Ocean County Mall

History

In the 1970s, the Toms River area, although growing quickly, was still relatively rural. The closest malls were Monmouth Mall in Eatontown, and Shore Mall in Egg Harbor Township. With the growing need for an enclosed mall, the mall was originally planned to be at the intersection of Route 37 and the Garden State Parkway. Ocean County Mall was a joint-venture between the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation and Corporate Property Investors, of New York. Sears opened on July 19, 1976. Ocean County Mall opened for business on July 28, 1976. The mall opened with 55 of the 92 stores and 2 of the 3 anchors. Open anchors at the time included JCPenney and Sears. Bamberger's opened on March 10, 1977, before being converted to Macy's in 1986. General Cinema, which became in Cinemagic Theatres in January 1998, closed on October 24, 2002. It sat vacant until 2007 when it was replaced by a Japanese restaurant.

In 1988, a small expansion was built which included a Stern's. The store closed in 2001, when the chain was folded. The space was taken over by Boscov’s. Around the same time, the General Cinema quietly closed down due to competition from the AMC-Loews across the street at Seacourt Pavilion. The Cinema's main mall entrance near Applebee's was sealed off for years (now a Japanese restaurant, Ichiban), while the small side hallway near Sears remained locked and dark.

In 2003, the mall received a complete renovation, which added new signage, flooring, lighting, seating areas, and lighting in the parking lot. The renovation was partially sponsored by the Deborah Heart and Lung Center, which donated seating & lounge areas, in part to encourage mall walking. To accommodate, there is a stretch of discolored tile around the perimeter of the mall with numbers engraved marking walking distance.

On January 4, 2018, it was announced that the Sears would be closing in early April of that year as part of a plan to close 103 stores nationwide.

Sears closed on April 8, 2018. Simon redeveloped the space to include more retail, restaurants, and fitness by 2020. In January 2020, LA Fitness opened in part of the Sears space. Five Below opened in July 2020. In September 2020, Ulta Beauty opened. HomeSense opened in December 2020.

Anchors

• Macy's – 2 floors, formerly Bamberger's
• Boscov's – 2 floors, formerly Stern's
• JCPenney – 2 floors, original anchor

References

References

1. "Ocean County Mall Fact Sheet". [[Simon Property Group]].
2. "Do Business at Ocean County Mall®, a Simon Property.".
3. (2007-03-13). "Directory of Major Malls".
4. Sardella, Carlo M.. (March 16, 1975). "Huge Mall Is Planned in Ocean County". The New York Times.
5. (25 July 1976). "Ocean County Mall". Asbury Park Press.
6. (6 March 1977). "Bamberger's Scheduled To Open Thursday In Ocean Mall". Asbury Park Press.
7. (21 February 2012). "Two Mall Restaurants Close Abruptly".
8. (4 January 2018). "Sears Closing Ocean County Mall Location By April".