Elizabeth Center

Elizabeth Center is a retail power center in Elizabeth, New Jersey, positioned near exit 13A of the New Jersey Turnpike and adjacent to the Jersey Gardens shopping mall. Its location places it within a major retail, transportation, and tourism corridor: Newark Liberty International Airport is nearby, and the center sits in an Urban Enterprise Zone. The property is also associated with a distinctive wordmark that incorporates the exit number into the name, stylizing the center as “El13Abeth Center.” The center's retail history began in 1990, when Swedish home-furnishings retailer IKEA opened its store on the site. The development was built on a former landfill, and IKEA's presence became the principal foundation of the center's identity and commercial success. The IKEA store was subsequently renovated and expanded in 1998, reinforcing its role as the site's principal anchor. A parking area beside IKEA has also become a recognized location for aircraft viewing because of the center's proximity to Newark Liberty International Airport. Elizabeth Center expanded its tenant mix during the 1990s. An Incredible Universe electronics store opened next to IKEA in the middle of the decade, but closed in 1996 after the chain failed. A large prototype Toys “R” Us KidsWorld opened in 1996. The approximately 100,000-square-foot concept combined Toys “R” Us and Kids “R” Us with a Babies “R” Us operation, a Warner Bros. store, Kids Foot Locker, a photography studio, a children's hair salon, a play area, a candy store, and a Pizza Hut. The concentration of family-oriented retail and entertainment made the center more than a single-anchor furniture destination for a period of time. In 1997, the property added RexPlex, an indoor theme park, skate park, and arena-style recreation venue. A soccer field was also placed in the parking area. RexPlex closed in 2004, and the former outdoor soccer area was later paved. The family-retail concept also changed over time: Toys “R” Us KidsWorld was rebranded as Toys “R” Us in 2007, while Babies “R” Us continued as a separate listed tenant until the broader Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us closures in 2018. The tenant base underwent another shift in the 2010s. Big Lots opened beside the Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us stores in 2011 and closed in 2019. The former RexPlex space was redeveloped for Raymour & Flanigan in 2019, and Floor & Decor also opened at the center that year. The resulting tenant mix emphasizes home furnishings, flooring, and home-improvement products, complementing IKEA's large-format furniture and home-goods offer. Elizabeth Center is best understood as a location-based retail property rather than a conventional product brand or national retail chain. Its identity comes from its access-oriented location, large-format anchor stores, evolving specialty tenants, and proximity to airport and highway infrastructure. Public reference material identifies IKEA, Raymour & Flanigan, and Floor & Decor as current tenants, while several prominent former tenants reflect the center's transition from a 1990s family-entertainment and toy destination toward a more concentrated home-furnishings and home-improvement format.

Elizabeth Center was developed on a former landfill in Elizabeth, New Jersey, near the New Jersey Turnpike's exit 13A. The site's commercial history is anchored by IKEA, whose Swedish home-furnishings store opened there in 1990. IKEA became successful enough to establish the property as a significant destination, and the store was renovated and expanded in 1998. The center's highway location, proximity to Newark Liberty International Airport, and inclusion within an Urban Enterprise Zone contributed to its visibility and retail appeal. During the mid-1990s, Elizabeth Center broadened beyond IKEA. Incredible Universe opened next to the furniture store in 1995, but closed a year later after the electronics chain went out of business. In 1996, a prototype Toys “R” Us KidsWorld opened. The large-format concept occupied roughly 100,000 square feet and brought together Toys “R” Us, Kids “R” Us, Babies “R” Us, a Warner Bros. store, Kids Foot Locker, a photography studio, a children's hair salon, a play area, a candy store, and Pizza Hut. Several of these ancillary operations were short-lived, but the development established a substantial family-shopping presence. The property added RexPlex in 1997. The venue combined indoor theme-park features with a skate park and arena-style recreational space; a soccer field was also created in the parking lot. RexPlex closed in 2004, and the soccer field was eventually replaced by paved parking. The Toys “R” Us KidsWorld concept later changed as well, becoming a conventional Toys “R” Us location in 2007. Babies “R” Us remained part of the tenant mix until 2018, when the Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us stores closed amid the national liquidation of those retail chains. Elizabeth Center continued to experience tenant turnover in the 2010s. Big Lots opened in 2011 beside the Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us stores and closed in 2019. The former RexPlex premises were subsequently used by Raymour & Flanigan, which opened there in 2019. Floor & Decor also opened at the center later that year. These additions shifted the site's emphasis toward furniture, flooring, and home-improvement retail, complementing IKEA's established anchor role. The center's logo incorporates the nearby exit number, producing the stylized form “El13Abeth Center.” This naming device links the property directly to its highway location. Another distinctive feature is the parking area beside IKEA, which offers views of aircraft operating at nearby Newark Liberty International Airport and has been used by plane spotters. Publicly described current tenants are IKEA, Raymour & Flanigan, and Floor & Decor; former tenants include Incredible Universe, RexPlex, Toys “R” Us, Babies “R” Us, Big Lots, and several smaller family-oriented businesses.

• 2019

  Home-focused tenants replace former large spaces

  [1]Elizabeth Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Raymour & Flanigan opens in the former RexPlex space, while Floor & Decor also opens at the center. Big Lots closes during the same year.

• 2018

  Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us close

  [1]Elizabeth Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Both stores close as part of the national shutdown of the two retail chains.

• 2011

  Big Lots opens

  [1]Elizabeth Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Big Lots joins the center's tenant mix beside the Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us stores.

• 2007

  Toys “R” Us KidsWorld is rebranded

  [1]Elizabeth Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The prototype KidsWorld operation is converted into a Toys “R” Us store.

• 2004

  RexPlex closes

  [1]Elizabeth Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The indoor recreation and entertainment venue shuts; the associated soccer field in the parking area is later paved over.

• 1998

  IKEA is renovated and expanded

  [1]Elizabeth Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The center's main anchor undergoes a renovation and expansion.

• 1997

  RexPlex opens

  [1]Elizabeth Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The center adds an indoor theme park, skate park, and arena-style recreation facility known as RexPlex.

• 1996

  Incredible Universe closes and Toys “R” Us KidsWorld opens

  [1]Elizabeth Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Incredible Universe shuts after its chain fails, while a prototype Toys “R” Us KidsWorld opens with a broad family-retail and entertainment concept.

• 1995

  Incredible Universe opens

  [1]Elizabeth Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The electronics retailer opens next to IKEA as Elizabeth Center expands its large-format tenant mix.

• 1990

  IKEA opens as the first tenant

  [1]Elizabeth Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The Swedish home-furnishings retailer opens at Elizabeth Center on a site built over a former landfill, establishing the center's principal anchor.

A highway-accessible, large-format retail center focused primarily on home furnishings and home improvement, with a history of family-oriented retail and entertainment tenants.

• Home furnishings · 1990

  IKEA

  The center's original and principal anchor is IKEA, offering ready-to-assemble furniture, home accessories, kitchen and bedroom products, and related household furnishings. The Elizabeth store opened in 1990 and was renovated and expanded in 1998.

• Furniture · 2019

  Raymour & Flanigan

  Raymour & Flanigan occupies the former RexPlex space and extends the center's current emphasis on furniture and home-related shopping. The store opened at Elizabeth Center in 2019.

• Flooring and home improvement · 2019

  Floor & Decor

  Floor & Decor adds a large-format flooring and home-improvement offer to the center's tenant mix. Its opening in 2019 helped reinforce Elizabeth Center's shift toward home renovation and furnishing categories.

• Toys and family retail · 1996

  Toys “R” Us KidsWorld

  This prototype family-retail concept opened in 1996 and combined Toys “R” Us and Kids “R” Us with Babies “R” Us and numerous complementary attractions and stores. It was later rebranded as Toys “R” Us in 2007.

• Entertainment and recreation · 1997

  RexPlex

  RexPlex was an indoor theme park, skate park, and arena-style recreation venue opened at the center in 1997. It closed in 2004.

1. 1Elizabeth Centeren.wikipedia.org