Harbor Square facts for kids
The front of Harbor Square
|
|
| Location | Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°24′00″N 74°33′53″W / 39.40012°N 74.56472°W |
| Opening date | 1968 |
| Owner | Aetna Realty |
| No. of stores and services | 50+ at peak |
| No. of anchor tenants | 2 (1 open, 1 vacant) |
| Total retail floor area | 337,423 sq ft (31,347.6 m2) |
| No. of floors | 1 (2 in Boscov's) |
| Public transit access |   NJ Transit bus: 502 SJTA: English Creek-Tilton Road Community Shuttle |
Harbor Square, once known as Shore Mall, is a shopping plaza located in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey. It sits on U.S. Route 40/U.S. Route 322 and was first called "Searstown." You can easily reach it from Exit 36 of the Garden State Parkway.
Aetna Realty owns this shopping center. It covers about 337,423 square feet. When it was a mall, it was much larger, at 620,000 square feet. The main store, also known as an anchor store, at Harbor Square is Boscov's.
Contents
History of Harbor Square
Early Years: 1968-1988
Harbor Square first opened in 1968. Back then, it was an outdoor shopping center called Searstown. It had big stores like Sears, Grant City, and a Pantry Pride supermarket. These large stores are often called "anchor stores" because they attract many shoppers.
Between 1971 and 1974, the shopping center grew. It was also enclosed, meaning it became an indoor mall. A new anchor store, Steinbach, was added. A special time capsule was buried near Steinbach's. It is meant to be opened 100 years later, in 2074.
In 1976, Grant City closed down. JCPenney soon took its place. The Pantry Pride supermarket was replaced by Foodtown. After these changes, the mall was renamed Shore Mall.
In 1987, a new mall called Hamilton Mall opened nearby. This caused problems for Shore Mall. Sears and JCPenney moved their stores to the new Hamilton Mall. With these two big stores gone, Shore Mall had to change. It went through a big renovation. The outdoor part between the former anchor stores was enclosed. The mall also got new blue and white floor tiles.
New Stores and Changes: 1988-2004
After the renovation, new stores moved in. In 1988, Clover, a discount store, opened where JCPenney used to be. Boscov's took over the old Sears spot. Circuit City opened in the former Foodtown location.
Steinbach closed in 1995. But in 1996, Value City Department Store opened in its place. Clover closed in 1997, and Burlington Coat Factory moved into that space a year later.
Modern Era: 2004-Present
In 2004, Circuit City moved to a different shopping center. Its old spot at the mall was later used by K&G Fashion Superstore in 2006. This space has been empty since then, sometimes used by The Spirit Halloween Costume Store for a short time.
In 2006, Shore Mall was sold to Cedar Realty Trust. They planned to change the mall back into an outdoor shopping plaza.
In 2008, the Value City store closed. It remained empty for a while. In 2010, a Golden Corral restaurant began construction near the main entrance and opened in 2011.
Cedar Shopping Centers wanted to make big changes to the mall. They applied for a grant to help pay for an $87 million plan. This plan involved tearing down most of the mall. Only Boscov's, Burlington Coat Factory, and stores visible from the main road would remain. The site would become an outdoor strip mall with more large stores. The plan also included upgrades to roads and transportation nearby.
In July 2012, Cedar Realty Trust announced they would tear down over 250,000 square feet of the mall. This included the former Value City area. Many stores had to move. After the demolition, they planned to improve the shopping center. This included a new south entrance, better landscaping, and parking lot upgrades.
On January 28, 2013, the Steinbach Time Capsule was dug up. This was necessary because of the demolition work. The plaque and contents were given to the Egg Harbor Township Historical Society. They plan to create a display about the mall. Demolition continued through 2013.
The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission office also moved. It closed for two days in August 2013 for the move. It reopened behind Boscov's.
The shopping center was officially renamed Harbor Square in October 2013. In February 2014, Cedar Realty Trust sold Harbor Square to Aetna Realty.
In early 2017, the Carrabba's restaurant closed. In Fall 2019, Burlington Coat Factory moved to a different location in Mays Landing.
Images for kids
-
The Shore Mall Time Capsule. Buried in 1974 and un-earthed on January 28, 2013 due to the demolition of part of the mall. The plaque and content are currently in the hands of Greater Egg Harbor Township Historical Society.
-
The Former Steinbach/Value City entrance from the mall, 2012
-
Front of the Mall's "Hall" facing the front, to the left includes Boscov's Furniture. To the right is the main Boscov's store and the center is also Boscov's Merchandise.
