Manalapan Mall

Manalapan Mall was a shopping mall in Manalapan Township, New Jersey, United States. It opened in 1971 at the intersection of southbound U.S. Route 9 and Symmes Drive, serving communities including Manalapan, Marlboro, and Freehold. The mall was anchored by the Steinbach department-store chain and initially contained 25 attached stores on the south side of the anchor building. Although developers contemplated a much larger second phase with Macy's, Sears, and as many as 100 stores, those plans were abandoned after financial difficulties. The property's later history reflected the changing competitive environment of central New Jersey retail. During the 1980s, plans were submitted for the much larger Freehold Raceway Mall approximately five miles south along Route 9. A proposed expansion of Manalapan Mall in the early 1990s encountered opposition from nearby residents, who were concerned about additional traffic. As Freehold Raceway Mall gained strength, Manalapan Mall deteriorated and increasingly came to be regarded as a declining or dead mall. Steinbach was acquired in 1996, but the Manalapan location was excluded from the transaction. The former department-store space subsequently became a Value City store. In 1998, most of the original mall was demolished. The site was redeveloped as the Manalapan EpiCentre, a large-format retail complex planned to contain approximately 400,000 square feet of retail space, roughly four times the size of the original mall. The Value City building remained during the redevelopment and was later reused by other retailers. The former mall site has since hosted a succession of large-format and specialty retailers, including P. C. Richard & Son, Sports Authority, and HomeSense in the former anchor structure, as well as Wegmans, The Wiz, HomeGoods, Dick's Sporting Goods, Marshalls, and Target in other portions of the redevelopment. These later occupants belong to the history of the successor Manalapan EpiCentre rather than to the operating period of Manalapan Mall itself. The original Manalapan Mall therefore survives primarily as a predecessor property and local retail-history reference, not as an active shopping center.

Manalapan Mall opened in 1971 on the southbound side of U.S. Route 9 at Symmes Drive in Manalapan Township, New Jersey. It was designed as a conventional suburban shopping destination for the growing communities around Manalapan, Marlboro, and Freehold. Steinbach served as the principal department-store anchor, with roughly 25 smaller stores attached to the south side of the building. The original development was intended to be more ambitious. A later phase was expected to add Macy's and Sears and increase the center's total store count to approximately 100. Those plans were abandoned after financial problems, leaving the property smaller than initially envisioned. The mall nevertheless remained part of the local retail landscape through the 1970s and 1980s. Its competitive position weakened as the retail market around Route 9 changed. During the 1980s, developers submitted plans for Freehold Raceway Mall, a major super-regional center approximately five miles south of Manalapan Mall. In the early 1990s, an attempt to expand Manalapan Mall met opposition from surrounding residents who feared that a larger complex would create additional traffic. The emergence and subsequent success of Freehold Raceway Mall made it increasingly difficult for the older property to compete, and by the late 1990s Manalapan Mall was widely characterized as a declining mall. Steinbach's corporate history added to the property's uncertainty. In 1996, the Steinbach chain was bought out, but the Manalapan store was not included in the acquisition. The former Steinbach space was converted into a Value City location. In 1998, the original mall, apart from the Value City building, was demolished to make way for the Manalapan EpiCentre. The replacement was conceived as a big-box-oriented retail complex with approximately 400,000 square feet of space, about four times the area of the original mall. The successor development reused and reorganized portions of the property. Retail uses associated with the later complex included Wegmans, The Wiz, HomeGoods, Dick's Sporting Goods, Marshalls, Target, and a freestanding HomeSense store. The former Value City building was subsequently occupied by P. C. Richard & Son beginning in 2011, followed by Sports Authority in 2012 and Bonefish Grill in 2014. Sports Authority closed in June 2016, and HomeSense replaced the store in 2019. These later changes describe the evolving Manalapan EpiCentre rather than continued operation of the original mall. Manalapan Mall is therefore a defunct retail property whose principal historical importance is as the predecessor to the Manalapan EpiCentre. Its story illustrates the pressure that larger regional malls, traffic concerns, changing department-store ownership, and the shift toward big-box retail placed on older suburban shopping centers.

• 1998

  Original mall is demolished

  [1]Manalapan EpiCentreen.wikipedia.org

  Most of Manalapan Mall is torn down to create the larger Manalapan EpiCentre; the Value City building remains.

• 1996

  Steinbach chain is bought out

  [1]Manalapan EpiCentreen.wikipedia.org

  Steinbach is acquired, but the Manalapan location is excluded from the purchase and its former space later becomes a Value City store.

• 1980

  Freehold Raceway Mall plans emerge

  [1]Manalapan EpiCentreen.wikipedia.org

  Plans are submitted for a much larger super-regional mall approximately five miles south on Route 9, increasing competitive pressure on Manalapan Mall.

• 1971

  Manalapan Mall opens

  [1]Manalapan EpiCentreen.wikipedia.org

  The mall opens at U.S. Route 9 and Symmes Drive in Manalapan Township, anchored by Steinbach and containing approximately 25 attached stores.

A conventional suburban shopping mall serving the central New Jersey communities around Manalapan, Marlboro, and Freehold. Its initial department-store-and-specialty-retail format later became less competitive as larger regional malls developed nearby.

• Department store · 1971

  Steinbach department store

  Steinbach was the principal anchor of Manalapan Mall during its operating years. As a department store, it provided the broad assortment of apparel, household merchandise, and general consumer goods typically used to attract regular suburban mall traffic. The Manalapan location was not included when the Steinbach chain was bought out in 1996.

• Shopping mall retail · 1971

  Attached specialty stores

  The mall included approximately 25 smaller stores attached to the south side of the Steinbach anchor. The available reference material does not identify the individual tenants, but the format represented the conventional specialty-retail mix of a suburban shopping mall.

• 1998

  Redevelopment as the Manalapan EpiCentreStrategy

  Background

  By the late 1990s, the older mall was declining while the nearby Freehold Raceway Mall was prospering. A larger, big-box-oriented format was selected for the site.

  Action taken

  Most of Manalapan Mall was demolished and replaced with a planned retail complex of approximately 400,000 square feet, while the former Value City building was retained.

  Aftermath

  The original mall ceased to exist as an operating shopping center and the property continued under the Manalapan EpiCentre identity.

  Source

• Proposed second-phase expansion is abandonedStrategy

  Background

  The original development concept contemplated Macy's, Sears, and growth to approximately 100 stores, but financial problems prevented the second phase from proceeding.

  Action taken

  The planned expansion was shelved, leaving the mall at a smaller scale than originally intended.

  Aftermath

  The property later faced stronger competition from the planned and successful Freehold Raceway Mall and ultimately became a redevelopment site.

  Source

1. 1Manalapan EpiCentreen.wikipedia.org