LIVINGSTON, NJ — When Fred Miller walks into the Livingston Mall these days, it’s like stumbling onto the set of a post-apocalyptic film, he says.
“The place looks like the movies where the atomic bomb drops and all of civilization is in ruins and the small number of people who are still alive are walking there like depressed zombies,” he recently told Patch.
Miller, a resident of Union Township, isn’t the only one who is lamenting for the glory days of the Livingston Mall, which is located at 112 Eisenhower Parkway. Its decline has become a persistent source of discussion in Essex County, where many residents have been wondering about future plans for the once-bustling shopping center.
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“At this point, Livingston Mall is inevitably going to close,” one commenter speculated last year, posting photos on Reddit of a largely empty mall. “It’s past the point of no return,” they added.
The shuttering of some familiar businesses at the mall has even caught the eye of New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson.
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“Send me to the person responsible for that Cinnabon in Livingston Mall closing,” the football star commented on X last month.
Other recent closures at the mall have included Sears, which liquidated its assets there in 2020. The old Sears location saw a temporary resurgence during the coronavirus pandemic as a COVID-19 vaccine center, offering shots for more than a year before shutting down in 2022.
So what’s happening at the Livingston Mall? It’s a complicated question – but an answer is getting closer to revealing itself.
CONDEMING A MALL
Earlier this year, Township Manager Barry Lewis gave a brief update on the ongoing plans for the Livingston Mall area, noting that “there are a lot of moving parts” to the situation.
“We think there’s an opportunity now to do a more global reimagining of the entire mall site,” Lewis said.
When the mall came up for discussion at another town council meeting in May, the town manager said the property is privately owned by multiple stakeholders – which made the discussion much more nuanced. Read More: Ownership Boondoggle Is Making Progress Tricky At Livingston Mall
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.
Complicating the matter, Sears previously exercised an option within their lease that gave the company control over part of the mall property. When Sears declared bankruptcy, another company – Transformco – purchased its assets, including its interest at the Livingston Mall.
“Within the remaining property, Macy’s also has an option that they’ve indicated they’re going to exercise to peel off about 10 acres at the south including their building,” Lewis continued, adding that the parent company of the old Lord & Taylor has roughly 50 years remaining on a ground lease on their piece.
“So it’s been quite a challenge to try and get all the stakeholders involved,” he said.
Since then, the town has continued a tug-of-war with the mall’s owners, fining them for alleged code violations – something it continues to do. The mall has also gone into delinquency for its property taxes, officials say.
According to Lewis, the power was shut off at the mall on Oct. 11 due to nonpayment to JCP&L. Its owners subsequently made an arrangement or payment and got the power turned back on, he noted.
“This is the second time that was imminent, and this time it actually went through,” he said at a recent town council meeting.
On Oct. 14, the Livingston Town Council passed a resolution that designates the mall as a condemnation area in need of redevelopment – and authorizes the use of eminent domain.
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“We certainly understand residents’ frustration and we share it,” Lewis commented after the town council took its vote.
The decision got a round of applause from a local resident during public comment, who offered a “kudos to the entire dais.”
“We are condemning the Livingston Mall – that should be sung proudly and loudly for everyone to understand,” he added.
Watch Livingston town manager Barry Lewis speaks about the Livingston Mall during the council meeting on Oct. 14 (video is cued to his comments)
‘FALLING APART’
Just a short drive away in Essex County, another large shopping center – The Mall at Short Hills – has continued to pull in new tenants and expand spaces for existing stores.
It’s a contrast that is puzzling to some local shoppers, who can’t help but draw comparisons between the two. See Related: Tale Of 2 Malls: Frustration In Livingston, New Stores In Short Hills
Some have claimed that its end is nigh for the Livingston Mall.
“That mall is gonna be gone within the next year,” a social media user commented in November. “Went there this summer and half the stores were closed b/c the AC was broken.”
“Livingston Mall is falling apart,” another commenter agreed.
However, other visitors have urged their fellow shoppers to take heart and continue patronizing the mall.
According to a post on X from earlier this month:
“I know there are a lot of rumors about Livingston Mall being completely closed down, but that is not true. I just got my eyebrows done here. While a lot of the stores are empty, the rumors are hurting the ones that are still open.”
Despite the well-wishes from some shoppers, the situation is looking pretty grim at the mall these days, others report.
When Fred Miller visited the mall on Dec. 10, there were just a smattering of stores open: Macy’s, Foot Locker, Lids, Barnes & Noble, Popeyes in the food court – and a few others.
But if you catch things at the right moment – with the right pair of eyes – you can still catch a glimpse of the shopping center’s former glory, he added.
“As I entered through Macy’s, it actually looked somewhat normal with some shoppers going about their ways,” Miller recalled. “But when you step out of Macy’s and into the mall, then it is like the movies where the atomic bomb dropped.”
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