The Lawrence Shopping Center is getting a new look — and many new stores to fill the empty space.
Work on a new facade at the shopping center at 2495 Brunswick Pike is under way, and it is expected to be completed in March, according to the shopping center owner, JJ Operating Inc.
Since JJ Operating Inc. acquired the Lawrence Shopping Center in December of 2016, several new businesses have opened their doors and more are expected to follow — including Plato’s Closet and City Electric Supply.
A search also is under way to find a new grocery store to replace the former ACME grocery store, which closed its doors in August. The nearest grocery stores are ShopRite at the Mercer Mall, on the Lawrence Township-West Windsor Township border, and Wegman’s at the Nassau Park Pavilion in West Windsor Township.
Construction on the new 34,000-square-foot LA Fitness building, on the site of the former Huffman-Koos furniture store, should begin within a few months, the JJ Operating Inc. representative said.
Petvalue has opened its doors, as well as New Jersey Camera and the Cafe du Pain bakery. Cooper Pest Control occupies a stand-along building along the Princeton Pike driveway entrance.
And in the last few weeks, signs announcing the pending opening of new stores – Plato’s Closet and City Electric Supply — have been taped to their storefront doors.
Plato’s Closet sells trendy, second-hand clothing for teenagers and young adults. Plato’s Closet buys gently-used clothing and accessories for re-sale in the store, with preferences for name brands such as Aeropostale, Charlotte Russe, Lucky Brand, Hollister, Steve Madden, Adidas and Nike.
City Electric Supply, which is a wholesale electric supply company, will open its doors in the former R&S Strauss auto supply location. City Electric Supply is geared toward residential, commercial and industrial customers.
With signed leases for those stores in hand, JJ Operating Inc. is “working diligently” to replace the former ACME grocery store with a new grocery store, the JJ Operating Inc. representative said.
“We understand how important a grocery store would be both for local residents of the community and our other tenants within the shopping center,” the company representative said.
The former ACME storefront is one of 49 retail spaces at the Lawrence Shopping Center, which is anchored by Staples, the Burlington Coat Factory, Wells Fargo and Petvalue, according to a brochure and flier posted on JJ Operating LLC’s website, www.jjop.com.
The 393,430-square-foot shopping center was purchased by JJ Operating Inc. for $16.2 million in December of 2016, according to the Lawrence Township Tax Assessor’s Office.
The prior owner, wbcmt 2007-c33 Brunswick Pike LLC, acquired the Lawrence Shopping Center at a Mercer County sheriff’s sale in 2013. Lawrence Center LLC, which owned the shopping center, defaulted on a $39.5 million loan, which led to the sheriff’s sale to pay off the debt.
JJ Operating Inc., the new owner, is a family-owned real estate investment and management company based in New York City.
In addition to the Lawrence Shopping Center, JJ Operating Inc. owns the Independence Plaza shopping center on S. Broad Street in Hamilton Township. It also owns shopping centers in Avenel and Toms River, plus retail and office buildings in Newark, Manhattan, Brooklyn and The Bronx.
The Lawrence Shopping Center, which opened in 1960, was the first major shopping center in Lawrence Township. It consisted of 150,000 square feet and 13 stores. It underwent expansions and renovations several times between 1966 and 1997.
Among the original stores at the Lawrence Shopping Center were W.T. Grant, which was a 5- and 10-cent store and a forerunner to today’s dollar stores; Dunham’s department store; the Pantry Pride grocery store; and Lawrence Liquors, according to records on file at the Lawrence Township Tax Assessor’s Office.