Monmouth Mall; Eatontown, New Jersey
All of this Steinbach posting has put me in a New Jersey mood lately. Malls are as synonymous with New Jersey as Bruce Springsteen, so there’s plenty of neat ones to pick from, and the 1.5 million-square-foot Monmouth Mall on the Jersey Shore is one of the cooler ones that I visited for the first time in November of 2006.
The Monmouth Mall is visibly old, and originally began its life as an open air center built on the site of a former farm in 1960. A 1975 expansion brought it to its current, massive size, and renovations in 1987 and 1996 added a food court and movie theatre. Like many old malls, Monmouth Mall has had many anchor stores rotate in and out over the years:
- Abraham & Straus became Stern’s, which in turn became Boscov’s. (You can even see a photo of this store during its Stern’s days here)
- Bamberger’s became Macy’s.
- Alexander’s became Caldor, which in turn became Nobody Beats the Wiz, which then became Burlington Coat Factory. While I have no firsthand experience, the mall directory makes it appear that the Loew’s Cinemas were carved out of this area as well.
- Hahne & Company became Lord & Taylor.
- There’s also a JCPenney. No idea what that might’ve been, if it was ever anything else.
The Vornado Realty Trust-owned center is one of the most successful malls on the Jersey shore today, despite a location that’s relatively close to the Freehold Raceway Mall, one of the state’s largest and newest enclosed shopping malls. I think Monmouth Mall is cool because of its bizarre floorplan and changing decor–if you look at the directory below, you can tell that there is one long wing that begins as a grand, one-level atrium in front of Macy’s before splintering into two levels (much like the Cherry Hill Mall) and continuing a long ways to the modern-day Boscov’s anchor store. In the other direction, at the Macy’s store, the mall takes a 90 degree turn and narrows substantially enroute to the large food court and Burlington Coat Factory store.
And if the floorplan itself doesn’t excite you, then look at the facade of the Macy’s (which is, again, a former Bamberger’s store): check out the wood paneling! It’s pretty vintage and fun.
EDIT 4/29/2007 10:11AM EST: Silly me, I forgot to finish my research when I posted this article. Want to see a vintage advertisement of the Easter Bunny at Monmouth Mall? Because you can.
Outdoor
Macy’s > Food Court wing
Macy’s > Boscov’s wing (2 levels)
Max
April 28th, 2007 at 7:18 pm
Another excellent post, Caldor! However, before I comment about the Monmouth Mall, I want to tell you about a problem with the board that I am having: earlier today, I tried to post a comment in your thread about the Steinbach stores. However, when I submitted my comment, it never appeared on the blog. And, when I tried to resubmit the comment I received an error message stating “a duplicate comment has been detected; it looks like you’ve already said that.” Unfortunately, this is not the first time that this has happened; instead, this is a somewhat common occurrence. It would be greatly appreciated if you or Prangeway could provide any insight as to why this is happening.
Now, on to the Monmouth Mall:
Even though the Freehold Raceway Mall is better looking and more luxurious, I actually prefer the Monmouth Mall simply because it has such a unique anchor in Boscov’s. The Boscov’s at this mall is particularly large (perhaps even the largest in the chain), and its third floor is a real highlight, with its great electronics and candy departments.
Despite the neat wood paneling, the Macy’s in the Monmouth Mall is a dump. For instance, on the bottom floor (where housewares and domestics are located), there are numerous tears in both the carpeting and the flooring. Sadly, I have found such poor housekeeping to be especially common at Macy’s locations that were once Bamberger’s: witness the junky stores at the Livingston Mall and the Willowbrook Mall as well. (Although I do concede that some of the former Bamberger’s locations are quite nice looking, such as the store at the Garden State Plaza.) This is a real shame, because back when Bamberger’s–which was/is one of my all time favorite department stores–was in existence, they always did a great job at keeping their stores clean. Unfortunately, this cleanliness–along with the community involvement that Bamgerger’s was known for–all disappeared after the chain became Macy’s in 1986.
Finally, as many of you know, the Monmouth Mall is one of three gigantic malls in Central New Jersey (with the others being the Freehold Raceway Mall and the Woodbridge Center); as a matter of fact, these three malls are among the top five largest in the state, as shown on wikipedia’s list of New Jersey’s 16 largest shopping malls:
1. Garden State Plaza–2,000,000 sq. ft.
2. Woodbridge Center–1,633,000 sq. ft.
3. Freehold Raceway Mall–1,600,000 sq. ft.
4. Monmouth Mall–1,500,000 sq. ft. (tie)
4. Willowbrook Mall–1,500,000 sq. ft. (tie)
6. The Mall at Short Hills–1,342,000 sq. ft.
7. Deptford Mall–1,300,000 sq. ft.
8. Jersey Gardens–1,292,611 sq. ft.
9. Cherry Hill Mall–1,283,000 sq. ft.
10. Rockaway Townsquare Mall–1,250,000 sq. ft.
11. Menlo Park Mall–1,232,000 sq. ft.
12. Newport Centre Mall–1,149,147 sq. ft.
13. Echelon Mall–1,140,000 sq. ft.
14. Quaker Bridge Mall–1,102,000 sq. ft.
15. Moorestown Mall–1,046,100 sq. ft.
16. Hamilton Mall–1,028,500 sq. ft.
(Here, note that the above list includes every single New Jersey mall that has at least 1,000,000 sq. ft. Also, note that the Freehold Raceway Mall will become the second largest mall once its expansion is complete. Additionally, half of the Echelon Mall is in the process of demolition, while the Quaker Bridge and Cherry Hill Malls are being expanded.)
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Caldor
April 29th, 2007 at 12:08 am
Max:
Thanks for bringing the “missing comment” issue to my attention. It was a simple (but regrettable) problem: the comment was automatically flagged as spam by Akismet. You may not realize it because Akismet works great 99.9% of the time, but this site attracts between 2000-3000 spam comments a week, most of them outrageously filthy in nature. Unfortunately, because it is robust, it does occasionally pick out legitimate comments and move them to the spam folder. I used to go through this folder manually on a daily basis, but there’s *so much* nowadays that I don’t always find time to get to it. But either way, if it happens again let me know and I’ll make sure to go looking for the inappropriately flagged comment.
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Max
April 29th, 2007 at 12:30 am
Caldor, I greatly appreciate the insight that you provided in your above post. I also want to thank you for all of the hard work and effort you put into running and maintaining this site.
Despite the long nature of my initial post, there were actually some things about the Monmouth Mall that I forgot to comment about:
*I remember reading on the internet (perhaps it was on wikipedia) that Montgomery Ward was an initial 1960 anchor of the mall (along with Bamberger’s, of course). Apparently, this was one of the few New Jersey locations that Montgomery Ward ever had. I was not given any idea as to when it closed; however the building was eventually torn down. I certainly wonder as to whether the former Montgomery Ward building was located where the 1975 extension now sits.
*This mall has a separate Macy’s Kids store that is not adjacent to the mall’s main Macy’s location. Does anybody know when this store opened, as well as what store was previously located there?
*Does any body know exactly when the mall was enclosed? Was it during the 1975 expansion that added A&S, Hahne’s, and JC Penney? Also, how did the 1987 and 1996 renovations differ from each other (in terms of new stores/wings being added, new flooring installed, etc.)?
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mallguy
April 29th, 2007 at 12:38 am
The Monmouth Mall has always been a classic. As you had noted, Caldor, the Loews Theatre was carved out of the former Alexander’s/Caldor. Before the 1996 renovations, the top floor of Alexander’s/Caldor was quite bigger and they basically rebuilt the top floors as part of the new food court, an expanded mall area and Loews Theater…note the truck tunnel by route 35 that heads down to the former basement floor of Alexander’s. The basement was left behind and after the renovations, became The Wiz and then Burlington Coat Factory. And JCPenney was always JCPenney and was only recently freshened up.
Even though Monmouth Mall is a classic, it is underutilized and is in dire need of a fix-up. First, the mall needs to be brightened up a lot. I remember Monmouth Mall before its 1987 renovations and the place was downright dark. Those renovations did a lot to brighten the place up and also give more room (lowered seating areas and permanent planters, as well as a stage in front of JCPenney were removed). If I were running things at Vorando, I would do a few things to fix up this retail gem: first I’d brighten the place up so more natural light filters in, change the flooring and maybe throw in a fountain or two for a little character…the 1996 renovation was less of a renovation and more of an expansion; second I would expand the 2nd floor to Macys and also rebuild the wing that heads out toward Wyckoff Road…there is enough room to build a small wing, as well as an additional anchor…and with communities like Rumson, Fair Haven and Colts Neck not too far off, there is no reason why that anchor can’t be affluent; third, I would re-merchandise the 1 level food court wing into an entertainment/lifestyle wing…keep the movie theatre but update the food court, bring in some new restaurants/bars and also a bookstore with cafe; lastly, I would add a parking deck between the ‘new Wyckoff Road Wing’ and Lord and Taylor, as well as between Loews and JCPenney to improve the parking situation.
With its close location to GSP exit 105 and great spot near the beaches (and potential for major profit on rainy summer days), there is no reason that Monmouth Mall shouldn’t be one of the retail Powerhouses and Vorando should definitely do much more to this mall than add a Dick’s Sporting Goods in the Bosov’s Parking Lot.
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chris
April 29th, 2007 at 1:27 am
first of off thanx for adding my page’s as links I have been to these stores so much I have been going to the monmouth mall snce I was a little boy and to this day I still go there even though I live 25 miles away in woodbridge I miss A&S that was one of my favorite stores at that mall
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Steven Swain
April 29th, 2007 at 10:36 pm
I have some exterior shots of Monmouth Mall, as well as some vitage ads at LiveMalls:
http://livemalls.blogspot.com/search/label/Monmouth%20Mall
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XISMZERO
April 30th, 2007 at 1:06 pm
That “Easter Bunnicula” in the ad is supposed to invite people albeit children?! Man, us children of the 80s (who grew up in the 90s) had it eaaaasy.
I like the Macy’s here; love the wood panels and oddly placed poles in the middle of the entry way. The rest of the mall, decor wise, seems kind of blah fooey.
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Matt from WI
April 30th, 2007 at 2:12 pm
Agreed. The Macy’s area of this mall is the interesting part. Even that sign looks vintage without the star fronting it like on today’s logo that I’ve seen installed on all stores that Federated bought out of the May Co. merger.
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Gary Nelson
May 1st, 2007 at 4:13 am
What I like about the design of this mall is how the food court level is split between the lower and upper levels. It would make it more difficult to expand the second level all the way to the Macy’s store like the one previous commented said, but it also is fine the way it is because this complex is essentially 2 malls put together, the dual-level section and the food court section. I agree that the latter could be converted into an entertainment/lifestyle wing. The food court looks almost like the ones that are located inside the Mills megamalls, so it already has an entertainment aspect to it with the themed decor. With the food court and the movie theater, it can be opened later than the rest of the mall, and with the addition of a few more places like a Cheesecake Factory, Lucky Strike Lanes and Dave & Busters, this can really kick this mall into high gear.
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Bobby
May 3rd, 2007 at 4:00 pm
What did the Macy’s Kids used to be?
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Mike
May 7th, 2007 at 1:04 pm
Gary,
The food court is not exactly split between the 2 levels. The two levels meet about 50-75 yards in front of Macy’s, entering into a fairly grand area. If the floor in front of Macy’s were lowered, you definitely could have 2 levels continue to Macy’s, and have the 2 levels come together the same way heading down the corridor to the food court. It is definitely the oddest design for a mall I’ve experienced, and is much different from the 2 other ‘vanilla’ malls at the shore, Freehold and Ocean County.
Mike
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Nancy
May 12th, 2007 at 5:07 pm
Stumbled upon this and it is making me nostalgic. I used to shop at Bambergers when I was a kid, and I remember when the mall was originally enclosed. Back then, Mom used to drop us eleven year olds off (you could do that then) with 5 bucks and we’d hang there all day “shopping.” I think there is still a very old elevator from that time in the ladies department of Macys. When I was a child the kids’ deptartments were upstairs. I don’t remember what the new kids’ store used to be–I moved away in 1979 and returned 20 years later. I do remember that there was a little oval pizza place (Lucas?) outside around that end. Also near there was an art supply store called Paint N Place, rumored to be owned by the parents of the pop singer Melanie (I’ve Got a Brand New Pair of Roller Skates). Don’t know if that’s true. On the other side of the mall (Alexanders end) there were a few stores set off by themselves: The Plum Tree that sold candles and insense, Parklane hosery (where we all got our danskins for ballet class) and a few others. I also remember a large sporting goods store that was freestanding. This area later became the movie theater, etc. My favorite store, however, was Kresges, which was located across the way from what is now the food court, if I remember correctly. You could get a lot for the 3 bucks you had left over after lunch. While I enjoy being nostalgic about the mall, I rarely shop there. The quality of the stores and merchandise is pretty lousy compared to other places in the area. I agree with mallguy–this place needs an overhaul, and I’ve heard many say the same thing. It has so much potential. Many people I know hate it and will travel to Menlo Park or Short HIlls. And you can’t even go to the movie theaters there on weekend evenings–there have been problems with teens.
One note about Boscovs–It is unique in that it still has a toy department–you rarely see that anywhere in a dept. store these days.
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mallguy
May 27th, 2007 at 1:29 pm
Back in the 1980s, there used to be a video arcade near the Macy’s Kids Annex and it used to open to a mall entrance facing Wyckoff Road. The mall entrance in that wing that faces route 36 between Ruby Tuesday and the former American Cafe came as part of the 1996 expansion. This area of the mall is truly underutilized and could be rebuilt with a new anchor and 2 level wing…getting Bloomingdale’s to come down here would give Monmouth Mall a definite leg up as the closest Bloomingdales to Eatontown is at Bridgewater Commons.
And if they ever expanded the 2nd floor to Macy’s, the current floor could be easily lowered and like what was done in Garden State Plaza, they could place mini-escaltors, a ramp and a short stairway between the lowered mall floor and the Macy’s entrance.
As Gary had earlier stated, Cheesecake Factory, Dave and Busters and Lucky Strike would all be great additions to the older wing of the mall that would become the entertainment/lifestyle wing. A bookstore and some “demonstration stores” (e.g. Apple, Sharper Image, Brookstone, LL Bean) could make that wing a very popular place.
There is definitely the room to build and with the upcoming closing of Fort Monmouth, it would be in Eatontown’s best economic interest to spruce up Monmouth Mall.
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Max
May 27th, 2007 at 3:45 pm
Mallguy, thanks for providing insight as to what the Macy’s Kids store might have been. Regarding your comment about Bloomingdale’s, I strongly doubt that they would locate here since they twice before refused that option (when A&S closed and then when Stern’s closed).
I visited this mall yesterday, and had a great time. In fact this is probably my favorite mall in the state: largely because of Boscov’s gigantic store, but also because of the mall’s unique layout and interesting history. However, I honestly don’t know exactly where the former Caldor ‘s interior entrance to the mall was located; if Caldor’s entrance was located exactly where the food court begins (which would mean that it encompassed the entire area covered by the food court, the movie theater, Old Navy, and Burlington Coat Factory), then that would have had to have been one massive Caldor (even for a two-level Caldor store).
According to Wikipedia, the size of each anchor is as follows:
*Boscov’s: 264,601 sq. ft.
*Macy’s: 262,422 sq. ft.
*JCPenney: 202,669 sq. ft.
*Lord & Taylor: 159,260 sq. ft.
*AMC Theatres: 77,275 sq. ft.
*Burlington Coat Factory: 44,209 sq. ft.
*Macy’s Kids: 25,637 sq. ft.
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mallguy
May 27th, 2007 at 9:40 pm
Max, the former Caldor at Monmouth Mall began right about where Old Navy and American Eagle are today. Also, the Food Court was new construction and the wing that led to Caldor was very traditional. The building of Caldor was a lot smaller back in the day and the Loews Theater was new construction. Remember also that Caldor was previously Alexander’s, a fairly traditional department store. I vividly remember the York Steakhouse was in that wing (a cafeteria-styled steakhouse which was pretty good and themed to look like a castle), as was a large Burger King that had more skylights than the usual fast food establishment.
Over the past 10 years, the wealth of the Monmouth County area has significantly grown and while this mall may not have been a good candidate for Bloomingdales then, it will be better for it now. Something else to consider is that while Freehold is expanding, this upscale addition along with the entertainment/lifestyle options I mentioned earlier will give an additional option to Freehold and battling the ever-growing route 9 traffic.
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mallguy
July 23rd, 2007 at 10:41 pm
This week, I went to the Monmouth Mall for the first time since April/May and noticed a few interesting store changes. The following stores have just recently opened new branches or recently renovated: Express, Limited, NY & Co, Hollister. Coming soon to the mall are Charlotte Russe, Journey’s, Johnny Rockets and Modells (a two level Modell’s, next to Boscov’s…that will be interesting competition with the two level Dick’s planned to be built in the Boscov’s parking lot adjacent to Wyckoff Road). The former American Cafe is vacant, as is the former Express Men next to the secondary Macy’s mall entrance.
No renovation news, but the mall definitely needs it, as we have all stated and described its tired appearance.
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Rebecca
July 25th, 2007 at 9:56 am
I was just reading this blog, and it is very interesting, as a New Jersey native, it has been fun to read about the malls I am so familiar with. I thought you might like to know that Boscov’s now has its very own blog. You can check it out if you want, as we are excited to get feedback about our store as well as have people interact and share their thoughts and ideas with us!
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tim
August 13th, 2007 at 1:08 pm
good job on history of monmouth mall. caldor got any reports on malls in norrth jersey like woodbridge center or garden state plaza
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SEAN
August 28th, 2007 at 10:32 am
I’ve been there only twice but as soon i got off the bus i could tell it was a 70s flashback. WOW! Kind of reminds me of the former New Rochelle mall or Brunswick Square.
The idea of turning the food court area into a lifestyle wing is a good one, just not sure about cheesecake factory. then again CF did go into willowbrook.
I agree that it is time for a major overhall, just not sure at this point when they will, considering that they should have done one 15 years ago.
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Jonah Norason
October 15th, 2007 at 10:20 am
This mall is neat. A few questions:
1) Anyone have pictures of the “downright dark” interior.
2) The second level: does it just add an extra level, or is it split, a la Cherry Hill Mall.
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SEAN
October 15th, 2007 at 4:18 pm
It’s just like cherry hill mall, split levels & all
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mallguy
October 15th, 2007 at 5:34 pm
But Cherry Hill Mall has a lot more character to it…and better stores. I really, really hope Vorando gives Monmouth Mall its due and puts some money in it to renovate/expand. Now with Freehold expanding and renovating, most Monmouth Co people will be bypassing Monmouth Mall for Freehold and in the long run, Monmouth Mall and the Jersey Shore area will lose out.
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mallguy
October 15th, 2007 at 5:35 pm
I sort of take it back…at least Monmouth Mall has Lord & Taylor.
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SEAN
October 23rd, 2007 at 8:19 pm
but L & T by it self is not enough to bring in the upscale clientel. You need something else to draw people in like good restaurants & a bookstore or electronic store.
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mallguy
October 24th, 2007 at 8:19 pm
I was quite surprised to see some of the recently opened stores choose Monmouth Mall and to an extent, I agree more needs to be brought in to attract better stores. Vorando really needs to put some money into Monmouth Mall, especially with the upcoming grand opening of its cross-county rival and a remerchandised Grove.
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SEAN
October 26th, 2007 at 4:59 pm
You think money will be spent on this mall? I don’t know if they will or not. Look ot the other malls that vornado owns, doesn’t enspire confidence.
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mallguy
October 27th, 2007 at 10:10 am
I’m guessing nothing is going to come out of there in the immediate future and it’s flat out dumb for every party involved. As I said earlier, Monmouth Mall is going to suffer with the changes going on at the competition as most NJ malls are going through, are through, or are about to go through some sort of renovation or redevelopment (I could think of 12 off the top of my head). Plus, the 3 major interesections (35/36, 36/Wyckoff, 35/Wyckoff) need some fixing up and I don’t think Vorando will do anything until NJ does something with those roads. For Eatontown, a fix-up and expansion of Monmouth Mall would be in their best interests as Fort Monmouth is slated for closure.
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SEAN
October 27th, 2007 at 11:15 am
If one of the department stores closes this mall is dead. Keep your eyes on L & T, they would be first to go do to Freehold.
Enough said.
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mallguy
October 28th, 2007 at 10:15 pm
I don’t see any of those department stores closing anytime soon. Macy’s has a long history there, L&T’s is already in Freehold and has a base in the immediate area, JCPenney has also been there a while and is not going anytime soon and Boscov’s ran head over heels to get into Monmouth Mall. Vorando just needs to put some money into the mall, give it some more room to grow, remerchandise certain areas of it (as I had said earlier posts, make the one level area of the mall an entertainment/lifestyle wing), renovate it and it will do much better.
Monmouth Mall is far from dead, but it does need to gain its edge.
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SEAN
October 29th, 2007 at 10:15 am
Good points mallguy; i have 1 issue with L & t though, why would Lord & Taylor a some what more upscale retailer stay in a mall whose inline offerings are more middle of the road?
Now if MM adds better stores & gives the place an extreme makeover not nessessarily by ABC then i can see them staying. Otherwise i see no point having 2 stores in the same area.
Then again this is NJ we are talking about.
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mallguy
October 29th, 2007 at 5:44 pm
Sean, there are some very wealthy areas within a 10 mile radius of Monmouth Mall (Rumson, Spring Lake, Monmoth Beach, Deal, Ocean, MIddletown) and they are much closer than FRM. Monmouth Mall offers the convenience of not having to go 20-25 minutes inland and dealing with the local traffic (no direct interstate out there). If that mall grows, they will defintely attract more upscale retailers…and Monmouth Mall can also take advantage of its location as a rainy day shore destination.
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SEAN
October 29th, 2007 at 6:55 pm
Lets hope that VRT is as foward thinking as you are mallguy, i’m not sure they are or not.
You are, that is a given.
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chris
November 23rd, 2007 at 12:55 am
monmouth mall has been on my favorite shopping centers I would go there so much when I was a little kid sometimes we even drove down to old seaview square as well.Im old enough to remeber monmouth mall when It had that restraunt BUnnNburger it was on the upper level right before the escalators going to the mid level and remeber authur treachers ??? on the same wing as alexanders and of course mccrory’s my mom alwys went there they didn’t have a darn thing in there lol ahh the memories
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Debbi
November 23rd, 2007 at 3:19 am
While there are many wealthy areas in the radius of the Monmouth Mall, Eatontown (and the part of Long Branch that is closest) is not. Nevertheless, with Seaview Square out of the way, I can’t see this mall going anywhere soon, renovation or no. Also, as I’ve said in the FRM thread, MM has much of the same stores that FRM has. Unless one really has a hankering for a designer whatever, I can’t see them going out of their way to FRM with gas prices being high and all.
P.S. I worked at that Bun ‘N Burger in the late 80s. Got into fights with management every day. Good times.
I also worked at the Canadians, which was on the lower level, where my sometimes blunt opinions on current fashion were not appreciate much, LOL.
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chris
November 24th, 2007 at 5:10 pm
wow I remeber canadians I forgot where it was in the mall I think it was by A&S or on that wing I dont remeber at all. and also wow I actually heard from a former bun n burger employee I never had a burger there but I always ate fries there. that was the good days now goin to mallis so much diffrent now everyting is so bright and well lit back in the day’s everything was dark that was awesome Idk
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mallguy
November 24th, 2007 at 7:25 pm
Monmouth Mall is still pretty dark these days…needs a renovation.
And I remember Bun N Burger, too, but I always was partial to the York Steakhouse (adjacent to the former Alexander’s) and they were also in Brunswick Square.
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Debbi
November 25th, 2007 at 2:44 am
Chris: Canadians was on the lower level; I want to say it was in the wing where the food court is now, but my memory is foggy on that.
Bun ‘N Burger was on the upper level–*that* much I remember. I kind of remember the York Steakhouse too, though I never ate there.
Also, since I seem to be part of the female minority here (LOL), you guys may not appreciate the humor in this, but here goes…Up until about five years ago, this mall had a Wet Seal and a Contempo Casuals (same company until they consolidated) within 500 feet of each other. I don’t think there were more than 3 or 4 stores between them. I think they must have co-existed like this for about five years or so. Very strange.
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mallguy
November 25th, 2007 at 11:28 am
Debbi: Bun N Burger was located upstairs exactly where The Gap is today. They were also in Brunswick Square (right next to York Steakhouse, actually) and Staten Island Mall.
I remember Canadien’s was in all the malls as were two other chains of the 80s: Merry-Go-Round (young adults/teens) and Chess King (mens)…both were in Monmouth Mall.
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Debbi
November 27th, 2007 at 3:46 am
Mallguy: I have to check out that Gap next time I hit MM. Thanks for that info!
Bun N Burger was everywhere in the 70s and 80s. Not sure when they went belly-up; my best guess, since I worked there during the summer of 1988, was around 1990 or so? Google and Wikipedia have turned up nothing.
I also remember Canadian’s in many malls, as well as Merry-Go-Round and Chess King. I so coveted the clothes at Merry-Go-Round. I remember FRM having one at the beginning. I believe they went under in the mid-90s.
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Mike D.
December 1st, 2007 at 1:03 am
This is probably going to turn into a nostalgia post, but as a child in the early 80s, I have a few memories of this mall before the the remodelling(s) that have occured. One of the most unique things about this mall that I could remember were the oval signs that adorned the outside of each store inside. Most of the signs simply had a picture that related to the nature of the store, and I can only remember 3 to be exact. One had a cookie on it which I assumed to be a cookie store. Another one had an odd picture of a man in overalls with a hammer drawn in a woodcut like style. To this day I can only assume it was for a hardware store, but I would like to know for sure what it really was (remember I was very young at the time so some of my memories are quite vague). The last one I could distinctly remember was the Orange Julius sign, which not surprisingly said Orange Julius on it. That particular sign actually survived the first initial remodelling and remained when they took the other signs down. If anyone has information about or pictures of these signs or pictures (particularly the man with the hammer one), I would really appreciate it. My brother remembers these signs too, so I know they weren’t figments of my young imagination
Other things I remember (and miss): the Bonsai tree store, the Nintendo kiosks where you could play a number of Nintendo games (albeit only for about a minute and a half before the game reset), Roy Rogers, and the Software Etc. which was accessed through the back of the B. Dalton (or was it a Waldenbooks?) bookstore.
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Jonah Norason
December 1st, 2007 at 11:41 am
Out of curiosity, was it this kind of Orange Julius:
http://www.labelscar.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/crossroads-mall-okc-27.jpg
Or was it neon?
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Matt from WI
December 1st, 2007 at 5:58 pm
Merry-Go-Round ceased to exist in 1996 to be exact. The entire chain had a GoB / Liquidation sale in the late Winter / early Spring of that year. It should be noted that Chess King wasn’t taken over by the chain until 1994, at which time they phased out the ‘Attivo’ banner and replaced all those stores with ‘Chess King’, only to shut them a year later.
Chess King was a huge money loser for MGR (the reason Mellvile Corp dumped the chain in teh first place to MGR, who was desperate at the time for any means of a ‘quick fix’), and was one of the big factors in its demise.
It’s sort of like the whole Ames buying out Zayre story all over again. Everyone knows that Zayre was a money losing chain and sent Ames into their first bout with Ch. 11 bankruptcy.
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Jonah Norason
December 1st, 2007 at 6:41 pm
Wonder if Macy’s will be on the chopping block in about year. The merger is slowly poisoning them.
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Mike D.
December 3rd, 2007 at 5:06 am
Jonah –
I believe it was similar to that type of Orange Julius, but it also had an oval sign hanging off the facade of the shop with the “Orange Julius” logo on it.
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chris
December 4th, 2007 at 3:57 am
wow I remeber york steakhouse and remeber there was a restraunt upstairs by A&S it was right by that upstairs mall entrance oh man u guys are taking me back I rember captron that nintendo kiosk I used to love playing nintendo games there they also had one in woodbridge center by fortunoff on the upper level but that was a actual store not a kiosk. keep bringing up these memories I love to remininsce also check out my department store tribute pages if you really want to go back lol
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mallguy
December 4th, 2007 at 4:34 pm
That restaurant you mentioned upstairs by was kind of French in style (can’t remember the name off the top of my head), but there was also one in Quakerbridge Mall. That restaurant in Monmouth Mall would later become Garcia’s, then Escondidos and now it’s no longer a restaurant but a Kirklands. There was also a Ground Round where Ruby Tuesday used to be, but it’s wasn’t connected to the mall.
A shame about that wing being dead and useless. Monmouth Mall has great potential (as I mentioned above) and I hope someone does something about it.
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Mike
December 6th, 2007 at 6:00 pm
The french restaurant upstairs was called La Crepe. This mall also used to have those castle phones in the middle of the mall that told kids stories and had yellow smile faces on them. There was a pet store called Puppy Love next to Macys Kids as well as a Jo Anns Nuthouse that was in the middle of the mall across from Orange Julius and you had to go down two or three steps to get there. The Children’s place store had a big round circle in the front of it that all the kids played in. Speaking about restaurants, Bamburgers had one on the third floor and JCPenney had one on the first floor.
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mallguy
December 7th, 2007 at 12:21 am
Yes! I remember now…thanks Mike. I also remember the castle phones, which were all over the mall. Monmouth Mall is still pretty dark inside, but it was even darker prior to the 1980s renovation…I also remember the lowered seating areas in front of each department store..Rockaway Townsqaure used to have the same thing, as did Woodbridge Center (in the middle of the Sears wing).
Department store restaurants are truly a thing of the past. Almost every dept store had them (A&S and Sterns in Woodbridge, Bamberger’s in Menlo, Willowbrook and GS Plaza)…even Nordstrom phased out The Pub and Garden Court, the two sit down restaurants, after its stock slide due to its horrible “Re-Invent Yourself” campaign…it seems that dept store restaurants only survive in Bloomingdale’s and Neiman Marcus.
I don’t recall a restaurant in the Monmouth Mall A&S, but it the store itself had a more open feel than the one in Woodbridge or pre-renovation Paramus Park.
[Reply]
Fooman64 Reply:
December 10th, 2009 at 7:46 am
@mallguy, I remember way back before when Monmouth Mall was The Shopping Center and they had the outdoor phone booths that were opaque bluish in color and were curved…..wish I had photos of those from back in the day.
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chris
December 8th, 2007 at 4:33 am
memories I remeber that round ciricle in childrens place that was the best part about the store.the A&S in monmouth did have a restraunt in it on the third floor by the rest rooms i dont rember those castle phones but I do remeber the rides right by rite aid where that jewlery store is now right by bambergers
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mallguy
December 8th, 2007 at 11:42 am
Right! I remember that now…speaking of restaurants, the one in the Woodbridge A&S overlooked the 2nd floor of the mall. The rides were there as well and prior to the 1980s renovation, there used to be an arcade near the old mall entrance on the Wyckoff Road side of the Macy’s wing. The old Burger King also had a lot of skylights and natural light coming through, more so than any other Burger King in my memory.
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AceJay
December 8th, 2007 at 2:03 pm
Not more than the Princeton Burger King across from the churcch on Nassau St.) They had lots of shrubbery and skylights.
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Liz
December 14th, 2007 at 1:14 am
Wow…was trying to get the name of the pretzel place that was in this mall back in the 80′s and I came across this blog. Can anyone tell me what it was called??? It was right next to the movie theater and the arcade. I sure would appreciate it!
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Mike
December 15th, 2007 at 2:01 pm
I do not think this mall had a movie theater in the 80′s. The movie theather opened in the mid 90′s where caldor used to be. The movie theater and the food court opened together. The arcade was outside by the Ground Round and Luca’s Pizza. It was called Supercade.
Also speaking of “dark” atmosphere that Monmouth Mall used to have, the restaurant Sebastion’s Pub was exteremely dark inside.
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chris
December 18th, 2007 at 3:41 am
I remeber sebastian.s pub wow keep taking me back guys.I just went to monmouth mall on saturday to do a little bit of shopping and browsing,more browsing than shopping lol . did anyone check out the new modell’s right next to Boscov’s where sam goody used to be.for some reason this modells has 2 floors you can take a escalator up to the second floor and exit there if you desire. they should have done this @ monmouth a long time ago.
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Debbi
January 5th, 2008 at 7:02 am
I think that Modell’s used to be a Nobody Beats The Wiz, if I recall correctly. They too had a two-story store.
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mallguy
January 5th, 2008 at 10:43 am
Actually, Nobody Beats the Wiz was the basement of the former Alexanders/Caldor. Burlington Coat Factory is there now. Modells is next to Boscov’s and is in the former location of Sam Goody (lower level) and a Dollar Store (upper level).
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Mike
January 5th, 2008 at 11:04 pm
I was at the mall the other day and noticed that Friendly’s restuarant closed. I wonder how many other stores are going to be closing now that the Christmas season is over?
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SEAN
January 10th, 2008 at 11:08 am
The last time i was there The Wiz was still open. What a creepy store that was.
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chris
January 19th, 2008 at 3:45 am
wow that must have been a long time ago burlington is in its place now
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Randy
January 21st, 2008 at 11:37 am
On the comment about the movie theater in the 80′s- no. There was no movie theater on site. It was down Route 36 (very close) where the Vitamin Shoppe and a few select stores are in a strip mall. It was only a 2-screen theater. Back in the day (before the 90′s I believe) it was a drive-in-theater.
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Randy
January 21st, 2008 at 11:39 am
Also, I do want to add that the mall has added more “fancy” lighting throughout the mall in order to make it look more elegant and bring some more lighting in. However, it kind of looks tacky as the whole mall has a 90′s flair; so, these gold light fixtures don’t match very well. Good try though!
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shaney_oyeah
January 21st, 2008 at 4:17 pm
I heard that when the mall first opened, it had live mannequins in the department stores. Is this true? Like they would have women dress up in the store’s clothes and they’d just stand in the aisles.
And I remember that the Nobody beats the Wiz always had a weird setup but i thought it was cool.
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Jon
January 28th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Hey! I go to this mall all the time. Nice to see it profiled.
While I don’t think Monmouth Mall is really in much trouble as Freehold is quite a distance from a good portion of coastal Monmouth County (which is, I’d guess, where most of MM’s shoppers come from), it would be nice to see it renovated and expanded. First off, something needs to be done with the Macy’s Kids wing – it’s extremely dead and useless. A new department store would do that wing well and it could also be expanded. Making it an upscale department store is probably the best way to go, either Nordstrom or Bloomingdale’s (id go with Bloomingdale’s as Nordstrom is already in FRM). Or possibly even something unique like a Fortunoff.
The entertainment/lifestyle wing idea is a good one – I say move Burlington Coat Factory across the highway and convert it to a Barnes & Noble. Then, the wing next to the food court could be expanded a bit (move Old Town Buffet and Thomasville across the highway, as well) and they could add either a Champs or a Dave & Busters, and also a Cheesecake Factory would do this mall well. This mall definitely needs a Sharper Image and maybe an apple store, as well. I think something like a Build-a-Bear Workshop could also fit in the lifestyle wing. The food court also needs to be updated.
Still, I’d hope that if the mall is renovated, it’d keep some of it’s unique look. It needs to be brightened up a lot, though. I think they should give it a look similar to Woodbridge Center.
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ghome
January 28th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
I think if Vornado renovate monmouth mall. i think they will do the same thing they did at Green Arces Mall and Kings Plaza Mall. New flooring, lights and maybe a new food court. Here is link to photos to Green Arces Mall renovation,
http://www.greenacresmallonline.com/shop_rev.asp
I do not think Vornado will not do your upscale entertainment/lifestyle wing idea. To me Vornado do not try to bring there malls to the next level. For example lets take King Plaza Mall. At Kings Plaza Vornado could have done what Macerich did at Queens Center Mall. Macerich created a new wing next to the old mall and then connected the two malls with a two level glass skywork ( with stores part of the skywalk). Next to Kings Plaza there is land that chould have been a new wing of shops/entertainment/ lifestyle. Maybe if a other mall developer owned Monmouth mall maybe your idea might happen.
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Jon
January 29th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
Sadly I agree – Vorando won’t do all that much with this mall and won’t bring it to it’s full potential. It’d be nice to see the mall get taken over by another company, maybe General Growth.
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Jonah Norason
January 29th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Vornado isn’t just dead weight…they LOBOTOMIZED Bergen Mall! Those heartless monsters!
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SEAN
January 29th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
Vornado has to be one of worst run reits for retail i have ever known. 1. Green acers, 2. Monmouth Mall, 3. Kings Plaza, 4. Springfield Mall on this site. Any questions?
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ghome
January 29th, 2008 at 11:55 pm
I also have some more points about Kings Plaza. King Plaza is also a marina. I will think other Malls will use their Waterfront/Marina as a advantage. I think Kings plaza used their waterfront so poorly. In some kind of entertainment/lifestyle/shopping wing idea. Kings plaza could have some restaurants overlooking the water/ boats/ million dollar houses in Mill basin. The new wing could have shops like Barnes & Noble (Waldenbooks just closed). I sure a other mall developer might have done that. Kings Plaza closed the outdoor parking lot for a Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse. There is a Home Depot a few feet away ! Vornado could have done better than that.
Though King Plaza looks modern. The mall lost what made it special. That the problem with Kings Plaza. Kings Plaza used to have a brown 1970′s look with wood everywhere. A carousel with people loved. the Macy’s store still had there 1970′s all red capital logo. Like the one in this link,
http://graphicslib.viator.com/graphicslib/2074/SITours/vip-shopper-macys-san-francisco-in-san-francisco-2.jpg
I know some of you labelscarers will love to take pics of the before 2002 Kings plaza.
Now there is nothing special about Kings Plaza. All the stores you can get in Manhattan ( larger at than Kings Plaza). A lot of people only go to Kings Plaza because, they do not want to go Manhattan or some other Malls.
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Jon
January 30th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
I just don’t understand why Vorando won’t do anything with this mall since it’s probably their most successful mall (or at least one of them). A few new restaurants and a book store at the very least need to be added, and of course news flooring/lighting. Then again the fancy lighting does inspire SOME hope that at least Vorando is paying attention to it, even if it doesn’t look great.
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Jonah Norason
January 30th, 2008 at 10:47 pm
What did Macy’s Kids used to be?
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mandy
January 31st, 2008 at 9:22 pm
I was going to mention the castle story phones! I remember when i was about 8 and 9 My grandma and her sister used to take me my brother and cousin to White castle and then to monmouth mall. We only really went to Mcrory’s. I got one of them plastic charm necklaces that were sooo cool in the mid 80′s from there. And us kids were playing with our toys in the back seat on the way home…we had these plastic horses covered in fake velvet or felt or something and they were black so we called them black booty…because my cousins grandpas nick name was booty. I stopped going for a number of years because in 1990 my grandpa died and we had no way to get there no one drove. I started hanging out there alot when i got my license in 95.
There is one original part of the mall still standing i think(at least it as when I was there in 07 sometime…the spiral stair case in front of penny’s.
I agree that the yucky rt 35 entrance has to be spruced up…and the ghetto parking garage. Remember the red and yellow star shaped sign that was out front???? There was a zany brainy sort of on the outside of the mall at one point…and I DO remember the Childrens Place circle thing!!! The Sesame Street store closed before i started going to the mall again…it was where i think gap is now…I also remember Le Crepe…and there was a Barnes and Noble in the mall. Or was that Woodbridge?
[Reply]
mallguy
February 2nd, 2008 at 9:39 pm
Another thing, I think, that is holding back Vorando from doing any Monmouth Mall expansion/renovation is the area roadways. The 35/36/Wyckoff Road intersections need to be redone and two out of three of them need overpasses. I consider this intersection a “Gateway to the Northern Shore” since it leads to the Northern Jersey Shore Communties, Monmouth Park and Monmouth University…Monmouth Mall would get much better business with the updating of these highways in the same way that GS Plaza got an even bigger boost when 4 and 17 were redone. At the same time, the route 35 entrance where the traffic light is needs to be made into an overpass. As we have all said time and time over again, the place could use a lot of sprucing up.
Mandy, the Barnes and Noble was in The Grove, where Talbots currently is. It was a smaller location (bigger than a mall bookstore, but much smaller than the superstores of today) when they first started opening in the area and was similar to the early ones in East Brunswick and West Orange.
On the Green Acres Mall, renovation, I think those renovations are pretty darn ugly. They also, unfortunately, took out the fountain that used to be between the elevator and escalator in this picture .
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Jon
February 3rd, 2008 at 1:48 pm
What an ugly looking mall (Green Acres). Looks like an airport…
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Raf316
February 9th, 2008 at 3:08 am
Hey,
I just came across this site while browsing the net. I thought it was pretty interesting. I live less than 5 minutes away from this mall and it’s definitely my favorite. It could definitely use some renovations though, now that Freehold Mall is really nice and classy. Anyways, it looks like they are planning on expanding Monmouth Mall. The plans call for 2 attachments to the actual mall structure and 2 buildings on mall property. Here is the link:
http://atlanticville.gmnews.com/news/2008/0103/Front_Page/006.html
Enjoy!
…and I agree, Green Acres Mall looks maadd ugly hah
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mallguy
February 9th, 2008 at 9:39 am
Interesting article…good to see Barnes and Noble is coming…where is the “Site B” location in the mall?
Somewhat surprised Dick’s pulled out, but they really need to address the Macy’s Kids/Ruby Tuesday wing, as well as make some cosmetic changes to the mall, as we have discussed in detail.
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Randy
February 10th, 2008 at 11:09 am
So I guess Barnes & Noble will move from their current location in Consumer Centre (West Long Branch) down the street. It is a pretty small location, considering the new two-floor cafe styles they use now. I hope this doesn’t take away business from the great Borders down the street. Yeah, the mall needs a good sprucing. From the floor to the ceiling. Freehold Mall looks awesome. Vornado- steal some ideas? Also, most of the department stores need makeovers as well. I agree: some more restaurants would be great- even some better food court places. The AMC Loews could also look better. I remember when they opened- it was AMAZING! But now, it is a little too 90′s for me. Those new HD theaters are looking pretty good now-a-days.
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Jon
February 10th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
Looks like Vorando is finally giving Monmouth Mall what it needs.
I’m sure a renovation will come with the expansion, and a Barnes & Noble is exactly what MM needs to attract the upscale crowd, especially since Freehold has a Borders and not a B&N.
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Jon
February 10th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Also, by “upgrading the types of commercial entities that will be purchasing and renting space in the mall”, I’m guess this means they’ll be going for more upscale stores, right?
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Jonah Norason
February 15th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
Yuck! Monmouth wants to go upscale too! My three reasons for this are:
Cherry Hill Mall got what was left of its unique personality and the mix of upscale to mid-scale tenants plus the large food court all ripped out for a snooty generic “upscale” feel.
Freehold Raceway Mall is nearby. Do you really need another upscale mall?
Bergen Mall also had horrible things done to it by Vornado. I don’t want Vornado to even TOUCH poor Monmouth after they butchered Bergen Mall!
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Jonah Norason
February 15th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
I mean AGAINST upscaling, not for it. My bad.
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SEAN
February 15th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
I HATE VORNADO! AS A RETAIL LANDLORD!
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mallguy
February 16th, 2008 at 1:19 am
Let’s face it, Monmouth Mall is tired and needs something done. The longer they wait, the more customers they lose to Freehold and other places in the area. We already had a “dead mall” a few miles down route 35 (Seaview Square) and ignoring Monmouth Mall could be detrimental to the area and it would be ashame as this mall has a very rich history. It’s also in Eatontown’s best interest as their tax base will skyrocket. I don’t think Vorando is going to do enough for the mall though. Barnes and Noble is a good start, but they need much, much more. For Monmouth Mall to go upscale, they need to do it full force as The Grove at Shrewsbury is nearby and also downtown Red Bank, where prospective tennants may rather go. It can definitely be done with towns like Colts Neck and Rumson nearby. My recommendation would be to extend the 2nd floor out to Macy’s and rebuild the Ruby Tuesday wing to 2 levels and anchor it with Bloomingdale’s. Then lifestyle the one level section and make the place aesthetically pleasing. Fix the 35/36/Wyckoff Road intersections and we have a nice super-regional mall at the eastern Jersey Shore.
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MonmouthMallGuy
February 22nd, 2008 at 1:41 am
Oh…
The JC Penny store was built for the mid 70′s expansion and has always been JC Penny. And the Hahnes store that is now Lord and Taylor was built at the sme time.
What became of the Ground Round? Is it gone? Or is it Chilis now or something?
I remember thwe Ground Round (free standing building in the parking lot) having floors COVERED in peanut shells.
Anyone remember the modern tree sculpture that was near the B. Dalton (or Waldens Books can’t remember wchich it was) leading toward the bambergers store? It was HUGE. Is it gone now too?
Note to moderator: I had a typo in my email address in my 1st post. Please correct it. It is jettmiester@yahoo.com.
Thanks again!
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MonmouthMallGuy
February 22nd, 2008 at 1:53 am
WOW!! So glad I stumbled across this blog/website! Sure brings back LOADS of Memories! AWESOME! Kudos to the webmaster!!!
Born in 1965 and raised in Monmouth County (Neptune Township), I shopped regularly in Monmouth Mall since I can remember. I moved away from the area in 1984 and miss this mall and have such FOND memories of it!
To answer what seems one unaswered question on here,:
What is now Macy’s Kids was part of Bambergers from way back when. When I was a kid, my grandmother bought lots of stuff from that location. It was a Bambergers outlet/discount type store. Later I believe it turned into “Bambergers Kids” as well. Remember too that Bambergers (if I remember correctly) was always part/division of Macy’s since 1929! They just changed the name to Macy’s to simplify. Reason why I remember this, is even way back…shopping at Bambergers, our shopping bags from there ALSO had Macys on it as well. And it was Bambergers who in fact had the LIVE maniquins. It was not all the time, just special events/occasions.
I was saddened to find Friendlys no longer exists in this mall. It was always one of our favorite places to eat. Hickory Farms had a store very close too where we’d “tour” to get free samples! Yum! Free food tastes best!
Another place missing I was saddened to see gone was ITALIAN DELIGHT. It was on the lower level practically under Friendly’s. And near there,but upstairs was Video Concepts. One of teh VERY 1st places in teh 70′s to buy VHS/beta movies and new VCRs and camcorders! I got my Atari there!
The wing that lead from Bambergers was your typilcal straight boring wing before the food court. On the Macy’s side it had Arthur Treachers, and great Record and Tape Store (don’t remember the name), to name a few. Across the mall was Kressgee’s which had a great lunch counter, which later turned into McCrory. This wing always seemed to have a dooming dark cloud over it. It was always changing, sometimes having many vacancies off and on through even the heydays of the 70′s
Last time I was in this mall was 1984. I really missed the HUGE Sam Goody that used to be by the escelator/elevators on the lower level, relpaced by a smaller one upstairs near A&S. Rite Aid was cool too on the corner near the Discount Bambergers, for the fact It had adult magazines!
A kid always thinks it’s special to peek at those! They werent shrink wrapped at all back then. LOL
The upper level across from J.C. Penny was a great KB Toys. I bought and still have quite a few of the items from there. One of my main places to get My Car models and later my Star Wars Figures! This Toy store thrived being it was there before Toys R US was built across the highway.
Alexanders was Montgomery Wards 1st, then Alexanders then Caldors. I got my Atari 5200 there! That wing was the older part of the mall (the wing with the dooming dark cloud).
Near that wing, Hermans Sporting goods was the free standing sporting goods store that did not get enclosed in the 70′s remodel.
One of my other favorite things was the outside free standing Pizza place. Octagon or round in shape, you stood in there to eat. There were no tables that I can remember. A ledge indoors that went all around the windows where you stood to eat. It was just outsdie from the Bambergers Discount store.
At that Mall entrance was a fortune teller machine that was scary as hell. I remember it giving me nightmares as a small child! One just like it was later used in some late 1970′s/early 1980′s horror movie!
This mall was also the 1st place I encountered that had the NEW digital touch tone payphones. We’d entertain ourselves by pushing the buttons and checking the change chutes. We’d actualy find lots of change! Sometimes we’d leave the mall with more $ than we started out with!
Last thing, is the mall before the 70′s enclosure that I remember is the HUGE SNOWMEN they would put out by the roads by the entrances for Christmas. These things were so big, I would dream that Santa’s Workshops were inside of them! LOL
Later I remember Santa Arriving at Monmouth Mall via sky diving!
So..as you can see this mall holds LOTS of memories for me.
And there are many more I haven’t even broke the ice on!
Thanks again for resurrecting such fond memories. I appreciate it.
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chris
February 27th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
I remeber italian delight. I used to go there all the time for pizza. now you gotta eat that overpriced roman delight in the food court and the pizza aint to great believe me on that lol.and to answer monmouth malls question about the ground round it is closed and the chilis is a freestanding chilis. it was built in the early 2000′s ajacent to macy’s. you can see it from rt36 entering the mall coming off the parkway exit 105. the ground round is the american,mozzarellla whatever the heck that place is called. i forget correct me on the exact name. you guys are bringin up some great memories of oone of my favorite malls in jersey. someone should do a write up on seaview square but sadly the mall part was demolished =( I rember the kaybee by Jc penny as well i used to get my old atari 2600 games there and some nes games as well when toys r us and child world didn’t have them across the highway.
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Randy
March 2nd, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Yeah, I would love posts about Seaview Square since it is long gone. I would also love pictures of it, since I remember it vaguely.
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MonmouthMallguy
March 4th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Let me paste a copy of my Seaview Square post here that I had placed in a Steinbach blog to share here:
I loved Seaview Square Mall. It was the closest to my house being I lived in Neptune. The Steinbachs was a gorgeous store, but lacked character and charm of the beautiful clasically styled grand one in Downtown Asbury Park that relocated here. But originally the new one had a sit down eating area as well.
Seaview had a doomed fate from the beginning. My Mom’s Cousin went to the grand opening of the Mall, a man was stabbed in the Steinbach Parking lot. He staggered into the Stienbach store for help when he then colapsed, right at her feet near the escalator. I don’t recall if he passed away or was dead at the scene. But..what a beginning! Whew!
This did not keep me away from this mall. I loved this Mall, loved it’s size. And had great anchors. Sears, Sterns and Steinbachs,
I loved the Food court in this mall. All your places to eat located together. Monouth Mall was older, so it had not adapted this concept yet. Seaview was the 1st time I EVER heard of a Chick-fil-a. Monmouth Mall never had one (does now however in the New Food Court it built). My favorite Scicilian Pizza was served by a great lil pizzaria that I unfortunately can’t recall the name of. I would make trips into that mall many a day after school just to grab a slice from there!
Seaview had a great McCrory’s and a great Aladin’s Castle arcade. And Seaview had a lot of stores that weren’t so frequent or common in other malls. It had an EXCELLENT Record Shop on the lower level called Record World (a TSS Record Shop), where I bought LOTS of my music at. And upstairs was a Listening Booth record shop as well! Next door to Record World was a great hobby type store where I got many art supplies for highschool.
Seaview did have a few sit down type restaurants. Gizmos was a restaurant you could sit down and eat at, and it had an arcade too! Bonaza restaurant was also upstirs which was also a sit down and eat near Sears. Gizmo’s had a tie in with Warner Bros. Lots of Looney Tunes imagery and mascots.
At Christmas they had the Talking Reindeer. I rememeber telling them I wanteed to find Loni Anderson (WKRP in Cincinati fame) under my tree christmas morning, and they did not respond! LOL
Mom would always run in and get things for the house at a store called Karen’s Kurtains. It was upstairs not too far from McCrory and Aladin’s Castle in the Steinbach wing.
There was a cool Rock N Roll/Musical Instrument shop downstairs in the Sears wing. It was near Rite Aid and across from Some bank near the bottom of the escalator that was on a corner with a walk through bee hive for the entrance. And it had one of the 1st MAC machines I remember.
I loved the huge theatre that was out in front of the mall. It preceeeeded the mall by quite a few years. It was not built specifically to go with this mall. It was renamed to go along with the mall when it was built. Later it became a multi-plex, but before then, it had one HUGE screen! It was the best place to see Star Wars or any loud action movie! This is what I missa bout movie going. These new multi-plexes have smaller screens.
There was another smaller mall built to the east of this mall. It contained Acme (a grocery store). and a drug store of some kind as well. I don’t think the few other retail spots were ever filled. It was built at the same time. I think that buliding survived the demolishing of Seaview and the properties redevelopement. But I have no idea what occupies it.
I sure would love to see this mall honored on this site with some photos. I would love to see some then and now images to compare. I do look at it every now and then using Google earth and compare from my memory. But photos would be so appreciated!
If Labelscar does create a section dedicated to this gone mall, I would love to have this blog moved to it’s page.
I ask all of you to please share your Seaview Quare Mall Memories with us!
Thanks!
[Reply]
SEAN
March 4th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
The theatre was a General Cinema,, they had locations statewide. Like SeaView, many theatres closed do to compitition from Loews & National Amusements with better theatres.
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Dave Lansing
March 4th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
The bank was Provident Bank, I remember walking through the Beehive entrance many times. The store by the ACME was Thrift Drugs, which eventually got swallowed by Eckerd. Pizza place was Rizzo’s Pizza.
Here is the Seaview Square Mall food court, from what I can remember beginning counter clockwise. Fanny Farmer, Orange Julius, (food store, cannot remember), Something Fishy, (fire exit), something called Hot Potato, or Stuffed Potato, Rizzo’s Pizza, Oriental Delight, Mc Fraden’s Deli, (fire exit), Hot Dog Works, (another one I cannot remember), then Burger Stop. Across from the food court was Chick Fil-A, Freedman’s Bakery, and on the other side of the Stern’s wing was Hot Sam.
Down the other end by McCrory’s was a sit-down Wendy’s with SuperBar, and a TCBY. Also, downstairs was a sit-down Sbarro near the Sears entrance. This mall had a lot of food choices, and Mc Donald’s made a brief appearance in the food court right before the mall closed. According to my map, memory, and tokens, the arcade from mid-1980′s on was Fun N Games, the same place that was in Ocean County Mall. Was it Aladdin’s Castle prior? I always loved this mall, and loved to see Snoopy on his doghouse from the glass elevator to the food court. I also remember the 2-level Jack La Lanne health club in the mall, with the pool and hot tub being connected via indoor walkway to a free-standing building behind the mall.
Where was the Bonanza in the mall? My mall map of Seaview is from 1988, and has no record.
I also have classic Mall Directories for Monmouth and Ocean. The Monmouth one still has the old buildings and Caldor wing in tact.
[Reply]
Jim Kalike Reply:
July 1st, 2009 at 6:59 pm
@Dave Lansing,
Can you take scan the seaview square map and post it?
Thanks,
Jim
[Reply]
Mike
March 4th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
I drove by Monmouth Mall today and noticed that the Old Town Buffet restuarant outside next to Thomsville has closed. The sign was down and it was all dark inside.
Moving over to Seaview Square the music store was called Farrington’s Music. It was next to radio shack. Also upstais by Karins Kurtains and Fun And Games was a surf shop called Shore Image. It was operated by Feet First which was located downstairs between Lane Bryant and Fashion Bug. The Kay Bee toy store was much bigger in Seaview than in Monmouth Mall. Also there was a bedding store that sold only waterbeds called Suppier Sleep. It was located upstairs next to Sears.
Another interesting fact was that Seaview Square had a Coles Bookstore which was owned by Waldenbooks. I knew so many people who had bunk beds that were purchased from Pine Factory from that mall.
Seaview Square was a great mall because it always had baseball card shows many times each year.
[Reply]
mallguy
March 5th, 2008 at 12:13 am
On Seaview Square, it was very sad to see this place de-malled. I attribute it to the following:
- its location-while at a busy traffic circle, it has very little visibility from route 35 and can be easily missed from route 18. It was visible, slightly, from route 66, but no traffic signs gave a good heads up on the turnoff (”Shopping Center” is very vague and I always thought if the visibility stinks, put the name of the shopping center on the sign)
- Its REIT: They were unable to successfully market the mall as an alternative to Monmouth Mall and as a result, it could not attract big name leases. Because of this, people had little reason to come here. The mall could have easily been expanded and fully leased if the REIT put some time into the place.
- Movie theater as an outparcel: There used to be a small movie theater along the route 66 entrance, near the current locations of Applebees and WJLK. When malls have movie theaters as outparcels and not attached to the malls, there will be little reason or want for customers to visit the mall…Monmouth Mall, GS Plaza, and basically every mall that has a movie theater attached to it has realized this potential.
-Lack of dining options: A few fast food places and a food court with little access (only from the 2nd floor and they could have put a mall entrance in it to give it more visibility). To my memory, there were no sit down restaurants either….during this time Monmouth Mall had 4 or 5.
I miss the old Seaview Square, before the 1990s renovation…even before the Center Court remodel of the late 1980s…at either end of the mall underneath and around the escalators, there were fairly large fountains. The one in center court was huge, but was taken out in the late 1980s. After the construction, they took the two remaining fountains out and replaced them with tiny waterfalls underneath the escalators. The pastels of the new construction were hideous. The mall was classic and had a character to it that Monmouth Mall in its current state is missing.
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Randy
March 8th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
I remember those waterfalls! Thanks for the memories.
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Monmouthmallguy
March 9th, 2008 at 11:59 pm
Bonanza restaurant was upstairs not too far from Sears. It was across the way from the Waterbed store. I left the area in 1984, I am sure the mall changed quite a bit after I had left and before it’s demise.
When I frequented the Mall the Food Court was laid out a bit differently then.. Fanny Farmer and Orange Julius was there, but Blimpies Subs was also there, closer to where it came around near Chick Fil A.
Wendy’s, Sbarro and TCBY had not existed yet either in the Mall before I left the area. Sbarros, being it was downstairs next to sears had to have been in the original Rite Aid spot or the Providence Bank location with the huge bee hive.
I was in an older mall in Oklahoma recently and it had a DEB store in it that was an exact duplicate of the one in Seaview in the 70′s.
I loved that Coles Book store. I always seemed to find more books to my interest than any other book store in any mall.
I do remember the huge beautiful fountains. And I also remember the boardwalk type walkway around them as well. It fascinated me how they would drain all that and turn it into a winter wonderland for Christmas.
There was another type arcade/store that was across form McCrory on the Upper level….
…They had a few of the 1st sit down table top type arcade games I can remember. Plus that store focused on selling anything game related as well. Dart Boards, Board games, bumper pool tables… retail stuff like that. Was that called Fun and Games? Aladins Castle was a play type only arcade, not a retail store at all, and it was in an upper wing back on the top floor near the back upper level entrance. These two acrade type places co-existed when I was there.
And i do remember the Pine Factory Store! Almost forgot about that.
Wow, such memories. I am really enjoying this trip back in time!
Dave Lansing,
These old mall directories you have..can you take pics and post them? I would love to see these!
Thanks again to all!
[Reply]
Shoreboy
March 13th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Hello all,
Thanks for this forum and the chance to relive a lot of old memories that I have since forgotten.
I worked at both Seaview Square and Monmouth malls, in both cases after the upgrades, but was going to those malls since I was a kid, back in the late 70′s and forward.
I have a pretty vivid memory of both malls but there is so much I had forgotten that I have been reminded of by reading these posts. When I worked at Monmouth Mall there was this older guy who use to to matainence in the mall and was there for decades. He said he had old directories and I asked him a few times if I could have some or at least see them, but unfortunately I never got either. So yeah..if anyone has any directories from this time period, me and I’m sure everyone else would love to see them.
I have maybe 3 photos of Seaview prior to the renovations. I will try to post them somewhere soon and share. The aren’t great and only show a bit of the mall. But one of them is of Fubar the robot. Anyone remember him? He was a remote controlled robot at least the size of an adult and very wide. He use to talk to shoppers, sing, dance, and so on. It was a real treat if you got to talk to him and see him. I was fortunate enough to get my picture with him and also have one of the maps he use to spit out of his chest. Not a mall map, but a map of his universe I guess. I will try and post both soon.
In regards to Seaview Squre, does anyone remember before the renovation that there were I believe 2 staircases at either end of the mall with these huge white clocks? I remember a lot of red and orange tones and a wood floor. Some other stores I remember are Mr. Pipe, Tid-bit Alley, Care on the Square, Orange Julius (which later bacame Derby dog, I think Oriental express too. Sears, Sterns and Steinbachs rounded out the 3 anchor stores. There was a McCrory in the steinbach’s wing across from Karin’s Kurtains.
In regards to Monmouth, I remember the Orange Julius there being more isolated from the rest of the mall. I remember there were also a lot of outside stores such as a Vaccuum cleaner store outside on the way to the outdoor arcade. The arcade was very dark and dingy, which was fitting for the mall, and had a warped pool table.
I remember the golden castle phones well and vaguely remember the fairy tales they use to tell. The McCrory’s had a small grill on one side of it where I would have fries. That wing was dead and also had I think a hobby store by Burger King, Record Town (or world), New York Steakhouse, a long corridor that housed the restrooms, and a Chinese restaurant (maybe Jade Garden???). They always looked so bored in there.
I’ll try to conjure up other memories that I have from both malls and post them. If I can dig up any other information about the malls I will as well. Thanks for the memories.
[Reply]
Mike
March 13th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
The Chinese restaurant was called Wok Express. When it closed it Monmouth mall it reopened in Seaview Square in the food court next to Derby Dog.
Seaview Square also had a store downstairs between Rite Aid and Deb called We R Tops that made those T-Shirts with the ironed on decals. There was also a small fotomat in the middle of the mall where they would send out your film to be developed and it would take weeks to come in.
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shaney_oyeah
March 14th, 2008 at 9:07 pm
It would be cool to see some seaview square pics, both before AND after the renovations, as i cant find any anywhere. And pictures of the manalapan mall would be cool, too.
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Tricia
March 18th, 2008 at 11:33 am
I would like to know why American Cafe closed down. They had such good food there including dessert. I miss the good ole days, but truthfully Monmouth Mall needs to have some things done.
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mallguy
March 18th, 2008 at 9:54 pm
American Cafe pulled out of NJ totally. They were also located in Quakerbridge…I think the former QB location is now a sports bar. It is a shame nothing has taken that Monmouth location…Houlihan’s actually opened south of the mall on route 35 (too bad it didn’t open in the mall, but they usually prefer stand alone locations). Hopefully the upcoming renovation/expansion will address the vacancy.
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chris
March 20th, 2008 at 2:07 am
great memories of seaview square monmouth mall guy. I rember that waterbed store loved going there bouncing around on the waterbeds lol. do you all remeber a jack la lane fitness spa there as well it was on the upper level goin to sears. I remeber the mccroys on the upper level going towards steinbach’s and also there was a freedmans bakery on the upper level near sterns in the center court it was a good local bakery in the monmouth county area. but I don’t really remeber an arcade there I was too young for sure lol also a feet first what happened to that store did they go out of business?? I loved that store =(. I do commonly remeber the food court with the rizzo’s pizza i remeber that place had pictures of corvettes that were out at the time hahaha I remeber getting sick off of those pizza’s all of the time and of course the provident and the right aid right next to sears. also the acme and that movie theatre never saw a movie there but it had that funny structure when you saw it on rt66. I last visited the original Seaview in 1995 and it deminished in the worst way stores closing left and right.I actually droove by that mall 5 yrs later and saw the stern’s demolished and target replacing that store. man if would only go back in time
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Rob
March 24th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
Come some of you be wrong about a Montgomery Wards in the Monmouth Mall? My post “there is no Santa Claus days” remember my father taking me out Chrismas shopping around “61-”63″ and going to a Wards probably located on Rt. 66 probably around where the Shop Rite is. Where exactly I don’t know. The Shop Rite might have been built on the site of a former Sears.
I will show my age by remembering a Sears store in Red Bank on Monmouth St. in Red Bank. I guess they had demo models and you ordered from the catologue.
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mallguy
April 8th, 2008 at 11:45 pm
Has anybody learned where the new Barnes and Noble coming to Monmouth Mall will be built?
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USlifeguy
April 14th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Hello everyone…lots of good reading and memories here….regarding the Bamberger’s discount store…the actual name was Bamberger’s Budget Store. I used to shop there in the late 70′s. Also, I worked at Hahne’s back in 1976 – 1978. I would love to find out where some of the people are that I used to work with. I was only 17 years old at the time. If anyone knows how to find old work friends, please email me at: uslifeguy@yahoo.com.
I also used to work at Sterns at Seaview Square and later Monmouth Mall. Also in Seaview Square was Bavarian Pretzel (I worked there) and Karmelkorn (I worked there too). Does anyone remember the first female security guard at that mall back in the late 70′s?? She is a good friend of mine!! What a blast I had working at that mall!!!
I certainly remember Bun N Burger, but it was located where Aeropostale is located now. I do remember the restaurant in A&S and also Bamberger’s had one too. I remember back in 1976, Hahne’s brought in a new machine in the Housewares department that made frozen yogurt!!! That was the first time I tasted it and have loved it ever since!!
I love reading about the history of malls. And I remember shopping at Montmouth Mall before the mall was there, when it was called the Eatontown Shoppig Center, before Rotue 18 was ever built!
man, do I feel old!!!!!
[Reply]
caro
April 21st, 2008 at 12:58 am
Ground Round is long, long gone. I went there all the time as a kid, they even held kids birthday parties; I believe it closed by 1990. The floor was indeed covered with peanut shells, which stood around in large barrels for any patrons to munch away at. I often ruined my appetite for dinner by the time we were seated. La Crepe was French-bistro looking restaurant upstairs near the tuxedo place and game store; they closed and became Garcia’s after 1995. The had the most amazing spinach and cheese crepes. Orange Julius was awesome; I was delighted to go to a DC area mall and find an Orange Julius in 2003. I don’t even know where to find one in Jersey.
By the way, there is a Border’s Express (next to the old Lenscrafters, now soem nautically themed restaurant) near the foodcourt. There is a giant Border’s at the corner of 35 and Wykoff, in the EMS/ToysRUs/BK plaza. There was B. Dalton upstairs (near old Disney Store location, just down from Piercing Pagoda) but it was either bought out or just went out.
I have childhood memories that make me pleasantly nostalgic for the Monmouth Mall. I am glad that some people enjoy them; the writer and readers of this blog write with intelligence and clarity on this subject that they clearly love. I admire that.
However now that I live directly across the highway from the Monmouth Mall and have children of my own, my opinion has changed. My children beg to go there, and that is difficult, as you cannot eat or drink for less than 3$ at the Monmouth Mall. The mall traffic causes cars to crawl at mealtimes and stop dead during the holidays. The stars are blotted out by the ever present glow of the mall; when closed their lights stay on, blotting out the heavens. At night, I can look out of my door and see the mall parking lot lights. Fleeing shoplifters are tracked through my neighborhood by armed mall cops (Eatontown police specially assigned to the mall). Crimes commited in the Monmouth mall are listed on the police blotter as “Rt 35″, “Rt 36″ or “Eatontown area”. Some say this failure tolist the actual crime locations bought at a price. Either way, NEVER park in the parking garage if you are alone.
But on the plus side, I already have good parking for Chrismas shopping…I’m in closer walking ditance than some of the overflow parking lots…unless the mall owners have my neighborhood bulldozed for the coming renovations and accompanying road expansion.
Shop on.
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Mike
April 24th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
They started construction on the free standing buildings. The outermost parking lots in front of Macy’s are being dug up. Does anyone know where the Barnes and Noble is going to be built. I also heard a rumor that Burlington was going to close and reopen up at Seaview Square where Lowes was. Did anyone else hear that?
[Reply]
mallguy
April 27th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
I had the chance to stop by Monmouth Mall this weekend and it’s sad to see how downright depressing this place has gotten over the years. I was also amazed how desolate this place was on a Saturday afternoon (Pier Village and The Grove were more crowded and it wasn’t even that warm out). Maybe it’s because I’m making direct comparisons to FRM’s recent construction, but the bland nature of this place is apparent.
I did notice the freestanding building construction as well and hope to see a mall renovation to brighten this place up very, very soon (Wikipedia says it’s going to happen). Not sure where B&N will go but hope they build a 2 level location.
[Reply]
Jon
May 8th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
I visited this mall for the first time in a few months recently (I live in Holmdel and I’ve been bypassing it for Freehold Mall, which really is much better) and I found out they are adding a new H&M store on the upper level. H&M isn’t in Freehold Mall yet is it? I wonder why they chose to go to Monmouth Mall over Freehold. Nevertheless it’s nice to see that Monmouth Mall is getting a new store, especially a major one like H&M. Maybe this is a good sign that a renovation is coming.
[Reply]
SEAN
May 8th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
Getting an H & M today is no great achievement, almost every mid-level mall either has one or will get one soon. It’s just like getting Starbucks. When stores like H & M refuse to sign a lease, you know there’s a big problem.
[Reply]
MONMOUTH
May 22nd, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Interesting additives to all the posts here.
The Monmouth Mall JCPenney was originally built for themselves in 1976 I believe. A fact that most people dont know is when the store was still an open steel frame, during construction, two young boys were playing around on the second level after hours and one was killed when he fell into the escalator pit.
The JCPenney Auto Center/Firestone building was located in the parking lot across from the front of the TGI fridays. When the mall was undergoing the vast remodeling project of 1996, the Auto Center was demolished. The area was paved over and is a parking lot. There are no traces of the building.
Just as a previous writer added, the theatre was all new construction. That was part of the 1996 remodel. That was the area of the Caldor.
What is now the Boscov’s was a Sterns, then prior to that an A & S.
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Mike
May 22nd, 2008 at 5:19 pm
Let us not forget about the Bambergers Auto center that was across from Lord and Taylor (Hane’s back then). That building was also demolished and is now part of the parking lot.
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Randy
May 24th, 2008 at 11:42 am
There is new construction going on now right in front of Route 36- near Macy’s. This was a former unused parking lot. I wonder what this will be?
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mallguy
May 24th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
That will be either Jared-Galleria of Jewelry, Fresh City or both. Those stores along with Barnes and Noble are the confirmed tennants of the expansion. Dicks was going to be built adjacent to Boscov’s, but they pulled out. I’m just curious to see where Barnes and Noble will go.
And will there be a renovation to go along with the expansion? Wikipedia states there is one upcoming…we’ll see.
[Reply]
Randy
May 27th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
From newspaper:
On March 10, the Eatontown Planning Board granted final site plan approval to the owner of Monmouth Mall (Vornado Trust Realty) for a four part expansion adding 113,824 square feet of retail and restaurant space to the already 1.5 million square-foot mall (the fifth largest in the state BTW).
The interesting part for us foodists is that one of the intended tenants (to be located in Site C of the project which is planned to be a 14,202 square-foot structure on the outskirts of the mall’s parking lot and bordering Route 35) is one of the first of Bobby Flay’s new high-end burger concept known as “Bobby’s Burger Palace” (with another location planned for Smithville, NY). Other prospective restaurant tenants include a Chipotle and Fresh City.
[Reply]
Jonah Norason
May 29th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
What I was thinking that might run entirely contradictory with the current remodel…but why not have “themes”? This would involve getting rid of in-line space in front of Macy’s for a food court. The current food court wing, along with BCF becomes a real “entertainment wing”, replete with the existing theater, flight simulator, mini-golf, GameWorks, and waterpark.
The southern end with Macy’s Kids is ripped out for a brand-new upscale wing (with Nordstrom), and so on.
[Reply]
mallguy
May 29th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Glad to see you agree with me, Jonah. As I mentioned in post #4, that format would definitely bring customers to Monmouth Mall and keep it relevant. A Bloomingdales in lieu of Nordstrom would further attract a customer base in central Jersey that would not have to deal with the drive to Bridgewater Commons or the Mall at Short Hills.
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SEAN
June 6th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
Dave & Busters is a must for what is being perposed here
Ah Mallguy, right up your alley
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karin
June 9th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
anyone know any history about the brunswick square mall? my friend and i are trying to remember the stores and can’t find help.
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mallguy
June 10th, 2008 at 9:01 am
There were some very interesting stores and eateries there (many of which were also in Monmouth Mall) such as: The York Steakhouse, Bun N Burger, Hot Dogs N More (which had a funky smell) and Farrell’s Ice Cream (which was not in Monmouth Mall also, but Paramus Park…seems like it would fit in right on Main Street USA)…same anchors, except Macy’s was called Bamberger’s. Movie theater was much smaller and Barnes and Noble didn’t come until 1999.
[Reply]
SEAN
June 10th, 2008 at 9:38 am
The theatre was called Movie City 5. I don’t know where it was, however there were 2 other locationsWoodbridge & 1655 Oak Tree Road in Edison. The Edison 8-plex changed hands not all that long ago, Clearview owned it & dumped it.
[Reply]
monmouth
June 14th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
Hey Sean,
If you were looking for the old Movie City 5, that was located in one of the first “strip malls” along Rt 18, just over the 18 bridge out of Old Bridge in East Brunswick. Its on your right side when you cross over the span. (I dont know if it has a real name). I dont know the exact date that strip mall was built but it was around in the 1960′s. Movie City 5 was located in the corner of the mall as it is a “L” shape structure. That was the movie hub of the 80′s, crowds would line the sidewalks to wait to see a movie. The sidewalks even had muti colored striping so you would know what line to stand in when you waited to get tickets for your movie.
The large empty store that is at the end of the mall was
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Monmouth
June 14th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Oops, lost my way there….
Just a correction to my previous post. The strip mall along RT18 was built in the 1950′s. The day of the grand opening was a blizzard. Some of the original stores were a Food Fair (foodtown) that was in the far corner off RT 18 (last known as a Pelican Pools). Dont know when Foodfair moved out, a L.H Martins (discount style store) and a Grants (retail), they eventually became the Movie City 5. The racquet club you see in the lot was built in the 1980s and has stayed the same. The Burger King which is also in the lot was built in the 1980′s.
As far as I know, the businesses that remain the longest are Franks Barber Shop (1970?) and Brothers Pizza (1979). The two best places to get a cut and lunch in Middlesex, Monmouth County!!
If I acquire anymore information, I will post. Hope this answers some questions.
[Reply]
Monmouth
June 14th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Karin,
Brunswick Square Mall, East Brunswick Township, NJ started off as farmland owned by “Branco’s Farms” in the 1960′s. The first original structure built was a Bambergers (now Macys). The rest of the mall followed, the covered mall sections and finally the JCPenney. I dont believe anything existed on the mall area prior to original construction. There was possibly a few farm structures, but of course they were demolished.
There was talk of the mall adding a second level but those plans fell to the wayside. A large remodel was done to the mall interior and exterior. The old “trees in a mall” 1970/80′s look was removed to bring this place more up to date. It is funny though, the Macys and JCPenney still havent done much of anything to really spruce up their stores. The McCrory store which closed in 2001 was located to the rear of the mall near the high school rear ball fields and was closed to the JCPenney catalog/pick up area. The old McCrorys space was used for the theatre that is now there.
As far as other stores inside the mall, do you remember the “York Steakhouse?”
Give me time, Ill find out more. Hope this helps.
[Reply]
mallguy
June 15th, 2008 at 12:14 am
Speaking of East Brunswick Movie Theatres, there were 3 in the 1980s: The Brunswick Square Cinema: owned by General Ciemna…orginially a twin, then expanded to 5 screens and then reborn as MegaMovies.
Movie City 5: Monmouth’s description is accurate and the theatre closed in the early 1990s…I always found the stip mall kind of creepy since overflow parking was in the back of the strip mall…area was not well lit and was blocked from view of Old Bridge Turnpike by many trees. There was a little alleyway that cut between the two buildings of the strip mall that allowed for easy access to Movie City 5.
Loews Route 18: Used to be where the current discount men’s store (the name escapes me) is currently located in the shopping center where the Chinese Market and DMV are located. Crazy Eddie used to be in this mall. This movie theatre was also very popular and closed in the mid 1996 when AMC New Brunswick on the site of the old US1 Fleamarket opened.
The Brunswick Square expansion plans fell through after complaints by EB residents about the traffic the expansion would generate. I still think there is a chance for an expansion, especially if Summerhill Square gives Brunswick Square a run for their money.
[Reply]
SEAN
June 15th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
At one time General Cinema was one of the largest theatre circuits with locations up & down the east coast, the midwest, Dallas TX, LA & Seattle. Central NJ had a large number of them. Over time however there dominance declined do to compitission from Loews, Cineplex Odeon & AMC in different parts of the country, these circuits expanded with large theatres with stadium seating & GC wasn’t able to defend it self because most cinemas had less than 8-screens or were just becomeing less desirable. Locations were closed or sold in large numbers to pay off debts, finally in 2002 AMC baught out GC & IT’S 66 theatres. Only 33 OF THOSE LOCATIONS REMAIN TODAY.
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Randy
June 16th, 2008 at 11:32 am
Now there are signs saying coming soon to Monmouth Mall: Jared- The Galleria of Jewelry, Fresh City, and a Bobby Flay burger restaurant.
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Jonah Norason
July 25th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
Check this out, Monmouth Mall fans:
http://www.siteride.com/srpl/p_snapshot.pl?subNum=10215000846
Apparently, there was a Braddock’s and a 15-screen Sony Theatres where AMC and BCF are now, while Nobody Beats The Wiz is in the BASEMENT. Neat!
[Reply]
SEAN
July 27th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
What is going to happen to Boscov’s. Didn’t they fight to get into MM?
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mallguy
July 27th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
Well, if Boscov’s does close, it leaves a great opportunity for Bloomingdale’s to come to Monmouth Mall! The building (once an A&S) is perfect for it and with the growth of affluent areas near Eatontown, as well as the chance to compete against a continully upscale trending Freehold Raceway Mall. Plus, it is attached to a parking deck (which will probably need a little more work done to it).
[Reply]
Max
July 27th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Mallguy, while I always enjoy reading your posts and respect your opnions, I could not disagree with you more: it would be a crying shame if a store as unique as Boscov’s were to be replaced by an extremely overpriced department store. While I know that you’ve long wanted Bloomingdale’s to come to the Monmouth Mall, I just don’t see it happening: Bloomingdale’s is extremely selective when it comes to opening new stores (far more so than Nordstrom), and the chain has just recently passed up opportunites to locate at malls far more upscale than Monmouth (such as Danbury Fair Mall, Cherry Hill Mall, and Natick Collection). And, while you pointed out correctly that Monmouth Mall is near some affluent areas, the core shoppers at the mall itself consist of the working and middle classes.
Before I conclude, I want to apologize to you–Mallguy–if I have offended you in any way. Also, I did not mean to knock your fantasy about Bloomingdale’s coming to the Monmouth Mall. In fact, everybody has their own mall fantasies, myself included: I have always wanted to see a Boscov’s come to Northern NJ. Of course, that fantasy sadly will never become a reality.
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SEAN
July 27th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
Max/Mallguy,
I’m going to put in my two cents, if you want to put a Bloomingdale’s in central NJ the best places are either Menlo Park or Freehold. Malguy, I know what you are trying to atempt with Monmouth Mall, but Max has a point. I cant see Bloomies opening there. Maybe you can show us some data to prove that you are right.
Max, don’t forget Mallguy is a teacher, keep your mind open.
[Reply]
Jonah Norason
July 27th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
Sure don’t know what it’s like today, but circa 2001, according to this site:
http://www.focusworldinternational.com/capabilities_domestic.htm
Demographics of Monmouth Mall:
Latino: 22%
African American: 15%
Caucasian: 61%
Other: 2%
Average Income: $ 78,000.00
If those demographics are anywhere near accurate, Bloomingdale’s is NOT meant for Monmouth Mall.
[Reply]
mallguy
July 27th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
Sean,
Out of curiousity, do you happen to know the trade area radius from MM they are using for that survey? If that is within 5 miles, it’s pretty accurate with Eatontown, Long Branch, Shrewsbury and Asbury Park, but the towns of Ocean, Rumson, Spring Lake, Ocean Grove, Holmdel, Colts Neck and Wall, which are all nearby, are pretty affluent. Plus, Long Branch is not the same place it was 7 years ago. And Max, no offense taken…a little respectable disagreement is good here and there and I’m glad you enjoy hearing what I have to say. I’ll further explain why I think this could work.
I grew up in the shore area, went to grad school down there and also worked in the area so I know it well and Monmouth County itself is very, very interesting in NJ. Unlike Bergen, Somerset, Essex and Morris Counties, there are no clear socio-economic divisions. Whereas Bergen County’s unofficial socioeconomic dividing line is Route 4, Essex is Northwest vs southeast, Monmouth County has no socioeconomic dividing line. There are very wealthy communities next to blue collar communties and very wealthy communties next to poor communities (ex’s: Holmdel and Keyport, Deal/Allenhurst and Asbury Park). As a result wealth/poverty is pretty spread out. Many of my former students were willing to drive a little farther to FRM overlooking MM (and I do the same thing), but they all talk of the convenience of MM. Even though MM is doing OK and there is an upcoming expansion (the B&N will help), it’s not enough to compete with Freehold, especially with the possibility of Boscov’s closing. Monmouth County can easily support 2 upscale malls and I would further make the argument that Monmouth Mall has much better highway accessibility (2 mi from the GSP and on 35/36, 1 mi from 18, 7 mi from 195/138) than FRM (on 9 & 33, 4 mi from , 8 mi from 195 and about 10-12 mi from exit 8 of the NJT and exit 100 of the GSP). Bloomingdale’s however, is not the only solution to MM…also a MAJOR cosmetic renovation, an entertainment/lifestyle wing, and a renovation of the 35/36/Wyckoff Road intersections, as I had explained higher up in this thread. Getting Bloomingdale’s will make MM a “destination mall” in the same fashion taht Nordstrom does for Menlo and FRM, thereby attracting more stores that may want a 2nd MC location and eventhough The Grove is nearby, it’s hemmed in and can’t be built out. Remember, Eatontown is losing Fort Monmouth in a couple of years and improving Monmouth Mall will be in its best interests. If little to nothing is done, MM can very well go the way of Seaview Sqaure.
Sean, I do agree that Menlo may be a better location, but MM should be considered. If Boscov’s does close and if not Bloomingdale’s, Sean/Max, what should take its place? Hope I was better able to explain my position.
[Reply]
SEAN
July 28th, 2008 at 9:27 am
Mallguy,
I don’t know much about the data, but usually you are talking about a 5 to 10 mile radius from any given point in retail circles. Now how does that mesh with the data in the post above, plus your prire post. This will give us further insight in what needs to be done to keep MM going into the future.
[Reply]
Jonah Norason
July 28th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Mallguy: Well, since I posted those demographics, not Sean, I will tell you that they do seem strange, considering the city of Eatontown fares a bit better. At 22% Latino and 15% African American, it would seem there would be trashier stores at Monmouth, but I’m not jumping to conclusions.
[Reply]
SEAN
July 28th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
To answer your last question mallguy about MM, if boscov’s leaves the first place I would look is Bon Ton, the second idea would be Dillard’s. Truthfully neither one thrills me, but a store is better than no store at all.
This downturn is going to have many more casualties than past ones.
I’m going to go off topic for a brief moment, went to the casinos in Connecticut over the weekend & paied particular atention to the crowds, interestingly the table games were as busy as I sene in past years. However the slots had a major drop off in the number of players, dispite ever increasing numbers of games & dollar denomonations avaleable. I bring this up because what I saw is being reflected in retailers as well, people who cant or wont spend money the same way as they did in the past. I’m talking about as recently as a year ago. I found it a fasinating point to reflect on because the casino is a microcosm of the econemy that could be studied like you were in the labratory. The malls we post about here do the same thing but in a different way. It’s nice to compare the two.
[Reply]
mallguy
July 28th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Dillards sounds interesting as there is no NJ location (I think the farthest they come to NJ is VA) and The Bon Ton pulled out of NJ a couple of years ago (downtown Red Bank in the former Steinbach which is now Garmany-an upscale mens and womens store). I would think that Dillard’s would attempt a North Jersey location first but who knows.
[Reply]
SEAN
July 28th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Dillard’s does go as far north & east as Cleveland & Richmond. New Jersey maybe a strech, but let us all keep our eyes open.
[Reply]
Jonah Norason
July 28th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
Sean: Interestingly, the poor economy is like a trap, once you get in, you often make it worse. Because of the perception of a poor economy, people get stingy with cash. Less money trades hands, and the economy goes down even faster. But let’s not talk economies here. We’re talking Monmouth Mall.
Although the Mills malls may take the prizes, why can’t Monmouth Mall become more of a “fun mall”? When/if Boscov’s bites the dust, replace it with something like a Bass Pro Shops or an IKEA. Add an indoor waterpark. Create “districts” (which the Cherry Hill Mall once did), like “snooty upscale” to “baggy pants faux-gangsta”/”family-oriented” sections. Monmouth Mall doesn’t have to get a Bloomingdale’s, a blinding white paint job, and upscale boutiques to be “successful”.
[Reply]
mallguy
July 28th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Jonah:
You make a few good points in ideas for Monmouth Mall (Bass Pro Shops…heck, I’d even like to see an LLBean, but that won’t happen uless the building that currently houses Boscov’s is torn down and rebuilt, as it is too big), however, within NJ, malls need to stay as current as possible. Because there are so many (30 enclosed malls in the 46th largest state in area, to be exact), the competition is harsh…when one renovates, the others around it need to do something. As an example, look at Paramus: every mall there is either going through an expansion or redevelopment to compete with the upcoming opening of Xanadu. Same thing with Quaker Bridge…now that Freehold is upscale and is a destination mall, Quaker Bridge is doing the same thing with their upcoming expansion. Livingston Mall is also undergoing a renovation (and is only 4 mi from Short Hills) to improve its place in the market. In this climate, if you don’t keep current, not only in stores but in decor, you go under. A prime example of this is Seaview Square Mall, 4 miles south of Monmouth Mall. Albeit pushed a little back from the intersections of routes 35 & 66, it was at a good location, however, the mall was never able to attact stores and had non-destination, substandard anchors (Sears, Sterns, Steinbach)…even with the cosmetic renovation, it failed and is now an outdoor power center. The same thing could happen to MM if Vorando is not careful with two recently renovated malls located within a 20 mile radius of it…and it would be a shame as this mall has quite a lot of history to it. Jonah, I don’ t know the last time you’ve been here, but it’s quite a dark, depressing place and as I said, something needs to be done. And I will reiterate, not just a new dept store, but a combination of things. Also, Monmouth Mall is 6 miles from the beach and it should take advantage of its location as a rainy day alternative…in doing that, they can bring in some good restaurants/bars…some that we don’t normally see in malls such as a Dave and Busters or Lucky Strike Lanes. I’m really rooting for Monmouth Mall and I just hope that something gets done…Barnes and Noble will be a good start, but they need much, much more.
[Reply]
SEAN
July 28th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
Mallguy,
As I read your last post & Jonah takes a few shots at me LOL, I came up with a redevelopment idea for Monmouth Mall. Since MM is close to the shore, the mall should create a beach themed entertainment area that includes the existing theatre, bring in Dave & Busters where Berlington coat is now, add a few more night spots & give the mall a beach like color scheme. The darkness of the mall doesn’t do anything for me.
[Reply]
Max
July 28th, 2008 at 8:59 pm
Mallguy, I’m actually in 100% agreement with you regarding the fact that a Bloomingdale’s would be a great addition to the Monmouth Mall. I just happen to disagree with you on two fronts: I don’t believe that Bloomingdale’s would ever choose to open a store at that mall (based on my earlier explanation), nor would I prefer a Bloomingdale’s over a Boscov’s. (Although I certainly concede that having Bloomingdale’s–instead of Boscov’s–would be in the mall’s best interest. Of course, I strongly feel that Boscov’s survival–and its continued presence at this mall–is in the best interest of the consumer.)
I honestly don’t have any redevelopment ideas of my own for the Monmouth Mall; if Boscov’s closes, I think this mall is screwed. (Really, Boscov’s is the main store that makes this mall worth going to, as JCPenney, Lord & Taylor, and Macy’s all have locations at Freehold Raceway Mall.) The previously mentioned idea of Dillard’s sounds good; unfortunately, I doubt they will choose to open their first location in the Northeast during these bad economic times. Additionally, I don’t think that The Bon-Ton will open at Monmouth Mall since that chain’s stores are quite small; the mammoth Boscov’s building would be way too big for their tastes. Perhaps the best idea I can come up with is to have Target occupy a closed Boscov’s building, since I know that Target recently took over a former Robinsons-May location in California. (However, doesn’t Target already have a location at the site of the Seaview Square Mall?)
[Reply]
Jonah Norason
July 28th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
I did mention an indoor waterpark…that can go in the southern Macy’s Kids wing. The whole BCF/food court area could go toward a theater expansion and Dave & Buster’s (dividing the space). A wing can extend west from Macy’s (see map) that can include another anchor, possibly a discount store. I’ll see if I can make a map soon.
[Reply]
mallguy
July 29th, 2008 at 2:11 am
Max/Jonah:
Prior to the Boscov’s news, my orginal idea was that Bloomingdales be a part of the expansion of a wing west of Macy’s leading out toward Wyckoff Road as the current state of that wing is sad. In that plan, I had also included Dave and Busters, an expansion of the 2nd level to Macy’s and the new Bloomingdale’s wing, new escalators, stairs and elevators, as well as Boscov’s staying where it is.
In a wishful thinking situation, the only way that Bloomingdale’s would commit to Monmouth Mall is if everything falls into place: the cosmetic renovation, addition of entertainment options and a renovation of the area highway intersections surrounding the mall.
Target is already at Seaview Square and it is a Target Greatland…I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment that Monmouth Mall is screwed if Boscov’s does close. Also, that building is close to 300,000 sf, a little too big for a Target.
Btw, does anyone know where the new Barnes and Noble is going?
[Reply]
SEAN
July 29th, 2008 at 9:36 am
Is the Boscov’s store 2 or 3 floors? If it is a 2 level store you could place Target on one floor & subdivide the other. In a 3 level configuration Target would take 2 floors & subdivide the remaining level.
If you wanted to, instead of subdividing spaces you could move Burlington to one section of the Boscov’s store wile Target takes the rest. The existing Burlington store could be turned into Dave & Busters or an expanded AMC theatre. Infact AMC is rolling out a new theatre consept called Fork & Screen, similar to National Amusements Directors Hall. The first one opened in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood, the second is opening outside Kansas City later this year.
All of the major circuits are trying to copy Muvico’s success with adult only areas with bars & higher quality food & service. I just thaught why not at Monmouth Mall?
[Reply]
SEAN
July 29th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
My bad, I should have looked up the thred for the answer to my own question. Since Boscov’s is a 3 level store, if they close that location, have Target take 2 levels & berlington takes the remaining floor. Now AMC can remoddle & expand the theatre for it’s new Fork & Screen consept by adding a new wing of auditoriums& reconfigure the other 15. You could end up with at least 24-screens or perhaps even mor than that.
By adding aditional restaurants like Dave & busters you could end up with a nice entertainment district. I could invision gutting the Macy*s Kids wing along with the food court, move the food court down that hall, reclaim the Berlington Coat location, add restaurants in the current food court area, add AMC’s new Fork & Screen consept as I already said & finally have it all done with a tropical theme AKA South Beach or San Diego.
[Reply]
mallguy
August 3rd, 2008 at 12:23 am
On the subject of Dave and Buster’s, they recently opened up at Plymouth Meeting Mall outside of Philly…that is the 3rd D&B’s in the Philly metro area and the amazing thing is that they chose to open at Plymouth Meeting and not 5 miles west at King of Prussia. PMM was considered in the same category of MM as being a fairly large, somewhat slumping mall in the shadow of larger malls (KOP and Willow Grove whereas MM is in the shadow of FRM) also recently has completed a lifestyle expansion. If PMM can get a D&B’s, then why not MM!
If AMC were to ever expand, they should consider an IMAX…there are only 2 IMAX theatres in NJ and one very close to NJ in Palisades (I’m actually very surprised that they didn’t try to get an IMAX in the new GSP AMC).
[Reply]
SEAN
August 3rd, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Mallguy,
TXN makes an Imax projector that doesn’t require the 6-story screen, called DMR, it uses the SAME WIDE screen found in the latest megaplex theatres. AMC has a contract to install100 of these projectors over the next few years. http://www.amctheatres.com has a press release on there website with locations.
Why not MM?
[Reply]
SEAN
August 3rd, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Mallguy,
The date was 12-07-07 of the PR, MM is on the list of theatres scheduled to receive an Imax instalation.
Go to the link above to read more.
[Reply]
Max
August 3rd, 2008 at 3:42 pm
I’m not sure where else to post this, but again regarding the subject of Bloomingdale’s, I feel they really missed the boat when it came to opening a store in central New Jersey. While I certainly still feel that Monmouth Mall is a bad fit for the chain, there were several other malls at which Bloomingdale’s could have located: First, they should have beaten either Nordstrom or Neiman Marcus to the punch when it came to being a part of the extension at Quaker Bridge Mall. Additionally, they should have fought to have been a part of Freehold Raceway Mall’s extension. (If I remember correctly, FRM actually considered two competiting proposals for its new addition: add another department store, or build an outdoor lifestyle center. Of course, the mall chose the latter option.)
The fact that Bloomingdale’s turned down opportunites to locate at Quaker Bridge Mall & Freehold Raceway Mall shows that the chain is not interested in a central New Jersey location. If Bloomingdale’s later decides to locate here, they really have just one realistic option left: open a store at the current Macy’s location at Menlo Park Mall. However, despite the fact that Macy’s has a store very close by at Woodbridge Center, I strongly doubt it will ever want to give up its Menlo Park Mall location.
[Reply]
mallguy
August 3rd, 2008 at 10:15 pm
Max,
If Bloomindale’s ever decided to open at Menlo Park, there is room in the back for a new store to be built…they would just need to expand the wing that goes between Macy’s and Rainforest Cafe to 2 levels and add a little more length to it…plus either build a new parking deck or expand the current deck. I agree with you that Macy’s will never close that location (especially since it’s the 3rd largest Macy’s in NJ). If they ever built at FRM, the only area where they would build would be to extend the food court wing…don’t think that’s going to happen though as it’s a litte tight back there with parking. The only expansion of FRM we would be looking at in a few years would be the lifestyle expansion.
Sean,
Very interesting link regarding the possibility of IMAX at the Loews Monmouth Mall…hopefully, they’ll convert to stadium seating too…maybe the refurbished movie theatre along with the new Barnes and Noble to come (still not sure where in the mall it will be) will help to attact new entertainment retailers to the single level wing of the mall.
[Reply]
AceJay
August 4th, 2008 at 2:28 am
Oh man, how interesting would that be, bloomingdales opening at MarketFair, hahahaha.
[Reply]
SEAN
August 4th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Now that we know Boscov’s is closing, time for Berlington Coat to move , bring in the store with the red bullseye logo & redew the food court wing in my earlier posts. A rehabilitated AMC THEATRE IS A MUST.
[Reply]
mallguy
August 4th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
Here’s the article about the Boscov’s closing at Monmouth Mall.
As I stated earlier, MM is at a crossroads and it is time to get something done. I agree, Sean, fix that movie theatre! Also give it a major cosmetic renovation (bring some light into the place), expand the second level to Macy’s, bring in some new dining and entertainment options to join the upcoming Barnes and Noble and if Target, put it in the “entertainment wing.” Throw in a road construction project to the interesections of 35, 36 and Wyckoff Road. Then and only then can that other B anchor be talked into coming on board and moving into the former A&S/Stern’s/Boscov’s.
If all this happens, it makes the area shoppers happy, the town of Eatontown happy, as well as the eastern Monmouth region…MM can even advertise itself as a gateway to the shore or a rainy day alternative to the shore.
Are you listening Vorando??!!
[Reply]
Randy
August 5th, 2008 at 9:44 am
Burlington Coat Factory is expected to move either where Value City is going out or where they are demolishing Lowe’s at Seaview Square. I heard it from the management team themselves. Also, when Boscov’s does clear out, I think a store like Best Buy would be good there. Or, they could split the space somehow and have Best Buy and Barnes and Noble. I mean, it is a 3 floor space. Dave and Busters would be cool.
[Reply]
Jonah Norason
August 5th, 2008 at 10:35 am
I just hope that Vornado doesn’t upscale/blandify it too much. I really hope they can do something creative to the former Boscov’s and keep a full upscale-to-downscale feel to the mall.
Knowing Vornado however, I wouldn’t bet on it.
[Reply]
Joey
August 5th, 2008 at 11:48 am
I think they should turn Boscov’s into Bloomingdale’s. There’s none in the area. Instead of people traveling to Bridgewater Commons, they can come here. Also in preparation, add a couple upscale shops. Get rid of Modell’s, it doesn’t fit well, also rid Burlington Coat Factory, renovate the entire mall, so it can be brighter, and more upscale looking sorta how Cherry Hill Mall is renovating.
Stores for example….
in the old Modell’s
>Coach
>Swarovski
>A|X Armani Exchange
>J. Crew
>Lucky Brand Jeans
>Kira Plastinina
>Bare Escentuals
spread through the mall.. includes locations
>Ann Taylor
>Gilly Hicks (no Ruehl here) {current Shoe Dept.}
>Metropark (vacant spot between Zumiez & Champs)
>bebe (current Borders Express) if they build B&N outside…
>bebe sport (1/2 of vacant spot next to Nail Pro)
>L’Occitane (current JB Robinson)
>Sephora (vacant spot next to Finish Line)
>Betsey Johnson (current Sweetness & Lace)
>Bailey Banks & Biddle (1/2 of vacant spot next to Nail Pro)
>Lacoste (1/2 of vacant spot next to Nail Pro)
>Michael Kors (current Mid-Level GameStop)
>True Religion Brand Jeans (1/2 of current Wet Seal)
>TUMI (current Surray Luggage)
>Tiffany & Co. (vacant spot, between Express & Limited Too)
>Apple Computer (vacant spot, between Hot Topic & Things Remembered)
>Anthropoligie (vacant spot next to Thomasville)
in the old Burlington Coat Factory..
>Urban Outfitters
>Kiehl’s
>Godiva
>Guess?
>Brooks Brothers
>Tommy Bahama
Renovate the AMC theater to look like the GSP one.
And finally reconfigure the food court. Move Thomasville across the road fromn the mall. Also, we’ll move Zales. The eateries will be moved along the Zales/Macy’s side to the current Thomasville side. It colud fit about 11 eateries & restrooms. Where the current food court is and beyond will have expanded seating, an ATM, a fountain, and a new entrance in the farthest point of Thmoasville is, so it will be right next to one of the 11 eateries.
[Reply]
Joey
August 5th, 2008 at 11:50 am
I think Simon should own the property after Vornado is done. It will be better.
[Reply]
mallguy
August 5th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
Joey,
Thanks for agreeing with me on the Bloomingdale’s issue! Your store ideas are good, however, a few of them you mentioned are already in The Grove and at least with Antropologie and Brooks Brothers, I wouldn’t see them opening another location 4 miles away. And I think they should put fountains throughout the mall, not just in the food court area…also in front of all the anchors and in the central area between Macy’s and Lord and Taylor. Don’t forget to add the new dining and entertainment options in the 1 level section (Dave and Busters, Lucky Strike Lanes, Barnes and Noble, The Cheesecake Factory, to name a few) …and extend the 2nd floor to Macy’s.
[Reply]
Joey
August 5th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
B&N is coming next year i heard. Lucky Strike and D&B are fine. There’s gonna be too many Cheesecake Factories! Bridgewater is getting one, and there should be room for ones in Newport Centre Mall and Deptford Mall. Save Grand Lux for Atlantic City. How about we put a Rock Sugar restaurant. It’s a new asian concept from Cheesecake Factory. They’re getting Bobby’s Burger Place and Fresh City soon, so that should complete the restaurant listing.
[Reply]
Jonah Norason
August 5th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Joey and Mallguy:
I know you all want upscaling of Monmouth Mall, but why? You act like everything is ripe for the taking and upscaling instantly means success. You want overpriced clothing shops in favor of lower-priced variety shops, which you’d never shop at anyways. Why would Bloomingdale’s et. al. locate in Monmouth when there are far better places? Bloomingdale’s passed up a lot of potential spots (Quaker Bridge Mall, Freehold Raceway Mall, and Cherry Hill Mall) in NJ as well as others in the nation (Natick Collection, The Galleria, etc.). There are only 40 Bloomingdale’s in the USA compared to the 850 Macy’s stores. Big difference.
The demographics aren’t even very good. Guys, do you know how many upscale malls (and upscaling malls) were failures? Town & Country Mall, West Oaks Mall, The Shops at Willow Bend, Forest Fair Mall, Greenville Mall, Fashion Center (in NJ), and so many others. These malls ended up downscaling, sitting half-empty, or demolished altogether.
I understand the filling of Boscov’s and an update of Monmouth Mall, but the upscale NJ mall list is getting saturated and one wrong move, even an “upscale” attempt might do Monmouth in, permanently.
[Reply]
Joey
August 5th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
I’m sorry but Monmouth Mall could do much better with these stores and renovations. If Bloomindale’s is such an exclusive store, why is it in Willowbrook Mall? Monmouth Mall is perfect for Bloomies. It would be fine if what I planned happened. It’s not super upscale! It’s like 1/2 upscale and 1/2 family-oriented. Monmouth Mall needs this.
[Reply]
mallguy
August 5th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Jonah,
The malls you mentioned (with the exception of Fashion Center) are all not in NJ and NJ is quite unique in that eventhough we are a smaller state (in area) we don’t want to drive far for things we want. Fashion Center, Jonah, died because a) it was too small; b) there was not enough room for it to grow larger; c) upscale anchors were aleady opened at Riverside and GS Plaza. Also at that time GS Plaza was just starting to grow and had the room to do so. Look at Fashion Center from the air and you’ll see that its land is really, really small (there’s even parking ON TOP OF the mall).
In NJ, malls must constantly stay current or they will lose business…the reason why we have so few large dead malls in this state is because the mall owners realize they must always be current and have destination retailers. A few examples: Livingston Mall (in the shadow of Short Hills) is completing a renovation/expansion that will give them a Barnes and Noble…something that Short Hills doesn’t have. All the Parmus area malls have completed or are starting renovations/expansions to get ready for Xanadu. Bridgewater Commons is updating its food offerings to prevent Somerset/Hunterdon shoppers from going beyond to Menlo or Short Hills. QB is starting their expansion to compete with Freehold and Oxford Valley Mall will soon start with their’s (assumed) to compete with Quaker Bridge.
In Monmouth County now, Freehold is doing incredibly well as they have just completed their expansion/renovation. They have destination retailers (Nordstrom, Borders, Cheesecake Factory, Ruehl, etc), upscale retailers and family oriented retailers. Monmouth Mall should take notice that many people in their trade area will go to Freehold instead. Jonah, while you may have some poorer towns near MM, you also have some very wealthy towns (The Grove is 4 mi away and downtown Red Bank now has a Tiffany). Let’s face fact Jonah…malls in NJ must go quasi-upscale and contain destination retailers or they go under…it happened about 10 years ago just 4 miles south of Monmouth Mall in Seaview Square. Seaview was a nice sized mall, but their anchors were not impressive (Sears, Sterns, Steinbach), their movie theater was a dive and they could never attract or keep stores. The way Seaview was fits your description (and I liked the mall too), but it failed and the mall was eventually converted into a big box center,
Bring Bloomingdale’s into Monmouth Mall and they will be successful and help the mall to be even more successful.
[Reply]
Mike
August 5th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Sean,
Target already has the store at Seaview Square, which is a Greatland location. Eatontown is not far enough away for another location.
I think Bloomies is a good choice, though I’m not exactly sure how well it would work there. Monmouth Mall doesn’t attract enough of a desirable element for Bloomingdale’s, I’m afraid.
[Reply]
Jonah Norason
August 5th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Mallguy:
Thanks for your thoughtful answer. The problem with Xanadu is that it will probably sink many malls anyway, no matter how much they attempt to update.
The reason I am vehemently opposed to upscaling is watching the butchering of Cherry Hill Mall. Was it really necessary to take a mall that had a successful upscale part and a well-populated downscale part and butcher it? The demolition of Cherry Court…the removal of many tenants (McDonald’s comes to mind)…the destruction of fountains, planters, and a calm environment, that bridges the gap between a dark mall and light mall, and turn it into Upscale Mall, USA?
Was it really necessary to take Bergen Mall, a somewhat dead but somewhat niche mall, into an outdoor mall, forcing out every tenant, destroying perfectly good (but dated) decor, just to be shiny in the shadow of GSP?
Monmouth Mall could use an upscale wing (and a new food court), I’ll concede to that. The decor must be creative and tasteful, however. The reason Festival Bay Mall failed was due to market oversaturation of those kinds of themed touristy malls and poor location. Read about it. It’s interesting.
If Monmouth Mall takes elements of Festival Bay, and goes through, Monmouth can easily be a wildly successful mall in New Jersey and offer amenities that its upscale cousins wouldn’t dream of having.
[Reply]
Jonah Norason
August 5th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
Footnote: Click on Festival Bay Mall in the above post for a direct link. Another thing that Monmouth can use is an ice rink.
[Reply]
SEAN
August 5th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
Mike,
Thanks for the info, I thaught Seaview was more than 4 miles from MM. As a note Target has a store in Mount Vernon NY & will be opening a new store 2 miles away in New Rochelle at New Roc City in the not to distent future.
Jonah,
I got to go with Joey & mallguy on this, if the malls don’t keep pushing for the upscale customer, then it is game over for them.
Case example, the Stamford Town Center opened in 1982, as the upscale mall for New York’s entire northern burbs. In 1995 The Westchester opened & almost overnight the top stores opened another location there or moved everything to White Plains. To this day, STC has not fully recovered from The impact. Even exclusivity clauses in leases haven’t stopped the bleading. Vacancy rates run about 14% in a mall with 130 stores. The only thing that keeps the mall alive are new restaurants that opened 18 months ago & the fact that people can walk from there offices nearby.
[Reply]
Jonah Norason
August 5th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
What it sounds like to me is that even upscale malls die too. Offices nearby? This wasn’t a downtown mall, was it?
I’m still going for the touristy, rainy-day alternative mall. I think Boscov’s should be turned into new mall space…a new food court on the third level, then new retail space on the others. Then add a two-story IKEA or something on the end.
[Reply]
Jonah Norason
August 5th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
I’m creating a “rework” of Monmouth Mall, of how I would redesign it. Here is the main level…the orange parts are new in-line retail. Stay tuned for the exciting bi-level designs.
[Reply]
Jonah Norason
August 5th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
Oh yeah, here’s the URL:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jnorason/2737145702/
Please save your comments until Part Two is done!
[Reply]
SEAN
August 5th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
Jonah,
The mall is in the heart of downtown Stamford, with most office towers within 5 minutes walking distance. Infact 6buildings comprising the Landmark square complex are atattched to & behind the Macy*s store. This includes a 9-screen bowtie cinema, with another 2 & 6-plex 2 or 3 blocks away.
A couple blocks south at Atlantic Street & Tresser Boulevard a 2 tower condo complex being built by Cappelli Enterprises & Ritz Carlton hotels is rising. I think that could help STC’s fortunes. Also across Tresser Boulevard from the Ritz Carlton sight is a enormus performing arts complex.
The neighborhood has loads of restaurants plus stores of all types & formats, that is partly the reason why the mall has been suffering, not do to blight. The Westchester is another reason why, but the downtown area is very healthy otherwise with Target & Berlington Coat as anchors along with Sacks 5th avenue & Macy*s in the mall.
[Reply]
Randy
August 7th, 2008 at 9:51 am
Living a town over from the mall, I feel that upscaling the mall is a bad idea. I live almost walking distance to the mall, and never go there. I rather go to Freehold Raceway mall. I like the layout better. Eatontown is a pretty crappy city for the most part, unfortunately. All of the more wealthy families in the area shop at Freehold or Woodbridge anyway.
[Reply]
Randy
August 7th, 2008 at 9:53 am
I wonder if Sears would want to move from their current location (Seaview Square) to Monmouth? Seaview is looking pretty nice right now- they’re making it look so much better, and Sears is pretty old.
[Reply]
AceJay
August 7th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Speaking of Seaview, what happened to the Lowe’s?
[Reply]
Joey
August 7th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Woodbridge? that’s not wealthy. I think you mean Menlo.
[Reply]
Randy
August 7th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
No, but it has better stores. That whole area was built on a landfill. They built a new Lowe’s a few years back, and they found cracking on the foundation and flooring, running along the whole store- so it had to close. Then they built the one in Eatontown instead of rebuilding it there. They just started demolishing it recently- it had just been sitting there.
[Reply]
Randy
August 7th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
(Asbury Park Press (NJ) (KRT) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Aug. 6–Empty for four years, a large retailer is moving into the former Lowe’s store at Seaview Square shopping center in Ocean Township.
Burlington Coat Factory has signed a lease for about 80,000 square feet, Michael O’Brien, a principal in Investcorp’s real estate group, said Tuesday.
Burlington Coat Factory expects to open at the end of February, said Audrey Shapiro, a spokeswoman for the retailer.
It will relocate its store at the Monmouth Mall in Eatontown to Seaview Square, she added. “We are excited to go there,” she said.
The announcement means that Monmouth Mall will lose another tenant. On Monday, Boscov’s, one of the mall’s anchors, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and said it will close its Eatontown store.
The Burlington Coat Factory deal is a boon for Seaview Square, which is at the intersection of Route 35 and Route 66, down the road from Monmouth Mall.
Lowe’s abandoned the 165,000-square-foot building in February 2004, 11 months after the home-improvement store opened, because cracks and depressions in the floor raised safety issues. Seaview Square’s owners decided to correct the problem, rebuild the floor and re-lease the space.
[Reply]
Joey
August 8th, 2008 at 12:49 am
now there can be extra retail space for BTC in Monmouth! But watch it’ll be a big-box place.
[Reply]
AceJay
August 8th, 2008 at 4:41 am
What? Wow, that’s pretty unexpected.
Any idea what’s going in the rest of the 165k sq ft.?
[Reply]
Randy
August 8th, 2008 at 8:09 am
Not sure, but Lowe’s has a big garden center- so I wonder if that is part of the whole square footage?
[Reply]
SEAN
August 8th, 2008 at 9:16 am
Expand & remoddle the AMC theatre with the Fork & Screen consept, as I said twice already. Give this mall some night life by adding D&B, anew food court in the Macy*s wing & bring other dining options in to the current food court area.
I still say bring Target in where Boscov’s is, on the upper 2 floors. that will be about 200,000 square feet, the remainder could be divided for 2 adissional retailers. Best Buy & Dicks come to mind.
[Reply]
mallguy
August 8th, 2008 at 11:40 am
Sean,
Dick’s actually pulled out of Monmouth Mall a few months ago. In the upcoming (yet minor) expansion of the mall, they were supposed to move into a new 2 level building adjacent to Boscov’s.
Now that BCF is moving to Seaview, maybe they now have the space for Barnes and Noble…that is unless they were building them a new building. And if they are, that location would be a very good spot for Dave and Busters!
[Reply]
Joey
August 8th, 2008 at 11:53 am
Barnes & Noble is being built as an out/inskirt along with Fresh City, Jared, and Bobby’s Burger Place.
http://atlanticville.gmnews.com/news/2008/0103/Front_Page/006.html
[Reply]
SEAN
August 8th, 2008 at 11:59 am
Thanks Mallguy, substitute Dicks for Bed Bath & Beyond. I’m going to continue to try until I get it right!
You & I have similar ideas, it is just a matter of store placement.
[Reply]
Randy
August 8th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Okay, since the old Lowe’s location was split over at Seaview Square, I found out today that in addition to Burlington Coat Factory (which we already knew was moving there) there will be Cost Cutters (which had to move from the Ocean Twp. location due to Kohl’s being built there).
[Reply]
mallguy
August 8th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Bed Bath and Beyond is currently located across the street from Monmouth Mall on Route 36 in the old Best and Co building in a power center. I could see a Best Buy in the Macy’s wing (The Wiz used to be where BCF was), but I would build it attached to the mall in the underused western wing. I agree with a revamped food court and AMC Theatres. True, Sean, we do, but I’m still convinced that Bloomingdale’s should go into the Boscov’s space. Not only will they (Bloomingdale’s) help themselves by moving closer to their Central Jersey customers, but they will also help Monmouth Mall to hold its own against Freehold.
[Reply]
Max
August 8th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
I honestly do not know how feasible this idea is, but consider this: First, have Macy’s relocate to the Boscov’s building. (The two buildings are virtually the same size.) Then, demolish the current Macy’s and the rest of that wing.
In this new space, an indoor food court would be built, which would be added to the Lord & Taylor/JCPenney/new Macy’s wing. Then, on both sides of the food court, surround it with either an outdoor lifestyle center or a string of outdoor big box stores.
[Reply]
SEAN
August 10th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Does anyone know the square footage of both Boscov’s & Macy*s?
Max,
Your idea about swopping Macy*s over to the Boscov’s spot has merrit, on the other hand Mallguy, I need some info on the area to support Bloomingdale’s because you know the area better than I do.
My first order of business is redewing the food court area with the restaurants & entertainment options nessessary to bring in night life. & beach alternitives.
[Reply]
Max
August 10th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Sean, thank you for your compliment. In answer to your question, Wikipedia states that the size of each anchor is as follows:
*Boscov’s: 264,601 sq. ft.
*Macy’s: 262,422 sq. ft.
*JCPenney: 202,669 sq. ft.
*Lord & Taylor: 159,260 sq. ft.
*AMC Theatres: 77,275 sq. ft.
*Burlington Coat Factory: 44,209 sq. ft.
*Macy’s Kids: 25,637 sq. ft.
As you can see, the size of Boscov’s and Macy’s is virtually the same. (Of course, Macy’s is about 20,000 square feet bigger if you add the square footage of the Macy’s Kids store. However, the size of the Boscov’s building is still large enough for Macy’s needs, given the fact that many stores in that chain are less than 250,000 square feet.)
[Reply]
Max
August 10th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Also, I just thought of another idea: try to get Bass Pro Shops to take over the Boscov’s space. Note that this chain’s stores are often very large (as they have taken over empty department stores in other malls), and I believe that they currently have zero NJ locations. In the event that Bass Pro Shops only wants to take over part of the Boscov’s building, see if the mall can get either Dick’s Sporting Goods or Whole Foods to take over the remaining space.
Stores such as Bass Pro Shops, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Whole Foods are “destination” anchors, and would give this mall something that is not found at Freehold Raceway Mall. I also believe that Monmouth Mall would have a much easier time convincing one (or all) of these stores to locate there than it would Bloomingdale’s.
[Reply]
mallguy
August 10th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
The Boscov’s building is also newer, built in 1976. There’s one little plus to the Boscov’s building: there is a parking deck attached (only to the Boscov’s building, that could use a rehabbing)
Sean,
I’ll give you a list of certain towns and recent developments in the area that would support a Bloomingdale’s. In Long Branch, 5 miles away, you have Pier Village , a multi-use facility that was built from the ground up on the former Long Branch Pier and Kids World. It is currently going through an expansion and will begin a second next year. Right next to it is a luxury hotel (had my prom there actually
and the downtown area is going to go through a rehab, turning it onto a theatre district. The West End neighborhood of LB is also quite affluent. Four miles up route 35, you have The Grove at Shrewsbury , NJ’s (and arguably the US’s) 1st lifestyle center…and some very upscale stores. One mile from there, you have downtown Red Bank which just opened a Tiffany…many in the area consider it the Hoboken of the Jersey Shore. About 10 miles south on Route 35 in Sea Girt, you have a smaller and newer lifestyle center Brook 35 Plaza .
The following affluent towns are within a 10 mile radius of Monmouth Mall: Holmdel, Middletown, Little Silver, Fair Haven, Rumson (one of the most affluent towns in NJ), Sea Bright, Monmouth Beach, Deal, Ocean Township, Loch Arbor, Allenhurst, Spring Lake, Wall (or at least parts of), Sea Girt, Manasquan, Marlboro, Freehold Township, Colts Neck. Assuming Bloomingdale’s doesn’t open any other Central Jersey locations, people WILL come, as the road network in the area is pretty good (MM is 1 mile from the GSP and the route 18 freeway…on 35 & 36 and 7 miles from I-195 terminus).
Again, I support Bloomies in the Boscov’s Building, the 2nd level built out to Macy’s, a major cosmetic renovation and current one level area turned into a lifestyle wing. One additonal consideration to the Lifestyle Wing…maybe the west end assuming B&N doesn’t locate there: LL Bean! If they chose to open in Albany, then why not Central Jersey!
[Reply]
mallguy
August 10th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
By the way, I happened to stop in the other day…the sattelite buildings (Jared, Bobby’s Burger Place, Fresh City) are coming along nicely. There was a crowd in the mall, but this place is still dark and depressing. The place def needs work!
[Reply]
SEAN
August 10th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
Max,
I never thaught about Bass Pro Shops or Hole Foods, not a bad idea. I just have a tough time swallowing Bloomingdale’s at this mall. Dicks semes to be opening everywhere but my area. The nearest store is In the former Stern’s at Roosevelt Field.
[Reply]
mallguy
August 10th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
A lot of the 2 level Dick’s Sporting goods used to be Galyan’s…I think RF was also a Galyan’s…I know that Woodbridge and Freehold had Galyan’s that converted to Dick’s.
Whole Foods wouldn’t be too bad, but they are 8 miles away in Middletown. They are opening a location at Plymouth Meeting and Bergen Town Center, so maybe. If not Bloomingdales, what about LL Bean?
[Reply]
SEAN
August 11th, 2008 at 9:45 am
Yes, you got something there Mallguy. The new Ridge hill project in Yonkers, will have LL Bean & Whole Foods,. I think that could work at MM as well.
Ridge Hill will also have restaurants, a cinema Deluxe & residential units in a town center format. MM could benefit from a similar type of expantion plus the numerous ideas posted above.
[Reply]
mallguy
August 11th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
And the revamped movie theatre would go along well with the lifestyle wing, LL Bean in the lifestyle wing, the renovation and Bloomingdale’s.
As I said, the road network is pretty good, but to improve it, both Wyckoff Road and Route 35 should be built as overpasses and over and converted into interchanges with Route 36. Also the intersection of Route 35 and Wyckoff road needs to be redone, incorporating left turn singals into the light and traffic light entrance of Monmouth Mall with Route 35 should be converted into an overpass entrance.
[Reply]
SEAN
August 11th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
I assume like GSP, right Mallguy?
[Reply]
mallguy
August 11th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
If by GSP you mean the 4 &17 intersection, something like that, but it would have to be a little more compact as there isn’t as much available room. NJ is planning on reconfiguring the 35/36 intersection next year, but it doesn’t include an overpass. The 36/Wyckoff Road intersection also needs to be overpassed, but not as complicated. Route 36 is a major connection between the GS Parkway/18 and the beach towns/Monmouth Park/Monmouth University and can get pretty backed up during rush hour and on summer weekends.
There is a flyover entrance on route 4 for GSP and I would propose relacing the route 35 traffic light entrance with the flyover.
[Reply]
SEAN
August 12th, 2008 at 9:12 am
Mallguy,
That’s exactly what I was refering to. I somewhat recall the roads around MM being a bit narrower than GSP. This wouldn’t require the extensive set of flyovers that GSP had to install. This doesn’t mean that you let the roads get clogged with cars.
Has anyone done a traffic study in the last 20 years around this area? It sounds like the answer is NO!
Mallguy,,
Based on that, are you going to give eatontown a failing grade for the MM road exam, being a teacher? LOL
[Reply]
Randy
August 15th, 2008 at 10:45 am
Okay- it’s official! Pathmark will be closing (across from MM) next year. Best Buy is likely to move in there (not official though).
[Reply]
Dave Lansing
August 21st, 2008 at 10:26 pm
I don’t see anything wrong with the current food court. It is not a boring court, like Freehold, and I like the boardwalk/Atlantic City theme. The loss of Burlington & Boscov’s will be a huge blow, especially with the current economy and companies not expanding as much. Now they have the empty BCF, Boscov’s, Old Country Buffet, and American Cafe (opposite Ruby Tuesday). I would love the idea of a Dave & Busters in the old Burlington, it would be an amazing fit to the mall with a remodeled AMC theater. We could use an Pizzeria Uno in the old American Cafe, and maybe a Benihanna in the [old] Old Country Buffet? The Boscov’s will be a challenge, and I am not sure if they will be able to fill it. Not many department stores are looking to expand, or they have stores too close. A Steve & Barry’s would have been nice on one level, but they are in bankruptcy now too. I just don’t want to see a good chance go to waste here. Monmouth still has a draw, even from Northern Ocean County since people in Toms River, Point, & Brick do not want to battle Route 9 to Freehold, and we all know Ocean County sucks.
[Reply]
AceJay
August 22nd, 2008 at 8:05 pm
@Randy: Another one bites the dust, courtesy of Wegmans!
[Reply]
Randy
August 25th, 2008 at 10:40 am
I really don’t think it is because of Wegmans though. I mean, Wegmans is a totally different kind of food store- more upscale. Pathmark is more of a bargain supermarket. The problem is that the huge ShopRite is down the street as well as the super cheap Aldi. And with the price of gas, more of the Long Branch shoppers would rather shop at Shop Rite where they don’t have to make any u-turns and waste more gas to get there.
[Reply]
GM
August 27th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
Barnes & Noble signed the lease this morning to move to Monmouth Mall. The other location (down Route 36 by Home Depot) will close one day before the new location opens:
http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20080827005078&newsLang=en
Does anyone know where it will be built?? I heard rumors that Braddock’s is closing as well… Anyone else hear this? Burlington’s closing, American Cafe has been closed, Braddock’s may be closing, the Buffet is closed. That whole side of the mall is pretty much closed. Perhaps they’re planning something big (maybe outdoor shops, like Freehold Raceway?)?
As for Boscov’s… I’m hoping for a Century 21 department store. The closest one is another Vornado mall… Bergen. It draws a lot of people and requires little work to convert the Boscov’s.
[Reply]
GM
August 27th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
For everyone commenting on traffic and the Routes 35/36 intersection, there are plans in place to improve traffic in the intersection and the surrounding areas. It is also part of the Liberty Corridor:
http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/works/libertycorridor/route35.shtm
[Reply]
mallguy
August 27th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
Thanks for the links, GM. The “Liberty Corridor” huh??? I had heard of prelim plans to fix the 35/36 intersection, and if it’s the same, they are going to keep it at grade, take the curves out of route 35 and frankly, I don’t think it’s enough. Both 35 and Wyckoff Road need to be built as overpasses over Route 36. Glad to see Barnes and Noble has made a commitment to the Monmouth Mall. I stand by my previous yearning for Bloomingdale’s to move in and the 1 level wing to be coverted into a “lifestyle wing.” There’s also a Century 21 in Morristown and it is pretty nice…if they don’t open in MM, mayble they’ll move to the former Steinbach/soon to be former Value City at Seaview Square.
[Reply]
AceJay
August 28th, 2008 at 9:24 am
Value City is gone, actually.
[Reply]
GM
September 4th, 2008 at 9:11 am
I remember seeing pictures of expansion plans in a local newspaper. I’m really interested in seeing where the new Barnes and Noble will be built. Anyone have any pics of the expansion plans or have any updates on future remodeling/expansion/changes?
[Reply]
Jonah Norason
September 6th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
I think that the new buildings being built (B&N, Bobby’s Burger Palace) would be cooler if actually embedded into the side of the mall with interior access instead of outparcels.
Just my thought.
[Reply]
GM
September 7th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
I agree Jonah. There are so many empty stores, why are they building more square footage? Also, the Macy’s/Theater end is always so busy and parking is limited, why would they continue to build on that side? The other side of the mall is dead–and now with Boscov’s leaving, it’s going to be a dead wing. I hope Vornado has a long-term plan. I’m seeing a lot of stores closing lately–perhaps the reason is because their leases aren’t being extended because there are bigger plans? I don’t know. I think some money has to be dumped into that mall otherwise it will continue to die at a faster rate.
[Reply]
mallguy
September 8th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
I totally agree that the new additions should not be built as outparcels. I know some of you aren’t lifestyle center fans, but it could have worked, however, I still stand by my previous fantasy of a “lifestyle wing.” And on Barnes and Noble, it will be built attached to the mall, however, I don’t know where yet. By the way, GM, the single level wing due west of Macy’s where Ruby Tuesday is is underused and desolate…something there definitely needs to be done.
[Reply]
GM
September 17th, 2008 at 11:23 am
Btw… That’s not wood paneling on the front of Macy’s… It’s some sort of metal paneling in a gold/bronze color. I was on the second floor to get something gift wrapped. What a hodge-podge of areas and departments.
It was raining so we parked at the Boscov’s parking deck. We were the only people in the deck. Boscov’s is pretty much cleared out; there are a few clothes left, cosmetics, and home goods. They’re selling the clothing racks and displays too. It’s sad to say, but I think Monmouth is spiriling downhill despite the two new buildings. They really should build the Barnes and Noble towards the Boscov wing before that whole side completely dies.
If Vornado has any plans to update the mall, they should announce them soon, and here’s why: I, like many other people in the area, have been shopping at Freehold and the Grove, bypassing Monmouth all-together. The longer we shop elsewhere, the harder it will be for Monmouth to get those customers back. Announce something, anything! And not another restaurant or a new satellite building, no one cares. The mall is dark and old looking. That’s what people care about. Even if it’s a long term plan, let people know that their mall isn’t being ignored and neglected.
[Reply]
Randy
September 18th, 2008 at 11:05 am
Yeah, that is true. I live less than 5 minutes from Monmouth and I never go there. I always go to Freehold.
[Reply]
GM
September 26th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
I came across this story that describes the proposed intersection changes at Route 35 and Route 36: http://atlanticville.gmnews.com/news/2008/0207/front_page/013.html
New traffic patterns planned at Rts. 35 & 36
BY DANIEL HOWLEY, Staff Writer
EATONTOWN – The N.J. Department of Transportation (DOT) is proposing to change traffic patterns at the Routes 35 and 36 intersection in the borough to clear up congestion for drivers.
The proposed changes call for a complete renovation at the interchange, including the construction of additional turning lanes and jughandles, according to Erin Phalon, DOT spokeswoman.
“[The project]will involve operational and safety improvements at the intersection of Route 35 andRoute 36 and straightenRoute 35′s horizontal alignment across the intersection,” Phalon said.
“The big changes are the new turning maneuvers thatwill simplify getting through the Route 35 and Route 36 area,” she added.
Plans call for a new jughandle to be constructed at the intersection to allow drivers traveling east onRoute 36 to accessRoute 35 north, according to Phalon.
Construction of a new dual left-turn lane is included in the plans to allow vehicles traveling south on Route 35 to make a left turn onto Route 36, Phalon said.
The current layout of the intersection requires drivers to take a jughandle from Route 35 to Route 36, which can cause “significant” traffic delays, Phalon said.
“The project will also realign eastbound Route 36 to alleviate the lane drop in the left lane,” Phalon said, adding that a ramp will also be constructed to connect northbound Route 35 with eastbound Route 36.
Plans include adding acceleration and deceleration lanes on both roads to allow vehicles to merge onto and off the ramp, according to Phalon.
The plans also call for additional overhead and road-level signage, additional lighting, shoulders and upgraded traffic signals for vehicles entering and exiting the MonmouthMall, according to Phalon.
“Pedestrian and bicycle traffic in the area will also see an upgrade with the addition of crosswalks and sidewalks in the area of the mall,” she said.
Eatontown Borough Administrator George Jackson said, “We are looking forward to the work.”
TheDOT is seeking to acquire land at the rear portion of theMacy’s Furniture and Fortunoff parking lots on Route 35 in order to construct a road to connect Route 35 with Wall Street and Parker Road, Jackson said.
The proposed traffic-pattern changeswill not adversely affect any businesses in the area, according to Jackson, who said there may be some issues for people entering and exiting the Pathmark Shopping Center onto Route 36.
The project is a part of a federally funded statewide transportation improvement program and the repairs in Eatontown are expected to cost $17 million, according to Phalon.
The Eatontown project will extend east from Route 36 and Wyckoff Road to the Eatontown and Long Branch border, and north from the Route 35 light atMonmouth Mall toWyckoff Road, according to Phalon.
Construction on the project is expected to begin sometime in 2009 and will take approximately two years to complete, according to Phalon, who said the new road patterns are planned to be completed in 2011.
[Reply]
GM
September 26th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
Here’s an exerpt from another interesting article that may shed some light on the Macy’s Kids’ [Dead/Underutilized] wing:
http://atlanticville.gmnews.com/news/2004/0213/Front_page/024.html
Feb. 13, 2004
“The mall owners also plan to bump out the exterior wall of the Macy’s Kids’ store and add 5,092 square feet of space to that store, which is located inside the enclosed, covered mall.”
The article doesn’t say who the tenant will be, but the current store is 25.6K sq.ft. Add to that 5K sq.ft. and that makes 30K. Perhaps they will also swallow up the vacant restaurant. My assumption is that that will be the location of the new Barnes and Noble, and actually a pretty good place for it.
[Reply]
mallguy
September 26th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
If the location of Macy’s Kids and the dead west wing is the location for Barnes and Noble, I agree…that is a good place for it. That wing is heavily underutilized.
The construction plans for 35/36 are not good enough and during the summer, will not alleviate traffic. They need to get rid of the traffic lights and build grade-separated interchanges (Route 35/36, Route 36/Wyckoff Road, Route 35/Monmouth Mall entrance). Traffic will be heavily improved by this, especially during the summer months, as Route 36 heads right to Long Branch and Monmouth Beach.
[Reply]
GM
September 26th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
I did some more research… It looks like the plans were to build a Champp’s restaurant by Macy’s kids, but that was a long time ago. I haven’t heard anything about it since. Perhaps the plan changed or the proposed tenant changed. Any insight to the expansion/remodel/replacement of Boscov’s is greatly appreciated.
[Reply]
mallguy
September 26th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
GM: If you read above through the thread, I have been a strong proponent for having Bloomingdale’s come to Monmouth Mall. Now that Boscov’s will be vacated, it has a good spot. A renovation, the current additions, a Loews Theatre re-do, more lifestyle options and highway renovations put together will put Monmouth Mall back on the map.
[Reply]
GM
September 26th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
Mallguy: LOL, yea I read your suggestion to bring Bloomingdale’s and the subsequent drama. Personally, a Nordstrom would be great too. It’s interesting that everyone thinks Bloomie’s is too upscale for MM, yet Lord and Taylor is positioning itself more upscale than Bloomie’s. We need a stores that will make MM a regional mall once again, rather than the local mall it has become. I’m getting flashbacks of the Seaview Square mall, only this time MM is Seaview and FRM is MM.
I should add that I emailed representatives from the Monmouth Mall earlier this week with a link to this site. I think it would be in their best interests to listen to the voice of their customer and perhaps chime in.
Back to Bloomie’s. The problem with mid/up-scale department stores are that they take years to develop and plan (although Boscov’s layout and size would make a gorgeous Nordstrom or Bloomingdale’s). The mall needs an injection of new people immediately. I still think a Century 21 store can do that with little investment, and it would bring a ton of new people from miles away.
[Reply]
SEAN
September 26th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
Mallguy,
I agree with you on what you have been saying all along, the real issue is one of ecconomics. Where is the money going to come from, with the Wall street meltdown that task is going to get harder & harder.
A quick story, LCOR a real estate developer in Berwin PA has been trying to get a residential project under way in White Plains NY for months. Because of what has been going on in the credit markets, the $300,000,000 they needed could be only doled out in 3 parts of $100,000,000 each. This nearly killed the project, plus the money needed for the purchase of the land came from Leaman Brothers. Need I say more?
This issue is going to hit properties & towns hard, no wonder people here on this thred & elseware are pushing for redevelopment of the Monmouth Mall. the question is, can Vornado do so. The answer right now is I don’t know.
[Reply]
Mike
September 27th, 2008 at 9:42 am
There is an article in todays paper about Braddock’s closing. Apparently they filed for Chapter 11 and will be having a liquidation sale. The article said that Braddocks is the last original store at the mall besides the department stores.
[Reply]
mallguy
September 27th, 2008 at 9:55 am
Or maybe Barnes and Noble will be moving into what is the former Braddocks AND Burlington Coat Factory. If so, it will be a 2 level Barnes and Noble. Interesting.
[Reply]
SEAN
October 2nd, 2008 at 9:36 am
Bankruptcy judge approves sale plan for Boscov’s
By RANDALL CHASE (AP Business Writer)
October 1, 2008
WILMINGTON, Del. – A Delaware bankruptcy judge on Wednesday approved fast-tracked plans for an auction sale of Pennsylvania-based department store chain Boscov’s later this month.
Judge Kevin Gross accepted Boscov’s proposed bid deadline of Oct. 15, followed by an auction on Oct. 20 and sale hearing the next day.
Boscov’s attorney David Heiman told the court that investors interested in bidding for Boscov’s want assurances that they will be able to take advantage of sales during the upcoming holiday shopping season.
“The survival of Boscov’s as a going concern is greatly at risk unless we are able to consummate a transaction prior to the Christmas season,” Heiman said.
While acknowledging that certain aspects of the proposed sale procedure were unusual, Gross said Boscov’s has “a sterling reputation,” and that the company, along with its creditors, employees, customers and the communities in which it operates, warrants “some greater leeway from the court than what otherwise may be the case.”
“The timing is appropriate,” the judge said. “The court is fully aware that the Christmas season is critical to the sale process…. If we allow delay, then we’re just going to be hurting the estate.”
Philadelphia-based Versa Capital Management has emerged as the lead bidder for Reading, Pa.-based Boscov’s, which filed for Chapter 11 protection in August and announced that it would close 10 of its 49 stores. Versa has offered to pay $11 million in cash and assume Boscov’s debt in a deal valued at about $288 million.
Anup Sathy, an attorney representing Versa, said that if the investment group doesn’t take control of Boscov’s by Halloween, “it’s a much different economic situation from our perspective.”
“For this asset, we believe the holiday season has already started, because we believe there needs to be additional stocking (of goods) now,” Sathy added.
But the proposed bidding process, particularly its tight timeline, led to objections from other interested parties.
Dustin Branch, an attorney for a company that leases space to Boscov’s at shopping centers in Deptford, N.J., and Salisbury, Md., said his client needs more time to assess Versa and other potential bidders to ensure that the landlord’s interests are protected. Other landlords have expressed similar concerns.
“We don’t want to stop the sale, we just want a process that’s fair to landlords,” Branch said.
Brad Erens, an attorney for Boscov’s, said the company will work with Versa to give landlords the assurances they need before the auction.
Joseph McMahon Jr., an attorney representing the U.S. trustee, raised several objections to the proposed bidding procedures, arguing that Boscov’s seems to be impermissibly favoring Versa over other bidders. McMahon noted that Versa was not required to post a good-faith deposit, and that it is getting information about competing bids while there is no provision for the other bidders to receive the same information.
McMahon also has raised questions about expense reimbursements of up to $1.75 million for Versa, as well as a proposed $4 million breakup fee, which would be payable to Versa if Boscov’s accepts a higher bid, even if that bid doesn’t result in a completed deal. He told Gross that the breakup fee should be conditioned on an alternative transaction actually closing.
Attorneys for Boscov’s noted that Versa would be reimbursed for only half of its documented expenses, up to $1.75 million, and that the breakup fee amounts to only about 1.5 percent of the value of the transaction, or roughly half of the 3 percent fee common in such transactions. Heiman also noted that any competing bid would have to be at least $4.25 million higher than Versa’s, in order to cover the breakup fee and the required $250,000 bid increment.
Gross concluded that both the expense reimbursements and breakup fees were reasonable, adding that Versa’s entitlement to the breakup fee if a competing bid doesn’t pan out is an acceptable tradeoff for the lower fee percentage.
Gross also declined to order Versa to submit a good-faith deposit, instead lowering the deposit required of competing bidders from $10 million to $7 million.
“I hope it will at least encourage other parties to come forward and participate in the bidding process and show that they are serious,” said the judge, who also approved expense reimbursements of up to $100,000 for other bidders.
“We’re seeking a very robust auction,” he said.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
[Reply]
GM
October 2nd, 2008 at 10:58 am
Thanks for the Boscov’s update, but I don’t think it affects the Monmouth Mall store.
[Reply]
SEAN
October 2nd, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Your welcome GM, I wasn’t sure where to place the article until I saw a Boscov’s post.
[Reply]
GM
October 2nd, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Sorry Sean, I didn’t mean for my comment to come out confrontational, it was more of a question. I still think the MM Boscov’s is definitely closing, but it would be interesting to see if the sale affects future leases at the site. I welcome more Boscov’s talk, definitely.
[Reply]
SEAN
October 2nd, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Hay GM,
TAKE THAT! LOL.
Just kidding, GM, no problem. I thaught that this was the best spot to place this news article for discussion. Not having a Boscov’s store nearby puts me at somewhat at a disadvantage in knowing the full impact of this stores closure on the area. You may have more insight than I do on what happens next.
[Reply]
GM
October 5th, 2008 at 10:44 pm
I was down in the DC area this week on business and I checked out some of the local malls including the Dulles Town Center and Tyson’s Corner Center. Tyson’s Corner (http://www.shoptysons.com) was especially interesting. If you pull up the interactive map: http://www.shoptysons.com/map.asp , you can see how the mall seems to terminate at one end with out an anchor store. I don’t know the history of the mall (I think it was an old JCPenny structure according to Wikipedia) but it felt like a store was turned into a large round open escalator area with a large Barnes and Noble and a few restaurants. It really worked. Maybe instead of finding another anchor to fill the huge Boscov’s, MM can open the whole store up and treat it as more mall space and a focal point for the mall. I should add that the mall is managed by The Macerich Company, the same company that manages Freehold Raceway Mall.
[Reply]
mallguy
October 6th, 2008 at 8:50 am
GM:
I am very familiar with Tysons Corner Center and Dulles Town Center. WIth DTC, there is quite a lot of land and they do have the room to grow. Another NoVA mall, Fair Oaks, may soon be going through an expansion of their own. The Tysons expansion was built from the groud up. They tore down the old JCPenney (which used to be a Woodward and Lothrop) and built anew, along with the parking structures on each side. I wholeheartedly agree that the expansion works. Wish they would have included Champp’s in the restaurant lineup though
It may be a little more of a challenge to replicate that at Monmouth Mall. They would have to move the theatre to that side and also put the new Barnes and Noble over there to make it truly work as an entertainment/lifestyle wing. It’s quite sad that Vorando owns MM for they do not put in the same investment in their malls as does Macerich. Whatever they do, be it Bloomingdale’s, mall space or a lifestyle wing, they had better act fast! Everyday they go without a plan that’s another Monmouth Mall regular that becomes a Freehold Raceway Mall regular.
[Reply]
SEAN
October 6th, 2008 at 9:41 am
King of Prussia plaza also took what was an old Strawbridge’s store in the Court building & turned it into more retail space. There are 2 home furnishing stores, Borders Books, Cheesecake Factory & a few others. Kravco-Simon does own most of the mall property, but not the Pavillion.
[Reply]
mallguy
October 6th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
The Pavilion is also built in the structure of the original A&S/Strawbridges…they did not start from the ground up like in Tysons. For the most part, The Pavilion works.
[Reply]
SEAN
October 6th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
I wonder if Kravco had to have there site plan signed off for the pavilion, although they were working within the footprint of the existing A & S/Strawbridge’s store.
Since Maceerich was building new space & not renovating the J C Penny store at Tysons Corner Center, I’m shure Mclean had to look closely at the site plans & traffic impact studies *joke* on the expantion.
Mallguy, you know more than I do on this.
[Reply]
mallguy
October 6th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Lol, Sean. Knowing the time I’ve spent in DC and NoVA, traffic in Fairfax County can make North Jersey blush. I do know this: they built an overpass between Galleria Drive and Tysons Corner Center (mostly for traffic coming off the Beltway and the westbound lanes of Chain Bridge Road), but it is only one lane in each direction and needs to be expanded to two lanes (I think they are actually going to do this). Apparently, the new Silver Line of the Metro is supposed to go right through this area and when that construction starts, traffic will really stink until 2013/14.
Monmouth Mall traffic isn’t that bad, but if they don’t do something when/if the mall is expanded/renovated, there will be problems with attracting new stores.
[Reply]
SEAN
October 6th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
Mallguy,
How dou you know the Tysons area so well?
Shouldn’t WMATA, GGP & Macerich have a master plan for what the Tysons area will be? I mean the Silver line will change how the area functions, we are going from retail oriented to mixed use. Everyone will need to focus on the future.
Same can be said about Monmouth Mall, but Vornado is not visionary at all.
[Reply]
mallguy
October 6th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
Tons of family and friends in the area, Sean, and I kind of have a professional obligation to like DC too.
There is a Master Plan for Tysons. It’s very aggressive and many think it will make traffic worse. There’s also the debate about whether to build the Metro through Tysons above or below ground, but last I heard, they are going above ground.
[Reply]
mallguy
October 6th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
And to follow up, the pessimist in me even doubts that Vorando can top with Monmouth what Macerich did with Freehold.
[Reply]
SEAN
October 7th, 2008 at 9:40 am
Vornado should get out of retail because they have no clue how the mall business opperates.
I had no idea mallguy, you had strong family ties down there, that answers a lot of questions. Sorry if I got to personal.
If I recall the WMATA is building the silver line overhead because the government refused to fund a tunnel, although the WMATA wanted to build one because it would have cost them less in the long run.
Well that’s Washington.
[Reply]
SEAN
October 7th, 2008 at 10:13 am
There is no need to worry about aditional car traffic in the Tysons area because when the silver line opens many people will ride the trains instead of driving there.
What percentage is unknown, but I am sure it will offset any traffic increase that would be expected. The surprise will be just how busy the silver line will be, projections are always lowballed so that polititions can cry about how unessessary a project is, however we all know how importent the silver line really is to the Tysons area.
[Reply]
mallguy
October 7th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
The area residents also wanted the tunnel. Either way, the area will be a mess during the construction (which is what I meant when I said traffic would increase). Tysons Corner would definitely benefit from the Silver Line as the carless DC/Arlington Co residents have other options, other than Pentagon City, White Flint and Georgetown Park.
[Reply]
SEAN
October 7th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
Mallguy,
I maybe wrong on this, but the inner counties of Maryland near DC eccept Montgomery & Harford will be big losers when the Tysons area expands. Harford County has Columbia wich is a market on to it self & Montgomery has Rockville wich has great Metro access.
I may relent on Wheaton Plaza a bit because there’s a metro stop as well. However the market isn’t as robust as Arlington & Alexandria Counties are. As the thred on Weaton Plaza does indicate by the comments there.
It’s like Freehold Raceway Mall vs Monmouth Mall in many respects, a well managed property vs a poorly managed one& what results from both ways of conducting business. Nobody wants to see MM go down, but I must say if MM doesn’t change course it will die very fast. Who is the mall manager, doesn’t he or she see the condission of there own building? Or is Vornado just incompitent.
[Reply]
GM
October 7th, 2008 at 8:59 pm
You see this a lot Sean. Companies, be it a manufacturing company, real estate company, or even government department, are just not investing in themselves (they use the stockholder as an excuse, but one can argue that good investment is much better to the stockholder in the long-run than a good dividend this month). They pull receipts in and push payments to their vendors out to the next quarter. It obvious that MM will not invest until they absolutely have to. My guess is that MM was planning on spending money soon, but were not anticipating two anchors (Burlington and Boscov’s) as well as many other stores (Braddock’s, Wilsons Leather, etc.) closing and leaving sq. ft. empty and losing rental income.
As I mentioned before, I emailed some management leaders from Vornado Realty Trust and MM and invited them to chime in and read this blog. There are a lot of good ideas here. If I was them, I would pounce on the opportunity. Talk about a great ‘voice of the customer’ forum. I invite you all to email them. Demand answers and let them know how you feel.
Regina Krause
Specialty Leasing Coordinator
RKrause@vno.com
Phone:(732) 542-0333
Patricia Zafferese
Director of Specialty Leasing
Tel: 516-612-0175
Fax: 516-612-0179
PZafferese@vno.com
Michael Zucker
mzucker@vno.com
Phone:212-894-7973
Mailing address:
Vornado Realty Trust
888 Seventh Avenue
New York, NY 10019
info@monmouthmallonline.com
[Reply]
Rich
October 7th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
Tyson’s future isn’t necessarily as a bigger retail hub. They want to do more housing and create more of a 24 hour environment. That’s not necessarily compatible with Tyson’s Corner Center becoming a bigger mall. It already has numerous exclusives and all the usual mall suspects. Unless the redevelopment of the area fosters small business, there won’t be much real retail growth beyond some businesses to serve the new office and residential populations. The Metro will augment the retail only insomuch as density increases at stops that are relatively close. A place like Pentagon City draws heavily from DC areas that are literally minutes away, rather than from far distant parts of Virginia. People further out will go to fairfax or Tyson’s instead and they’ll drive. Tyson’s will always be a mess, even with “smart growth”. there will never be enough parking and road capacity there. OTOH, there are oddly huge parcels on which new development can be perched.It will attract people who want to live close to work and either live there (and probably garage a car) or live within a few Metro stops.
[Reply]
SEAN
October 8th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
If recent stats are any indication Rich, the plan for Tysons future is to make it as densly populated & as coheasive as possible. The inclusion of local retailers, supermarkets & all the nessessities for dailly living in a walkable neighborhood plus the Metro could turn this area into a 24 hour center of activity.
The stats i’m refering to come from an article in the NY Times & the Texas Transportation institute UT Austin, the Times article stated that areas that have Metro access had a smaller decrease on there home vallues than comperable areas without Metro train service. Infact prices may have even risen or at least remain stable in some areas.
The TTI stated in a study in 2007 that a home on average is 40% more valuable if it is within a half mile of some form of rapid transit, rail service inparticular because people do not want to continue to drive on congested roads if they had a choice. that is why the silver line will be routed the way it is to also serve Reston Town Center as well as the Tysons area on it’s way toward IAD airport.
A good example of this is arlington VA, where almost the entire city of 100,000 plus has access to the Metro. Driving to the local stop isn’t nessessary because walking routes & busses are plentyful. Half of Arlington’s tax base is on only a third of there total acreage. In the future many communities will need to move in that direction to save on there minissiple budgets.
[Reply]
SEAN
October 9th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
Here’s the article I was refering to in my last post.
The Tri State Transportation Campaign published the piece & not the NY Times as I said erlier.
Are Development Patterns the Foundation of the Housing Crisis?
A fundamental belief at Tri-State is that land use planning and transportation planning are intrinsically linked, and that the failure to consider them in tandem has resulted in many of our current mobility problems. The current housing foreclosure crisis, and its reverberating impacts, may be another unexpected consequence of this failure.
While sub-prime loans have taken the brunt of the blame for the housing crisis, some analysts are examining the role that skyrocketing gas prices have played in decreasing home values, particularly in automobile- dependent suburbs and exurbs.
A recently released report by CEOs for Cities, a national network of elected officials, civic groups, corporate executives, and others, makes this argument. Driven to the Brink: How the Gas Price Spike Popped the Housing Bubble and Devalued the Suburbs, analyzes the housing bubble collapse and links it to a rise in energy costs and sprawling development that places homes further and further away from downtowns.
The report finds that “the higher price of gas has most
affected suburban housing values… distant suburbs have
seen the largest declines, while values in ‘close-in’
neighborhoods have held up better, and in some cases
continued to increase.” (In the table below, “distant” neighborhoods are 13 miles from the central business district, while “close-in” neighborhoods are 3 miles away.) This is hardly surprising,
considering that sprawling development patterns lack the density to efficiently support mass transit and
are often hostile environments for pedestrians and cyclists. For many residents of these areas, the only
viable option is the automobile, even as it becomes more expensive to drive.
According to an April National Public Radio news report, housing prices have actually gone up in many areas with transit options. For example, home sales increased by 10 percent in the 20912 Zip Code of Tacoma Park, MD, over the last year. Tacoma Park, a “close-in” suburb of Washington, DC, is serviced by the DC Metro system and has reliable bus service. By comparison, Ashburn, VA, a more sprawling suburb located approximately 40 miles from the center of DC, saw home prices drop by up to 18 percent in the same time period.
In the New York metropolitan area, the pattern of strong-performing cities and weaker exurbs seems to hold. Zillow.corn’s index of home values shows, for first quarter 2007 to first quarter 2008, large increases in home value for most of Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and western Queens, as well as regional urban centers like Newark, White Plains, and Mount Vernon. Weaker performance was seen in eastern Queens, Staten Island, and Long Island. Home values fell most sharply in the exurbs of Rockland County, north Westchester County, and northwest New Jersey.
As this trend occurs throughout the United States, at least one mainstream pundit, NY Times columnist Paul Krugman, is asserting that development around transit is the wave of the future and that the United States should be looking at mixed-use development patterns in Europe to help reduce its congestion, sprawl and housing problems.
In order to get there, governments will have to de-emphasize road expansion projects that promote sprawling development, and focus on maintenance of existing road infrastructure and expansion of urban and commuter transit. NJDOT, for example, dedicates most of its road budget to repair instead of expansion, and runs a formal “transit village” program that incentivizes compact, transit-oriented development. New Jersey supports these goals through laws including the Urban Transit Hub Tax Credit Act passed in January. Connecticut and New York, though interested in TOD, are far behind in their efforts. By following New Jersey’s lead, they can promote sustainable solutions to congestion and reduce sprawl — and might end up bolstering the housing market as well.
Now, Vornado could prevent Monmouth Mall from going over the edge if they truely understood what is happening around them. Sorry if this goes off topic, but this is another way to look at the issues that MM will face & what needs to be done to prevent this mall from becoming another Seaview Square.
[Reply]
mallguy
October 9th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
Interesting article, Sean. Beside its geographical disadvantage (hidden from highway view…set way back from routes 66 and 35), Seaview Square had no unique stores which people would go out of their way to visit. Monmouth Mall is falling into this category now as well, as locals are driving to Freehold Raceway Mall, farther away from MM…there are stores there (Nordstrom, Cheesecake Factory, Ruehl, etc) that are unique to the area that people will go longer distances to visit. Monmouth Mall needs to break into this category. The Grove at Shrewsbury, a mere 4 miles north of MM, achieves this easily. Monmouth Mall has the highway visibility, it has the veteran status that malls like Cherry Hill and Garden State Plaza have, it should have the destination stores (or achors…you know what I think about that
) but Vorando is leaving MM there, as is, to rot.
[Reply]
mallguy
October 9th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
Sean,
Let me quickly touch on your DC comments made earlier. I semi-agree…the inner beltway areas do have the potential to falter, mostly White Flint (which already came back from the brink of Dead Mall status) and Montgomery Mall in Bethesda (which is currently expanding with a lifestyle section) may survive, but the smaller malls may falter. The Mall in Columbia in Howard County (Harford County is between miles 75-90 on I-95) is very, very stable and is a little closer to Baltimre than DC.
Your Dead Malls/near-dead malls in the DC Metro are Ballston Common, Landmark Mall and Springfield Mall. Landover Mall in PG Co, near FedEx Field was bulldozed a couple of years ago.
[Reply]
SEAN
October 9th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
Mallguy,
Ballston Common is a near dead mall, your kidding me, right? Arlington would be one of the last places I would ever suspect of having a dead mall. Greenbelt perhaps, but not Arlington. Then again you do have Pentigon City with a Metro stop, while Ballston common doesn’t have Metro access & is 4 miles away from PC.
[Reply]
mallguy
October 9th, 2008 at 8:11 pm
Ballston (they actually do have a Metro stop, but unlike Pentagon City, where all you have to do is go up an escalator, it’s 2 blocks away.) lost a JCPenney a few years ago and was never able to fill it. It is also losing a lot of ground to The Market Common at Clarendon, which is a mixed-use center with shopping, dining and apartments. Stores of note include a 2 level Barnes and Noble, The Cheesecake Factory, Apple and Whole Foods. It is two blocks from the Clarendon Metro. Very similar to Pier Village in Long Branch. If Pier Village had national chains, Monmouth Mall would be in more serious trouble than it already is.
[Reply]
SEAN
October 10th, 2008 at 10:04 am
Mallguy,
You reminded me of an article I read some time ago, from the September 2006 issue of Shopping Centers Today. I’m posting it below.
Maybe this could bring a different perspective on what should happen to not just Monmouth Mall, but many malls around the country.
LOT’ OF OPTIONS
Mall parking lots are too valuable for landlords to waste on cars
By Joel Groover
The mall parking lot has been likened to a “sea of asphalt.” But as suburbs fill up with office towers, luxury condos and high-rise hotels, mall owners have started seeing their parking lots in these markets not as seas, but as islands of underused flatland begging to go vertical.
“If you look at the shopping centers that were built over the last 50 years, many of them were built in what would be called greenfields,” said Thomas J. D’Alesandro IV, senior vice president of development and redevelopment at General Growth Properties. “Now they are in-fill. And like any urban area, they are subject to higher and better uses than just a one- or two-story mall surrounded by surface parking.”
After a frenzied “age of acquisitions” that has lasted for over a decade, mall REITs are waking up to the tantalizing value of the asphalt-covered acreage within their own portfolios, says David C. Scholl, senior vice president of development at Westcor (a subsidiary of The Macerich Co.). Many are drawing up plans to rip up their parking lots and replace them with office towers, apartment buildings, hotels, service retail and other moneymakers. “There is a lot of pent-up opportunity,” Scholl said.
Surface parking and its attendant ring roads and landscaping consume about 75 percent of the overall site of a typical regional mall, says Stan Laegreid, a principal at Seattle-based Callison Architecture, which has drawn up higher-density solutions for Phoenix malls Arizona Center and Biltmore Fashion Park; Scottsdale (Ariz.) Fashion Square; and NorthPark Center, in Dallas, among others. “When you start to look at the full utilization of a parcel of 100 acres, what you’re saying is that you’ve got 75 acres there that you can really start to work with,” Laegreid said.
Before they tell their architects that “the sky’s the limit,” however, mall owners must figure out what to do with all those cars in the lot. The only realistic solution, at least for large projects, is to spend tens of millions on parking decks. “The incremental increase in GLA [gross leasable area] that you’re able to produce by eliminating surface parking must offset that cost,” said Daniel M. Herman, senior vice president of development at Developers Diversified Realty Corp., which is adding structured parking as part of its mixed-use makeover of the 1970s-era Totem Lake Malls, Kirkland, Wash. “You can’t just say, ‘I want to build a garage,’ without increasing your revenue stream.”
Traditionally, mall parking lots contain 4.5 spaces per 1,000 square feet of mall GLA, so a 1 million-square-foot mall would pack a whopping 4,500 parking spaces. In higher-density urban areas such as the Northeast, the cost of a stand-alone parking deck serving a mixed-use property is about $17,000 per space, says Timothy H. Haahs, owner of Timothy Haahs & Associates, a Blue Bell, Pa.-based engineering and architectural firm specializing in multilevel parking structures. A flat lot, by contrast, may cost about $4,000 per space. Not only has the price of concrete shot up in the past couple of years, but the more sophisticated look of today’s town center concept translates into greater expense, says Haahs. “It can’t just be an ugly garage anymore,” he said.
And costs can become stratospheric if the site plan calls for underground parking, particularly when construction crews must dynamite bedrock or keep out subterranean water, says Charles E. Fancher Jr., principal of Fancher Partners, an Irvine, Calif., mixed-use and retail development firm. “There are urban sites that have huge demand for residential product, where [the residential] might command an exit sale price of $600 to $1,000 per square foot,” he said. “But those sites might not be able to withstand a parking cost of $35,000 per space.”
Given such constraints, how many of the approximately 1,100 enclosed malls in the U.S. today are candidates, either now or in coming years, for densification? In the near term, architects and developers say, two kinds of properties seem best suited for going vertical: top-notch urban malls with high recognition among consumers, and certain lagging malls in markets that, though robust in themselves, lack a true town center.
Westcor’s Biltmore Fashion Park, a 40-year-old dining and shopping destination anchored by Saks Fifth Avenue and Macy’s, with upscale in-line tenants the likes of Cartier and Williams-Sonoma, falls into the first category. Plans to add structured parking and midrise buildings are working their way through the entitlement process, Scholl says. Biltmore Fashion Park and its address are so well known that hotel operators and other users will pay a premium to be there, Laegreid says. “If you start talking about ‘The Ritz-Carlton at Biltmore Fashion Park’ or ‘The Offices’ or ‘The Commons at Biltmore Fashion Park,’ you add additional equity and are at a competitive advantage to something across the street or down the block,” Laegreid said.
PREIT’s Echelon Mall, in Voorhees, N.J., is in the second category. The Philadelphia-based firm has renamed the mall Voorhees Town Center and has plans to demolish two anchor stores and add 425 multifamily units served by structured parking and Main Street-style amenities.
“For a mall, the location isn’t as strong as it could be, and it was really sort of beaten out by the competition — there are three other malls in the area,” said Joseph F. Coradino, who directs retail operations for PREIT and is president of the PREIT Services and PREIT-Rubin management affiliates. “The more we thought about the possibilities, the more we kept coming back to creating a town center.”
Such underperforming properties exist in nearly every healthy market, and developers are focusing harder than ever on creative ways to make them more competitive, says Jeffrey J. Gunning, vice president of North American operations at RTKL, a Baltimore-based architectural firm. “These aren’t as valuable from a retail standpoint as they once were,” Gunning said. “But rather than try to unload them on some other developer, these assets can be transformed into something that has value for a different reason. Done well, these can be the downtowns some of these suburban communities never had.”
In the long term, mall owners are betting that densification will become more commonplace as growth drives up land values in markets that support only lower-density uses today. “That’s triggering us to design our brand-new malls with more of a block approach to the parking lots,” Scholl said. “That way we’ll have nice rectangular lots with a grid system of driveways, interior roads and utilities, so that in 15 years we’ll have these parcels in a shape that would support converting them right over to above- or below-grade parking structures, possibly as podiums with residential or office on top.”
General Growth is taking a similar approach with its 22,500-acre Summerlin Centre master-planned community, near Las Vegas. The Chicago-based REIT plans to start construction on the massive project in the spring. It could take until 2020 to finish.
For too long developers have built malls and then years later struggled to figure out how to add new uses and rework the parking, D’Alesandro says. “What we are now saying is, ‘After having done that for 50 years, what if we anticipate that? What would that be like?’ ” said D’Alesandro. “We’re designing Summerlin Centre so that as we add these uses they come together like pieces in a puzzle.”
Other factors could work in favor of higher-density malls. Despite the daunting cost of parking decks, for example, tearing up asphalt could be less painful than one might think. Twenty or 30 years ago, cheap land enabled developers to err on the side of caution and build parking lots that were unnecessarily large, says Michael I. Lebovitz, senior vice president and chief development officer of CBL & Associates Properties. “Most malls are overparked,” he said. “There are 18 days a year when every space is occupied, but people still always find a place to park.”
Knowing this, CBL has been able to replace redundant spaces at many of its malls with lifestyle components while avoiding the high cost of building parking decks. The same is true at Inlet Square, a 500,000-square-foot mall in Myrtle Beach, S.C., where Fancher is using the massive parking lot — 39 acres of asphalt, retention ponds and landscaping — as a launching pad for offices, a hotel and open-air retail space.
Furthermore, the growing phenomenon of public-private partnerships means developers do not always have to pay the entire cost of a parking deck themselves. The national backlash against the abuse of eminent domain, meanwhile, is making it harder for cities to aggregate the multiple parcels of land they need for mixed-use redevelopments, Fancher says. Rather than give up on so-called smart growth, some municipalities might be more willing to form partnerships with mall REITs that happen to own huge islands of asphalt in the middle of town.
At the risk of mixing metaphors, it all adds up to a sea of opportunity.
Lets hope MM learns a few lessons from this, otherwise what they will learn is something even you, Mallguy cant teach them.
[Reply]
mallguy
October 10th, 2008 at 10:39 am
Thanks for providing the article Sean, and may I say, pretty accurate. That has been the pattern with the development of the shopping mall at least here in NJ. Malls such as Willowbrook, Monmouth, Freehold, Brunswick Square and Garden State Plaza were all built on what used to be farmland or forest. The expansive parking lot was built so as to provide an alternative to parallel parking…notice that the spaces are wider so as to accomodate the large 1950s style cars, as well as the new drivers.
It does surprise me that malls don’t better utilize their parking area…at least here in NJ, parking decks are built, for the most part, when there is not much room for surface parking by itself (e.g. Short Hills, Riverside, Menlo Park (which still doesn’t have enough parking) and Garden State Plaza). As we have discussed before, a mall like Freehold can greatly expand its lifestyle offerings while constructing decks to make up for the lost surface parking…this can also be done at MM.
[Reply]
SEAN
October 10th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Mallguy,
Things will change because economic demands will require a new way of thinking on how land will be utilized. that doesn’t mean that Monmouth Mall will become as dence as Newport Centre, but inovative practices will need to be employed to insure it’s viability as Pentagon City & Arlington have done.
Then again this is Vornado we’re talking about.
[Reply]
SEAN
October 10th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
One more piece from SCT September 2007, as a NJ resident Mallguy, this explains what you have been saying about Monmouth Mall’s road network all along.
Sorry for all the heavy reading lately. LOL
CLOGGED ARTERIES MAY CHOKE RETAIL
CRITICS SAY TRANSPORT AND POWER DECAY HURTS DEVELOPMENT
By Joel Groover
What many are calling a U.S. infrastructure crisis is getting harder to ignore, not least by developers and retailers, who pay dearly when transportation is hindered or the lights go out. Two headline-grabbing incidents took place this summer alone. First, in New York City an 83-year-old steam pipe exploded just south of Grand Central Station in midtown Manhattan. That July 18 blast, which sent plumes of asbestos into the air and for a while sparked fears of a terrorist attack, killed one person and injured dozens.
Then, two weeks later, an eight-lane, 1960s-era bridge in downtown Minneapolis collapsed during rush hour, plunging drivers into the Mississippi River. At press time news reports were saying a half dozen people had been killed and about 100 injured. In the aftermath, a number of states raced to double-check the safety of their own aging spans.
Like the electrical crash that knocked out power for some 50 million people in parts of Canada and the U.S. in 2003, or the failure of the levees in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, these most recent events led to calls for more spending on America’s bridges, dams, roadways, railroads and utility networks. By some estimates, the U.S. must spend at least $1.6 trillion over the next five years to stave off further infrastructural decay.
Whether the country gets a handle on the problem is no academic matter for shopping center developers. After all, the survival of any center hinges upon a smooth and reliable flow of consumers and goods. Clogged ports, chronically congested railways, gridlock and other projected infrastructure problems can choke off retail sales. Hard bargains driven by cash-strapped governments — We’ll need you to pay for a couple of interchanges before we can approve your lifestyle center — could force developers to nix otherwise-viable projects, sources say. “Infrastructure, for retail development more so probably than any other type of commercial development, is absolutely critical,” said Michael Dee, senior vice president and national retail director at Chicago-based Grubb & Ellis. “It has always been a hot topic, but it is even more so today, because of the amount of retail development that we have seen and also the population growth in some of the major centers.”
Indeed, infrastructure shapes where and how retail development happens, says Jeff Zeigler, executive vice president of retail at Continental Retail Development, Columbus, Ohio. A highway bypass that skirts drivers around an urban core they once drove through, for example, can turn a formerly thriving downtown into a netherworld. “It’s truly incredible,” Zeigler said. “Instead of retail and urban development and restaurants happening downtown, they happen on the outskirts of town.” Likewise, smart infrastructure investments like mass transit can bring an urban mixed-use district to life, Zeigler says.
The connection between shopping centers and infrastructure dates back to a federal initiative that literally paved the way for the modern American shopping center industry, says Dale Anne Reiss, global director of real estate, hospitality and construction services at Ernst & Young. “When the federal highway system was put in place in the 1950s, retail sprang up where the roads came together,” she said. “These were natural places for shopping centers.”
Today, however, America’s once-gleaming infrastructure is in a sorry state, says Patrick J. Natale, executive director of the Washington-based American Society of Civil Engineers, which lobbies for increased infrastructure spending. In its most recent Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, the association gave U.S. infrastructure efforts a D. The report cited a litany of failures, such as the 120-ton concrete beam that collapsed onto Interstate 70 in Washington County, Pa., in December 2005, nearly flattening the passing cars. Or the dam that burst in Kauai, Hawaii, in March 2006, unleashing 300 million gallons of water that washed away homes and killed seven people. “There are 10,000 dams considered high-hazard in the United States,” Natale said.
The report, which calls for that $1.6 trillion in spending over the next five years, details massive funding shortfalls in aviation, dams and levees, bridges, roads and transit, inland waterways, drinking water and wastewater. Because it fails to take population growth into account, however, even this 13-digit price tag could be a lowball estimate of what it will take to fix today’s problems.
How did it come to this? The country has simply not spent enough to cover the cost of keeping these networks in good shape, even as the population has skyrocketed to over 300 million, says Paul Bingham, a principal in the trade and transportation practice of Global Insight, a Washington-based forecast firm. “There is maintenance and replacement required at a certain stage, and the cost of doing that today, as opposed to when [U.S. infrastructure projects] were originally built, 40 or 50 years ago, is substantial,” Bingham said. “If you start to think about doing this across the entire country, it is just an enormous, daunting amount of money.”
Even as it strains the existing infrastructure, a robust population growth must be met with massive spending on new projects, says Bingham. Transportation officials in such growth hotspots as Contra Costa County, Calif., where Bay Area commuters clog the streets and highways, struggle to keep up. “The cost of building things has become astronomical,” said Robert McCleary, executive director of the Contra Costa Transportation Authority, a planning agency that handles sales taxes earmarked for transportation. “The numbers are just astounding.”
The Caldecott Tunnel Improvement Project is a good example. The mile-long tunnel, which consists of two bores dating from 1937 and a third that was built in 1964, links Alameda and Contra Costa counties via state Route 24. To relieve congestion where the eight-lane Route 24 narrows to six, officials aim to add a two-lane bore through the East Bay Hills. “That fourth bore is estimated to cost between $385 million and $420 million,” McCleary said.
In the more affordable eastern part of the county, where residential growth far outpaces existing infrastructure, officials plan to pour about $600 million in state, federal and local funds into the Route 4 East corridor alone, McCleary says. Parts of these projects, which include building a new bypass as well as adding two more lanes and a median wide enough for a commuter rail line, will be under construction until 2015. Helpful as such upgrades may seem, though, California’s infrastructure overall is in trouble, McCleary says.
“These are all what I would call Band-Aids,” he said. “The core problem is, there simply is not enough money. Not only is there not enough money to build new projects, but local streets and roads in California are in bad shape. There are a lot of underlying problems, and many states are facing these same issues.”
One way that officials have responded to such pressures is to try to pass off infrastructure costs to shopping center developers. “Cities and municipalities have gotten much more sophisticated over the years and therefore are requiring more of the cost to be associated with the developers,” Dee said. “When you’re talking about a large-scale development like a regional mall or even some of the lifestyle centers that substantially increase vehicular and pedestrian traffic, there is no way a retail developer can get around the burden of having to widen roads, create interchanges, make sewage improvements, those kinds of things.”
This complicates the calculus of whether a project is viable and also translates into higher rent burdens for tenants, says Dee. But even when infrastructure costs are shifted to the private sector more generally, shopping center owners can wind up feeling the pain. What landlord would want a $4 toll road as the main route to his mall, for example? And yet, according to Infrastructure 2007: A Global Perspective, a 69-page report by Ernst & Young and The Urban Land Institute, most new U.S. highways in coming years will in fact be toll roads.
When the demographics are good enough, of course, developers can and do take infrastructure hurdles in stride. The potential for gridlock was a concern when Atco Properties & Management was planning The Shops at Atlas Park, a 350,000-square-foot lifestyle center and office complex that opened in April 2006 on a 12-acre site in New York City’s Queens borough. About 5,000 people had once worked in the former industrial complex during its heyday in the 1950s, says Damon Hemmerdinger, development director for Atlas Park and a senior vice president at New York City-based Atco. This former high-capacity use made adapting the infrastructure in and around the site, once served by a steady stream of trains and trucks, conceivable. “The challenge we had was to work with the community to smooth the reabsorption of this site into the city’s infrastructure,” Hemmerdinger said. Toward that end, Atco built its own bus station and worked with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to reroute buses to Atlas Park, where tenants include Borders, Chico’s, Coldwater Creek and Stein Mart. The developer is still waiting for the city to make good on its promise to make off-site traffic improvements, however. “Those haven’t made it high enough in the city’s priority list,” Hemmerdinger said.
However deft shopping center developers may be at finessing infrastructure challenges, the prospect of rapidly fraying roads, collapsing bridges and the like should give them pause, says Natale. Infrastructure failures can bring shopping to a standstill in a variety of ways. A blackout could translate into a day or two of empty cash registers. But a major infrastructure calamity could have devastating effects on retail lasting for months or years. “If you look at the loss of infrastructure as happened in New Orleans, all controls left and they had chaos,” Natale said.
Moreover, harried shoppers faced with worsening gridlock and rising gas prices will have less time and money for shopping, says Bingham. “More congestion takes more time out of your day,” Bingham said. “That is less time to spend shopping. Shoppers might feel: ‘I got here later than I would have liked. I have to leave earlier now to allow more time for traffic.’ They might spend less time actually in-store.”
Efficient transportation is also vital for keeping stores stocked as retailers strive to shorten the time it takes for fashions to go from drawing board to store shelf.
Will federal, state and local governments spend roughly $2 trillion or more in coming years to arrest the infrastructure decline? Natale says he doubts it, even as he champions the cause. Bingham, for his part, says one of the clear solutions to the problem — a stiff increase in the gas tax that pays for the U.S. government’s Highway Trust Fund — seems politically impossible. (A few state and federal lawmakers, emboldened by the Minnesota bridge collapse, have started pushing for infrastructure-related tax increases.)
A note of skepticism also runs through the chapter on U.S. infrastructure in an Ernst & Young and Urban Land Institute report titled Infrastructure 2007: A Global Perspective. “Looming Crisis,” “Deterioration, Congestion, Unreliability” and “Approaching Train Wreck” are among the report’s subheadings. “A broad consensus exists: the United States is on the cusp of a crisis,” writes report author Jonathan D. Miller. “If we don’t face up to our future infrastructure requirements, our economy and way of life could be affected, maybe severely.”
GLOBAL GROWTH SPURT COULD SPUR INFRASTRUCTURE CRISIS
Construction cranes may be tall enough to tower over the horizon, but finding one these days can be tough — unless you happen to be in China.
“China has cornered the world market for high cranes,” said Patrick J. Natale, executive director of the Washington-based American Society of Civil Engineers. “Most of them are in China for the development of their infrastructure.”
Indeed, the Chinese government is scrambling to make sure the infrastructure of this country of 1.3 billion grows at the same dizzying pace as its economy. The government aims to finish by 2020 a 53,000-mile National Expressway System, an infrastructure project comparable to the now-overburdened, 47,000-mile U.S. interstate network launched in 1956. The U.S. project all but created the modern American shopping center industry, and the same kinds of development opportunities are present today in China, says Dale Anne Reiss, Ernst & Young’s global director of real estate, hospitality and construction services.
Just as Italian dictator Benito Mussolini made “the trains run on time,” as the saying went in the 1940s, the authoritarian Chinese government has a certain advantage when it comes to laying down expensive new infrastructure: Its politicians need not fear any anti-tax backlash. “China says, ‘We want it here and it is going to go there,’ ” Reiss said.
India is poorer and moves at a slower pace than China, which has already put down some 25,000 miles of highway, but it is nonetheless making big strides — and creating major retail opportunities — of its own, says Reiss. The so-called Golden Quadrilateral, a $12 billion national ring road linking Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai, is nearing completion. But India clearly faces major infrastructure challenges, including spotty utility services and nightmarish, potholed roads that put it at a disadvantage in the competition for foreign development dollars.
“China spends 9 percent of its gross domestic product on infrastructure and India budgets 3.5 percent ($25.5 billion) while aiming to increase its allocation to 8 percent,” wrote Jonathan D. Miller, author of Infrastructure 2007: A Global Perspective, a report by Ernst & Young and The Urban Land Institute. “By comparison, the United States budgets $112.9 billion, or just 0.93 percent of its GDP, and sidesteps the reality of a ballooning $1.6 trillion deficit for necessary upgrades over the next five years.” Not that big infrastructure projects are totally lacking in the U.S. Atlanta, Denver, Washington and several other American cities are in various stages of planning and construction for rail projects that are creating retail opportunities. The whir of construction equipment is loudest elsewhere in the world, though, as fast-developing nations build airports, bullet trains, highways and railroads. Globalization is so rapid, in fact, that some question whether the world’s infrastructure can keep up.
In a May 2007 speech before European trade officials, Ron D. Widdows, CEO of APL, a giant in the international container shipping industry, warned of an impending global infrastructure crisis. A mushrooming trade volume that now stands at an estimated $117 trillion annually could overwhelm the world’s ports, roadways and railroads, he said. “The gist of the problem is this: The global economy is growing rapidly, fueled by unprecedented growth in containerized trade centered around Asia,” Widdows said. “But in most of the world’s key markets, and in some of its sourcing hotspots, transportation infrastructure can’t keep up with the pace of trade growth.”
— JG
HIGHWAY TRUST FUND IS A ROADBLOCK
If U.S. transportation bureaucrats could travel backward in time, they would probably like to drop in on a 1956 session of Congress to pressure lawmakers to alter the wording of a critical funding mechanism then being written.
When those lawmakers set up President Eisenhower’s federal highway system, they had the foresight to make sure the Highway Trust Fund could not be “raided” for other uses; revenues collected by the federal gas tax, which then stood at 2 cents per gallon (gas cost 23 cents a gallon), would go straight into the fund, where they could not be touched. The legislators could have gone a step further, however, and made sure the tax itself was collected as a fixed percentage of the total price of gasoline, rather than as a set number of cents per gallon. Much to the chagrin of future generations of transportation officials, they failed to do so.
Thus the funding mechanism, as codified that year, kept revenues for the Highway Trust Fund, the biggest source of state and federal money for highway building and maintenance, from rising along with the price of gas. Historically, in fact, the tax itself has stayed flat for decades at a time — it went unchanged, for example, from 1959 to 1982. Today it stands at 18.4 cents per gallon, a level set back in 1993.
In fact, a federal highway aid program within this massive fund could actually be $4 billion in the red by 2009, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. It all depends on whether Congress actually spends the $286.5 billion it approved for a raft of highway safety and other transportation programs in 2005. “The assumptions made by Congress during the last reauthorization — that revenues were just going to go up and up — turned out not to be true,” said Jennifer Gavin, deputy director of communications for the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
The situation is analogous to that faced by the Social Security Trust Fund. And politicians are about as eager to talk about that simplest solution — raising the national gas tax that feeds the fund (and perhaps changing it to a percentage of price per gallon) — as they are to stump for lower social security benefits. This same anti-tax sentiment is the reason the federal portion of the tax has stayed at 18.4 cents per gallon since 1993, Gavin says. States set their own contribution levels. “We suggested five years ago increasing the gas tax by 6 cents a gallon,” said Patrick J. Natale, executive director of the Washington-based American Society of Civil Engineers. “You would have thought we were trying to take people’s firstborn.”
In the face of white-hot demand for infrastructure dollars, the fund’s overall revenues are inadequate, Gavin says. “There is a lot of driving out there,” she said. “But we have not been building roads to get out in front of it, because we don’t have the money to do it.”
It is too early to tell whether the Minneapolis bridge collapse, in the end, will change this dynamic. If Congress does fail to deal with the shortfall in the federal-aid highway account, meanwhile, states will lose an estimated $16.5 billion in transportation aid in 2009.
I realize that some of the information is somewhat dated, but is no less importent to understand where malls like Monmouth stand.
[Reply]
Michael
October 14th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
If anybody would like to purchase of lease all or part of the Boscov’s store, let me know.
[Reply]
AceJay
October 15th, 2008 at 12:28 am
^What? Hahaha.
[Reply]
SEAN
October 15th, 2008 at 9:36 am
How much, Bwhahahaha!
[Reply]
GM
October 15th, 2008 at 9:47 am
I’ll just wait until the rest of the mall is vacant and lease the whole thing.
[Reply]
SEAN
October 15th, 2008 at 9:58 am
Check out this story from AP today.
Retail sales plunge 1.2 percent in September
By MARTIN CRUTSINGER (AP Economics Writer)
October 15, 2008
WASHINGTON – Government data show retail sales fell off a cliff in September, plunging by the largest amount in two years. Worried consumers shunned the malls and auto showrooms in the midst of the country’s financial meltdown.
The Commerce Department reported retail sales decreased 1.2 percent last month, nearly double the 0.7 percent drop that had been expected. The surprise showing significantly increased the risks of a recession. Consumer spending is two-thirds of total economic activity.
The weakness was led by a 3.8 percent drop in auto sales. Sales dropped below 1 million units as consumers struggled to find financing.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Is AP for real? You mean they just figured out that there just might be a recession looming? What a lot of crap, does anyone else feal the same way?
[Reply]
mallguy
October 18th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
While Monmouth Mall is faltering, at least one nearby shopping area is doing well.
The Grove at Shrewsbury just opened Janie and Jack and Lucky Brand Jeans. This place does very, very well (1st lifestyle center in NJ) and it’s a shame that it can’t grow any larger (hemmed in by Route 35 and a Condo development).
[Reply]
GM
October 20th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
The Grove has expanded to across the highway to what’s now called Grove West. It has the following stores:
-Billabong
-Five Seasons
-CA Sunshine
-Tula
-Fidelity Investments
-Elegant Lighting
-Ann Taylor LOFT
-Toys
-Pottery Barn Kids
-Harmon Cosmetics
The grove is almost always packed and I love the stores there, but I’m still a sucker for enclosed malls.
Braddock’s has signs up for their bankruptcy sale and it looks like they’re milling and repaving the movie theater parking lot. Maybe (hopefully) they’re planning for a new tennant at either Burlington or Braddock’s (or maybe both!) and want to spruce up the parking lot. But I have a hard time being optimistic.
I was at Freehold Raceway Mall last night. It was packed right up until closing on a Sunday. The interior of the mall, as I’ve said before, is nothing special, but there’s a lot to be said for planning, layout, and encouragement of new stores (yes, even upscale stores).
[Reply]
Jillian
October 22nd, 2008 at 8:15 pm
It is a shame Boscov’s has closed. I always wanted a Nordstrom or Bloomies at MM. I am anxious for the new Premium Outlets to open in Tinton Falls in November though. It will draw people from the mall I am guessing though. It is supposed to have a Burberry, Michael Kors, Kate Spade, Guess, Nike store…etc
[Reply]
Randy
October 25th, 2008 at 11:06 am
I think the outlets will draw people in from everywhere, not just Monmouth Mall. The outlets are really convenient though- they are immediately off the GSP and you can see them from the GSP. I think it may draw a tiny bit of business from Jackson Premium Outlets though. I live right near Monmouth Mall and used to trek to Jackson just to go to the outlets. This is much more convenient.
[Reply]
mallguy
October 26th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
Thanks for reminding me about Jersey Shore Premium Outlets! I’ll check it out when it opens, but they do need a lot more dining options. This should be incentive enough for Vorando to do something about the deteriorating state of Monmouth Mall.
[Reply]
SEAN
October 27th, 2008 at 9:49 am
I also forgot about the outlets. Mallguy, give us a review after they open.
[Reply]
mallguy
October 27th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
I probably will. From what I can tell by looking at the store directory, they will have a lot of good outlet stores, but NO sit down dining options (as mentioned earlier)…not even a Starbucks. It’s apparently supposed to be deisgned like Liberty Village in Flemington. I’ll tell you this, the route 66 and 33 intersections (along with exit 100 of the GSP) will have to be redone (if they haven’t already) because both roads are woefully inadequate to handle the traffic the new mall will produce.
[Reply]
SEAN
October 27th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
You have a point Mallguy, but with the econemy right now who is going shopping if there employment is on shaky ground?
Got back from a trip to Vegas a few days ago, & let me tell you things out there are much worse than the press & the convention authority are letting us believe. Some of the casinos are down right dead. Infact Harrah’s I just found out yesterday is on the verge of a total meltdown, oh where have I herd that statement before.
Right now we’re in a better posission to absorb more retail space than most areas of the country, but you cant go overboard.
[Reply]
Clem Cadiddlehopper
October 27th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
I’ve been a resident of Freehold all of my life and while I’m extremely impressed with the recent “Main Street” face lift to the front of the Raceway Mall, as well the minor renovations to the mall’s interior, i.e., a new fountain, better lighting, and modern seating throughout, I’ve always been partial to Monmouth Mall (oh, how I miss A&S). I had not visited Monmouth Mall in about a year but decided to go there today (10/27/08). What has happened to this mall, folks,?
I was aware Boscov’s had closed it’s doors but didn’t realize how badly the mall had declined in terms of quality stores and appearance. Many of the reputable mall chains have been replaced with cluttered beauty supply shops, flea market ‘urban clothing’ merchants, and dingy pop-up bodegas (the kind that have make-shift partitions and backdrops behind the registers that hide empty store space). At every turn, there were these small booths manned by sales people — with pseudo French accents — attempting to stop people and coax them into applying some smelly, crappy moisturizer to there hands. They claim they are from Israel and hold the key to smooth skin; some are also at the Freehold Mall but not in droves like Monmouth Mall.
I cannot believe how much this mall has come to resemble the late Seaview Square Mall the year and a half before that particular mall closed it’s doors for good (when it was a combination of flea market shops and only a few remaining reputable businesses). I spoke with a few retail sales people at a liquidating jewelry store near Macy*s and they claim the mall owner is a moron who wants to raise the rent. If that is indeed the case, this owner is driving out everyone from a once great mall.
I know a few people suggested turning the old Boscov’s into a life center or creating separate shopping areas on the top two floors. I disagree. It is a beautiful structure with plenty of character, much more ample parking space, and three spacious floors that would make a great relocation for an overly crowded and drab Macy*s that is currently situated on the noisy and crammed Rt. 35 side of the mall. They could expand it’s designer selections and add a Nordstrom-style cafe…. And for pity’s sake, tear down that eye sore of a brutalist parking garage and create some type of outdoor shopping site and/or sitting area.
[Reply]
Randy
October 27th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
They have added a few more restaurants/cafes in the past month. Also, across the street there is an Arby’s, Ruby Tuesday and a McDonalds. The roads are actually pretty good. They added a great overpass and re-did those roads with nice u-turns. There’s also a couple of entrances/exits and it’s right off the parkway!
[Reply]
AceJay
October 27th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
I was there last week, they’ve built a huge new overpass for entrance/exit to and from the outlets, from 33. and I THINK they’re planning on making a through road from 66 to that overpass, on the paved-over runway path of the old Schlossbach Field / Asbury Park Neptune Air Terminal (ARX)
But the Weird circle/oval/intersection at 66 and 33 is still terrible.
33 itself has been heavily improved, at least on the eastern side of the Parkway.
However, getting to the Outlets coming from the north on the Parkway is pretty hard.
[Reply]
chris
November 1st, 2008 at 9:36 pm
I agree with what clem said why not turn the abandonded boscovs into a macy’s just move the existing store into that I mean after all macy’s did cause all of the trouble by eliminating A&S and stern’s to save thier own butts from going bankrupt
[Reply]
AceJay
November 1st, 2008 at 10:54 pm
Actually I think that would be a great idea. Move Macy’s and the Macy’s Kids to the Boscovs, and build a lifestyle addition type thing over on the old Macy’s and in the food court/etc
[Reply]
SEAN
November 2nd, 2008 at 10:49 am
Move Macy’s and the Macy’s Kids to the Boscovs, and build a lifestyle addition type thing over on the old Macy’s and in the food court/etc
AceJay,
That idea is fantastic, take the old Macy*s & food court area & build a new AMC theatre with the fork & screen comsept. Then you have several choices what to do with the rest of the food court area.
You could add:
A. Target
B. a lifestyle wing
C. Dave & Busters plus other restaurants, or some combo of all of these options.
[Reply]
SEAN
November 2nd, 2008 at 11:07 am
Here’s an article from AMC’s website that will explane what fork & screen is all about.
AMC ENTERTAINMENT® TO LAUNCH ENHANCED ENTERTAINMENT AND DINING EXPERIENCE AT AMC STUDIO 30
Bringing Movies. Menus. More.TM to One of Kansas City Metro’s Most Popular Theatres
Kansas City, Mo. (July 14, 2008) – AMC Entertainment Inc. (AMC), a worldwide leader in theatrical exhibition and out-of-home entertainment, today announces it will launch the test of a new entertainment and dining concept at AMC Studio 30 in Olathe, Kan. One entire wing of the theatre will be transformed into Fork & ScreenTM, a casual, in-theatre dining and entertainment experience; Cinema SuitesTM, a premium, upscale in-theatre dining and entertainment option; and MacGuffinsTM, a bar and lounge area.
“We are excited to be bringing a new entertainment experience to one of our most popular Kansas City area theatres,” said Peter C. Brown, chairman and chief executive officer, AMC. “Our concept builds off many of the differentiated food and beverage offerings that we have provided at several of our theatres over the years, and takes it to the next level.”
Guests of Fork & Screen and Cinema Suites will be able to enjoy in-theatre dining combined with the most current movies and other types of entertainment, presented in the immersive, big-screen viewing environment of an AMC theatre. Eight auditoriums will feature Fork & Screen, where moviegoers will have the opportunity to order from a diverse menu of appetizers, sandwiches, entrees, desserts, beer, wine and cocktails, as well as traditional theatre concessions.
For the ultimate in luxury moviegoing at an affordable price, AMC guests can upgrade to one of three Cinema Suites auditoriums featuring reserved seating, an expanded distinctive menu and plush reclining seats. Both Fork & Screen and Cinema Suites will feature in-theatre Seat-Side ServiceTM and are reserved for guests 18-years-old and over, and minors accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Adult guests will also be able to order beer, wine, cocktails and food at MacGuffins. Named after a term coined by famed filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock, MacGuffins is a warm, relaxing and inviting bar with a spacious lounge where guests can relax before or after their entertainment at tables and soft-seating areas. MacGuffins will be conveniently located adjacent to the Fork & Screen and Cinema Suites auditoriums. Guests 18-years-old and over, and minors accompanied by a parent or guardian, are welcome to enjoy MacGuffins with or without a ticket to Fork & Screen or Cinema Suites.
Fork & Screen, Cinema Suites and MacGuffins will feature fresh, quality ingredients that are locally grown or produced in addition to some seasonal items. Guests can look forward to classic favorites like fire-grilled gourmet burgers, hand-pulled flatbread pizzettas, wood-roasted chicken quesadillas, wedge salad wraps, and a wide variety of desserts. All menu items have been specifically prepared with the unique and exciting in-theatre dining experience in mind.
Construction begins Monday, July 14, with the theatre’s left wing officially closing to the public the following Monday, July 21. AMC Studio 30 will remain open throughout the construction phase. The enhanced entertainment and dining experience is anticipated to debut in October 2008.
MEDIA CONTACTS
Justin Scott (816) 480-2548
juscott@amctheatres.com
The only question is if successful, why not give it a shot?
[Reply]
chris
November 2nd, 2008 at 12:35 pm
I wish they would put a dave and busters there just have a mega size one hahaha that would be awesome
[Reply]
mallguy
November 2nd, 2008 at 7:02 pm
If my idea/fantasy of replacing Boscov’s with Bloomingdale’s never goes through (as long as Vorando runs Monmouth Mall, that will probably be the case), I would fully support Macy’s moving into the old Boscov’s building…it’s a few thousand square feet bigger and would more fully suit Macy’s. There’s a parking deck attached to it too (which needs a facelift). Coverting that whole area into a lifestyle/entertainment area (with Dave and Busters, Barnes and Noble, etc) would definitely work. It would also give The Grove at Shrewsbury and Pier Village a run for their money. To best do so, MM in this lifestyle center, needs to go heavy on entertainment options: the fork and screen Loews, Dave and Busters, Lucky Strike, Champp’s, Barnes and Noble, Apple and move Fridays and Chili’s into the lifestyle center from their sattelite locations.
[Reply]
Randy
November 3rd, 2008 at 8:24 pm
I’m sorry. I don’t think anything upscale is right for Monmouth Mall and Eatontown. You see where Braddock’s went (even though it was a small store). Bloomies is too high class- even Lord & Taylor is! Maybe Sears should move from Seaview to Monmouth? How about a Century 21 store or Ross Dress For Less? Big Lots would be kind of cool there too.
[Reply]
SEAN
November 7th, 2008 at 10:47 am
Boscov’s maybe next to bight the dust.
Boscov: Chain needs miracle
James Haggerty, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.
November 6, 2008
Nov. 6–Al Boscov admits his bid to regain control of the department store chain named after his family is the final hope for the bankrupt retailer’s survival.
“We have to sort of pull off a little bit of a miracle,” Mr. Boscov said Wednesday. “If I can’t raise all the money, the only thing you would have is liquidation.”
His comments came a day after the current operators of Boscov’s Inc. terminated a deal to sell the chain to a Philadelphia private equity firm and signed a purchase agreement with a family group headed by Mr. Boscov and his brother-in-law, Ed Lakin.
The two men, former co-owners of the chain, need some $240 million in financing to assume control and operate the chain, and they are about $35 million short, Mr. Boscov said. The group is struggling to secure funds quickly in a severe credit environment, which apparently knocked their rival out of the competition.
“Banks aren’t lending right now, especially for retail. The market is frozen,” Holly Guthrie, a retail analyst at Boenning & Scattergood Inc., a Philadelphia-area investment firm, said.
“In this consumer environment, how are you going to get people to lend?” wondered Howard Davidowitz, a New York City retail consultant and investment banker. “At the end of the day, Boscov’s has to be a viable company and right now, the odds of that look remote.”
The chain’s ownership might be settled at a U.S. Bankruptcy Court hearing Nov. 13, although Mr. Boscov said he may have until Nov. 26 to lock in the necessary financing. Boscov’s operates at 39 locations, with stores in Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton.
The chain, whose ownership was assumed in January 2006 by a group headed by Mr. Lakin’s son, Ken, filed for bankruptcy protection in August. Boscov’s, which listed assets of $538 million and liabilities of $479 million as of early May, closed 10 of its stores after the bankruptcy move. It had sales of $1.25 billion for the year ended Feb. 2.
Versa Capital Management Inc., a Philadelphia private equity firm, offered $11 million for the chain before Mr. Boscov’s group filed an unspecified competing proposal.
“Neither of us had the funding,” Mr. Boscov said. “Neither of us qualified for the requirements of the creditors’ committee. When the creditors looked at it, we were stronger than they were.”
Mr. Boscov said his group has committed family finances to complete the acquisition.
“That gives a lender a lot more confidence,” Mr. Davidowitz said.
A spokeswoman for Versa declined to comment Wednesday.
Mr. Boscov, 79, turned over the chairmanship of the company to his nephew in January 2006 and said he would have a hand in day-to-day management if the court approves his plan.
“I’ll go back into work,” he said. “We have an obligation to the community.”
Contact the writer: jhaggerty@timesshamrock.com
[Reply]
mallguy
November 9th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
Well, I was at Monmouth Mall today and let me tell you how depressing that was! Boscov’s is now vacant and the mall (on a Sunday afternoon 1 1/2 months before Christmas) was DEAD QUIET! This is a very bad sign and I hope again, I hope that people at Vorando see this.
Just to compare on the other side of the county, I was at Freehold yesterday and it took me 15 minutes to find a spot! Wall to wall and Garden State Plaza sized crowds.
[Reply]
Max
November 9th, 2008 at 11:13 pm
Given how bad of shape this mall is now in, I fully expect (at least) one of the remaining anchors to be gone a year from now. After all, all three remaining anchors have locations at Freehold Raceway Mall.
[Reply]
Allan
November 10th, 2008 at 12:01 am
Whoo wee, I really wish Al Boscov luck! Hopefully, Boscov’s doesn’t bite the dust, since I’ve seen enough retailers bite the dust and/or come close to doing so this year(i.e. Mervyn’s, Tweeter, Value City, and Circuit City for the latter). And especially since so few family-owned department stores are still left anymore, other than possibly Von Maur. (sorry, that’s the only one that comes to my mind this second, and wouldn’t be surprised if there were others besides Von Maur!)
[Reply]
SEAN
November 10th, 2008 at 10:46 am
Max/ Mallguy,
I have a question for both of you. Wich department store do you think will leave first? If I were a betting man I would say Lord & Taylor because there customer is more reflective of Freehold Raceway’s base than JC Penny or Macy*s.
What you say guys, you have more insight on this than I do.
[Reply]
mallguy
November 10th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
Sean,
I honestly do not believe that one of the remaining anchors will leave Monmouth Mall. Yes, the situation is not good there, but they all have a fairly loyal customer base and while the mall itself looks like it’s lagging by, the anchors look to be doing well. Lord and Taylor has been there since 1990 when it switched over from Hahne’s and JCPenney has been there since the expansion opened in 1976. However, if I were to accept your premace, I could see Lord and Taylor bailing first, but I would think that the Moorestown Mall Lord and Taylor has a greater chance of closing first.
I’m starting to accept that my fantasy for Bloomingdale’s in the old Boscov’s won’t come true, but if Macy’s were to move into the Boscov’s building, that would be a pretty nice idea and redo the current Macy’s into lifestyle/entertainment space.
[Reply]
SEAN
November 10th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
I agree with you Mallguy, but the question to me was an interesting one that was worthy of discussion. I wonder what others think.
[Reply]
GM
November 13th, 2008 at 9:54 am
Randy reported a while back that it was rumored that Pathmark on 36 will be replaced by a Best Buy. It seems like he was right: http://eatontownnj.com/images/boro/pandz/pdf/PB111008.pdf
Best Buy is petitioning for permits to open a store. This would be interesting because Circuit City is in the same shopping center and according to the list referenced by labelscar.com, that store will not be closing.
[Reply]
Raf316
November 13th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
I asked an employee at one of the stores near ex-Boscov’s what they’re replacing it with. Apparently she has heard that Dillard’s might be coming in sometime in the future.
[Reply]
GM
November 14th, 2008 at 10:09 am
Dillard’s? That would be good, but I heard they’re having financial troubles. I’m wondering how true that is. Then again, Dillard’s is pretty unknown around here, I’m wondering how she would come up with that unless it was true. That would mean that it would be the only Dillard’s in the Northeast.
On a related note, here are a couple of pics of Boscov’s exterior and labelscar and a pic from inside the mall:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lambrinos/BoscovS#
Pretty sad, huh?
[Reply]
SEAN
November 14th, 2008 at 10:39 am
Boscov faces tighter deadline to raise $35 million
James Haggerty, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.
November 14, 2008
Nov. 14–Al Boscov is looking at a shorter time frame than he expected to raise money to save the bankrupt company bearing his family’s name.
Mr. Boscov said Thursday he needs to complete a financing package by Tuesday to meet a court-imposed deadline and save the embattled department store chain, which is based in Reading and operates in Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton. Last week, he said he thought he had until Nov. 26 to lock in financing
“We don’t have much time,” Mr. Boscov said.
He is fighting to pull together enough cash to complete a purchase that would satisfy the store’s creditors. He needs about $240 million and said Thursday he’s struggling to assemble the final $35 million he needs.
“We’re making some progress, but … it’s very hard to get bank financing right now,” Mr. Boscov said. “If we don’t get it, it’s liquidation.”
In a related matter, a company that attempted to buy Boscov’s Inc. is trying to recover millions for its spurned effort.
Versa Capital Management Inc. is seeking a $4 million “breakup fee” resulting from its unsuccessful effort to acquire Boscov’s, papers filed Wednesday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware show.
The two issues evolve as the 39-store chain teeters on the brink of extinction.
“The real drama is played out on the store floor every day and whether they will or will not be able to succeed in this economic climate,” said Howard Brownstein, a principal at Nachman Hays Brownstein Inc., a Philadelphia-area turnaround and crisis management firm.
In its filing, Versa, a Philadelphia private equity firm, states it had secured financing to acquire Boscov’s before the deal was terminated. It alleges the chain’s executives used the firm as a “fire wall against liquidation” while negotiating with a group headed by Mr. Boscov, the company’s retired chairman.
Versa reached an agreement with Boscov’s Inc. in mid-September to acquire the chain for $11 million, but Boscov’s terminated the deal last week and signed a sales agreement with a group headed by Mr. Boscov.
The Versa purchase agreement said the firm would be entitled to the $4 million breakup fee if Boscov’s accepted a higher bid.
Kristy DelMuto, a spokeswoman for Versa, declined to comment, but Mr. Boscov last week said the firm is not entitled to a payment.
“There’s no breakup fee,” he said. “We both turned in bids but neither of us qualified for the requirements of the creditors’ committee.”
Mr. Boscov appears to have a solid argument, said Mr. Brownstein, an attorney familiar with bankruptcy proceedings.
“Versa is entitled to the breakup fee only if the sale to them was approved by the court,” he said. “If they don’t have a confirmed sale, then they’ve got an uphill battle.”
Contact the writer: jhaggerty@timesshamrock.com
[Reply]
SEAN
November 14th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Simon’s Chelsea Division Opens Jersey Shore Premium Outlets(R)
November 13, 2008
TINTON FALLS, N.J., Nov 13, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Simon Property Group, Inc. (NYSE: SPG) announced today that its Chelsea outlet division opened Jersey Shore Premium Outlets(R). Located directly off the Garden State Parkway at exit 100A on Route 66 East in Tinton Falls, Jersey Shore Premium Outlets contains 435,000 square feet of gross leasable area and 120 designer and name-brand outlet stores.
The Grand Opening celebration runs through Sunday, November 16 and features live entertainment by popular area musicians, giveaways, store promotions and more. Merchants include Ann Taylor, BCBG Max Azria, Banana Republic, Brooks Brothers, Burberry, Calvin Klein, Cole Haan, Elie Tahari, Geox, Guess, J.Crew, Juicy Couture, Kate Spade, Kenneth Cole, Lucky Brand Jeans, Michael Kors, Nike, Sony, Theory and Tommy Hilfiger.
“Jersey Shore Premium Outlets will serve fashion and value conscious area residents and visitors and we look forward to the center providing an economic benefit to the region,” remarked John R. Klein, co–president of Chelsea. “We are very pleased that this project has created over 800 new jobs.”
Jersey Shore Premium Outlets is the 49th Premium Outlet Center worldwide. Chelsea’s industry-leading properties also include Woodbury Common Premium Outlets (near New York City); Orlando Premium Outlets (Orlando, Florida); Desert Hills Premium Outlets (near Palm Springs, California); Las Vegas Premium Outlets (Las Vegas, Nevada); Wrentham Village Premium Outlets (near Boston, Massachusetts); Gotemba Premium Outlets (near Tokyo, Japan); and Yeoju Premium Outlets (near Seoul, Korea). Cincinnati Premium Outlets is under construction and scheduled to open August 2009 in Monroe, Ohio. See http://www.premiumoutlets
[Reply]
GM
November 16th, 2008 at 10:36 am
I was at MM last night and it was actually quite busy… Mostly by the food court and in front of Macys, however. I was trying to figure out where Barnes and Noble will go. I checked out a directory and it was right there! It said comming soon and it was in the location of the now vacant American Cafe (next to Macy’s Kids and Ruby Tuesday). I believe the structure will have to be expanded or a second floor added–any thoughts? I think this is actually a good idea because many have complained about that wing and this should bring new life to it, not to mention the Wyckoff Road side of the mall. I hope there are plans for the 2-story part of the mall, that’s starting to look pitiful. Bobby’s Burger Palace and Jared were also on the Directory but Fresh City and Chipotle were not. I have a feeling that restaurant (between BBP and Jared) will be vacant for now.
[Reply]
AceJay
November 18th, 2008 at 5:41 am
So, Jersey Shore Premium Outlets, what a great place!
I went there on Saturday and holy hell it was packed. There was a line of traffic backed up all the way from the Turnpike Ramp to the center, over the new overpass and all. First off, the design could not be better. The pylon sign is beautiful and perfectly “Jersey Shore,” and the mini Pylons look great with the beach-theme.
Now this was to be expected of a Grand Opening, but it was a MISERABLE day, and we are in the middle of an economic crisis. I can’t believe how many people showed up despite this.
The mall itself is outdoor but with the exception of the courts, it’s covered by partial roofs. There are of course holes for light every 10 feet or so, but I also noticed that there are heaters/AC units in place for year-round shopping.
The stores are all beautiful, and extremely varied. They even have a UGG Store! (There was a 15-minute wait to get into the store)
There was also one other store which had a huge line that I can’t recall now.
Anywho there don’t seem to be a huge amount of shoe stores. Reebok is unfortuntely not open yet, and The Gap Outlet is opening soon but wasn’t open for Grand Opening.
I expect the center to be fully leased in 2009.
The food court is nice and varied, if just a bit crowded, and there are food carts and vending machines in every other court.
Also to be noted, Starbucks was planning on opening there, but they pulle dout at the last minute for some stupid reason. Thus, the only place with coffee was Auntie Anne’s, which was the other store with a 10 minute line.
The service in just about every store I went to was great, everyone seemed happy to be working there, and it was a nice atmosphere overall.
I will be honest, even though I’m a frequent poster here, I haven’t actually gone to a mall to shop (or shopped for clothes at all) in maybe 3 years with the exception of a pair of shoes. I honestly felt like buying something at JSPO, but I simply didn’t have the money.
The corridors themselves have a nice atmophere, and the vacant storefronts had a pleasant feel despite being empty. You’ll know what I mean if you visit. There are many benches (not soft but still comfortable) throughout and lighting is nice.
My favorite aspect though was the Lighthouses built around the mall. They were supposedly going to be rotating beacons but that would be illegal due to it being mistaken for something by the FAA or any pilots.
But oh man, great place. I urge everyone that can to pay the place a visit, you won’t be dissappointed.
Also they’re paved the old Neptune Air Terminal Runway and made it a connector road from 33, so you can go though there too.
[Reply]
MONMOUTH
November 19th, 2008 at 9:18 am
Forgive my ignorance as I have not visited this site for some time and only read up on a few blogs, but as for the conversation on what will replace the Boscov’s in Monmouth Mall, has anyone given consideration to a Fortunoff? Wayne, Woodbridge and the “outdoor living” center across from Monmouth Mall are the only real three stores in our area. Why not another near the shore? Why not close the outdoor living Fortunoff across the highway and incorporate it into a new , 3 floored Fortunoff in the mall? I think there is plenty of square footage. Aside from an exterior remodel and some renovations inside, I think it would work…
Just a thought
[Reply]
SEAN
November 19th, 2008 at 10:55 am
We MAY have good news on Boscov’s.
Boscov hopes to have chain back by Black Friday
Maria Panaritis
November 19, 2008
Nov. 19–WILMINGTON — There were no fewer than 55 men in dark suits seated before U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Kevin Gross here yesterday, and 79-year-old Albert R. Boscov would have blended into the monastic monochrome if not for this: He was the only one on the edge of his seat. Literally.
Boscov — whose immigrant father founded the Boscov’s department store chain 97 years ago — gripped the wooden bench in front of him as bankruptcy attorneys, one after another, said how eager they were for the 39-store chain to be rescued by week’s end — and in time for Thanksgiving.
“It’s through his tireless efforts that we’re here today,” attorney Claudia Springer told the judge before pointing to Boscov, her client.
The family offer that Boscov assembled himself is worth nearly $300 million — an eye-popping $100 million of that being cash from friends and family, Boscov revealed yesterday.
“That’s enough to convince the court that we’re for real,” the retail hound from Reading said with a smile. His spunk and legendary charm gushed as he fielded questions from a knot of reporters during a recess from the sale hearing — his first public remarks about a deal sure to leave the most savvy dealmakers in awe.
If Judge Gross signs off on the asset-purchase agreement at a hearing Friday, Boscov’s Department Store L.L.C. and its 8,000 mostly regional employees will stay in business. It would be a stunning result during an economic crisis that has taken out bigger and bolder retail chains in recent months, and during a time when few investors are willing to let go of any of their cash.
“We would like to be able to get the store back by Black Friday,” Boscov said.
Black Friday marks the launch of the retail industry’s most profitable few weeks. Banking the cash from heavy sales during that lucrative few weeks would help show vendors and customers that “a new company can flourish,” Boscov said.
Officials said there were “loose ends” to tie up in the coming days.
“The contours of the deal are almost finalized,” one of the company’s lead bankruptcy attorneys, Brad Erens, told the judge.
Lawyers for the banks that hold Boscov’s outstanding loans and who represent the vendors to whom the company owed about $90 million when it declared bankruptcy Aug. 4 told Gross they wanted the sale approved quickly. That means approval from the judge Friday so an agreement could be final next Wednesday.
“The lenders are willing to go by what the asset-purchase agreement says, which is November 26th” as the date the sale becomes official, said attorney David S. Berman, representing Bank of America Corp. and various other banks that supply Boscov’s with credit lines to buy inventory, for example.
In testimony read into evidence yesterday, Albert Boscov’s financial adviser, J. Scott Victor of NatCity Investments Inc., projected that the chain would turn a $12.7 million profit during its first year, compared with a loss of nearly $25 million logged about a year ago.
“Boscov’s has always been a profitable company,” Boscov later said. But executives had made a misguided decision to buy 10 new stores after Boscov and his brother-in-law, Edwin Lakin, now 85, retired from the helm in 2006.
It seemed like “the opportunity of a lifetime” to snap up a batch of stores once occupied by competitors such as Strawbridge’s, Boscov said.
But it proved near-fatal. Those stores were unprofitable and became a drag.
The expansion into markets such as Western Pennsylvania and Maryland was led by Boscov’s son-in-law Ken Lakin, 54, the company’s chairman and chief executive officer.
“Baltimore, Maryland, thought Boscov’s was a chocolate drink,” Boscov told reporters, firing off zingers with flourish. “They didn’t know what the hell we are.
“There was a mistake made,” he said. The company sold its 10 least-profitable stores after filing for bankruptcy.
Ken Lakin and Boscov sat side-by-side in court. Lakin stood beside him as Boscov made jokes, told reporters wry anecdotes about his late father, and talked about how he wanted shoppers to be “excited” again about hunting through Boscov’s.
“We’re basically embarrassed by the Chapter 11,” Boscov said. But the chain founded in 1911 by his father, Solomon Boscov, survived the Great Depression, a bunch of world wars and a batch of recessions. “We’ve always come out all right.”
Contact staff writer Maria Panaritis at 215-854-2431 or mpanaritis@phillynews.com.
[Reply]
GM
November 19th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Monmouth, I really like your idea about turning the old Boscovs into a Fortunoff but I don’t think it’ll happen. Fortunoff and Lord and Taylor are now one company. They’re beginning to combine stores. Perhaps if they closed the smaller L and T and opened in Boscovs… Still, that would be cool and different from surrounding malls.
[Reply]
GM
November 24th, 2008 at 10:44 am
The Asbury Park Press had an article today about Monmouth Mall:
http://www.app.com/article/20081122/NEWS/811220334/1282/LOCAL06
“DOWN AN ANCHOR, MONMOUTH MALL HITS TOUGH TIMES”
EATONTOWN — Enter Monmouth Mall via Wyckoff Road and you can’t miss it.
A large anchor store, formerly Boscov’s, sits dark and empty. Cars don’t fill the parking lot out front. The store’s sign — Boscov’s in cursive letters — is not on the building anymore.
“It’s got to be tough for them,” said Eatontown Councilman Carl Sohl, a Planning Board member. “But again, this isn’t the first time this kind of thing has happened. The economy goes up and it goes down, and right now we’re in a downturn.”
At 1.5 million square feet, Monmouth Mall is New Jersey’s fifth-largest shopping center. The mall has seen many changes since it opened in 1960 as a much smaller, open-air center.
It was enclosed and expanded to its current size in 1975. It was renovated in 1987 and again in 1996, adding a 15-screen movie theater and a 700-seat food court.
According to the Directory of Major Malls Inc., sales at Monmouth Mall, excluding the anchor stores, amount to $450 per square foot.
Sales at mall nonanchor tenants in the Northeast this year through August were $470 per square foot, said the International Council of Shopping Centers.
Now Boscov’s, which filed for bankruptcy protection in August, is gone, leaving the Monmouth Mall with three other retail anchors– Macy’s, Lord & Taylor and JCPenney.
Burlington Coat Factory, another major tenant, is set to leave next year for Seaview Square Mall in Ocean Township, a location that used to be a poor cousin to Monmouth before it was transformed from an enclosed mall to an open-air shopping center.
And now the mall faces additional competition from Jersey Shore Premium Outlets, the discount center in Tinton Falls that opened to big crowds last week.
Is there another transformation in the works?
Neither Monmouth Mall nor its owner, Vornado Realty Trust, would comment for this story. But it’s clear the mall is not standing still:
Jared the Galleria of Jewelry opened a newly built store along the mall’s ring road in October.
Bobby’s Burger Palace, which features burgers by chef and restaurateur Bobby Flay, is expected to open near Jared in December.
Chipotle Mexican Grill has plans for a restaurant next to Bobby’s, according to
Planning Board Secretary Peggy Ciok.
The mall has preliminary approval for a Barnes & Noble store near the former Macy’s Kids location, Sohl said. There has been no official word of what would happen to the existing Barnes & Noble located just down Route 36 in West Long Branch.
The mall still has approval for a 50,000-square-foot freestanding store adjacent to
the former Boscov’s. Dick’s Sporting Goods pulled out, so the project is awaiting a new tenant, Sohl said.
While Sohl was concerned about the mall losing tenants, he said he was certain the mall will weather the worst.
“I think (the mall) will survive,” he said. “”It’s a destination. You don’t need
directions on how to get to the mall. Plus, it’s supported by a really good road
structure.”
Neptune resident Rod Wiggins isn’t much of a shopper, but he comes to Monmouth Mall once a month or so.
“I used to shop at Boscov’s,” he said Friday. “Now that they are gone, I won’t be
coming here as often.” His wife shops at other stores, such as Macy’s and Lord &
Taylor.
Generally, the loss of an anchor store such as Boscov’s has an impact on a shopping mall, experts say.
Consider the role of an anchor store. Typically a large department store, anchor
stores drive traffic to the mall. They have big promotions, and unlike specialty
stores, they run extensive advertising campaigns that bring in customers, said Ed Streb, a Rowan University communication studies professor.
From the anchor, customers spread out to other stores inside.
“You can look at mall after mall. When an anchor tenant goes dark, retailers near
that anchor suffer,” Streb said.
Boscov’s brought in customers. The building also fills the borough’s coffers.
The Boscov’s building– owned by the mall’s owner– is assessed at $26 million.
Separately, it generates more than $400,000 in taxes each year, according to John
Gillooly, borough tax assessor. As a whole, the mall– the borough’s largest taxpayer– generates between $4 million and $5 million annually.
Boscov’s closure does not pose an immediate threat to borough tax rolls, Gillooly
said. But in the long term, if the building were to remain vacant or be leased to
someone else with a different assessment, the amount of tax money it generates could change.
The troubled state of the economy and retailing, which helped to drive Boscov’s into
bankruptcy, has made it difficult for malls to replace anchor stores.
“The retail business is being hit very hard, harder than I have seen it in my 30-year career,” said Steven Greenberg, president of the Greenberg Group, a Hewlett,
N.Y.-based real estate adviser to retailers. “We just can’t get any consumer confidence maintained to get people really out shopping. Everybody is worried more about their job than what they are going to buy mom for Christmas.”
There was a time when a mall could turn to companies such as electronics retailer
Circuit City or clothing store Steve & Barry’s to take over a department store space,
Greenberg said. But no more.
Circuit City filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this month and said
it was closing its Freehold Township store. Steve & Barry’s filed for bankruptcy this
week.
Few retailers are expanding, said Richard Weinberg, a researcher with the Purdue
Retail Institute.
“Retailers are saving their money for the next six months, so they are cutting back
on merchandise,” Weinberg said. “They are cutting back on hiring. They are saving
money where they can.”
So what are the other possibilities?
The Shops at Riverside in Hackensack added several restaurants, including The
Cheesecake Factory, Houston’s and McCormick & Schmick’s, to attract customers, Greenberg said.
“That really serves as an anchor,” Greenberg said. “You can literally show up and
have your choice of eight different restaurants.”
Voorhees Town Mall in Camden County, formerly Echelon Mall, is replacing an anchor, which had gone dark, with a so-called lifestyle center, featuring several high-end retailers, Streb said.
Greenberg said other uses, such as an office building or medical facility, are
possibilities to replace an anchor store because of the lack of available retailers.
“The good part about medical is they see a lot of people every day and those people could be potential shoppers,” Greenberg said.
[Reply]
mallguy
November 26th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
I hope Vorando is reading that Press article as it is pretty accurate with the feelings people have of Monmouth Mall and that article succintly stated what we have been stating on this thread. I now bypass Monmouth Mall for Freehold and frankly find MM depressing these days.
Someone further up the thread commented on the possibility of Dillard’s and if that’s true, that’s a very interesting development and I think would be a welcome addition to NJ. It may make MM a destination mall again! (just hope an interior renovation accompanies it)
It looks like Bobby’s Burger Palace will be the 1st location in NJ as they are planning to open next year at Bergen Town Center (the former Bergen Mall…also a Vorando property).
[Reply]
Randy
December 2nd, 2008 at 8:58 pm
The APP article has some inaccurate information in it. It states, “The mall has preliminary approval for a Barnes & Noble store near the former Macy’s Kids location, Sohl said. There has been no official word of what would happen to the existing Barnes & Noble located just down Route 36 in West Long Branch.” There actually has been official word. The official word is: “The new Eatontown location is expected to open in September 2009 at Monmouth Mall on Route 35. One day before the new opening, the existing Barnes & Noble in West Long Branch’s Consumer Center on Route 36 will close, the company reports.”
[Reply]
Bill Colberg
December 12th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
Any body remember the Ground Round there.Remember Tony,Danny Billy and one beer John.Terry and George and Cliff the bartenders.That was a great hang out in the 70S and 80S.
[Reply]
James Speorl
December 26th, 2008 at 1:43 am
Does anyone know if there were any Kresge’s or Jupiter Discount Stores (an SS Kresge subsidiary) in this mall or the downtown area????
THX!
[Reply]
mallguy
December 30th, 2008 at 6:55 pm
I finally made it to the Jersey Shore Premium Outlets today. It was fairly crowded, but not like the APP described it earlier this month.
Aesthetically, the mall is very nice…outdoors and very similar in design to Woodbury Commons or Leesburg Outlets: stores on either side of an outdoor promenade. There are also a lot of well-known outlets here (JCrew, Gap, Banana Republic, to name a few). The UGG outlet had a wait today just to get in the door!
On the downside, the mall heavily lacks on dining and entertainment options. Only one coffee place and not even a Starbucks. Just the food court and no sit-down/themed dining that you would see in Arundel Mills or Franklin Mills. I really also don’t like the overhang design that much…it still doesn’t block out the cold and I think during the summer, it will keep in the warmth, making those outdoor corridors a lot hotter than they need to be. And this is just a personal preference, but I’m not that big a fan of the outlet center to begin with. Go at the right time and you can find mighty deep discounts in regular retail…I’ve done tons better with Short Hills Mall sales than I have ever done on an outlet trip.
That being said, I’d give Jersey Shore Premium Outlets a 7 out of 10…get more dining options and the rating goes up. By far, the best outlet center in NJ (beating out Liberty Corner), better than Monmouth Mall (which, by the way, was very crowded today), but not even close to Freehold, which is, by far, the best retail center in Monmouth County and at the Jersey Shore.
[Reply]
Bill Colberg
January 7th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
James Kresges in the Mall closed in the mid 80s.Jupiter stores all closed to.There gone but not forgotten.Kmart will be next to go. .
[Reply]
Benjamin
January 7th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
Has anyone heard anything about what will replace Boscovs or if they are even planning anything. I have a business interest in the mall and and have contacted management and the leasing rep for Vornado and can’t even get a return call. Apparently the rent we pay isn’t enough to get us some dialogue.
[Reply]
GM
January 8th, 2009 at 10:48 pm
Benjamin,
It’s a question we’re all asking ourselves. Truth is there are a lot of theories and ideas, but no one (apparently not even Vornado’s own lease holders) can get a straight answer. I’ve said it in the past and I’ll say it again, it is in Vornado’s best interest to spark some interest and excitement in the mall before it’s too late. Most of us assume that there are no plans or interest for the ex-Boscov’s space, and that’s why Vornado’s not talking. I hope we’re wrong. Good luck to your business. Hopefully it all works out.
[Reply]
SEAN
January 9th, 2009 at 10:08 am
GM,
I wonder if Vornado is putting all of it’s eggs in the Springfield & Bergen Town Center baskets? That might explane why MM is being ignored.
[Reply]
GM
January 9th, 2009 at 10:22 am
Sean,
As disappointed with Vornado as I am, I have to believe that they have good intentions for MM. Afterall, we’re not talking about a cheap property. You may be right about Springfield and BTC, however. Perhaps they’re stretched a little thin right now and do not have the resources to tackle another project. My assumption is that there are or were plans to update (perhaps not major construction) the mall, but with the economic downturn, stores pulling out, and their other two malls, Vornado put things on hold until profits justify the exense of an update. IMHO, Monmouth isn’t too bad. Yea the flooring and decorations are outdated, but all they need is one or two big stores to open to bring more people to the mall and make the future look better. If I was in charge of the mall, I would work with a company like Century 21 (department store), offer a low rent in exchange for an expedited move-in. Vornado already has a Century 21 (basically what’s keeping BTC alive) and it’s known for bringing regional customers. They can move into Boscov’s with very little changes to the existing store. And I’m sure that it would bring people back from Freehold RM, the Grove, not to mention people from Ocean and Middlesex counties.
[Reply]
SEAN
January 9th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
gm,
I suspect we are both correct on some level.
The finantial situation we find our selves in right now is evolving in ways noone could have imagined, even as recently as 6 months ago.
Bankrupt retailers, the Bernie Madeoff scandle, bad loans leading to forclosures, this story is mutating like a virus & spredding to areas that nobody had thaught were possible.
If I had any idea where this ends up, I would be a billionare by now.
[Reply]
Randy
January 14th, 2009 at 11:59 am
There’s some construction going on outside between Macy’s and Lord & Taylor. Is this the new Barnes & Noble?
Also, there is a rumor circulating around the town that the movie theater will be closing. I can’t find any hard evidence on this, though.
Braddocks is gone. No tenant in the buffet yet. Burlington will move later this year. This will become the next “dead” wing. To be honest, they should maybe knock down the Boscovs building and extend the parking garage from there. Then, re-configure the other wings.
[Reply]
AceJay
January 15th, 2009 at 2:53 am
If Macy’s moves into Boscov’s, they can tear down Macy’s and build some kind of small lifestle wing there, and revamp the Food court wing. That way, each end of the mall has a destinaion that people will want to go to, thus giving more walking traffic, more inline stores, business, and so on.
Freehold is still better though
[Reply]
SEAN
January 15th, 2009 at 10:35 am
AceJay,
Not only that, you could add a new AMC theatre consept wich braught up in earlier posts & squash any of the rumors of the theatre closing.
FYI I checked AMC’s web site last night, & there’s no confermation on any closings. However, there is 1 theatre under construction in KC .
AceJay, what is the source of this rumor.
[Reply]
AceJay
January 15th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
What? You mean Randy? I haven’t heard of the theatres closing.
[Reply]
GM
January 15th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
I really doubt the theater is closing, it’s busier than most theaters in the area. I think this rumor may step from a Christmas day brawl that started there:
http://www.app.com/article/20081227/NEWS01/812270316/1004/NEWS01
I like Randy’s idea a lot about moving Macy’s and turning Macy’s into something else. Frankly, Macy’s doesn’t really fit where it is now. That whole wing should be something different. It also brings the number of anchor stores down to 3–easier to fill since anchor stores seem to be going by the wayside. The news of construction is new to me though. I remember seeing Barnes and Noble on the directory map in that location, so I’m sure that’s what they’re building. I should stop by and check it out.
[Reply]
kyrby
January 17th, 2009 at 7:38 pm
That theater is always crowded, it can’t close.
I stopped by the new Premium Outlets recently, those are mad nice. I’m not surprised if Monmouth will die soon.
[Reply]
GM
January 19th, 2009 at 11:46 am
I was at the mall last night and saw the construction work. I took pictures with my phone but they didn’t come out clear, so I’ll try my best to describe it. The section of parking lot from the front of ex-American Cafe down to the road and all the way behind Macy’s Kids and an access road near Lord and Taylor is fenced off. There’s construction equipment and dirt. I looks like they were digging trenches and tanks, probably for storm drains. Inside the mall, the ex-American Cafe entrance has been drywalled over. Macy’s Kids and Ruby Tuesday are still open. On the mall directory, Barnes and Noble is listed as coming soon in the location of the ex-Amer. Cafe, but Macy’s Kids is still there. My guess is that they might expand the Amer. Cafe, perhaps add a 2nd floor, but keep Macys Kids. On another note, the 2-story section of mall is very despressing and quiet. There are a lot of vacant stores and generic mom/pop stores. Reminds me of Seaview Square Mall before it closed. The older part of the mall however is packed.
[Reply]
GM
January 19th, 2009 at 11:48 am
BTW, I’m surprised no one mentioned Circuit City. The whole chain is closing.
[Reply]
Randy
January 23rd, 2009 at 9:10 am
Yeah, Circuit City is pretty old news though. Once they close, I wonder what will go in there since Best Buy is slated to move in to the old PathMark? That whole area there is going down the drain it seems! I really wish they would have built the newer exterior restaurants (such as Chili’s, Bobby’s Burger Palace, etc.) closer to the mall like Freehold. Even if they aren’t connected inside, it would be nicer if you didn’t have to move your car. Also, B&N going out at Consumer Centre means another vacancy. I wonder what will go in there?
[Reply]
Randy
January 23rd, 2009 at 9:14 am
Oh, also! I forgot to add! I work at a local store (pretty close to the mall) and someone came in from Century 21 department stores ordering office things. [I really don't want to give away the specifics because of privacy.] However, they weren’t being delivered to an Eatontown location. But I thought it was weird that they would order them near the mall. Any speculation?
[Reply]
GM
January 23rd, 2009 at 10:48 am
Interesting news. Are you sure it was C21 department stores and not Century 21 real estate? Is the store you work at a chain? Makes you wonder why they would come in person near Eatontown when they can pick up the phone, go online, or go to a store near them. This is interesting! Is the delivery location nearby (within 5 miles)? They may be opening a local office to handle merchandising, construction, etc. More details are appreciated.
[Reply]
Randy
January 24th, 2009 at 11:54 am
I don’t really want to risk my job on here, but….
-It was C21 Department Stores
-The merch was sent to Secaucus
-I work for a chain & there are plenty up there
[Reply]
John
January 25th, 2009 at 12:45 am
We’ve lived in Eatontown since 1971 so know the Mall well. Monmouth Mall guy said it all very well and accurate. Remember Montgomery Wards (there till about 1972/1973) > Alexanders > Caldor > Movie Court. I can remember buying 8 tracks at Sam Goody. The other music store you were thinking of near the Caldor wing was called “Music Den”. Alexanders also had a good music section in their basement. I remember they used to have an underground section (stairway down in the middle of the mall with a sign about patrol dogs (they would let out after hours!). Other things: The lighted glass block tower water fountains they had in 2-3 of the Mall courtyards and the picture in the Press of a little boy peeing in one of them once! Older restaurants there: “The Flaming Pit”- a restaurant and cocktail lounge (till 1971) which became “The Ground Round” -throw peanuts on the floor. And of course Lucas Pizza – even since the shopping center days. Speaking of which, anyone remember “Goody’s (now the current Burger King on Wyckoff Rd)? They had “Aunt Vera’s fried chicken” and burgers. A rumour that they used horse meat literally put them out of business. Once they had an outdoor carnival when the mall was a shopping center (must have been about 1973). Remember a 3 level fun house with rotating floors, air jets up the legs, maze, giant slide; also had merry go round, Ferris wheel, So much has changed…
[Reply]
Michael J. Jacobs
January 28th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
Hello all. I worked as a security supervisor at this mall from 1993-1996. (In fact, some of you may remember me, good-looking guy with red hair.) Reading this brings back fond memories. When I started there, Caldor was still there but had been abandoned as were the Ground Round and the pizza place that was near it. The arcade was still there though it wasn’t much of an attraction at that point. I remember Orange Julius and Hot Doggin were in the Macy Kids wing as well as a pet store and a candy kiosk in the middle. That pet store was pretty filthy towards the end from what I can remember. Back to where the food court is, I recall Burger King being there as well as a Steakhouse and McCrory’s, if I remember correctly.
When they started the renovations, it was rather fun going through the basement area where the tunnel is. I remember we would help take down some of the walls in the basement that revealed rooms that had been blocked off for years…there was graffiti all over the place from the 60′s. I recall thinking how interesting it would’ve been to find out where those people were now.
It was pretty amazing to watch the whole renovation from start to finish. It was also fun exploring the old Caldor building, going up to the second level and finding old bluprints of the mall from when it was first built in the early 60′s. At the other end, there was “LeCrepe” restaurant which was actually pretty decent.
During this time, we had quite a few gang members from various towns congregate to the mall, making the nights and weekends rather busy. In July or August 1995, there was the riot in the movie theater parking lot in which one boy was stabbed to death with a screwdriver. I remember one Saturday night where we had 11 arrests for various offenses from fighting to shoplifting. Friday and Saturday nights were always filled with this type of activity. Again, the mall during this time of the 90′s had a lot of undesirables. I recall that when I left in Nov. 1996, it wasn’t as bad as when I started in March 1993.
I still take a trip there from time to time and fondly recall my days there. I met my first girlfriend there, she worked at the G & G store on the lower level. Well, that’s all for now. Hope what I wrote brings back memories for you as well.
MJJ
[Reply]
Monmouth
February 1st, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Ahhh, Mike Jacobs…
How about those butt kickin’ aggressive Loss Prevention guys from Eatontown JCPenney? Remember those days in the 90′s Mike??
It was so bad in the department stores with the fraudulent returns and shoplifting, Mall security along with Jacobs would most of the time be involved in the foot chases out into the lot (sometimes to Rt 35 or 36)and the fights. Ahhh, they were the days. Gang fights, remodels, shoplifters and a hot cup of coffee while working in plain clothes made Monmouth Mall all the more interesting!! We had a good run. I was there from 1994-2000 working LP in JCPenney. Was one of my most interesting and blood pumping jobs I ever had. At least back in my days working there, A&S/Sterns, Lord & Taylor and JCP had a pretty good working relationship along with the Police. We were pretty darn good at catching shoplifters and such. Usually in the morning after opening operations, L&T guys and me and my partners would grab our coffee and hang out for a bit. Im sure the stores got rocked when we were goofing around…lol Ahhhh, you win some and loose some!!
Mike, you remember the demolition of the Firestone building in the JCP lot nearest TGI Fridays? Would be cool to see if anyone had photos of the old mall and the remodel.
Monmouth/ex JCP LP
[Reply]
Michael J. Jacobs
February 2nd, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Yes, indeed. I do recall those days fondly and I agree with you in that it was one of the most intense, adrenaline pumping jobs I have ever had. We had so many instances of shopliftings, domestic disputes, fights, and other things of that nature. I was assualted a couple of times and those chases went out into the surrounding communities. It was a great experience for those wanting to get into law enforcement. We were essentially a mini-police department with all the arrests and investigations we worked on. I personally never got into law enforcement, though I did eventually join the military (Reserves). It was quite different from the typically mall secuity job and from what I understand, it is nothing like that now. We had a great team from 93-96…I think the reason for that is because we were in-house security and not contracted.
Wow, I do remember A&S / Sterns as well as the old Firestone building. Forgot all about them. We did have a great relationship with the anchor stores, though Macy’s LP wasn’t too friendly. JCP was the best of the bunch and I always wondered whatever happened to most of you guys.
Yeah, it was a great job and I’ll always remember the times there as well as most of the people. As I’m writing, I cannot help but think of those days and how it was a great experience. I met quite a few good people (and some bad ones as well.) The summers were especially nice, hanging outside at night, watching the fireworks from the rooftop with my girlfriend on July 4th. Wow…so many wonderful memories come flooding back. I’ll never forget the Monmouth Mall.
MJJ
[Reply]
Benjamin
February 2nd, 2009 at 4:50 pm
I wrote on here a while back. I still have nothing from mall management other than they are working to try to fill the Boscovs space. However, there are some “C21″ rumors circulating, and to be honest, it has to be on the top of the list for Vornado, because C21 is already on Vornado properties and is a perfect fit for this malls demographics..
[Reply]
GM
February 11th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
Here’s some information regarding the new Best Buy (where Pathmark used to be): http://www.ripcony.com/Retailers/Listings/Detail/?id=5587
If you click the “Package” link, there’s a lot of interesting information such as traffic data, new store layout, exterior renderings, etc. It looks like the whole store won’t be allocated to the Best Buy. A portion of it, nearest to Parker Avenue, will be leased out.
[Reply]
Frank
February 16th, 2009 at 9:56 pm
Monmouth mall should Demolish the food court. It should be more like the “Mall at short hills”, No cheesey food court, just some nice sit down restaurants and a few snack and coffee shops. A Cheesecake factory would really make this mall a “destination”. An outback steakhouse would round things out nicely. They need to aggressively recruit new businesses there. It would be a good idea to seal off the movies from the mall. The movie house should be completely seperate from the mall, no connection at all. macy’s needs a major overhaul, it’s the worst macy’s in the system. They need a curfew for teens. Nobody under 21 should be allowed to wonder the mall without their parents.
[Reply]
chris
February 17th, 2009 at 9:26 am
what is happening with the former boscov’s/stern’s/A&S store??? whats coming in there
[Reply]
Randy
February 23rd, 2009 at 8:59 pm
The curfew sounds like a good idea. I think the age should be 19, however. By that age, many people are on their own and would not have a parent to shop with.
I like the food in the food court, just not the setup.
[Reply]
SEAN
February 24th, 2009 at 10:50 am
Last piece placed in Boscov’s puzzle
John Latimer, Lebanon Daily News, Pa.
February 23, 2009
Feb. 23–The Butler County commissioners have approved a deal clearing the way for the struggling Boscov’s department store to receive a $35 million federal loan.
At a special meeting held Feb. 9, the commissioners reversed their earlier decision and approved putting up $5.83 million in future community development block grant money from the U.S. Housing and Urban Development as collateral for the loan. Butler joined Lebanon, Blair, Cambria, Lackawanna and Schuylkill counties in pledging that amount of money.
Each county is home to at least one of the chain’s department stores. Snyder County was also asked to sign off on the deal but refused. That decision increased the amount of money the six remaining counties had to pledge from $5 to $5.83 million.
The deal required no money from the counties, but HUD is requiring the local pledge as collateral before it will release the Section 108 loan. The deal was structured by the state Department of Community and Economic Development at the urging of Gov. Ed Rendell, who promised that the state would cover any loss if Boscov’s defaults on the loan. Liens have also been placed on Boscov’s properties and inventory as a way of securing the loan.
The money is part of a $300 million finance package that includes $11 million in HUD funding from a handful of other Pennsylvania municipalities; nearly $60 million put up by the Boscov family and a small group of partners; and an operating line of credit of $205 million.
All of the financing was needed to return ownership of the stores to Albert Boscov and his brother-in-law, Edwin Lakin, after its previous owners, headed by Lakin’s son, Kenneth, drove it into bankruptcy last summer.
In return for the HUD money, Boscov’s has promised to create and/or retain 1,029 jobs, including at least 147 in Lebanon County. The company owns 39 stores and employs more than 9,000 people, including 5,000 in Pennsylvania, according to information Boscov’s supplied to the state. Nearly 200 people work for Boscov’s at the Lebanon Valley Mall.
[Reply]
GM
February 24th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
“Monmouth mall should Demolish the food court. It should be more like the “Mall at short hills”, No cheesey food court, just some nice sit down restaurants and a few snack and coffee shops. A Cheesecake factory would really make this mall a “destination”. An outback steakhouse would round things out nicely.”
I’m not sure that’s a good idea. A food court may not be the latest trend, but it certainly is used by a lot of people. Not only is it full of hungry shoppers, it’s a busy destination for lunch for the surrounding towns. I personally do not agree to the idea that more restaurants are a benefit to the mall. Most restaurants are out-parcels or have outdoor entrances and the vast majority of those customers never step foot into the mall. They eat and leave. I’m probably in the minority here, and that’s fine. However, if there were going to be more restaurants, I would put them where the current Old Navy and Amer. Eagle is. And I would put in a Dave and Busters. That would instantly make that wing a destination and an entertainment wing.
“It would be a good idea to seal off the movies from the mall. The movie house should be completely seperate from the mall, no connection at all.”
I’m really not sure what the gain is here. It’s already connected, what would sealing it off do?
“macy’s needs a major overhaul, it’s the worst macy’s in the system.”
Agreed. What a bad layout and it hasn’t been redone since Bamberger’s. Next time you’re in there, look at the carpet and the ceiling tiles. Totally re-do the Boscov’s building and parking garage, move Macy’s there and turn the old Macy’s building into outdoor shops (like the Grove or Freehold Raceway Mall). It seems to be a trend, even though I don’t care for outdoor shopping. That also gets rid of one of four (five if you count Burlington) anchor stores. Anchor stores are merging and becoming harder to fill.
“They need a curfew for teens. Nobody under 21 should be allowed to wonder the mall without their parents. ”
Maybe 18 is more appropriate. I have to admit that it’s gotten pretty bad. Where are the parents?? I was there on Saturday and we were pretty much the only adults there. I think the kids actually hurt business because it drives adults with money away. If it wasnt for the theater, I wouldn’t go at all.
Also, there is definitely a lower-class air to the mall, and it’s getting worse. I remember the Seaview Square Mall feeling like that. A lot of fly by night shops, hair salons, dollar store, etc. I’m sorry, but you’re not going to get people with money to spend flocking to MM for the dollar store or to buy hair supplies and shampoo.
Freehold Mall used to have that feeling too (and it actually still has a few of those stores). It’s funny how a fresh coat of paint, new floors, an advertising campaign, and some new stores completely change the feeling of a mall. A lot of people on this site dread the idea of MM going upscale, but the truth is an upscale mall brings in more people (& people with money to spend) and your budget friendly stores are still there. Freehold still has Sears, JCPenny, Old Navy, and a lot of other “non-upscale” stores.
[Reply]
SEAN
February 24th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
The problem here is that the layout in the food court wing is not up to standerds with todays needs. The whole area including AMC needs to be completely redone with a new theatre, food court area, sit down restaurants & relocation of Berlington Coat Factory, & Old Navy.
Malls today will not get rid of large theatres & food courts because they add to the bottom line as sit down restaurants do. It is foolish to Believe otherwise.
As for curfews, it is usually under 16 after 6pm, although at MOA it is 4pm & the escort must be over 21 in most malls. I do see a gigantic pitfall with such a policy. You can end up pushing away the very shopper you are trying to atract. A better solution would be to BAN those persons that cause trouble & limit the size of groups clustered. otherwise you end up assuming that all teens do nothing but cause problems whitch is wrong. Yes, some do but that is a minority percentage.
[Reply]
Jonah Norason
February 24th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
>>Monmouth mall should Demolish the food court. It should be more like the “Mall at short hills”, No cheesey food court, just some nice sit down restaurants and a few snack and coffee shops. A Cheesecake factory would really make this mall a “destination”. An outback steakhouse would round things out nicely.
The food courts are a double-sided coin. Yes, food courts can cause a “hangout” spot yet food courts are convenient, and yes, Monmouth Mall’s food court is kind of goofy-looking. It could get a few sit-down restaurants, but food courts do take less space than a cluster of fast food eateries with their own seating.
>>They need to aggressively recruit new businesses there.
True. But what? Upscale? No way. Natick Collection built a fancy new upscale wing, and the stores are struggling.
>>It would be a good idea to seal off the movies from the mall. The movie house should be completely seperate from the mall, no connection at all.
That’s a terrible idea! While theaters do attract certain types of people, it brings people into the movies. Monmouth Mall has made a good choice of putting the food court near the movies. I wish my mall was like that.
>>macy’s needs a major overhaul, it’s the worst macy’s in the system.
I’m sure there are worse Macy’s. Some of them they absorbed were bad to begin with. I mean, do you really think the Greenspoint Mall Macy’s is better? Never heard of it? Then don’t judge.
>>They need a curfew for teens. Nobody under 21 should be allowed to wonder the mall without their parents.
Again, total stereotyping. If all the teenage-oriented stores leave, that would be a huge loss to the mall. This is not a time to lose stores (or shoppers). A dress code, a patrolling security system to cut down on the suspicious people, etc. Severe restrictions can backfire…Cincinnati Mills banned groups over two people, and made other restrictions…is it odd that Cincinnati Mills has 40% occupancy, one of the worse times in the Mall’s history?
I think Monmouth Mall could benefit with “neighborhoods”. There should be a place for neat gift shops, one for value, one for regular stores, one for upscale shoppers. Could a hypermarket work in MM?
[Reply]
SEAN
February 24th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
Jonah,
Here’s an idea to start with. Fred Meyer the Portland OR division of Kroger has most of it’s stores in the hiper-market format. I cut a portion of the Wiki article here. Some information is quite dated, but you’ll get the idea.
Locations
Fred Meyer currently operates 128 stores divided into seven merchandising zones as well as an online special order site for their postal prescription service, online photo ordering, online music/movie/video game sales through partner The Store 24/7, and an Alaska bush fulfillment center allowing those in remote areas of the state to shop Fred Meyer. The zones represent geographical areas of the Northwest, including: West Portland (Zone 1), SW Washington/East Portland (Zone 2), The Remaining Outskirts of Oregon (Outer Ring) (Zone 3), North Puget Sound (Zone 4), South Puget Sound (Zone 5), Idaho/Eastern Washington (Zone 6), and Alaska (Zone 7). Each “zone” is made up of about twenty stores and has its own administrative team of regional directors.
[edit] Store design
Fred Meyer stores are well known for their huge floor space. To compete, other supermarket chains operating in the northwest (like Safeway) often build stores that are much larger than their standard store format.
A typical store is divided into four major departments:
An apparel (ALE) and leisure division with shoe (some full service; most self-serve), women’s and men’s ready-to-wear, intimate, cosmetics (COS), accessories, and young men’s/junior’s department called “Elements”. In most stores, ALE has anywhere from three to six checkstands of its own; these checkstands (and their cashiers) belong to a section known as SG2 (an abbreviation of “Soft Goods”).
A grocery (FOD/GRO) which includes a Nutrition/”Natural Choices” Center (NCR) , Health and Beauty Aids (HABA) department and Pet Center as well as full-service meat, seafood, deli, produce, and bakery areas. FOD also manages the Bottle Return found in most Fred Meyer parking lots.
A home division (HOX) features toys (TOY), stationery (SCH), sports and auto (SPA), home improvement(HIC), garden(GCR), furniture, housewares (HSW), a bed & bath areas known as Domestics (DOM) and a special area for seasonal merchandise (SOD). Fuel centers (SPG) are part of the HOM department and managers are required to drive and record, twice daily, the prices of fuel stations within a five-mile radius, report such prices to Fuel Center HQ and await specific instructions on raising or lowering prices based on logged information. Many locations have checkstands in the HOM department; these checkstands belong to a section known as HG2 (an abbreviation of “Home & Garden”), some locations provide a HOM U-Scan as well.
Additionally, most Fred Meyer stores possess an Operations (OPS) department, which is responsible for the main bank of checkstands or ‘Central Check Cashiers’ (CCK); the Customer Service Desk (CSD), also known as the Customer Information Desk, or CID, where services such as Western Union, Fish & Game licenses, bus passes, tobacco sales, and merchandise returns/exchanges are offered; U-Scan (a customer self checkout option) and the parking lot. In some stores these areas are a section (known as GR2 – an abbreviation of “Grocery”) of the grocery (FOD/GRO) department.
Playland, a child-care center provided free of charge for shoppers at some locations is also a division of the Operations department.
Additionally, most Fred Meyer stores offer free WiFi for the customers.
Home Electronics (PEM) departments offer a high tech selection including computers, televisions, etc. as well as a photo station and a music market for CDs, movies, and video games. Most stores also include an outlet of Fred Meyer’s jewelery chain, Fred Meyer Jewelers, and a pharmacy.
In some stores’ parking lots an FM Fuel Center is added, managed by the Home Department .
Most Fred Meyer stores lease peripheral retail space to other businesses. For example, an average store in Oregon and Washington would have a Hollywood Video store and a Washington Mutual Bank branch, and a locksmith in the store’s parking lot. Many stores also house a Starbucks Coffee outlet, (some of which are) operated by Fred Meyer under contract. Other locations include a Starbucks operated outlet in an outside tenancy, while Fred Meyer operates a Tully’s Coffee, or Kivu Coffee bar inside as an extension of the Multi-Service-Deli.
[edit] Department structure
The store is managed by a store director (and one or two assistant directors if they are a management training store). Each department is run by a manager, an assistant manager, and often a third or a fourth manager, depending upon the size of the department. In addition to the management staff, persons-in-charge (PIC) are non-management supervisors who assume management duties and responsibilities for the duration of a shift, but are otherwise level with co-workers. In the major divisions (ALE, HOM, FOD) Sectionheads or Department managers are responsible for a given section of the department.
[edit] Alternate store formats
Not all Fred Meyer stores conform to the conventional hypermarket format that the majority of stores do. While still department-style stores, Fred Meyer has two additional formats for stores too small to fit the vast space requirements of those in more eclectic neighborhoods.
[edit] Fred Meyer Marketplace
Fred Meyer Marketplace is a comparatively compact Fred Meyer, centered on a full service grocery section, with many of the other departments missing or considerably smaller than a full size Fred Meyer store. These are usually older locations in more central locations in Portland, with limited, often unique parking arrangements (like the Burlingame location’s multistory parking garage, or the rooftop parking at the Hawthorne location). Most Marketplace stores in the Seattle area were once standard supermarkets that have been acquired from other grocers.
Some marketplace locations are early examples of Fred Meyer in its typical mall format, being the anchor store in a small Fred Meyer shopping center. Locations from this early era are typified by having the lawn and garden department in a different building immediately across the street or parking lot.
[edit] Fred Meyer Northwest Best
Fred Meyer Northwest Best is the company’s “new concept” store in upscale Northwest Portland near PGE Park. It was converted from the Fred Meyer Stadium Marketplace in 2004 to compete against newly arrived retailers such as the Pearl District Whole Foods Market and Northwest Portland Trader Joe’s. Fred Meyer also has Northwest Best stores in Gig Harbor, Washington and Redmond, Washington.
[Reply]
GM
February 26th, 2009 at 11:19 am
A hypermarket is an interesting idea. Whenever I visit my family in Europe, I always loved driving over to the local Carrefour and just roaming around. The one I go to is two floors. The first floor has a large food market and liquor store, and the second floor has electronics, home goods and furniture, clothing, and shoes. I’m not sure if it would work at MM, only because of location. Not the location of the mall, but rather the locations available. Pretty much the only existing locations available now are Boscov’s and Burlington (in the near future). Burlington is in the basement (not good for shopping carts going in and out) and pretty small. Boscov’s may work, but a lot of work has to go into the building, possibly demolition and reconstruction. The neatest thing about the Carrefour I mentioned were the carts and escalator. The escalator didnt have stairs. It was more like a long ramp that wasn’t that steep. It has a special floor that actually grips the unique wheels on the carts and holds them. Its the first time I’ve seen something like that. The hypermarket is an interesting concept, but I don’t know. Early malls had markets and they ended up going out of business. Will history repeat itself?
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AceJay
February 26th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
They could always put a Wegmans there
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Jonah Norason
February 26th, 2009 at 6:51 pm
Well, there was a Carrefour near Franklin Mills (they pulled out many years ago) so it could work.
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SEAN
February 26th, 2009 at 7:25 pm
If Macy*s moved into the former Boscov’s space as suggested up in the thred, you could redue the entire food court wing over & include the hiper market consept that Jonah braught up.
It may not be the same as Fred Meyer as described above. However, it could be something moddled on that formula. Think of a molti-level store with grocery, home & garden on the first floor, clothing on the second & electronics & related on the third. Put another way, Stop & Shop/ Home Depot, J C Penny & Best Buy all under one roof with better customer service than all of them standing alone. There’s got to be something to compete with Target & Depressing-mart. Something between Target & Sears/ J C Penny, that is if Sears exists a year from now.
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Jonah Norason
February 26th, 2009 at 11:26 pm
I wrote up a plan for Monmouth that involved three “neighborhoods”:
>>ENTERTAINMENT
This is the northern part of the mall where the food court is. Expand the movie theater, update the food court, add a few nightclubs, add an ice rink, and a paintball facility. Oh, and fill in the entire basement level with Dave & Buster’s.
>>UPSCALE
Upscale/renovate/expand Macy’s, close down Macy’s Kids, upscale Lord & Taylor, and raze the Macy’s Kids side for a new upscale department store and parking garage. Saks would be nice, but Saks isn’t in an expansion mode right now. Numerous restaurants are “embedded” into the exterior of the mall (like Cherry Hill Mall)
>>VALUE
With everything from “festival marketplace” unique stores to outlet stores, the Value Section encompasses JCPenney and the former Boscov’s. Marshalls and Last Call Neiman Marcus round off the mix, with a three-story Carrefour taking center stage at the end of the mall.
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AceJay
February 27th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Nightclubs + mall = Not a good idea, lol.
@Value: You meant Wegmans, right? Right.
good plan, though.
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Jonah Norason
February 27th, 2009 at 6:37 pm
@Acejay: Nightclubs have worked in malls before. Mall of America had a ton (before they all closed due to rent/smoking problems) and so did Forest Fair (before they all closed when the mall signed BCF). And Wegmans? Please! That’s just a supermarket. Why not have a European hypermarket with the European-ness of an IKEA?
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SEAN
February 27th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
The idea I braught up earlier with the Fred Meyer example could work if 2 conditions are met.
1. Communities stop with single use perscriptive zoning regulations & move toward a more mixed use configuration. Two great examples of the latter are Portland OR & Arlington County VA.
2. The willingness of the public & not just mall fanatics to embrace something that is new, eye catching & a pleasureable place to see & be sene.
I’m thinking of something that is in effect the anti-Wallmart. A place that isn’t dark & depressing & a plesure to shop no matter if you need a big screen TV, clothes or every day nessessities like groceries. Most importently it shouldn’t be a place you have to pop Zoloft after you leave. No! I don’t mean Target. I Mean something beyond those tipical mass retailers. Something that includes the best of Wegmans, Best Buy, Gap, Bed Bath & Beyond & Nordstrom under a single roof, with top notch customer service way beyond what most americans are use to.
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Jaime
March 4th, 2009 at 1:18 am
I just spent the past 2 hours reading all these posts. I appreciate what everyone here has contributed so far, but as for memories, I need more. I seem to recall a pet shop on the lower level, near an anchor, can’t remember what one though. Mind you, this was back in 84-95 for my memory…Also, Noname, my mother used to work there. I used to buy my shoes at Nine West. We’d have lunch in Orange Julius, but to get in was through a swinging glass door. Around there was an arcade for a while, not sure what ever happened with that. I remember those castle phones, NO food court…just Sbarros at one time, no movie theater, A&S, Bamburgers, JCPennys, I’m trying to jog my memory. I can almost see the floor map from the little kiosks…if anyone happens across a floor map from those years, 84-95, I’d greatly appreciate it. Oh, I also remember Children’s Place and the little circle thing, I would sit in it all the time. I do recall those creepy fortune teller machines, and getting conehead sundae’s from Friendly’s. To be a child and revisit all this would be a great treat for me, and I’m sure for others that remember this wonderous place from childhood of over 20 years ago. The last time I was in there, was back in 95, 14 years ago, before I moved to Florida. I was 19 and didn’t know at the time that it was to be my last for over a decade. I recalled from my youth of running up the down escalators with my sister and being yelled at by my mother to behave or no hot dog from Orange Julius. I remembered being scared to death of the creepy elevator that was next to the escalators that combined all 3 levels. I remembered running around KB Toys with twinkles in my eyes looking at all the toys my mother wouldn’t buy for me…And lord, those Nine West shoes I bought myself after I got my first job. I had the absolute coolest shoes…lol If you can find it in your hearts and your memories, and maybe in your old photo boxes, to shoot over some old floor maps, photos, anything from 84-95 so that I could recapture my youth, it would be so appreciated. Thank you kindly for listening (reading..?) to me ramble. Keep up the good work, and have a glorious day, week, month, year, life. Keep on truckin. email at gothicprincess76@yahoo.com leave in subject line, monmouth mall. thanks.
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GM
March 17th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
Update on the Barnes and Noble construction: The former American Cafe (on the corner of Wyckoff Road and 36, next to Ruby Tuesday and Macy’s Kids) has been completely demolished.
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AceJay
March 17th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
“And Wegmans? Please! That’s just a supermarket. Why not have a European hypermarket with the European-ness of an IKEA?”
Sounds like someone hasn’t been to a Wegmans lately!
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GM
March 17th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
There’s a Wegmans about 2 miles down the road.
An IKEA would be good.
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Debbi
March 18th, 2009 at 1:05 am
Jonah: Dixie Square had a nightclub too. I kid, I kid! Alright, not really.
Seriously though, knowing Monmouth County, you’d have to pull major teeth before a nightclub will ever be allowed in the vincinity of MM. I love the idea of a Dave & Buster’s, but with American Cafe demolished and Chilis (presumably) not going anywhere, I don’t see this happening anytime soon. Ditto IKEA. Where on Route 36 would they put it?
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mallguy
March 18th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
I have to agree with Debbi…I don’t see IKEA coming anywhere in the Monmouth Mall vicinity…no room on 35, or 36. The only place I could think of is in the former Lowes in Seaview Square, but apparently BCF and other stores are going there.
Dave and Busters would be one of my little fantasy scenarios for Monmouth Mall (along with Bloomingdale’s, but I’m becoming a realist on that one) and I really think it could work there (it may be more quiet in the summer though). I think the best we could hope for is Macy’s moving into the former A&S/Sterns/Boscovs and converting its former store into lifestyle/entertainment space.
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mmguy
April 3rd, 2009 at 12:20 am
Hey guys, I was driving down 36 today two things to report. Looks like MM got a tennant for the resturant next to Bobby’s Place. They were putting up the name today, looked like Chipolte Grill. It looks like they got a new tennant for the Circut City store, PC Richard and Son has a now hiring sign on the highway. I wonder how that is going to play out with Best Buy openning in the same plaza.
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Frank
April 4th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
This low class mall needs a big time upgrade. Has anyone ACTUALLY been there lately???? This place is filled with young teens just wandering around in large groups. They just hang around there causing trouble and never spend any money. The movie house just attracts more teens who show up early to the shows and just hang out in the mall before and after the show, again, never spending any money in the mall. The food court is awful, no need for it at all. This mall just needs some NICE sit down restaurants, not a cheesey, tray carrying food court. A neiman marcus and Nordstom would be great. There is plenty of “money” in the area, including “Deal” and colts neck. “Nice” stores and restaurants would bring this crowd to shop here. This mall is full of loud screaming teens, horseing around it’s amazing that these stores survive at all. Nice restaurants attract people to the mall and they either eat a nice meal then shop or they shop then enjoy a nice meal and a cocktail and wine with dinner. This mall is now full of cheap stores with cheap customers and loud, rude teens. The movie house should not be connected to the mall, put up a wall to close it off. This place can learn a lot from “The mall at short hills”. Short hills does not have a cheesey food court and it does not have a movie house and this mall is simply fabulous. The mall stays so nice, so clean. the mall is full of customers “SHOPPING”. This mall does not have large groups of teens just wandering around causing trouble and disturbing the shoppers like monmouth mall DOES. Monmouth has some fussy shoppers too, so they would support a NICE mall, but they will NOT support or shop at a place like monmouth. “Deal” and colts neck will not sop at monmouth mall in it’s present conditon, but they WILL shop there if it’s turned into a cleaner, nicer upscale mall like short hills. They need to start with a TOTAL RENOVATION and a curfew for the teens and the security needs to step up and not allow LARGE GROUPS of teens to wander the mall.
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Frank
April 5th, 2009 at 9:23 am
Oh, I’ve been in Business for many years and I can tell you that Nice sit down restaurants with good food and cocktails ATTRACT SHOPPERS. People with MONEY TO SPEND want NICE dining options, not a food court with plastic trays. if you have CHEAP stores and cheap food options, you will attract cheap people who do not have any money to spend, they just want a climate controlled place to hang around and eat fast food.
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Steve
April 6th, 2009 at 3:05 am
Circa 1960, a grocery store was housed in the building which now houses Macy’s Kids at then named Monmouth Shopping Center.
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GM
April 6th, 2009 at 9:00 am
Just wanted to update everyone… Chipotle is now on the Mall directory and they have put up the store signs. If you don’t know, the space attached to the new Bobby’s Burger Palace will be a Chipotle. Also, the new Barnes and Noble construction is coming along.
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Bill C
April 10th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
The mall was a great place in the 70s and 80s.I remember when they started to enclose it in 73.What a mess it was.Back then we all hung out at the Ground Round.That place would be packed.Remember the peanuts all over the place? Remember the Rain Brothers,Meat and Potatoes we called them liver and onions.I had many a good time there.They would even let you run a tab if you were a regular and you could pay on Fridays.Back then you didnt see kids hanging out there.It was a better class of shoppers back then.Let wmccars@aol.com
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chris
April 16th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
I’d say move macy’s to where boscov’s used to be I mean they did eliminate A&S in the 1990′s and stern’s in the early 2000′s tear down the orignal macy’s store and put some nice decent stores in its place.i can’t see dillard’s coming to jersey.they got problems of there own from when i last reading
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Patty
May 6th, 2009 at 11:50 am
JCPENNEY was always there from the beginning with Bambegers.There was also a Franklin Simon and a Ground Round Restaurant.
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Frank
May 16th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
so many vacant stores now and the mall has a very dreary 70′s decor, it really needs a MAJOR renovation. Monmouth mall has THE worst macy’s, Lord & Taylor and Burlington in the system.
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Dave
May 23rd, 2009 at 7:39 pm
I was looking through my closet today and found some old mall directories. I have some Monmouth Mall ones right after Caldor closed, but before the renovations. I also have a Freehold Mall one a few years after they opened, featuring A&S as coming soon. Finally, I got a Woodbridge Mall one from around 1995 I think. I have a scanner, but they will not fit on the glass, and I do not know how to upload them to this site. If someone wants to help me get them scanned in, I would love to share.
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AceJay Reply:
May 25th, 2009 at 11:33 am
Just do multiple scans. After they’re finished, go to tinypic.com and upload the images there and simply post them here.
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mallguy
May 24th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
I happened to stop by Monmouth Mall today on the way back from the shore. It was considerably quiet today, but I attribute that more to a sunny Memorial Day weekend at the Jersey Shore than the state of the mall.
A couple interesting observations:
(a) Barnes and Noble’s building is now fully up…it’s exterior design is similar to that of the B&N in Livingston and it looks like it will be one very large floor. I think, however that they should have made the outside entrance face Wyckoff Road rather than Route 36. It would have better spread out parking. The Macy’s Kids Annex is still open and will be open.
(b) The Boscov’s/A&S third of the 1975 expansion wing is dead except for Modell’s and Lane Bryant. Something needs to be done over there and fast!
(c) I did notice more vacant stores in other areas of the mall.
As we have all been saying, Vorando needs to focus on this mall: interior renovation, remerchandising, etc. Let’s hope that Barnes and Noble’s openings is a start to helping Monmouth Mall out of its funk.
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Jonah Norason
May 27th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
If Century 21 ISN’T coming to Monmouth, I would move the Macy’s into the old Boscov’s, then demolish the old Macy’s for a new entrance, sealing off the smaller entrance on the cinema side. Then place Costco in the Macy’s Kids side.
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mallguy
May 30th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
I’ve pretty much come to the realization that Bloomingdale’s will not come to Monmouth Mall (even though I still think it should), but I do agree with you, Jonah, that Macy’s should move into the old Boscov’s/A&S space. Something tells me that Sears will stay in Seaview.
Costco is actually down the road in Seaview Square (and BJ’s is 2 miles down route 35 in Ocean), but I could see the demolished Macy’s turned into dining, entertainment or lifestyle space (this would answer competition from The Grove at Shrewsbury) and a pathway to attach it to the new Chipotle, Bobby’s Burger Palace and Jared.
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mike
June 5th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
Last closings at the mall include Sweet factory and Against all Odds. I have also noticed that all the new stores opening are not really big national chain stores and are keeping the old storefronts from the previous stores. Very similiar to Seaview Square before they shut down. The new stores include Wolf’s Jewelers (old Lundstrom) Footloose (old underground station) some other jewelry store in the old whitehall jewelers, and a mens clothing store in the old G& G location. I can’t imagine that these stores will last. I also heard that Things Remembered will be leaving the mall soon.
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GM
July 16th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
I found an interesting article in the Atlanticville (a local newspaper): http://atlanticville.gmnews.com/news/2009/0709/front_page/014.html
Basically, the mayor of Eatontown has stated that Wal-Mart has shown some interest in the old Boscov’s building. I should warn you that the Atlanticville is not very reliable. At any rate, I think a Wal-Mart at Monmouth Mall would not be a good thing–although it may actually bring people to the mall in the short-term, in the long-term it would cheapen what is already a pretty lousy mall. With a ton of great ideas in this blog, it would especially suck if Vornado took the easy way out.
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AP Reply:
July 17th, 2009 at 8:15 am
@GM, why would this be a bad thing? WMT could only attract other high profile tenants to the mall/area. Usually, they’re a long-term player, so we shouldn’t see the revolving door of tenants we’re used to, which is a great thing!
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GM Reply:
July 17th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
@AP, I think it would good in the short term but bad for the long term. I understand that malls are evolving and some now include supermarkets, big box stores, etc, but ulimately they take over the mall (e.g. Seaview Square). Yea, a lot of people would go to WalMart, but ultimately it would be competing with nearly every small store in the mall–from clothing to entertainment to home goods. And in my opinion, Wal-Mart shoppers are like supermarket shoppers: they go to the store to buy something and go home. I don’t believe they would venture out to the more expensive smaller stores in the mall.
As I’ve mentioned before, filling department stores is getting harder to do. I believe the best thing to do (as many others have mentioned) is to move Macys to Boscov’s and turn the awkward Macys building into a life-style wing, outdoor shops, whatever. Or lease Boscov’s to Century 21.
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AP Reply:
July 18th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
@GM, Good points, but you’re assuming C21 is interested in coming to Eatontown and Macy’s/Vornado is willing to spend the money to move with little upside (Macy’s will still be in similar location). Unfortunately, in today’s economy, there aren’t many tenants willing to move into such a big space.
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SEAN Reply:
July 18th, 2009 at 8:42 pm
@GM,
WMT is a parasite. Where ever they go they suck the life out of the community. Oh sure some areas have benefited with a store in the neighborhood, but most parasites end up killing the host they inhabit.
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mallguy Reply:
July 26th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
@GM,
I agree with others that Walmart would be a great idea. Not a good mall anchor (better for a strip mall or stand alone). I’d rather see Sears move up from Seaview Square if I had to choose between the two.
At least they are getting Barnes and Noble soon.
Not looking good at the other end of the mall though.
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Jonah Norason (Pseudo3D)
July 26th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
Found a site plan of Monmouth: what exactly is that two level proposed place near Boscov’s??
http://retail.vno.com/SitemapZoom.aspx?id=monmouth
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mallguy Reply:
July 26th, 2009 at 9:07 pm
@Jonah Norason (Pseudo3D),
That was supposed to be a Dick’s Sporting Goods, but they pulled out of the lease.
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Gary
July 26th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
Probably an LL Bean or Crate and Barrel? I don’t really know too many other stores that would take up a freestanding two story space.
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SEAN Reply:
July 27th, 2009 at 8:59 am
@Gary, LL Bean could work in the dicks space. As for Crate & Berrel, that would be most suted for Freehold Raceway. FR has better demegraphics for that store. Reread what I said about Wal-Mart a few posts back.
A question for the mall experts on the thred… Is it a stretch that this area can no longer support both Monmouth Mall & Freehold Raceway? A year ago I would have said there’s no reason why both malls cant exist. Fast foward to today, I’m beginning to reevaluate that conclusion.
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mallguy Reply:
July 27th, 2009 at 10:16 am
@SEAN, I believe that both balls can co-exist. Monmouth County is pretty big and there are some affluent areas closer to Monmouth Mall that would go there if it was worth it (“If you build it they will come”). Those same affluent areas are at least a half hour away from Freehold.
If MM actually attempts to compete with Freehold, they will be as successful. The mall is at a great location, closer to affluent towns like Rumson, Deal, Ocean, and Holmdel, close to the beach and has a very visible highway location 2 miles from the Garden State Parkway and Route 18.
A renovation, additional dining and lifestyle options, a rebuild or renovation of the movie theater and some direction with the vacant anchor (that includes rebuilding the parking deck) will bring the shoppers back to Monmouth Mall and both can co-exist.
Btw, Sean, LL Bean would be a great option and would allow it to be a destination for many, LLBean has done the same for Tysons Corner (VA) and Columbia (MD) Malls (not that those malls needed any help, to begin with).
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SEAN Reply:
July 27th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
@mallguy, True, but you are assuming that vornado can or will spend the money to make such renovations. I’m not totally convinced that this is the case. Macerich on the other hand would have done the nessessary upgrades already if they owned MM.
I like the LL Bean polo shirts& sweaters. Be careful sometimes they will shrink a little after washing.
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Gary
July 26th, 2009 at 10:38 pm
As for Walmart, it could be successful at Monmouth if they open the store into the mall, kind of like the Walmart at Country Club Mall in Cumberland, Maryland. It may be a small mall, but it still has most of the major chains and very few vacancies.
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Pat Reply:
August 7th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
@Gary,
WalMart has a store (less than 5 years old) about 10 minutes south of the MM (on Route 66). Don’t see how it would make financial sense for them to open in Eatontown.
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Gary
July 27th, 2009 at 9:21 pm
Macerich are the forward thinkers when it comes to mall developers, they are years ahead of companies like Vornado and even Simon, which allows some of their older properties to stagnate.
As for Monmouth and Freehold co-existing, I think they can but Monmouth could succeed as a compliment of Freehold rather than compete with it. Considering that both malls are only 12 miles apart and most of the stores at both malls are duplicates, Monmouth needs to find its niche. An entertainment/lifestyle wing would set the mall apart from Freehold and offer patrons an incentive to come to Monmouth. Monmouth also has an advantage over Freehold in that it has a movie theater. Someone has suggested that a Bass Pro Shops could be added, and I agree. Bass Pro’s nearest stores to Monmouth are in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Auburn, New York and Richmond Virginia, which is several hours each way. This store could especially serve the New York metropolitan area and bring new businesses into Monmouth Mall.
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SEAN Reply:
July 28th, 2009 at 8:37 am
@Gary, Freehold has an AMC 14-screen theatre in the parking lot, 101 Trotters Way. This theatre along with the MM location both need upgrading. I’ve already described in great detail what AMc is doing at the MM theatre, & what needs to be done to keep it & the area around it viable.
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AP
July 28th, 2009 at 10:32 am
Anyone know why Dick’s pulled out of the planned 2-story expansion?
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GM Reply:
July 30th, 2009 at 7:43 am
@AP,
Hehe… Dick’s…pulled out….
But seriously… Could it have something to do with their location in Freehold? I know it was originally built as a Galyan’s store but turned into a Dick’s just before or just after opening..? Frankly, with so much of the mall unleased, I don’t understand the expansion effort.
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mallguy Reply:
July 30th, 2009 at 9:41 am
@GM, The expansion was in planning mode before the brunt of the economy hit (Boscov’s if I remember correctly didn’t announce their closing until only a couple of months prior to the day they closed). I really don’t think their pullout had much to do with the Freehold store since that store is 12 miles away! I think it had more to do with the economy and the state of opening a location to a mall on life support in a bad economy.
Frankly, the expansion effort is fairly weak and everyone on this comment board has been coming up with better ideas than what Vorando is really doing.
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GM Reply:
July 30th, 2009 at 11:14 am
@mallguy,
Out of curiousity, is the Boscov’s building owned by Boscov’s? I do not believe it is owned by Vornado (I remember reading that somewhere).
If it is owned by Vornado, I would offer the store to Century 21 for a very discounted lease for the first year just to get it occupied and that side of the mall back to life ASAP. I know I sound like a broken record, but C21 can fill that space, fill it quickly with little renovations, draw a lot of customers from the outlets, from the Grove, Freehold Mall, and from Burlington/TJ Maxx/Marshalls. I would prefer a Nordstrom, but C21 makes the most sense economically and transforms MM into a shopping destination again.
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mallguy Reply:
July 31st, 2009 at 12:24 am
@GM,
I do not believe that Boscov’s owned the building. If they did, I do not believe they would have closed it. I’m still surprised they chose to close this one rather than the one in Ocean County Mall.
I really don’t think C21 is the best store for this space. I’ve been in the Morristown store before and the space seems a lot smaller than the space in that building, which I believe is 267,000 sq ft. I could see them in the mall, but in a smaller space. I’m sure you read up about my fantasy for Bloomingdale’s further up the thread, but I am convinced that won’t happen.
The next best solution for that space would be for Macy’s to move in, the deck to be renovated and the former Macy’s to be torn down and converted into lifestyle/entertainment options (or even C21).
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SEAN Reply:
July 30th, 2009 at 7:48 pm
@mallguy, I cant for the life of me figure out what the hell Vornado is trying to do with this mall! Are they giving up like the Washington Nationals? Financing aside, it is amazing how a group of people with mall interests as a hobby comeing from different backrounds can bounce around several conseptual frameworks on a blog, that have real world aplications & Vornado just sits on there hands doing nothing with one of there largest properties.
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mallguy Reply:
July 31st, 2009 at 12:29 am
@SEAN,
I’m with you Sean and I’m sensing a little “Natinals”(if you remember the jersey incident) in Vorando as well.
I am totally surprised that Eatontown isn’t pressing them on it considering the town will take a big hit when Fort Monmouth closes.
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SEAN Reply:
July 31st, 2009 at 8:12 am
@mallguy, Can you bring me up to speed on this insident from your last post? Unfortunitely I don’t know what your talking about.
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mallguy Reply:
July 31st, 2009 at 9:31 am
@SEAN,
Here are a couple of links to catch you up (I’ll give you both topics I mentioned to fully keep you in the loop):
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/thelife/news/story?id=4081675
And a pic of them taking the field w/ the typo: http://www.totalprosports.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/the-washington-natinals-jersey-fail.jpg.
Fort Monmouth closing: http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070617/NEWS/706170457/1004/NEWS03
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Gary Reply:
July 31st, 2009 at 2:18 am
@SEAN, it’s almost like how some developers hold on to their dead malls even though they’ve been closed for a while. Sounds like a tax write-off to me.
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SEAN Reply:
July 31st, 2009 at 8:28 am
@Gary, In White Plains NY, The Galleria received a $7000,000 tax refund going back over the last three years. Don’t be shocked if MM tries to do the same thing to Eatontown & Monmouth County while Vornado lets the property rot. I wonder what would happen if these malls were told no tax refunds & perhaps had taxes raised. Oh My Bad, I forgot this is the land of the crooked politition. LOL
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mallguy Reply:
July 31st, 2009 at 9:34 am
@SEAN,
MM is the 2nd largest taxpayer in Eatontown (behind Fort Monmouth…and once they close, MM will be the first). Too bad Vorando won’t unload MM and sell it so someone who could actually do some good with the property.
Nothing shocks me in NJ anymore!
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SEAN Reply:
July 31st, 2009 at 2:16 pm
@mallguy, Thanks for those links. I now remember The Nationals blunder.
As for the Fort Monmouth closure, It relates to the rediculousness of moving thousands of jobs out of Crystal City. Arlington has been & is continueing to reinvent the neighborhood following TOD principles. BTW, it turns out that the owners of most of Crystal City happens to be a devision of Vornado, Charles E. Smith. What a small world, but as a frequent visitor to DC you new most of this already.
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Gary Reply:
August 1st, 2009 at 1:03 am
@SEAN, yeah, that is the sad part, unfortunately. The Century III Mall outside of Pittsburgh has been facing the same problem with dwindling occupancy, yet Simon continues to collect its tax refunds because they are simply allowing the place to go downhill. It’s like they want to suck out every penny out of the mall before they finally move on and the mall sits empty.
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SEAN Reply:
August 1st, 2009 at 9:42 am
@Gary, I think when malls were first constructed the goal was to add something that didn’t exist before in many communities, a central gathering place for commerce & other activities. Now the question is since we know that companies such as Goldman Sacks & other banks finance large projects like malls, are we seeing more or less something out of the movie “Wall Street?” This makes Gorden Gekko look like an alterboy.
If you saw the movie “Good Fellas” you will remember the senes with the restaurant & how the mob sucked the money right out of it. “What do you do when you cant buy another case of booze or borrow another dollar from the bank? You light a match”.
Is this what we are witnessing, the lighting of the finantial match? If so Eatontown & other communities are going to get burned on a scale that even Burnie Madeoff couldn’t dream up.
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AP
July 28th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
do you know why Dick’s pulled out of the lease?
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Garden Benches Are A Great Way To Lend Style To Your Outside Space. « Wicked Blogging
July 30th, 2009 at 5:47 am
[...] Monmouth Mall; Eatontown, New Jersey | Labelscar: The Retail … [...]
Lancer
July 31st, 2009 at 6:05 pm
I don’t think tearing down or redesigning the food court would be a good idea. Like many have said before, the food court is convenient and brings people in, which sit-down restaurants don’t.
I think the current design is cool and fits in with the whole Jersey Shore theme. However, they can make a few updates, such as replacing the flooring (the tile used on the food court is becoming dated), with marble or a nicer tile like in Freehold, but in lots of colors to make it nicer.
The movie theater can use a revamp, I think it should ditch the “Loews” name and use AMC, and make it more modern.
Is there really a basement level near the food court? If so, like someone said before, a Dave & Busters or entertainment zone would be nice.
And I think the rest of the mall should be refreshed a bit.
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JohnS
August 9th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
I grew up in the 60s/early 70s in Eatontown and remember the “Monmouth Shopping Center” before it was enclosed. The day after Thanksgiving, Santa would parachute from an airplane into the parking lot near Bambergers and immediately after he landed he was always be “escorted” in an ambulance to somewhere. Around the holidays, the fake 8ft Christmas trees around the unenclosed mall had those large 60s outdoor lights on them which were slightly greased so no one could steal them. The shopping center would always have attractions. I remember seeing Henri Lamothe Dive from 40 feet into 12 inches of water. I remember the Beatty-Cole circus and later on, the Carnival in the back near Kresge’s. It’s hard to remember some of the small stores when it was an outdoor mall, but I remember the Flaming Pit with it’s large red letters after dusk. Lucas of course, Bamburgers Budget store, MWards.
I also remember Goodys Restaurant. We used to get two cheeseburgers, fries and a coke for 98 cents.We’re talking mid/late 60′s. And we went bowling at Elm lanes -Saturday special 3 games for a dollar. Going up the highway, Bendix, Bilows, Van Winkles Marina, the A&P, Philips 66, F&H Imports. I can’t remember the early 60′s restaurant on the NW corner of Clinton Av and 35. It had a moving neon sign of a kid drinking a tall glass of something with a straw and the level would go down and fill up again! Eatontown TV, Lou’s Subs. Where the McDonald’s is now, was that Chicken Patio? Who can’t remember Superette. and the Sub Station. The Breyers sign is still there! Wow, I can go on. ..Enough for Now.
John
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Bill C Reply:
August 31st, 2009 at 9:43 am
@JohnS, I really miss the Ground Round , Kresges and Braddocks.I was a regulat there in the 70S. The GR had a good crowd of employees from the malll stores,Bradlees and Kmart.Remember the Pine tree bar by the old trailor park?
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Ben
August 9th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
I have posted before… A while back… I think that a major renovation that involves tearing down parts and rebuilding others is probably out of the question. Vornado may have a billion dollar portfolio, but they would probably still finance any renovations and that is difficult to do. Finding tenants is the first thing then a “significant” cosmetic upgrade can follow. They also need to stay away from “high end,” you have that in the new outlets and in Freehold. This mall needs good “designer label discounters” (Century 21 etc.) Places where people can afford to actually spend money, not just look around and browse.
Based on some conversations I have had with “very ” reliable sources, I think we will see some real changes and progress at this mall before the end of 2010.
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Lancer Reply:
August 10th, 2009 at 7:19 pm
@Ben, What kind of changes?
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mallguy
August 14th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
Ben’s earlier post sounds pretty interesting. I was in MM today after a beach day and found nothing new…just a quiet sad looking mall on a sunny afternoon. On the bright side, Barnes and Noble seems to be coming along nicely and the store looks to be pretty big (wish they decided to do a 2 level B&N though). I haven’t heard any new news regarding MM, but I’ll look forward to hearing anything.
And with the traffic levels on 35 and 36 today, as we all have stated in past posts, there is no excuse this mall should be approaching dead-mall status.
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Ben
August 17th, 2009 at 3:43 pm
lancer…
Things like 2 maybe 3 new large footprint tenants, and cosmetic upgrades to the interior of the mall. You have to remember that Vornado isn’t going to announce anything in regards to tenants until they have signed contracts and terms in hand. A mall closer to where I am, switched a Value City department store to a Burlington Coat Factory, even after they announced it and BCF had taken control of the space it took about 7 mos to renovate and and open, and the space wasn’t in bad shape. Anyway the point is that these things are “VERY” slow moving. Another complication is that, as far as I know, Vornado does not actually own the Boscovs space so there are several parties involved in filling that. Regardless of all that…. I feel confident that Monmouth will improve, and be a solid mall again.
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Mark
August 20th, 2009 at 12:35 am
HMM. I know of two small franchise operations in the Monmouth Mall which I was considering looking into buying. I wonder if it would be wiser to stand aside and not proceed any further with negotiations.
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AP
August 21st, 2009 at 9:14 am
I think this mall will be back as it’s in a good location and still has major anchor tenants.
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GM
September 2nd, 2009 at 8:31 pm
monmouthmallonline.com has been updated. It looks like the logo has changed too. Looks like a step in the right direction. Some input from mall management on the future of the mall would be great.
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mallguy Reply:
September 8th, 2009 at 7:40 pm
@GM,
Just caught that…hopefully we’ll hear more when they open Barnes and Noble. I was at the mall the other day and noticed the exterior is all done and they are now getting started on the interior. It looks like it will have a similar setup to Livingston B&N.
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AceJay Reply:
September 8th, 2009 at 8:22 pm
Wow, props to Vornado for getting a good website up finally. It’s pretty comprehensive, unlike many other mall sites (Simon, GGP somewhat)
lol “Play Arcade Games!” Hell yeah: http://www.monmouthmallonline.com/kids_rainy.aspx
Are there really more than 3 games there or what? My guess is Stacker, Crazy Taxi, NFS/F&F, Nicktoons Racing, and F&F SuperBikes. Hardly an arcade, but hopefully I’m wrong and it’s awesome.
Also there’s a really cool rendering of the B&N store here: http://www.monmouthmallonline.com/leasing_info.aspx
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mallguy
October 6th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
Barnes and Noble has announced their opening date: Wednesday, November 4, 2009! Its store hours were announced and the latest it will be open is 10PM…even on Friday and Saturday.
Hope this opening can help the mall.
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SEAN Reply:
October 7th, 2009 at 8:56 am
@mallguy, Have you been to Bobby’s Burger Pallace yet? The location at Bergen Town Center was a madhouse, while the one at MS Casino in CT was fine. I reccomend the Napa Valley burger witch comes with goat cheese & mustard. I know that sounds strange, but trust me the tangyness will keep you wanting more.
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mallguy Reply:
October 7th, 2009 at 8:58 pm
@SEAN,
Haven’t been yet, but one of these days, I’ll get there, especially snce they’re @ MM.
No new news on any construction or renovation projects to the mall.
NJ is finally taking steps to redesign the 35/36 intersection adjacent to the mall, but their plans stink. It needs a grade-separated intersection and doing that would also be beneficial to MM…if they ever renovate/expand it.
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SEAN Reply:
October 8th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
@mallguy, NJ is finally taking steps to redesign the 35/36 intersection adjacent to the mall, but their plans stink.
What is actually happening there vs what you think should be done.
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mallguy Reply:
October 9th, 2009 at 12:41 am
@SEAN,
Well, nothing yet is happening because of court challenges with the state attempting to take land. They are basically going to keep it an at-grade intersection, they are going to straighten out the curve in route 35 from the former Eatontown Circle, make a left turn lane to 36 east from 35 south and add a reverse jughandle from 36 east to 35 north, as well as add a lane into the intersection.
Considerating what is located radiating out from this intersection (route 18, the GS Parkway, the beaches, Monmouth Park, Fort Monmouth, Monmouth Mall), I would think they would do a lot more as what’s currently there cannot handle the summer traffic, which I observed to be worse than ever this summer.
Also considerating how the convergence of these roadways could be thought of as a gateway to the shore, the 35/36 intersection should be grade separated with on-off ramps for the movements. But also 36/Wyckoff Road should be a grade separated intersection; on the other side of MM. The biggest challenge is land availability, but doing something about the traffic will help MM, the other businesses on 36, the shore communties and Eatontown in general, considering the fact that Fort Monmouth will close by 2011 and the town will need all the help it can get.
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Ben
October 9th, 2009 at 7:25 am
Based on some things I have heard I am about 99.9% we will see a new “mall style” Walmart super store in at least part of the old Boscovs location. I am 75-80 percent sure that Dicks will be taking the other portion. Also, some significant cosmetic investment is in the plans as well as some proposed new tenants… All of this is going to take a lot of time though
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GM Reply:
October 9th, 2009 at 8:34 am
@Ben,
No offense, but I really hope you’re wrong…
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mallguy Reply:
October 9th, 2009 at 11:21 am
@GM,
I heard about this too (it even made the local paper ) and I’m not happy about it. I have nothing against Walmart, but it’s not an appropriate store for Monmouth Mall.
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Jonah Norason (Pseudo3D) Reply:
October 9th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
@mallguy, so what if Walmart takes over part of Boscov’s? Lots of malls have a Target and haven’t become “downscale”.
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AceJay Reply:
October 9th, 2009 at 10:30 pm
Well, but Monmouth is already kinda downscale. Minus the L&T.
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SEAN Reply:
October 10th, 2009 at 10:49 am
@mallguy, I agree Wal-Mart is the wrong store for Monmouth Mall. However two points-first there is a WalMart at Sunrise Mall in Massapiqua wich was a Macy’s location & second Target has a completely different immage & feel to there stores & atract different customer bases.
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mallguy Reply:
October 10th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
@SEAN,
Also, Walmart currently has a store in Neptune, about 7 miles away from Monmouth Mall.
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Gary Reply:
October 10th, 2009 at 10:45 pm
@SEAN, Target has a different image because it is considered an upscale discount store. That’s what certain sources have called it, whereas Walmart is trying to push on Target’s demographic with more private clothing labels and improved experience at their stores. While an upscale discount version of Walmart is unlikely, it would be nice if they can move up to the next level.
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Caldor Reply:
October 11th, 2009 at 10:59 am
@mallguy, we’ve already established, however, that Monmouth is not as upscale as, say, Freehold. A store like Walmart is great to have in a mall because it drives way more repeat visits than a standard department store; people go much more frequently if they need to buy toilet paper or something. This is part of why malls with Target or Walmart seem to be thriving. Plus, I think having stores serving multiple tiers of incomes in one place is healthy, especially given the state of the economy. All luxury, all the time is a dying fad for the time being.
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Gary
October 10th, 2009 at 9:12 am