The Grove at Shrewsbury
An upscale lifestyle shopping center on Route 35 in Shrewsbury, New Jersey.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Grove at Shrewsbury is an upscale lifestyle center on Route 35 in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, approximately one mile south of Red Bank. It is a retail and leisure-oriented commercial development rather than a conventional enclosed shopping mall, combining stores with an open-air setting and a tenant mix aimed at affluent and aspirational consumers. The center is associated with Metrovation, which developed and manages the property. The Grove is described as New Jersey's first lifestyle center. Its development reflected a shift in American retail toward open-air centers that provide a more experiential alternative to enclosed malls, with architecture and tenant planning intended to support browsing, dining, and destination shopping. The property has approximately 150,000 square feet of gross leasable area and has housed about 40 stores. The center opened during the late 1980s, with its opening generally identified as March 1989 in historical accounts, although some descriptions place the initial opening in 1988. Epstein's was the first major store at the center. By August of the opening year, 37 of the 40 retail units were occupied, indicating a rapid initial lease-up. Epstein's later closed, and its space was taken by Sealfon's, another upscale regional department store associated with New Jersey. Sealfon's subsequently went out of business as well. The former department-store space was eventually divided among multiple tenants. This redevelopment brought a flagship Brooks Brothers location and an Anthropologie store to the property; the Anthropologie location was described as the first in Monmouth County. Over time, the center's principal tenant lineup came to include Brooks Brothers, Anthropologie, Williams Sonoma, J. Crew, and Banana Republic. These brands positioned the Grove around fashion, apparel, home furnishings, and lifestyle retail rather than discount or purely convenience-oriented shopping. Tenant changes have continued as the retail market evolved. Eddie Bauer closed its location in January 2019. Victoria's Secret and PINK closed in 2020, while Peloton opened a store at the center in 2021. These changes illustrate the property's continuing reliance on curated specialty and lifestyle tenants, as well as the pressure on physical retail locations to adapt to changing consumer behavior and brand strategies. The Grove serves the Shrewsbury and wider Monmouth County market, including nearby Red Bank and other communities along the New Jersey shore. Publicly available reference material does not identify a separate corporate owner, founding individual, current executive team, financial results, or a stock-market listing for the center. Its public identity is primarily that of a managed retail property and local shopping destination.
History
The Grove at Shrewsbury is an open-air lifestyle shopping center on Route 35 in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, about one mile south of Red Bank. It was developed and is managed by Metrovation and is described in reference material as New Jersey's first lifestyle center. The property has approximately 150,000 square feet of gross leasable area and has accommodated about 40 stores. The center emerged in the late 1980s, when lifestyle centers were developing as an alternative to enclosed malls. Rather than concentrating on a single large department-store format, the concept combined specialty retail with an environment intended to support leisure-oriented visits and upscale shopping. Historical accounts identify the opening as March 1989, while some introductory descriptions refer to the center as having opened in 1988. Epstein's was the first major store, and by August of the opening year 37 of the 40 units were occupied. Epstein's later closed and was replaced by Sealfon's, an upscale regional New Jersey department store. Sealfon's also eventually went out of business. The former anchor space was then subdivided, enabling the center to add a flagship Brooks Brothers store and an Anthropologie location, described as the first Anthropologie in Monmouth County. This reconfiguration changed the role of the former department-store area from a single anchor to a group of specialty destinations. The Grove's established tenant profile has included Brooks Brothers, Anthropologie, Williams Sonoma, J. Crew, and Banana Republic. Together, these brands have given the property a concentration in premium and aspirational apparel, accessories, home furnishings, and lifestyle merchandise. The center's location along Route 35 also supports its role as a regional shopping destination for Shrewsbury, Red Bank, and surrounding Monmouth County communities. Tenant composition has changed over time. Eddie Bauer closed at the property in January 2019, and Victoria's Secret and PINK closed in 2020. Peloton opened a store in 2021, bringing a connected-fitness retail concept into the center. These changes show how the property has continued to refresh its tenant mix as individual brands have expanded, contracted, or changed their physical-store strategies. Available reference material does not provide a named founder, a separately identified corporate owner, financial results, public-company listing, or a current executive roster. The center's public identity is therefore best understood as a managed commercial property and local-to-regional retail destination rather than as a standalone operating corporation with publicly disclosed corporate leadership.
- 2021
Peloton opens a store
[1]Peloton opened a location at The Grove, expanding the tenant mix into connected fitness.
- 2020
Victoria's Secret and PINK close
[1]The Victoria's Secret and PINK stores at the property closed during 2020.
- 2019
Eddie Bauer closes
[1]Eddie Bauer closed its store at the center in January.
- 1994
Sealfon's enters the former Epstein's space
[1]Regional department store Sealfon's opened in the space previously occupied by Epstein's.
- 1989
Formal opening and rapid lease-up
[1]The center's historical account identifies a March 1989 opening. Epstein's was the first major store, and 37 of 40 units were occupied by August.
- 1988
Initial opening period
[1]Introductory descriptions place the opening of The Grove at Shrewsbury in 1988, marking the beginning of the property's operation as an upscale lifestyle center.
Products and positioning
An upscale, open-air lifestyle center focused on specialty fashion, home, and lifestyle retail for consumers in Shrewsbury, Red Bank, and the wider Monmouth County market.
Fashion retail
Upscale apparel and accessories
The center's principal fashion offering comes from specialty and premium apparel tenants, historically including Brooks Brothers, J. Crew, Banana Republic, and other fashion retailers. Merchandise includes clothing, footwear, accessories, and related wardrobe products.
Home retail
Home furnishings and kitchen goods
Williams Sonoma and related lifestyle retail contribute home, kitchen, entertaining, and furnishing products. This category complements the center's fashion tenants and supports its positioning as a destination for premium household and lifestyle shopping.
Fitness retail · 2021
Connected-fitness equipment
Peloton added a connected-fitness retail presence in 2021. Its store format provides customers with access to Peloton exercise equipment and the brand's associated fitness ecosystem.
Brand decisions
2021
Add Peloton as a tenantProduct launchBackground
The center continued to refresh its tenant mix as lifestyle, specialty, and physical retail concepts changed.
Action taken
Peloton opened a store at The Grove at Shrewsbury.
Aftermath
The opening added connected fitness and exercise equipment to the center's existing fashion and home-oriented retail offer.
1994
Replace the first department-store tenantStrategyBackground
Epstein's, the center's first major store, had closed, leaving a significant retail space to be reoccupied.
Action taken
Sealfon's opened in the former Epstein's space, maintaining an upscale department-store presence at the property.
Aftermath
Sealfon's later went out of business, and the space was eventually divided for new specialty tenants.
Recent events
- 2021
Peloton opens a store at The Grove[1]
Product launch
Peloton opened a retail location at The Grove at Shrewsbury, adding a connected-fitness and exercise-equipment concept to the center's lifestyle-oriented tenant mix.
- 2020
Victoria's Secret and PINK locations close[1]
Other
The Victoria's Secret and PINK stores at the center closed in 2020.
- 2019
Eddie Bauer closes its Grove at Shrewsbury location[1]
Other
Eddie Bauer's store at the center closed in January 2019 as part of the property's ongoing tenant turnover.
- 1994
Sealfon's replaces Epstein's as a major tenant[1]
Other
After Epstein's closed, regional New Jersey department store Sealfon's occupied the space. Sealfon's later ceased operations, leading to a subsequent subdivision and retenanting of the property.
- 1989
The Grove at Shrewsbury opens as an early New Jersey lifestyle center[1]
Other
The center opened in March 1989 and quickly filled most of its retail units, establishing an upscale open-air shopping format in New Jersey.
Sources2 sources
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