Woodbridge Center

For the historic town center of Woodbridge, Connecticut, see Woodbridge Green Historic District.

Woodbridge Center

250px 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.
Location	Woodbridge, New Jersey
Coordinates
Address	250 Woodbridge Center Dr
Opening date	1971 (1971)
Management	Amy Bellisano
Owner	General Growth Properties
No. of stores and services	200
No. of anchor tenants	6
Total retail floor area	1,633,000 square feet (151,700 m2)
No. of floors	2(3 in Sears & Macy's)
Parking	8,651
Website	www.woodbridgecenter.com

Woodbridge Center is a two-level, major 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. The mall, owned and managed by General Growth Properties, features Boscov's, J. C. Penney, Lord & Taylor, Macy's and Sears and over 200 retail establishments. Although most malls have a food court, Woodbridge Center's eating establishments are spread throughout the mall. There is no parking garage, but there should be one to provide more parking space at the mall and to resolve contemporary parking lot issues.

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. It is the 34th largest in the United States.

Woodbridge Center's regular season hours are 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.

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). In 2003, the mall was expanded with a new Galyan's, which would later become Dick's Sporting Goods. Notable department stores that have closed include Hahne's (became Fortunoff now Boscov's), Ohrbach's (which became Steinbach and now is Lord & Taylor), Stern's (now Macy's), A&S (now Sears) and Fortunoff (now Boscov's).

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. In 2011, two new outparcel restaurants, Bahama Breeze and the Olive Garden, opened on October 24 and 31 2011.

Incidents

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

Anchors

Current

• Dick's Sporting Goods (2 floors (100,000 square feet (9,300 m²))
• J. C. Penney (173,594 square feet (16,127.4 m²))
• Lord & Taylor (120,000 square feet (11,000 m²))
• Macy's (267,341 square feet (24,836.8 m²))
• Sears (274,100 square feet (25,460 m²))
• Boscov's (181,639 square feet (16,874.8 m²))

Former

• A&S (now Sears)
• Galyan's (now Dick's Sporting Goods)
• Hahne's (became Fortunoff)
• Ohrbach's (became Steinbach)
• Steinbach (now Lord & Taylor)
• Stern's (now Macy's)
• Fortunoff (now Boscov's)

External links

• Woodbridge Center website