Smith Haven Mall

Smith Haven Mall is a regional shopping center in the Lake Grove and St. James area of Long Island, New York. The property takes its name from a combination of Smithtown and Brookhaven, the municipalities whose boundaries it overlaps. It is commonly regarded as the principal enclosed mall serving Long Island's Middle Island area and is the easternmost enclosed mall on Long Island, giving it a trading area that extends beyond nearby suburban communities into the Hamptons and the North Fork. The mall opened in March 1969 after plans were announced by Macy's in 1965 under the proposed name Nesconset Shopping Center. Its original anchor lineup included Macy's, Abraham & Straus, Martin's, and Sears, with Century Theatres joining soon after opening. The center was designed as a large-scale suburban shopping destination at a time when Long Island's population and automobile-oriented retail infrastructure were expanding rapidly. Its original enclosed building was approximately 800,000 square feet and contained more than one hundred shops and restaurants. Smith Haven Mall was unusual among American shopping centers of its era for the prominence given to commissioned contemporary art. Developer Leonard Holzer allocated part of the project budget to works by artists including Larry Rivers, Jim Dine, Robert Grosvenor, and Alexander Calder. Calder created the large mobile Janey Waney specifically for the mall's opening. Although the mall's art program was later dismantled following changes in ownership, portions of its legacy remained associated with the food court, which was temporarily named Calder Court. The property has undergone several major retail transformations. After Abraham & Straus closed in 1995, the space was occupied by Stern's. A large renovation carried out from 2006 to 2007 replaced the former Stern's area and adjacent underused parking areas with an open-air lifestyle-center section. This expansion introduced retailers and restaurants such as Barnes & Noble, Dick's Sporting Goods, California Pizza Kitchen, Apple, and The Cheesecake Factory, broadening the mall beyond its traditional enclosed format. Later additions included Uniqlo, P.F. Chang's, L.L.Bean, a Lego Store, Ruth's Chris Steak House, Warby Parker, Primark, New York Fries, and Ford's Garage. The tenant mix has also reflected wider changes in department-store retail. JCPenney closed in 2019, Sears closed in 2020, and the former Sears space was subsequently redeveloped as an outpatient center operated by Stony Brook Medicine, which opened in 2023. Primark occupied the former JCPenney space in 2023. The current retail profile combines department-store and specialty retail, sporting goods, apparel, technology, books, entertainment, and a substantial restaurant offering, with Macy's, Dick's Sporting Goods, and Primark among its prominent tenants. The mall temporarily closed on March 19, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic and reopened in July of that year. The disruption contributed to further tenant turnover, including the closure of Bobby's Burger Palace. In February 2025, a multimillion-dollar renovation plan was announced involving a new outdoor plaza, improvements to the food court, and additional stores including Zara. Smith Haven Mall therefore continues to function as a large regional retail and dining complex while adapting its format to changing consumer habits, anchor-store closures, medical services, and mixed indoor-outdoor development.

Smith Haven Mall was first proposed in October 1965 by Macy's, which initially used the working name Nesconset Shopping Center. By the time construction was completed, the project had been renamed Smith Haven Mall, a portmanteau reflecting its location across portions of Smithtown and Brookhaven. It officially opened on March 12, 1969, after a preview event held two days earlier for Macy's and Abraham & Straus. Martin's and Sears joined the initial anchor lineup, while Century Theatres opened later in the same year. The center's original enclosed building was a single-story structure of roughly 800,000 square feet, containing approximately 119 shops and restaurants. Its opening was notable not only for its scale but also for its ambitious public-art program. Developer Leonard Holzer arranged for a substantial budget allocation to commission works by contemporary artists, including Larry Rivers, Jim Dine, Robert Grosvenor, and Alexander Calder. Calder's Janey Waney, a large mobile created for the mall, became the best-known work associated with the project. The mall also displayed Rivers's large-scale assemblage mural, 40 Feet of Fashion. These works were subsequently removed or dispersed as the property's ownership and presentation changed. The mall's cinema facilities were expanded by Cineplex Odeon in two stages: the existing theater was upgraded to four screens in 1989, followed by four additional screens in 1998. The theater closed in May 2002. Around the same period, the mall's department-store structure changed significantly. Abraham & Straus ended its tenancy in 1995 and the space was taken by Stern's. Stern's later became part of the redevelopment strategy that reshaped the property. From 2006 to 2007, Smith Haven Mall received a major multimillion-dollar renovation. The former Stern's space and adjacent surplus parking areas were transformed into an open-air lifestyle-center wing. This section introduced a broader mix of large-format specialty retailers and restaurants, including Barnes & Noble, Dick's Sporting Goods, California Pizza Kitchen, Apple, and The Cheesecake Factory. The redevelopment reduced the property's reliance on a purely enclosed-mall model and created a more varied combination of indoor retail, outdoor circulation, and destination dining. Further tenant changes followed. Gilly Hicks opened in 2008 but closed in 2013; Bobby's Burger Palace opened in 2008 and closed after the pandemic-era disruption. Uniqlo became the first store of its kind on Long Island when it opened at the mall in 2013, and P.F. Chang's arrived later that year. L.L.Bean opened in 2017. JCPenney closed in July 2019, while a Lego Store opened that November. Sears closed in 2020. The mall closed on March 19, 2020, in response to COVID-19 restrictions and reopened in July. The post-pandemic period brought further diversification. Stony Brook Medicine converted the former Sears space into an outpatient center, opened in July 2023. Warby Parker opened in September 2023, and Primark opened in November in the former JCPenney location. New York Fries and Ford's Garage followed in 2024. In February 2025, a further multimillion-dollar renovation was announced, including a new outdoor plaza, food-court refurbishment, and planned new stores such as Zara. These projects illustrate the mall's continuing adaptation from a conventional department-store center into a mixed retail, dining, lifestyle, and service destination.

• 2025

  New renovation program announced

  [1]Smith Haven Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Simon announced a multimillion-dollar renovation involving an outdoor plaza, food-court improvements, and new stores including Zara.

• 2023

  Former department-store spaces gain new uses

  [1]Smith Haven Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Stony Brook Medicine opened an outpatient center in the former Sears space, while Warby Parker and Primark joined the tenant mix.

• 2020

  Sears closes and mall temporarily shuts

  [1]Smith Haven Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Sears closed, and the mall suspended operations from March until July because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• 2019

  JCPenney closes

  [1]Smith Haven Mallen.wikipedia.org

  JCPenney ended its tenancy on July 15.

• 2017

  L.L.Bean opens

  [1]Smith Haven Mallen.wikipedia.org

  L.L.Bean opened a store at the mall on June 23.

• 2013

  Uniqlo opens first Long Island location

  [1]Smith Haven Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Uniqlo opened its first Long Island store at Smith Haven Mall.

• 2007

  Lifestyle-center redevelopment completed

  [1]Smith Haven Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The renovated section expanded the mall's retail and restaurant offering beyond the original enclosed building.

• 2006

  Lifestyle-center redevelopment starts

  [1]Smith Haven Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Construction began on a major open-air expansion replacing the former Stern's area and adjacent underused land.

• 2002

  Mall cinema closes

  [1]Smith Haven Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The Cineplex Odeon theater operation closed in May.

• 1995

  Simon begins managing the property

  [1]Smith Haven Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Simon Property Group began managing Smith Haven Mall.

• 1989

  Cinema expansion begins

  [1]Smith Haven Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The existing movie theater was upgraded to four screens.

• 1969

  Official opening

  [1]Smith Haven Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Smith Haven Mall opened on March 12 with Macy's and Abraham & Straus among its principal anchors.

• 1965

  Initial mall plans announced

  [1]Smith Haven Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Macy's announced plans for the project under the tentative name Nesconset Shopping Center.

A large regional shopping and dining destination serving central and eastern Long Island, combining a traditional enclosed mall with an open-air lifestyle-center district and complementary medical services.

• Department store · 1969

  Macy's

  Macy's is one of Smith Haven Mall's principal department-store anchors and has been associated with the property since its opening. Its department-store format provides apparel, accessories, beauty, home merchandise, and seasonal goods, helping anchor the enclosed portion of the center and attract shoppers from across central and eastern Long Island.

• Sporting goods

  Dick's Sporting Goods

  Dick's Sporting Goods is a major sporting-goods tenant located in the mall's open-air lifestyle-center section. The store broadens Smith Haven's offer beyond fashion and department-store shopping with athletic apparel, footwear, equipment, fitness products, and recreational merchandise.

• Apparel retailer · 2023

  Primark

  Primark opened in November 2023 in the former JCPenney space. Its value-oriented fashion, accessories, beauty, and home assortment gives the mall a large contemporary apparel anchor and reuses a prominent former department-store footprint.

• Medical services · 2023

  Stony Brook Medicine outpatient center

  Stony Brook Medicine operates an outpatient center in the former Sears location. The conversion represents a shift in the mall's tenant strategy, adding healthcare services to the conventional mix of retail, food, and entertainment uses.

• 2025

  Announce another multimillion-dollar renovationStrategy

  Background

  The mall continued adapting its physical environment and tenant mix amid department-store closures and changing shopping patterns.

  Action taken

  A renovation program announced in February included a new outdoor plaza, a refurbished food court, and new stores including Zara.

  Aftermath

  The announced work was intended to refresh the customer experience and strengthen the center's combination of enclosed retail, outdoor space, dining, and specialty stores.

  Source

• 2023

  Repurpose former Sears space for medical servicesStrategy

  Background

  Sears closed at the mall in 2020, leaving a large former department-store space that required a new use.

  Action taken

  Stony Brook Medicine opened an outpatient center in the former Sears location.

  Aftermath

  The mall added healthcare services to its retail and restaurant mix and gave a vacant anchor space a new community-oriented function.

  Source

• 2006

  Convert former anchor space into a lifestyle-center districtStrategy

  Background

  The mall faced a changing anchor-store environment after the departure of Stern's and had adjacent underused parking areas available for redevelopment.

  Action taken

  A major renovation transformed the former Stern's area and nearby land into an open-air section with specialty retailers, restaurants, and additional visitor-oriented uses.

  Aftermath

  The project diversified Smith Haven Mall's format and added tenants such as Barnes & Noble, Dick's Sporting Goods, California Pizza Kitchen, Apple, and The Cheesecake Factory.

  Source

1. 1Smith Haven Mallen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Simon Property Group: Smith Haven Mallsimon.com