FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP – A new era in the history of the 17-year-old Freehold Raceway Mall will begin tomorrow.
Nov. 8 will mark the opening of the mall’s expansion and renovation project that has added a “Main Street” type outdoor addition and seen upgrades completed within the mall at Route 9, Route 33 and Route 537.
The celebration of the redesigned mall will begin with a ticketed charity event to benefit the Friends of the Monmouth County Child Advocacy Center. The event will be held from 6-10 p.m. Nov. 8.
The Friends of the Monmouth County Child Advocacy Center is a not-for-profit organization established in 2003 to raise funds to build a child advocacy center in Monmouth County. The child advocacy center, to be built on Kozloski Road, Freehold Township, will serve as a safe, child-friendly facility for the victims of child abuse, neglect and assault, and their caregivers.
The one centralized facility co-locates the professionals who provide the law enforcement, mental health, medical, victim advocacy and prosecutorial services, resulting in a more coordinated response and investigation into reports of child abuse.
Speaking about the project which has brought new stores, new restaurants and a new look to Freehold Raceway Mall, Freehold Township Mayor Dorothy Avallone said, “In January 2007 hundreds of people began bringing this project to life. This project is truly a community destination, the result of community input, retailer insights and a true collaboration between municipal staff and the Freehold Raceway Mall team. It has been exciting to watch it unfold and [now] we will be able to celebrate one of the year’s most significant milestones.”
According to information provided by the mall, the interior renovations led to retail additions. In 2007 Freehold Raceway Mall added 13 new retailers, including several first-to-markets: Robot Galaxy, Amuse, ProImage, Ruehl and Solstice.
“We are extremely proud of this new venue and what it brings to Freehold Township,” said Frank Lucia, senior property manager for Freehold Raceway Mall. “One of the strongest assets Monmouth County has is the passion our leadership and our residents have for the lifestyle and amenities that deliver an exceptional quality of life for our families. We are very proud that we are helping to ensure that bar continues to be raised.”
Other grand opening celebrations will continue through Nov. 11.
Highlights include:
• Nov. 9, 9:30 a.m., grand-opening, doors linking the new lifestyle “Main Street” center to the newly renovated shopping center will be opened.
• Nov. 9, 9:45 a.m., the new Freehold Raceway Mall Security Color Guard joins with color guards representing Freehold Township and the Veterans of Foreign Wars to dedicate the center’s new flagpoles.
• Nov. 9, 7 p.m. Santa Claus will arrive during a laser light show to his new home at the intersection of Nordstrom, Lord & Taylor and J.C. Penney.
• Nov. 10, 9-10:30 a.m., former rock star-turned-children’s performer Mr. Ray will join Clifford, the Big Red Dog, at the mall’s new play area.
• Nov. 10, 1 p.m., special show featuring recording artist Nicole and fashions from mall retailers.
• Nov. 9-11, regular mall hours.
• Nov. 11, 1-3 p.m., music and performances presented by G106.3’s “Common Threads.”
The retailers who are opening in the 96,000-square-foot outdoor lifestyle expansion are Ann Taylor, Borders Books, Chico’s, Coldwater Creek, Jared’s The Galleria of Jewelry, The Territory Ahead and White House/Black Market. Restaurants in the new outdoor area are The Cheesecake Factory and P.F. Chang’s China Bistro.
Freehold Raceway Mall is owned and operated by Macerich, of Santa Monica, Calif., a fully integrated self-managed and self-administered real estate investment trust, which focuses on the acquisition, leasing, management, development and redevelopment of regional malls throughout the United States.