Woodbridge Center

Woodbridge Center is a major two-level shopping mall located in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey at the intersection of U.S. Route 1 and U.S. Route 9. The land that Woodbridge Center now stands on used to be the location of the old clay pits in Woodbridge.[2] The mall is owned and managed by Brookfield Properties. It features 200 retail establishments and four anchor stores: Boscov's, Dick's Sporting Goods, J. C. Penney, and Macy's.[3] The mall features a fountain, carousel, train ride, and children's play area. Although most malls have a food court, Woodbridge Center's eating establishments are spread throughout the mall with their own individual seating areas and restrooms. Before the coming of the food court, all malls had their eating establishments spread throughout the mall.[4]

For the historic town center of Woodbridge, Connecticut, see Woodbridge Green Historic District.
Woodbridge Center
An entrance to the Center; The four W towers face the four compass directions, with the ones most prominent in the picture being west and south.
LocationWoodbridge, New Jersey
Coordinates40.556666°N 74.299213°W / 40.556666; -74.299213
Address250 Woodbridge Center Drive
Opening date1971 (1971)[1]
DeveloperThe Rouse Company
ManagementBrookfield Properties
OwnerBrookfield Properties
No. of stores and services200[1]
No. of anchor tenants6 (4 open, 2 vacant)[1]
Total retail floor area1,633,000 square feet (151,700 m2)[1]
No. of floors2 (3 in Macy's and former Sears)
ParkingParking lot with 8,651 spaces[1]
Public transit access NJ Transit bus: 48, 810, 815
Websitewww.woodbridgecenter.com

The mall's location near Staten Island and the benefit of no sales tax on clothes in New Jersey makes this mall, along with nearby Menlo Park Mall in Edison, a popular choice for New York shoppers. The mall has gross leasable area (GLA) of 1,633,000 square feet (151,700 m2), making it the third largest of all shopping malls in New Jersey, behind Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, and Freehold Raceway Mall in Freehold Township. It is the 34th largest in the United States.

SeaQuest Interactive Aquariums is set to open in the center in 2019, while Lord & Taylor has filed plans with the state indicating that it is set to close the store in December 2019.[5] Sears closed later in January 2020.

Mall history

The mall was developed by the Rouse Company and opened in 1971 with Abraham & Straus, Ohrbach's, and Stern's. In 1978, the mall was expanded with a new wing to include Hahne's. In 1981. J. C. Penney moved from the nearby Menlo Park Mall in Edison, New Jersey. By 1987, the mall got a fresh new look through renovation. The stairwell in the A&S wing next to center court was removed, new flooring was added, new lighting was added, the mall entrances were redone, and the fountains in front of A&S were either changed (the 2nd floor fountain) or removed (the first floor fountains). The Mall's current fountain is on the 1st floor outside of Sears and Red Robin. In 2003, the mall was expanded with a new 100,000-square-foot (9,300 m2) Galyan's, the chain's first location in New Jersey,[6] which become Dick's Sporting Goods in 2004.[7] Notable department stores that have closed include Hahne's (became Fortunoff now Boscov's), Ohrbach's (which became Steinbach and later Lord & Taylor, now closed), Stern's (now Macy's), and A&S (later Sears, now closed).

In October 2007, the carousel ride was relocated near the J. C. Penney. The train ride was also reconfigured to ensure both rides stay together at the same location. A toddler's play area, "Tiny Town", is located near the carousel and train rides.

On November 14, 2017, Dave & Buster's opened on the upper level by Sears, their first location in New Jersey.[8]

On October 15, 2019, it was announced that Lord & Taylor would be closing on December 24, 2019.[9]

On February 4, 2020, it was announced that Sears would also be closing as part of a plan to close 31 stores nationwide. The store closed on Saturday, April 11, 2020.[10]

Incidents

On March 8, 2012, police shot and killed a shoplifter in the Sears wing who had held a woman hostage.[11]

See also

References
  1. "Woodbridge Center Mall". Brookfield Properties Retail Group.
  2. Moran, Mark; Sceurman, Mark (2003). Weird N.J.: Your travel guide to New Jersey's local legends and best kept secrets. New York, NY: Barnes & Noble. p. 72. ISBN 9780760739792. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  3. Jones, Stacy. "Boscov's readies Woodbridge store for debut", The Star-Ledger, August 4, 2013. Accessed February 14, 2018. "A steady stream of empty cardboard boxes leaving Woodbridge Center and 50 empty tractor-trailers only begin to hint at the more than 350 people transforming what used to be a Fortunoff into the mall’s newest anchor.... The Woodbridge location will be the mall’s sixth anchor store, joining Dick’s Sporting Goods, J.C. Penney, Lord & Taylor, Macy’s and Sears."
  4. "Dining & Entertainment". Woodbridge Center Mall. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  5. Goldman, Jeff. "Lord & Taylor at N.J. mall to close. Up to 84 could lose jobs on Christmas Eve.", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, October 15, 2019. Accessed October 15, 2019. "The Lord & Taylor store in the Woodbridge Center Mall plans to close with Christmas Eve listed as the day up to 84 employees could lose their jobs, officials said."
  6. "Indiana-Based Sports Retailer Joins Woodbridge, N.J., Mall.", Home News Tribune, August 28, 2002. Accessed February 14, 2018. "Indiana-based Galyan's Sports & Outdoor Adventure, an innovative specialty retailer offering a broad range of products for customers with active lifestyles, plans to build its first New Jersey store at Woodbridge Center. Galyan's, which has 26 stores in 14 states, will join the five existing anchors -- Macy's, Fortunoff, Lord & Taylor, Sears and JC Penney."
  7. "Woodbridge, N.J., sporting goods store to become Dick's.", Home News Tribune, October 25, 2004. Accessed February 14, 2018. "Sporting-goods and specialty-apparel retailer Galyans Sports and Outdoor Adventure's first New Jersey store in the township is about to become Dick's Sporting Goods. At 10 a.m. on tomorrow the 100,000-square-foot store near Macy's in Woodbridge Center will hold its grand reopening."
  8. "Dave And Buster's Opened Tuesday In Woodbridge". Woodbridge, NJ Patch. 2017-11-14. Retrieved 2018-05-30.
  9. Russell, Suzanne. "Lord & Taylor at Woodbridge Center closing". My Central Jersey.
  10. Russell, Suzanne. "Sears at Woodbridge Center closing". My Central Jersey.
  11. "Shooting at Woodbridge Center mall: Alleged shoplifter shot, killed by police; customers run for cover". The Star-Ledger. March 8, 2012. Retrieved March 9, 2012.
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