Ocean County Mall

Ocean County Mall is an enclosed super-regional shopping center in Toms River, New Jersey, serving Ocean County and the surrounding Jersey Shore region. The mall is located on Hooper Avenue, also designated County Route 549, with access from Exit 82 of the Garden State Parkway through Route 37 East. It is managed by Simon Property Group and has approximately 791,125 square feet of gross leasable area. The center opened to the public on July 28, 1976, during a period when Toms River and the wider Ocean County area were expanding but still had relatively limited suburban retail infrastructure. Its development was intended to provide the region with a major enclosed shopping destination closer to local residents than existing malls such as Monmouth Mall in Eatontown and Shore Mall in Egg Harbor Township. The original development was a joint venture involving the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation and Corporate Property Investors. Ocean County Mall opened with 55 of a planned 92 stores and initially featured JCPenney and Sears as operating anchors. Sears opened shortly before the mall itself, on July 19, 1976. Bamberger's joined the center in March 1977 and was later converted to Macy's in 1986. A 1988 expansion added a Stern's department store; after Stern's ceased operations in 2001, its space was taken over by Boscov's. The mall's original cinema operation, General Cinema, later became Cinemagic Theatres and closed in 2002. The former cinema area remained unused for several years before being replaced by a Japanese restaurant. The property underwent a substantial renovation in 2003, including updated signs, flooring, lighting, seating areas, and parking-lot lighting. Some seating and lounge facilities were supported by the Deborah Heart and Lung Center, partly to encourage mall walking. The renovation also incorporated a measured walking route around portions of the interior, marked by numbered tiles. Sears closed on April 8, 2018, following its parent company's nationwide store-closure program. Simon subsequently redeveloped portions of the former Sears space for a mixture of retail, restaurant, and fitness uses. LA Fitness opened in part of the space in January 2020, followed by Five Below in July 2020, Ulta Beauty in September 2020, and HomeSense in December 2020. Other additions associated with the redevelopment and tenant-refresh period included national retailers and restaurants such as On The Border, P.F. Chang's, and additional beauty and home-furnishing concepts. The mall's current role combines traditional department-store anchoring with specialty retail, dining, services, and fitness. Its principal anchors are Boscov's, JCPenney, and Macy's. It also includes a food court and other eateries. As the only enclosed mall in Ocean County, it functions as a major regional retail destination and attracts additional seasonal traffic from visitors staying in or traveling through the Toms River and Jersey Shore area during the summer.

Ocean County Mall was developed to meet the needs of a rapidly growing Toms River area that, during the 1970s, remained comparatively rural and lacked a nearby enclosed regional shopping center. Residents previously traveled to malls including Monmouth Mall in Eatontown and Shore Mall in Egg Harbor Township. The project was planned near the intersection of Route 37 and the Garden State Parkway and was structured as a joint venture between the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation and Corporate Property Investors of New York. Sears opened at the site on July 19, 1976. Ocean County Mall followed on July 28, opening with 55 of its planned 92 stores and two of three intended anchor positions. JCPenney and Sears were the initial operating anchors. Bamberger's opened on March 10, 1977, adding a third major department-store presence. Bamberger's was converted to Macy's in 1986, reflecting broader changes in the American department-store sector. A small expansion in 1988 added a Stern's department store. Stern's later closed in 2001 when the chain was folded, and its space was subsequently occupied by Boscov's. The mall also operated a General Cinema location. That cinema later became Cinemagic Theatres in January 1998, but closed on October 24, 2002, amid competition from the AMC-Loews complex across the street at Seacourt Pavilion. The former cinema area remained vacant for several years before being redeveloped for a Japanese restaurant. In 2003, Ocean County Mall completed a broad physical renovation. Work included new signs, replacement flooring, improved interior lighting, refreshed seating areas, and upgraded parking-lot lighting. The Deborah Heart and Lung Center partially sponsored the seating and lounge improvements to support mall walking. A numbered route around the mall's perimeter remains associated with that use, with distance markers incorporated into a section of the flooring. The center's tenant mix continued to evolve as department stores faced structural pressure. On January 4, 2018, Sears announced that the Ocean County Mall location would close as part of a national program involving 103 store closures. The store shut on April 8, 2018. Simon Property Group then pursued a redevelopment of portions of the former anchor space, targeting a combination of retail, restaurants, and fitness uses rather than replacing Sears with another traditional department store. The redevelopment became visible through a series of openings in 2020. LA Fitness began operating in part of the former Sears space in January, Five Below opened in July, Ulta Beauty opened in September, and HomeSense opened in December. The center also added or promoted national restaurant and retail tenants including On The Border and P.F. Chang's during the broader repositioning period. Today, Ocean County Mall remains an active enclosed regional shopping center with Macy's, Boscov's, and JCPenney as its principal anchors. Its specialty retail, dining, food-court, beauty, home-goods, and fitness uses broaden its appeal beyond department-store shopping. Because it is the only enclosed mall in Ocean County, the property has a distinctive regional role. It also benefits from seasonal visitor traffic associated with Toms River and the Jersey Shore during the summer months. Simon Property Group manages the property.

• 2020

  Former Sears space redeveloped

  [1]Ocean County Mallen.wikipedia.org

  LA Fitness, Five Below, Ulta Beauty, and HomeSense opened in the former Sears area during 2020.

• 2018

  Sears closes

  [1]Ocean County Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The Sears anchor closed on April 8 after being included in a nationwide store-closure plan.

• 2003

  Comprehensive renovation

  [1]Ocean County Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The center received updated interiors, seating, signage, and parking-lot improvements, including amenities supporting mall walking.

• 1988

  Stern's expansion opens

  [1]Ocean County Mallen.wikipedia.org

  A small expansion added a Stern's department store, whose space was later taken over by Boscov's.

• 1977

  Bamberger's joins the center

  [1]Ocean County Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Bamberger's opened on March 10 and later became Macy's in 1986.

• 1976

  Sears opens before the mall

  [1]Ocean County Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The Sears anchor began operations on July 19, shortly before the shopping center's public opening.

• 1976

  Mall opens to the public

  [1]Ocean County Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Ocean County Mall opened on July 28 with 55 stores and JCPenney and Sears as operating anchors.

A regional enclosed shopping destination combining department stores, national specialty retailers, restaurants, services, and fitness facilities for Ocean County residents and Jersey Shore visitors.

• Department store anchor · 1986

  Macy's

  A two-level department-store anchor at Ocean County Mall. The location originated as Bamberger's, which opened in 1977, and was converted to Macy's in 1986. Its merchandise role complements the mall's other department-store anchors and specialty retailers.

• Department store anchor

  Boscov's

  A two-level department-store anchor occupying space formerly associated with Stern's. Boscov's provides broad general merchandise and serves as one of the mall's principal destination retailers.

• Department store anchor · 1976

  JCPenney

  A two-level original anchor that has operated at Ocean County Mall since the center opened in 1976. It remains part of the mall's core department-store offering.

• Shopping mall tenant mix

  Specialty retail and dining collection

  Ocean County Mall offers a broad mix of specialty stores, beauty retailers, home-goods merchants, restaurants, eateries, and a food court. The post-2018 repositioning added or expanded national concepts including Ulta Beauty, HomeSense, Five Below, On The Border, and P.F. Chang's.

• Fitness facility · 2020

  Fitness and wellness services

  Fitness uses form part of the mall's post-Sears redevelopment strategy. LA Fitness opened in part of the former Sears space in January 2020, adding a service-oriented destination to the property's retail and dining mix.

• 2018

  Redevelopment of the former Sears spaceStrategy

  Background

  Sears closed its Ocean County Mall location on April 8, 2018, creating a large vacant anchor space.

  Action taken

  Simon Property Group redeveloped portions of the space for a diversified combination of retail, restaurant, and fitness tenants.

  Aftermath

  The space began attracting new uses in 2020, including LA Fitness, Five Below, Ulta Beauty, and HomeSense.

  Source

• 2003

  Complete mall renovationStrategy

  Background

  The property needed refreshed interiors and visitor amenities as the regional retail environment developed.

  Action taken

  Ocean County Mall updated its signage, flooring, lighting, seating areas, and parking-lot lighting, with some amenities supporting mall walking.

  Aftermath

  The renovation modernized the physical environment and reinforced the mall's role as a community and regional destination.

  Source

1. 1Ocean County Mallen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Simon Property Group: Ocean County Mallsimon.com