Manalapan Mall

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The Manalapan Mall opened in 1971 on US 9 South in Manalapan Township, New Jersey. The mall served the Marlboro Township and Freehold area.

The mall's first phase (and only phase) was anchored by Steinbach, and had 25 stores. The second phase was to include a Macy's, a Sears, and will grow to a total of 100 stores. But the plans were gutted because of financial problems. By the 1980s, plans were submitted for a super-regional mall, the Freehold Raceway Mall, about 5 miles (8 km) south on Route 9. In 1996, the Steinbach chain was bought out, and the Manalapan Mall store was not included in the purchase.[1] The former Steinbach store was converted to a Value City location.[2]

A proposal in the early 1990s to expand the deteriorating mall faced opposition from neighbors fearing increased traffic.[3] By the late 1990s, while Freehold Raceway Mall was prospering, Manalapan Mall was becoming a dead mall. In 1998, the mall, except for the Value City, was torn down to make way for a big-box Epi-Center with a total of 400,000 square feet (40,000 m²) of retail space, some four times the area of the original site.[4]

The Value City is a stand-alone store while the south and west corners of the old mall were turned into Wegmans, The Wiz (which was closed in 2003 and replaced by HomeGoods), Dick's Sporting Goods (which later moved to a space at the Freehold Raceway Mall and was replaced by Marshall's) and a Target). Other smaller businesses in the Manalapan EpiCentre are Applebee's, Verizon, Eyechic Optical Boutique, Gary's Jewelers, Gamestop, Cucina Alessi Italian Ristorante, and The Turning Point.

In 2005, plans were released to build an alternative mall facility that would include 800,000 square feet (70,000 m²) of space, including retailers, a multiples theater and hotel.[5]

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[edit] References

  1. ^ "Six Sites Not Included in Sale Changes are in Store North Jersey is Saying Goodbye to Steinbach", The Record (Bergen County), January 4, 1996.
  2. ^ Ohio-Based Value City to Convert or Close New Jersey Steinbach Stores., Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News, February 6, 1996. "Value City Department Stores Inc. plans to convert the Steinbach stores in Seaview Square, Ocean Township, and Manalapan Mall, Manalapan Township, to Value City stores by May 31."
  3. ^ Cheslow, Jerry. "If You're Thinking of Living In/Manalapan; Despite Growth, the Ambiance Is Rural", The New York Times, April 30, 1995, accessed April 26, 2007.
  4. ^ New Jersey Mall to be Torn Down, Replaced by One Four Times Larger", Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News, July 15, 1998.
  5. ^ "Topic of the Day; Manalapan mall plan", Asbury Park Press, April 13, 2005.

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