I was down the shore, I went to Atlantic City, and I visited The Pier Shops, no changes, just still alot of Leasing Oppertunities.
—–
My friend who works at Bebe in Menlo Park said they’re supposed to put a Ruehl there where the old ESPRIT & the old Jasmine Sola were. If so, it’ll be about 9,500 square feet.
[Reply]
mallguy
July 28th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Joey,
I had a feeling that was were Ruehl in Menlo is going to be, but last I heard aerie is going to open in that section…or maybe on the lower level. Sharper Image is now closed, so there’s another vacany in/near center court.
At Freehold, Teavana is now open and Armani Exchange will be opening upstairs near Lord and Taylor and JCPenney by the end of the month/early September….and JCrew in the fall!
[Reply]
Joey
July 28th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
Teavana was open last sunday when I went to FRM. They should put Lululemon Athletica where Sharper Image was in Menlo.
[Reply]
Joey
July 28th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
I found info on Newport Centre’s new shops!
http://thelifevicarious.typepad.com/the_life_vicarious/2008/07/jersey-city-mall-shopping-news-you-can-use.html
and..
http://jclist.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=14277&forum=1&post_id=161361
^ this talks about Banana Republic possibly opening!
[Reply]
mallguy
July 29th, 2008 at 2:34 am
Joey,
That’s interesting news about Newport…I’ll have to check that out the next time I’m up that way.
Also something I noticed on my last trip to Freehold…the mega-sized American Eagle looked like it was about to open…it’s probably open now and I’ll see this week. The soon to be former American Eagle will be aerie.
[Reply]
Joey
July 29th, 2008 at 11:34 am
The website says it will also be Spring too. The shoe store.
[Reply]
Joey
July 30th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Here’s some pics from Newport Centre, Short Hills, Pier Shops, and Freehold Raceway:
Newport:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29107694@N06/2717559402/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29107694@N06/2716745125/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29107694@N06/2716715061/
Short Hills:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29107694@N06/2717529214/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29107694@N06/2716715349
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29107694@N06/2716715489
Freehold Raceway:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29107694@N06/2717558496
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29107694@N06/2717558686
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29107694@N06/2716744971
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29107694@N06/2717559252
Pier Shops:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29107694@N06/2716745269
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29107694@N06/2717559560/
[Reply]
matt
July 30th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
joey,
i was wondering how you got the square footage of stores in simon malls. I know that simon does not show lease plans with dimensions/measurements of their stores.
[Reply]
Joey
August 7th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Siteride has lease plans that are old online
[Reply]
Joey
August 9th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Menlo Park Mall:
Coming Soon… American Apparel and Champs Sports
http://www.simon.com/mall/directory.aspx?ID=113
[Reply]
mallguy
August 9th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
American Apparel…very interesting. I was just there this week and didn’t see that mentioned. Looks like Champs is making a second go at Menlo. aerie is opening upstairs next to Apple and nothing concrete on Ruehl yet.
Freehold is now getting a Spring Shoes (one in Willowbrook) opening next to the soon to be aerie. The new AE is open and it is HUGE…probably the largest in NJ!
[Reply]
Joey
August 27th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
In Menlo…
Now that the spots between Apple & Godiva are being filled, the spot where i thought Ruehl could work, they can do what Cherry Hill did and split up Foot Locker into three stores. Put Ruehl & Urban Outfitters where Foot Locker Triplex currently is. Put Lady Foot Locker where Easy Pickins is, regular Foot Locker where the old Payless was & the vacant spot next to it should become Kids Foot Locker.
[Reply]
mallguy
August 30th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
Stopped by Freehold the other day and Armani Exchange is now open. Happened to be there on its grand opening day and it was quite the celebratory atmosphere in the store. The store is also more unique than its other NJ stores in terms of its design.
Also noticed that they put outdoor speakers in the planters at the lifestyle center a la EPCOT (I may have mentioned this before, but the pavement at the lifestyle center is the same color as the pavement in EPCOT’S Future World)…nice touch.
[Reply]
Joey
September 1st, 2008 at 9:16 pm
AX pry looks like the new Newport Centre one which has like an entrance thats all white lighted, and has a wider new AX logo. Newport Centre’s is nice.
[Reply]
AceJay
September 1st, 2008 at 11:42 pm
Was passing by and the family stopped at The Cheesecake Factory for dinner. Amazing.
Also, Gameworld, the arcade- 1st floor next to Macy’s, lost their lease, which I’m really angry about, but oh well.
[Reply]
mallguy
September 2nd, 2008 at 12:48 am
With the trend that FRM has been trying to take, I’m not surprised that Game World will be leaving. It will be interesting to see what it becomes, as well as the still vacant spaces (2) at the lifestyle center.
[Reply]
Joey
September 2nd, 2008 at 2:07 pm
They should put either Urban Outfitters or Anthropoligie next to JCPenney in the Lifestyle Center. The other spot should be American Apparel or Bluemercury.
—–
My friend who works at bebe in Menlo Park said American Apparel is open there now. She said they rushed to bulid it, and it’s lackluster. She said there’s traces of the old Sharper Image. I hope the GSP one is good. I’m going there September 19th. I also need to go to Ruehl, and I want to check out WHO AU.
[Reply]
mallguy
September 2nd, 2008 at 4:22 pm
I agree…the new American Apparel at Menlo is lackluster…the Woodbury Commons Outlet store has more character to it. Ruehl is in Freehold, too.
[Reply]
Joey
September 2nd, 2008 at 5:55 pm
I’ve been to the Freehold Ruehl. I like the selection, but GSP is closer. The Hoboken American Apparel is big.
[Reply]
SEAN
September 2nd, 2008 at 8:42 pm
Hi Joey & mallguy,
haven’t herd from both of you for quite a wile. I’m going to add my 2 cents, what if Cosi sandwich shops opened in the lifestyle area, the 2 open spaces look large enough. I know this horse has been beaten to death, but the theatre must move to maxamize the lifestyle wings full potential.
I have a question , I looked around the outside areas when riding by on the bus & noticed a lot of wasted acreage. What is the east/west street that leads from the mall to downtown Freehold? When you come off this street there’s a big box store on your right, but it is mostly older single family homes. To get to the main entrance you would make a left turn & take the ring road around.
I bring this up because there’s potential for either parking decks or aditional retail spaces. Being visually challanged, I need some help here.
Thanks
[Reply]
mallguy
September 2nd, 2008 at 10:14 pm
I had never heard of Cosi before and didn’t realize they’re in Livingston, Morristown and Westfield…interesting. There’s small store vacancy right next to the center court entrance and I think some kind of chocolate shop like Rocky Mountain might work there (Godiva is already in the mall).
The road that leads to Freehold Center is Route 537. Are you referring to Sam’s Club and Walmart on 537 east on the other side of route 33 bypass? I too think that has the potential to grow. Across the street on 537 from the mall is a farm and I’m surprised that hasn’t been sold yet.
[Reply]
SEAN
September 3rd, 2008 at 9:53 am
Mallguy,
I unfortunitly don’t know the roads in that area all that well, perhaps it was Sams Club I saw. The funny thing is, if you drive 1 block toward downtown Freehold you would have no idea that SC abuts an area with older homes. All of a sudden Sams Club comes out of nowhere. Verry bad zoning regulations on Freeholds part.
If you haven’t gone to Cosi’s yet give it a try, I really enjoy the food. On a first trip I would reccomend the TBM, tomato basel & mutsarella.
Pardon my spelling.
[Reply]
mallguy
September 3rd, 2008 at 10:31 am
Interesting thing about route 537…it used to be a quiet country road that goes between route 38 (in I think Medford) and Fort Monmouth. Parts of it are still rustic, but the section between Freehold Center and CetraState Medical Center in Freehold Township is very, very congested. Pretty soon, they will need to overpass the Route 537 entrance into FRM…especially if that farm across from the mall ever gets sold and transformed into retail.
[Reply]
Joey
September 6th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
The mall’s website says Tilly’s is opening in the former CVS location. First in NJ! And Brighton’s opening too.
[Reply]
Joey
September 10th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Newport Centre is officially getting Abercrombie & Fitch, abercrombie kids, FOSSIL, and Ruehl!!!!
The lease plan here shows Fossil is going where the first Motherhood Maternity was, and workers at the mall say that Ruehl, A&F, and kids are finalizing their leases. All of the A&F brands are opening in 2009.
[Reply]
Joey
September 10th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Newport Centre is officially getting Abercrombie & Fitch, abercrombie kids, FOSSIL, and Ruehl!!!!
The lease plan here shows Fossil is going where the first Motherhood Maternity was, and workers at the mall say that Ruehl, A&F, and kids are finalizing their leases. All of the A&F brands are opening in 2009.
http://www.simon.com/Assets/Mall/114/LEASING_PLAN/2810_NEWPORT%20CENTRE_CurrentWebLeasePlan-2_2.pdf
[Reply]
SEAN
September 10th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
Thanks Joey,
Please do something with the restaurant selection, the food court & sandwich joint are not enough for a mall that is upscaling it self. I know we talked about this a wile back, now it is time for action.
[Reply]
Joey
September 11th, 2008 at 9:07 pm
seriously, TCF & PF changs need to come. even a sidewalk panera bread would work
[Reply]
mallguy
September 11th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Having driven in that area and being amazed at the development of the neighborhood around Newport Centre, streetside dining would definitely work and work well. Hearing the news we have about Newport Centre, I would not be surprised…we are getting an additional Cheesecake Factory in NJ (Bridgewater Commons…adjacent to McCormick’s and Schmick’s), so why not another!
On the Menlo front, it does not look like Steve and Barry’s is closing, as the one in Livingston Mall is. And with the Ruehl rumors, it will be interesting to see where they locate in 2009 as there is currently not a great space available.
[Reply]
mallguy
September 27th, 2008 at 12:40 am
Spring Shoes @ FRM is now open. Also Barnes and Noble at Livingston Mall is now open and it’s a very nice store.
[Reply]
mallguy
October 18th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
I correct my post two back…Steve and Barry’s IS closing at Menlo Park. I think this is good because it really never meshed with the mall and now that wing could open up for any possible expansion. This may be wishful thinking on my part, but if you look at the pattern of retail in NJ and how at least 12 malls have gone through expansion or renovations in the past 3 years, this is totally possible, despite the economy.
JCrew at Freehold should open this month, but last I was there, the drywall is still covering the storefront.
[Reply]
mallguy
October 26th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
The covering of the storefront is off at J Crew and from what I can see, it’s a huge space…probably the biggest space of all the JCrew’s in NJ that opened this past year. They are supposed to open on the 28th.
[Reply]
mallguy
November 26th, 2008 at 11:38 pm
The new JCrew at Freehold is really nice and one of the biggest in Central Jersey!
I have been doing a lot of my Christmas shopping at Freehold and every time I have gone (usually on a Saturday), the mall has been consistently crowded…we’re talking Garden State Plaza levels! Macerich did an AMAZING job with the renovation and the mall has attracted many great names in retail in the past year. Even took a few pics of the mall at Christmas, the decorations are different from what they had prior to the renovation and have changed for the better.
Speaking of JCrew, I happened to be at Garden State Plaza this month and they recently expanded the JCrew there, opening an additional connected storefront for Mens and also opened CrewCuts.
[Reply]
therza
December 15th, 2008 at 1:56 am
I work in retail and have pretty much worked in every mall in new jersey in the past 3 years either for covering a shift for a few days or its been my base store. Livingston just finished their construction recently, it was identical to Rockaway Townsquare now (both simon malls). Woodbridge desperately needs renovation, the place looks outdated and it just seems depressing walking through there on any given day. Freehold looks real nice now with the construction being complete, however from my company’s perspective, business hasn’t improved much in the mall, we actually opened a bigger store in freehold last year and it hasn’t done nearly as much business as the old store did that was about 1/4 size of the current store. Bridgewater commons just finished all their construction and it is still in my opinion the nicest mall in New Jersey, its not nearly as big as Garden State, Freehold, Woodbridge or Willowbrook but it is one of the nicest malls in New Jersey. One mall that I still wonder why its still open though, is Brunswick Square, there is never anyone in the mall, the place is very dark and gloomy, and with its close proximity to Freehold, Bridgewater, and Woodbridge, what is the point of it staying open? People i know in my company who work there hate it!
[Reply]
matt
December 18th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
no, it’s actually not that close to freehold and woodbridge. It can take up to a half hour or more with traffic to get to either of those malls. Simon is a huge company and i’m sure the mall will stay open. The mall also has great potential of expanding and adding a second floor.
[Reply]
AceJay
December 19th, 2008 at 4:22 am
So, the leasing brochure for the QBM expansion was altered recently. It now shows what it most likely to be a food court (FINALLY) and a possibly Freehold-like lifestyle addition. I like it better than the original plan, and the Food Court location is good. Looks like they’re be getting rid of the lower rear entrance where Chick-Fil-a is now and making that into the JCP and Foodcourt area. This is smart since that part of the mall wasn’t very busy most of the time.
http://www.simon.com/Mall/LeasingSheet/7705_QuakerBridge_PropFactSheet.pdf
[Reply]
mallguy
December 19th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
AceJay, thanks for the link. I also like it better than the original. Looks to me like parking decks are going to go between Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus facing Quakerbridge Road and between JCPenney and Sears facing the rear of the mall.
And therza, I can guarantee that Brunswick Square is not going anywhere. Macy’s just renovated their store there (at long last) and if you ever go there on a Friday or Saturday night, that place is hopping (thanks to B&N and the movie theatre. Simon was planning on expanding by building a Bistro Row similar to Cherry Hill in the area between Barnes and Noble and JCPenney. I would like to see a 2nd floor there eventually, but we’ll all likely have to wait with the current ecnomic situation. Woobridge does need work, but it’s not nearly as depressing as Monmouth Mall.
From the consumer’s eye, it seems that Freehold has been doing booming business…headed there the past three Saturdays, the parking lot has been packed and the throngs of people in the mall were all carrying packages! I’m still surprised that one year later, they haven’t filled the remaining vacancies at the Lifestyle Center.
[Reply]
SEAN
December 19th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
Mallguy,
I think Freehold is not rushing to fill the lifestyle spaces based on the economic situation. Same for Filene’s in Danbury.
Before I forget, HAPPY HOLIDAYS! to you, AceJay & Alex. Maybe we can get our mall renovation ideas off the ground some time next year? LOL
[Reply]
SEAN
December 19th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
Mallguy,
I forgot to ask you, have you ever gone to the Crystal City underground in Arlington? I just received the directory in the mail & I couldn’t believe the enormity of it’s size.
http://www.thecrystalcityshops.com is the adress.
[Reply]
AceJay
December 19th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
Oh, odd, I just noticed the Garage near Sears. I wonder how that’ll work out…it just seems odd to have it there, blocking the “new” foodcourt entrance.
And hey, Happy Holidays to you guys!
[Reply]
mallguy
December 19th, 2008 at 11:51 pm
I don’t think they were going to put the deck fronting route 1 and the Lifestyle Center (not that you can even see the lifestyle center from Route 1).
Sean,
I have been to the Crystal City Underground, but not in a while…local to the CCU, I’ve been to the Fashion Centre @ Pentagon City and am impressed. Even though, I prefer Tysons Corner. Probably so on Freehold (and I didn’t even think about Danbury…very surprised Nordstrom hasn’t jumped at that space). On Freehold, I’d love to see Wiliiams-Sonoma and/or Pottery Barn return, or even a Crate & Barrel. At least JCrew is there now
And Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all of you as well!!!
[Reply]
AceJay
December 20th, 2008 at 3:35 am
I’m willing to bet they’ll re-landscape that gross-looking drainage ditch and make it so that the mall is actually visible from Rt. 1
Also supposedly they are widening it by one lane in BOTH directions, so that could mean a better front.
[Reply]
mallguy
December 21st, 2008 at 3:09 pm
I was absolutely amazed at the level of crowds at Freehold Raceway Mall yesterday. They do get very busy around the holidays, but yesterday was a new level! Every new overflow parking lot, as well as the parking lots of the sattelite big box stores were filled and people were walking toward the mall! There was extreme traffic on the mall’s entrance and ring roads, it took me 30 minutes to find a spot and 20 minutes to get out of the mall (most of that time driving to the exit)! It was wall to wall inside as well. To think, when it first opened, Freehold was struggling. With the changes it has gone through combined with the level of traffic there, it can now be conisidered the Garden State Plaza of the Jersey Shore!
[Reply]
mallguy
December 21st, 2008 at 3:09 pm
I was absolutely amazed at the level of crowds at Freehold Raceway Mall yesterday. They do get very busy around the holidays, but yesterday was a new level! Every new overflow parking lot, as well as the parking lots of the sattelite big box stores were filled and people were walking toward the mall! There was extreme traffic on the mall’s entrance and ring roads, it took me 30 minutes to find a spot and 20 minutes to get out of the mall (most of that time driving to the exit)! It was wall to wall inside as well. To think, when it first opened, Freehold was struggling. With the changes it has gone through combined with the level of traffic there, it can now be conisidered the Garden State Plaza of the Jersey Shore!
[Reply]
Sarah
December 22nd, 2008 at 5:48 pm
The Freehold Mall now has valet parking. It’s near the Cheesecake factory. I think if you had High Point car insurance it was free. I don’t so it cost me 8 dollars.
[Reply]
kyrby
January 17th, 2009 at 7:41 pm
Mallguy:
I stopped there recently and it was PACKED. I find it hard to believe as is isn’t the best mall i’ve seen in the area. Location location location.
[Reply]
AceJay
January 30th, 2009 at 12:01 am
So the Rouse Co. was working on a plan to build an upscale lifestyle center+mall+mixed use thing RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM QUAKERBRIDGE.
Here: http://i40.tinypic.com/2rh4m05.png
Article from 2003:
“they are proposing to build: one
million square feet of high end retail (Neiman
Marcus, Nordstrom), a first-class restaurant, two and-
a-half million square feet of class A office
space, a half million square feet of research space
(possibly including what already exists), a 500
room, full-service hotel, 800 units of housing, and
facilities for community use.”
That’s HUGE.
When GGP bought the Rouse Co., I guess they decided not to go forward with the plan, and thus, N+NM went to Kravco/Simon. In October, the land was put up for sale again by GGP.
I can’t believe that Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom already had commitments. In an article today it mentions that Simon’s not committed to anything but that Nordstrom is “eager” to open their store when it can happen. No mention of Neiman Marcus.
I’m going to go to West Windsor or Lawrence Planning boards and see if they have any draft site plans for that.
[Reply]
mallguy
January 30th, 2009 at 8:40 pm
I actually remember this plan! They had proposed it even farther back, but saw the failure of Forrestal Village and put it off a few years…then towns like Montgomery, Princeton, West Windsor and Plainsboro had building booms and a rise in affluent residents and it became viable again. If I remember correctly, I think Kravco/Simon sued to stop the competition.
[Reply]
AceJay
January 31st, 2009 at 12:18 pm
Wow, that sucks. If that plan had gone through maybe we would have seen, over time, the two malls become connected as one. That would be hillarious.
Also, if Forrestal was built on that plot of land, I’m fairly certain it would be doing well today.
You wouldn’t happen to have any site plan info or anything for that proposed mall, would you?
[Reply]
mallguy
January 31st, 2009 at 3:56 pm
I do not have a plan of it and I’ve looked online and haven’t found anything.
[Reply]
AceJay
January 31st, 2009 at 9:31 pm
Did they ever come up with a plan or was it all talk and no physical stuff?
[Reply]
Jonah Norason
January 31st, 2009 at 9:53 pm
What IS in the current spot, anyway?
[Reply]
SEAN
February 1st, 2009 at 11:32 am
Mallguy,
Can you describe what this plan is or was?
[Reply]
mallguy
February 1st, 2009 at 11:35 am
The current spot is farmland; one of the four corners of Route 1 and Quakerbridge Road (the only undeveloped one), and the remaining three corners have shopping centers (Quakerbridge Mall, Nassau Park, Mercer Mall.)
[Reply]
AceJay
February 1st, 2009 at 11:56 am
Jonah/Sean: http://i40.tinypic.com/2rh4m05.png
That land was formerly owned by American Cyanimid, used for agricultural testing and research. It’s mostly abandoned now, but for some reason there are still guards at the entrances, 24 hours a day, after being abandoned for 6 years…Guess they’ve got something important to protect!
[Reply]
Joey
March 22nd, 2009 at 2:20 pm
wow. These forums are dead! I wanted to let everyone know what’s coming soon @ some NJ malls:
Newport: H&M (opening where Pay/Half just recently closed), a new GNC (where Underground Station was), Garage (next to Lenscrafters)
Menlo: Urban Outfitters (where UNIQLO/ Square One was), Ruehl (unknown)
Livingston: Yankee Candle
Willowbrook: Bare Escentuals (next to Swatch)
GSP: Gilly Hicks (unknown)
Jersey Gardens: Gilly Hicks Outlet (Now Open), Levi’s Oultet
[Reply]
mallguy
March 22nd, 2009 at 11:49 pm
I heard about the future openings at Menlo and am excited, especially that Ruehl is coming. I thought, though, that Ruehl was going to be next to JCrew in the former Square One and Urban Outfitters where the former Steve and Barry’s was.
I wonder what will eventually take the place of Fortunoff in Woodbridge and Wayne Town Center….
[Reply]
SEAN
March 23rd, 2009 at 9:53 am
I was at Menlo Park on 3-21 & a few spots are avaleable for new retailers. The former S&B’s spot will be Home living. Nobody knows what will happen to the former CPK location in the back of the food court, although the windows are covered in black making it hard to see inside. My girlfriend told me she saw enough that it looks as if they could reopen at any time.
As for Fortunoff stores, I wouldn’t be shocked if Hudson’s Bay from Canada take over those locations because both retailers are part of NRDC equities as well as Lord & Taylor. However L&T already have stores at both Woodbridge & Willowbrook.
[Reply]
zach
March 30th, 2009 at 9:41 am
Did Fortunoff go belly-up?
[Reply]
AceJay
May 11th, 2009 at 9:31 pm
So FRM guys, Quakerbridge has FINALLY started ACTUAL construction. They’re clearing space for the new JC Penney. The NJT bus stop has relocated to the “Food court” entrance, and it’s very, very discouraging to see so many people basically loitering outside there. In addition, a bunch of stores have closed down inside. the Borders Express is gone in favor of the B. Dalton on the lower level, and a bunch of other stores I don’t remember are gone. More generic ghetto stores are moving in, sadly. One of the Steak places in the food court had been closed since last July and just now a new place has opened up. Steak n’ Salad or something like that. Sears’ lower floor (clothing) is always abandoned in favor of mall stores or JC Penney, which is always popular.
And Marketfair has started on their renovations already. They should be done by August.
In other Mercer County news, the Princeton Shopping Center’s finished it’s renovation. It looks great, with the exception of the Amoco (yes, Amoco) Service Station RIGHT IN FRONT. There were plans to move it to the corner of the mall but I guess that was deemed too costly? For Princeton? Hmm.
Otherwise the Acme in Princeton Junction is finally closed due to the competition from Route 1 (Wegmans and ShopRite) Supposedly a Trader Joe’s (first one in Central Jersey) was going to replace it when the whole Princeton Junction Transit Village was going to happen, but they pulled out and are going to be open by august at the Lowe’s Shopping Center across from Marketfair. Couple that with a restaurant (Red Robin? Cracker Barrel?) and you’ve got a decent center finally.
I also finally drove up to Menlo and Woodbridge. Woodbridge is gross, with the exception of the upper level’s center court seating area thing. That’s awesome. Menlo is pretty upscale.
[Reply]
AceJay
May 21st, 2009 at 11:28 pm
@Quakerbridge:
Niiiice, looks like Nordstrom’s pulled out:
http://about.nordstrom.com/ourstores/openings/openings.asp?origin=OurStoresTile
They’re not listing QBM on the site anymore. Not only that, but Simon’s gotten rid of 80% of the malls on their redevelopment/on the horizon/etc pages, and on the QB Leasing page, the Redevelopment tab is gone.
Strangely enough, this link still works:
http://www.simon.com/mall/LeasingSheet/QuakerBridge849.pdf
I think I posted the link to the second version of that PDF, where they seem to have made some minor changes.
[Reply]
Joey
June 25th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
Hey, it’s been a while, and i’m a bit down in the dumps about the closure of Ruehl.
To be honest, I saw it coming. I hope the GSP and Freehold shops are replaced with Gilly Hicks at least. I can’t shop there, but my sister can. Anyway, in 2009, Ruehl had big expansion plans. They were to open 45 more stores this year, including Newport Centre Mall, Cherry Hill Mall, Menlo Park Mall, and Danbury Fair Mall in Connecticut.
Newport Centre has put most of its store openings on hold. Abercrombie & Fitch decieded to open stores internationally, and Newport’s A&F and kids stores have a 2010 proposed date. Garage is also on hold too. bluemercury never opened either.
[Reply]
mallguy Reply:
June 25th, 2009 at 8:29 pm
@Joey,
That is a shame! Apparently the chain has been losing money . It was a great concept while it lasted. It’s a good shot they will be…I would also love to see Martin + Osa replace it, (if it were in Freehold, it would open up right across from Banana Republic) but with this ecnomic climate, I don’t think it’s likely. When Ruehl decided not to open at Menlo, I knew something was up.
Speaking of Menlo, Urban Outfitters just opened there and they will soon open in Red Bank and are considering Freehold.
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SEAN Reply:
June 26th, 2009 at 8:43 am
@mallguy,
I was at Menlo Park Saturday, there are 8 empty stores. Most are in the Nordstrom end with the others in the back of the food court near Champs Americana.
The traffic count was tipical for a Saturday with Cheesecake Factory having a 1 hour wait & growing. Infact someone left before there pager buzzed& just left it on a bench instead of returning it.
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mallguy Reply:
August 14th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
@SEAN,
I noticed those empty stores too, but Menlo is still fine. It’s just the economic climate. The Freehold Cheesecake Factory has also been doing booming business.
Unfortunately, I think they have either delayed or cancelled their Bridgewater Commons location.
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SEAN Reply:
August 15th, 2009 at 9:19 am
@mallguy, CF has made a few changes to its website & there are no locations comeing soon. I recall seeing Bridgewater Commons as one of the future locations. Truthfully they don’t need it. Menlo Park is about 15 miles away? Yet another one was going to open at the disaster that is Xanadu
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mallguy Reply:
August 16th, 2009 at 12:21 am
@SEAN,
Bridgewater Commons may be only 15 miles away, but their trade areas really do not overlap. Those who live in Hunterdon, Northern Somerset and Morris Counties will be very happy. The next closest CF for them is in Willowbrook.
The Freehold shoppers are definitely happy about getting a Cheesecake Factory location as can be told by the long waits there.
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SEAN Reply:
August 17th, 2009 at 8:55 am
@mallguy, If that’s the case then should Nordstrom open a store at Bridgewater. The demographics are inline with Short Hills & the store roster reflects this. I realize they may not have the physical space do to the tight land parcel that the mall sits on, but those shoppers who want to go to Nordstrom need to drive to Menlo Park anyway. Unless Bloomingdales Moves into the Macy*s store & Nordstrom builds a new store on the site of the former Stern’s/ Bloomingdale’s location. That might work, if that is what the locals want. Right now I’m not sure about that.
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mallguy Reply:
August 17th, 2009 at 9:36 am
@SEAN,
I could totally see Nordstrom at Bridgewater Commons. It may be a little tight, but they can fit a small 3 level wing (remember, half of the mall is three levels) coming off center court and going on an angle toward 202-206 and build another parking deck between that wing and Macy’s. They really don’t need to close any stores to add new ones. I can tell you, that Macy’s isn’t going anywhere as the next closest Macy’s are Menlo, Quakerbridge and Short Hills.
If Macerich owned Bridgewater Commons and not General Growth, and we weren’t in the economic climate we’re currently in, this expansion option could be a possibility.
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SEAN Reply:
August 17th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
@mallguy, So right. How do FRM, Bridgewater Commons, Menlo Park & Short Hills compare Demographicly speaking. Short Hills we all know is as top tear as it gets around metro New York.
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mallguy Reply:
August 18th, 2009 at 7:13 pm
@SEAN,
I would agree and rank Short Hills at the top. In terms of affluence of trade area, I think it’s Bridgewater, Freehold, then Menlo. It’s absolutely amazing to see how the area around Freehold has grown over the past 20 years!
I would put Garden State Plaza and The Westchester up with Short Hills.
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Joey
June 28th, 2009 at 7:36 pm
I have a feeling the Freehold Ruehl is gonna become a gross furniture store like Period & Castle Furniture.
BCBGMAXAZRIA is also coming to Freehold.
Tilly’s is coming to GSP and Woodbridge
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Joey
July 20th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
I visited Freehold Raceway Mall yesterday. It was the best shopping expierience i’ve had in a while. The air conditioning was perfect, unlike most malls. We ate at The Cheesecake Factory, like last July around this time on a Sunday, no wait. We all went on a sort of spree. Nordstrom was having their anniversary sale, and Lord & Taylor had a great sale. My sister bought a Betsey Johnson bag from L&T for only $50.00, originally $100. My mother bought some stuff from Nordstrom, Yankee Candle, and Sur La Table. I bought plenty of stuff from Ruehl, Hollister, and Abercrombie & Fitch. Sad Ruehl’s closing, they had some good items yesterday on sale. I’ll still go to this mall, though Ruehl will close, the Abercrombie is huge. I got a chance to visit Tilly’s. Pretty cool store. I like that it has movie-poster like screens displaying new items on the side of the store. Also, P.S. by Aeropostale opened three days ago. It looks decent for a kids store. AT&T is remodeling, with a temporary location upstairs in the Lord & Taylor wing, i think. Image, which was upstairs, is now East Meets West. In the outdoor lifestyle center, there were signs showing what new store are coming to vacate the empty spots. I didn’t see them, because we were leaving the mall then, but i think bebe is one of them. My friend who works at the menlo bebe said something about an upcoming freehold store. I will be here again this year during the christmas season. This means i’ll get to visit the Freehold Ruehl once more, and buy stuff from it. We all enjoyed our day yesterday.
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