Mayor On Hand For Re-Opening of Millburn Mall
Thursday, June 14, 2007
By PATRICIA HARRIS
The township’s mayor attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday for the newly renovated shopping center on Vauxhall Road just south of Millburn Avenue, formerly known as the Millburn Mall and now renamed the Millburn Village Mall.
Although technically located in Vauxhall, a section of Union Township, the mall serves patrons from the township.
The mall, owned by the Lightstone Group which has its headquarters in Lakewood, underwent a $2 million facelift, and the existing space was revamped to accommodate a new 20,700-square-foot Staples office supply store and a casual restaurant to open soon, Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries.
Owners of the Drug Fair located in the mall also spent more than $500,000 to remodel the store’s interior, which features a new pharmacy waiting area and new merchandise including home healthcare items such as wheelchairs and walkers, according to Carl Shoemaker, vice president of store operations for Drug Fair. The store serves as a prototype for other stores the company plans to build, he said.
At the ceremony, Mayor Daniel Baer noted the value of the mall to Millburn when he said, “It’s one of the most important entries into our town, and many of my residents utilize the amenities of this mall and find it extremely convenient.”
The mayor also said he has heard positive comments about the renovations—which include $100,000 of landscaping additions—and told mall owners he believes they will reap the benefits of the improvements they have made to the site.
“A shopping village that once appeared timeworn and lacked consumer-friendly features is now a one-stop town center, with a modern appeal and wider scope of national chains and independent retail stores,” said Jeff Dash, vice president of leasing and management for the Lightstone Group. “The greater variety of retail, as well as office space, also leads to increased job opportunities.”
Remodeled on a Tuscan theme, the mall includes new corner towers and a color-coordinated stucco finish, new canopies and lighting and a newly paved parking lot. In addition, a landscaped outdoor seating area has been created for restaurant patrons.
The facelift for the mall is its first since it was built 45 years ago by developer Saul Cantor, who has since died. The Lightstone Group acquired the property from Cantor’s family.
In addition to Drug Fair, longstanding merchants who continue to operate in the mall include Maple Kosher Meat, Magical Scissors Salon and Bottle Crown Liquors, according to Dash.
