The Mills at Jersey Gardens, originally and also still

colloquially Colloquialism (), also called colloquial language, everyday language or general parlance, is the linguistic style used for casual (informal) communication. It is the most common functional style of speech, the idiom normally employed in conversa ...

called Jersey Gardens, is a two-level indoor

outlet mall An outlet store, factory outlet or factory shop is a brick and mortar or online store in which manufacturers sell their stock directly to the public. Traditionally, a factory outlet was a store attached to a factory or warehouse, sometimes allowin ...

Elizabeth, New Jersey Elizabeth is a city and the county seat of Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.New J ...

. The mall opened on October 21, 1999, and is the largest outlet mall in New Jersey, and much closer to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

than its largest outlet mall competitor, Woodbury Common. The mall was developed by

Glimcher Realty Trust Glimcher Realty Trust was a real estate investment trust based in Columbus, Ohio that invested in shopping malls. In 2015, the company was acquired by Washington Prime Group. Investments As of December 31, 2013, the company owned interests in ...

and owned and managed by Glimcher until January 2015, when it was sold to

Simon Property Group Simon Property Group, Inc. is an American real estate investment trust that invests in shopping malls, outlet centers, and community/ lifestyle centers. It is the largest owner of shopping malls in the United States and is headquartered in In ...

as part of an acquisition of Glimcher by Simon's spinoff Washington Prime Group. Simon owns and manages much of Jersey Gardens' outlet mall competition in the area, including Woodbury Common, and has integrated Jersey Gardens into its "Mills" outlet mall portfolio by renaming it "The Mills at Jersey Gardens".

History

The mall was built on a former landfill, which required remediation prior to the mall development. Plans for the mall were announced in 1998 by Glimcher Realty Trust, emphasizing the sites proximity to the

New Jersey Turnpike The New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP) is a system of controlled-access highways in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The turnpike is maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA).The Garden State Parkway, although maintained by NJTA, is not cons ...

and its location in an Urban Enterprise Zone, making purchases eligible for a reduced 3½% (now 3.3125% as of January 1, 2018) sales tax rate, a potent lure for New York City residents paying a sales tax rate over 8%. However, the sales tax on certain items, such as food and drink, have an additional 3% Elizabeth City Franchise Fee. The mall is located near the

Elizabeth Center The Elizabeth Center is a power center located off Exit 13A on the New Jersey Turnpike in Elizabeth, New Jersey. The location near the exit is incorporated into the center's logo, as El13Abeth Center. The first tenant, IKEA, opened in 1990. It is ...

Elizabeth, New Jersey Elizabeth is a city and the county seat of Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.New J ...

off the

at Interchange 13A near

Newark Liberty International Airport Newark Liberty International Airport , originally Newark Metropolitan Airport and later Newark International Airport, is an international airport straddling the boundary between the cities of Newark in Essex County and Elizabeth in Union Cou ...

and is 30 minutes from

Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan and serves as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Buildi ...

. The outlet mall has a

Gross leasable area In architecture, construction, and real estate, floor area, floor space, or floorspace is the area (measured as square feet or square metres) taken up by a building or part of it. The ways of defining "floor area" depend on what factors of the buil ...

of 1,292,611 ft², placing it in the top ten among the largest

shopping malls in New Jersey Shopping malls in New Jersey have played a major role in shaping the suburban landscape of the state following World War II. History New Jersey, the most densely populated state in the United States, and in the suburban sphere of influence of b ...

. The mall contains 230 stores and restaurants. Bus service is available on the

NJ Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit, and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey, along with portions of New York State and Pennsylvania. It operates bu ...

route 111 bus that runs between Jersey Gardens and the

Port Authority Bus Terminal The Port Authority Bus Terminal (colloquially known as the Port Authority and by its acronym PABT) is a bus terminal located in Manhattan in New York City. It is the busiest bus terminal in the world by volume of traffic, serving about 8,000 bus ...

in New York City. A direct exit to the facility was constructed, allowing drivers direct access to the mall from the

without driving through local Elizabeth streets. The developer covered the $130 million cost of bonds for the overpass and ramps through property tax payments. The mall was featured in "A Loser Presents", the February 16, 2012 episode of the

TruTV TruTV (stylized as truTV) is an American basic cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The channel primarily broadcasts comedy, docusoaps and reality shows. The channel was originally launched in 1991 as Court TV, a network that ...

series ''

Impractical Jokers ''Impractical Jokers'' is an American hidden camera reality show with improvisational elements. Produced by NorthSouth Productions, ''Impractical Jokers'' premiered on truTV on December 15, 2011 starring the members of The Tenderloins: James ...

''. Century 21's Mills at Jersey Gardens location closed by October 5, 2020, after the department store had filed for bankruptcy.

References

External links

Jersey Gardens

International Council of Shopping Centers: Jersey Gardens
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mills at Jersey Gardens, The Shopping malls in New Jersey Buildings and structures in Elizabeth, New Jersey Outlet malls in the United States Shopping malls established in 1999 Simon Property Group Tourist attractions in Union County, New Jersey Economy of Elizabeth, New Jersey Shopping malls in the New York metropolitan area 1999 establishments in New Jersey Geography of Elizabeth, New Jersey