Tale Of 2 Malls: Frustration In Livingston, New Stores In Short Hills

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — They’re located about a 10-minute drive from each other in Essex County. But shoppers who visit the Livingston Mall and the Mall At Short Hills are getting two very different experiences these days, it seems.

Over the past year, visitors have been reporting that things have gotten even bleaker at the Livingston Mall, a once-bustling shopping center that has seen closures and a conspicuous lack of customers. Metal grates covering storefronts are now a common sight at the mall.

“At this point, the Livingston Mall is inevitably going to close,” one commenter speculated six months ago, posting photos on Reddit of a largely empty shopping center. “It’s past the point of no return,” they added.

The decline of the mall has become a persistent source of discussion in the township, where many residents have been wondering about what is happening – along with future plans for the property.

The mall is privately owned by multiple stakeholders, and the town doesn’t currently have the ability to force its owners to do anything with it, a Livingston official recently said. In the past, the entire mall was owned by Simon, the largest such company in the country. Simon eventually sold its interest to Kohan Retail Investment Group, which also owns several other malls throughout the U.S.

It hasn’t been working out great for Livingston, its town manager reported earlier this year.

“I will say this – and I'm happy to say it publicly – that the new owner has been incredibly disappointing … unresponsive … not participating in trying to revitalize the mall … not maintaining the mall … code enforcement has their hands full with them,” he charged.

• See Related: Livingston Mall Update: Ownership Boondoggle Is Making Progress Tricky

In the meanwhile – just a short drive away – The Mall At Short Hills has been reporting several new store openings over the past few months:

• In late June, the mall announced that Abercrombie & Fitch celebrated a grand re-opening at the lower level near Macy’s.
• In July, an “all-new” J.Crew held a grand re-opening in the upper level near Bloomingdale's.
• In July, Ladurée opened its first outpost in New Jersey at the mall.
• In August, an all-new Madewell, including Madewell Men, held a grand opening at the mall.

The Mall At Short Hills has seen its own controversies in recent months, however.

In May, a bid to unionize workers at the Apple store in the mall failed after 104 employees filed a petition to form a labor union with the National Labor Relations Board. See Related: Attempt To Unionize Apple Store At Short Hills Mall Is Unsuccessful

The mall has also seen repeated shopliftings and other police incidents, including a group of thefts suspects who discharged a fire extinguisher at a store security officer before making their getaway in June.

• See Related: Car Stolen In Livingston, Found At Short Hills Mall: Police

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