Bridgewater Commons
Encyclopedia
Bridgewater Commons is a fully enclosed mall
located in Bridgewater Township, New Jersey
. The mall is located at the intersection of U.S. Route 22
and U.S. Route 202
/U.S. Route 206
and borders Interstate 287
. The mall opened in 1989 and has a gross leasable area
of 900000 sq ft (83,612.7 m²). Bridgewater Commons is owned by General Growth Properties
.
The mall was expanded in 2005-06 to include a lifestyle center called "The Village at Bridgewater Commons". It is anchored by Crate and Barrel
and Maggiano's Little Italy
and contains 15 other stores.
Mall anchors are Bloomingdale's
, Lord & Taylor
and Macy's
. The mall also contains a wide variety of upscale stores, such as Brooks Brothers
.
and Skechers
. In addition to the food court, there are additional dining and entertainment options including McCormick & Schmick's
, AMC Movie Theaters
(changed to Fork & Screen) and food/drink shops such as Starbucks
, Gloria Jean's Coffees, Auntie Anne's Pretzels
, Dale and Thomas Popcorn
(closed 2009), Mrs. Fields
, and Cinnabon
. Within The Village, there is Chipotle Mexican Grill
and Maggiano's Little Italy, as well as an additional Starbucks. In August 2010, construction on a new Cheesecake Factory, located right next to the McCormick & Schmick's, has been completed. In November 2010, California Pizza Kitchen
was opened near Bloomingdale's
.
, J.Crew
and Apple.
, Hahnes and Sterns. By 1991, Hahnes would change to Lord and Taylor and in 2002, Sterns to Bloomingdales. The mall complex pursued a major expansion in 1991 to add two eight-story office buildings to the complex, which would include 578000 sq ft (53,698 m²). of office space and a 300-room hotel. The effort was initiated as part of a longstanding urban renewal project. By 2000, with a 347-room Bridgewater Marriott Hotel already under the construction, the mall's developers pushed ahead to develop the office towers planned for the complex.. The two towers later opened, occupied mostly by Sanofi-Aventis
.
Since opening, mall management and Somerset Medical Center
have sponsored a HealthHike mall walking
program to give walkers am indoors, secured, and climate-controlled environment in which to walk. Anyone can obtain a name tag
to enter the mall starting at 6:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. Sunday. The program also includes a monthly meeting at 8:30 a.m. on the first Wednesday of each month from October through June to discuss health-related topics. Since opening, the mall has also featured an annual Christmas
display and kids photo opportunity with Santa Claus
in addition to a photo opportunity with the Easter Bunny
around Easter
time.
In 1993, Bridgewater Commons jumped on the bandwagon, becoming one of the first malls in the state to ban smoking, joining 300 of 1800 malls nationwide that prohibited smoking on mall grounds.
The mall has become a major focus in Bridgewater and an attraction throughout the area, bringing new residents to the township and shoppers to the mall which "dominates the retail industry in Somerset County." You can often find students of Immaculata High School dressed in their blue and white uniforms or students of Somerville High School walking to and around the mall right after school as it is so close by.
Bridgewater Commons underwent its first major renovation
in 2004-05, replacing the flooring on the 2nd and 3rd levels, repainting the ceiling and floor lights, adding lighting, adding elevators (the glass elevator in center court would later be removed in 2007) and removing the 3 story escalator
. Since September 2006, the mall has added a whole new section, called the Bridgewater Village. The Village, located directly across from the Bridgewater Marriott
hotel, is rooted by such stores as Crate and Barrel
. It also contains Maggiano's Little Italian Restaurant
and a Chipotle Mexican Grill
.
While under management and ownership by Simon Property Group
, the mall also featured a preferred shoppers' program and public and personal concierge service. GGP later purchased Simon's properties including the Bridgewater Commons.
In 2007, major tenants Eastern Mountain Sports
, The Gap
and Lane Bryant
relocated to a nearby open-air mall, the Somerset County Shopping Center.
In 2008, the Food Court
area was renovated and modernized. In 2010, The Cheesecake Factory
was opened outside of the main entrance next to McCormick and Schmick's, and California Pizza Kitchen
was opened near Bloomingdale's
.
During the early morning hours of November 27, 2009, a power outage at a RadioShack
in the mall caused chaos for some shoppers. The outage was soon fixed, and several stores had the power back on. This once again happened at Love Culture in 2010, but problems were soon resolved.
One of the most significant appearances at the mall was made by Miranda Cosgrove
in 2009 when she came to do a signing for her fans. A line wrapped around all 3 levels in every area of the mall. There was little space to stand as it was so crowded. In the end, not all of the fans were able to meet Miranda.
Another famous actress known to shop in stores such as Love Culture at the mall is star of Jerseylicious
, Olivia Blois Sharpe. She has been spotted there mulitple times since the oppening of Love Culture in the summer of 2010.
Troubled owner GGP filed for bankruptcy protection
in April 2009 but operations will continue as normal.
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
located in Bridgewater Township, New Jersey
Bridgewater Township, New Jersey
Bridgewater Township is a township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. , the township population was 44,464.Bridgewater Township was originally created by Royal Charter on April 4, 1749, from portions of the Northern precinct, and was incorporated as one of New Jersey's initial group of...
. The mall is located at the intersection of U.S. Route 22
U.S. Route 22
U.S. Route 22 is a west–east route and is one of the original United States highways of 1926, running from Cincinnati, Ohio, at US 27, US 42, US 127, and US 52 to Newark, New Jersey, at U.S. Route 1/9 near the Newark Liberty International Airport.US 22 also carries the names of the William...
and U.S. Route 202
U.S. Route 202
U.S. Route 202 is a highway stretching from Delaware to Maine, also passing through the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire....
/U.S. Route 206
U.S. Route 206
U.S. Route 206 is a long north–south United States highway in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, United States. Only about a half a mile of its length is in Pennsylvania; the Milford-Montague Toll Bridge carries it over the Delaware River into New Jersey, where it is the remainder of the route...
and borders Interstate 287
Interstate 287
Interstate 287 is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the U.S. states of New Jersey and New York. It is a partial beltway around New York City, serving the northern half of New Jersey and the counties of Rockland and Westchester in New York...
. The mall opened in 1989 and has a gross leasable area
Gross leasable area
Gross leasable area in the retail development industry is a term applied to shopping malls, lifestyle centers, outlet malls and other retail centers to indicate the amount of floor space available to be rented...
of 900000 sq ft (83,612.7 m²). Bridgewater Commons is owned by General Growth Properties
General Growth Properties
General Growth Properties, Inc. is a publicly traded real estate investment trust in the United States. It is based in Chicago, Illinois at 110 North Wacker Drive, a historic building designed by architectural firm Graham, Anderson, Probst & White...
.
The mall was expanded in 2005-06 to include a lifestyle center called "The Village at Bridgewater Commons". It is anchored by Crate and Barrel
Crate and Barrel
Crate & Barrel is a 170+ store chain of American retail stores, based in Northbrook, Illinois, specializing in housewares, furniture , and home accessories. Its corporate name is Euromarket Designs, Inc. The company is wholly owned by Otto GmbH.-Founding:Gordon and Carole Segal opened the first...
and Maggiano's Little Italy
Maggiano's Little Italy
Maggiano's Little Italy is an Italian-style chain of casual dining restaurants with locations throughout the United States, Mexico, Canada, and Northern Ireland founded in Chicago's River North neighborhood in 1991 by Richard Melman's Lettuce Entertain You and named for Melman's late partner,...
and contains 15 other stores.
Mall anchors are Bloomingdale's
Bloomingdale's
Bloomingdale's is an American department store owned by Macy's, Inc. .Bloomingdale's started in 1861 when brothers Joseph and Lyman G. Bloomingdale started selling hoop-skirts in their Ladies Notions' Shop on Manhattan's Lower East Side...
, Lord & Taylor
Lord & Taylor
Lord & Taylor, colloquially known as L&T, or LT, based in New York City, is the oldest upscale, specialty-retail department store chain in the United States. Concentrated in the eastern U.S., the retailer operated independently for nearly a century prior to joining American Dry Goods...
and Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
. The mall also contains a wide variety of upscale stores, such as Brooks Brothers
Brooks Brothers
Brooks Brothers is the oldest men's clothier chain in the United States. Founded in 1818 as a family business, the privately owned company is now owned by Retail Brand Alliance, also features clothing for women, and is headquartered on Madison Avenue in Manhattan, New York City.-History:On April 7,...
.
Dining and entertainment
As of November 2008, the Food Court has reopened as have some of the restaurants within. Changes to the food court consist of new lighting, relocated and new dining space (openings looking down to the second floor have been closed off), new flooring, new seating and renovated eateries. The former space of the Food Court are now HollisterHollister Co.
Hollister Co., sometimes advertised as Hollister or HCo., is an American lifestyle brand by Abercrombie & Fitch Co. The concept was originally designed to attract consumers aged 14–18 through its SoCal-inspired image and casual wear. Goods are available in-store and through the company's online store...
and Skechers
Skechers
Skechers is an American shoe company headquartered in Manhattan Beach, California, founded by CEO Robert Greenberg. Greenberg started Skechers in 1992 after he left LA Gear which he also founded. Skechers was started with his son as a distributor for Doc Martens; they launched their own shoe line...
. In addition to the food court, there are additional dining and entertainment options including McCormick & Schmick's
McCormick & Schmick's
McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurants is an American seafood restaurant chain, based in Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1979, the publicly-traded company operates a total of 92 locations in North America under various brands. This includes seven Canadian locations that operate under the Boathouse...
, AMC Movie Theaters
AMC Theatres
AMC Theatres , officially known as AMC Entertainment, Inc., is the second largest movie theater chain in North America with 5,325 screens, second only to Regal Entertainment Group, and one of the United States's four national cinema chains AMC Theatres (American Multi-Cinema), officially known as...
(changed to Fork & Screen) and food/drink shops such as Starbucks
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
, Gloria Jean's Coffees, Auntie Anne's Pretzels
Auntie Anne's
Auntie Anne's, based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is an American chain of pretzel bakeries founded by Anne F. Beiler and her husband, Jonas, in 1988. Auntie Anne's serves products such as pretzels, dips, and beverages...
, Dale and Thomas Popcorn
Dale and Thomas Popcorn
Dale and Thomas Popcorn is a gourmet popcorn company based in Englewood, New Jersey, which was founded by Warren Struhl and Richard Demb. The company spokesperson and "popcorn chef" is Ed Doyle . The company's original name was "Popcorn, Indiana" until partnering with Isiah Thomas, Hall of Fame...
(closed 2009), Mrs. Fields
Mrs. Fields
Mrs. Fields Famous Brands is a franchisor in the snack food industry, with Mrs. Fields and TCBY as its core brands. Through its franchisees’ retail stores, it is one of the largest retailers of freshly baked, on-premises specialty cookies and brownies in the US and the largest retailer of...
, and Cinnabon
Cinnabon
Cinnabon is a chain of American baked goods stores and kiosks, normally found in high-traffic areas such as malls. The company's signature item is a grande cinnamon roll. As of July 2009, over 750 Cinnabon bakeries are in operation in over 30 countries around the world...
. Within The Village, there is Chipotle Mexican Grill
Chipotle Mexican Grill
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. is a chain of restaurants in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada specializing in burritos and tacos, founded by Steve Ells in 1993 and based in Denver, Colorado...
and Maggiano's Little Italy, as well as an additional Starbucks. In August 2010, construction on a new Cheesecake Factory, located right next to the McCormick & Schmick's, has been completed. In November 2010, California Pizza Kitchen
California Pizza Kitchen
California Pizza Kitchen , known within the food industry as CPK, is a casual dining restaurant chain that specializes in California-style pizza...
was opened near Bloomingdale's
Bloomingdale's
Bloomingdale's is an American department store owned by Macy's, Inc. .Bloomingdale's started in 1861 when brothers Joseph and Lyman G. Bloomingdale started selling hoop-skirts in their Ladies Notions' Shop on Manhattan's Lower East Side...
.
Stores
The mall has a variety of stores covering three floors. In the early years of the mall, they marketed on the fact that they have three floors and leased space in the mall by theming the floors. The bottom floor was known as the "Commons Collection" and had the more exclusive/upscale stores. The middle floor was known as the "Promenade" and was themed to have stores that sold family related items and gifts. The top floor was known as "The Campus Level" and contained shops that were marketed toward the younger, 15-21 set. The food court called "Picnic on the Green" was also located on this floor. Neon signs displayed the floor names on the Campus level and have since been removed during the construction. Signs and lighting displaying the names "Promenade" and "Commons Collection" still exist but are not as prominent as they once were. In recent years, there has been a noticeable upscale trend as shown by the opening of new stores such as Pottery BarnPottery Barn
Pottery Barn is an American-based home furnishing store chain with retail stores in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Since September 1986, when it was purchased from GAP, Inc, Pottery Barn is a wholly owned subsidiary of Williams-Sonoma, Inc....
, J.Crew
J.Crew
J.Crew Group, Inc. is a multi-brand, multi-channel, specialty retailer. The company offers an assortment of women's, men's and children's apparel and accessories, including swimwear, outerwear, loungewear, wedding, bags, hair accessories, belts, jewelry, and shoes. As of January 30, 2010, it...
and Apple.
History
Bridgewater Commons opened in February 1989 with anchor stores Macy'sMacy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
, Hahnes and Sterns. By 1991, Hahnes would change to Lord and Taylor and in 2002, Sterns to Bloomingdales. The mall complex pursued a major expansion in 1991 to add two eight-story office buildings to the complex, which would include 578000 sq ft (53,698 m²). of office space and a 300-room hotel. The effort was initiated as part of a longstanding urban renewal project. By 2000, with a 347-room Bridgewater Marriott Hotel already under the construction, the mall's developers pushed ahead to develop the office towers planned for the complex.. The two towers later opened, occupied mostly by Sanofi-Aventis
Sanofi-Aventis
Sanofi S.A. is a multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Paris, France, the world's fourth-largest by prescription sales. Sanofi engages in the research and development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceutical products for sale principally in the prescription market, but the...
.
Since opening, mall management and Somerset Medical Center
Somerset Medical Center
Somerset Medical Center, located in Somerville, New Jersey, is a nationally accredited, 355-bed regional medical center providing a variety of comprehensive emergency, medical/surgical and rehabilitative services to Central New Jersey residents....
have sponsored a HealthHike mall walking
Mall walking
Mall walking is a form of exercise in which people walk or jog through the usually long corridors of shopping malls. Many malls open early so that people may mall walk, however stores and other such facilities generally do not open at this time...
program to give walkers am indoors, secured, and climate-controlled environment in which to walk. Anyone can obtain a name tag
Name tag
A name tag is a badge or sticker worn on the outermost clothing as a means of displaying the wearer's name for others to view.Name tags may be temporary or permanent. Temporary ones typically can be written upon so that the wearer's name may be handwritten or printed...
to enter the mall starting at 6:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. Sunday. The program also includes a monthly meeting at 8:30 a.m. on the first Wednesday of each month from October through June to discuss health-related topics. Since opening, the mall has also featured an annual Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
display and kids photo opportunity with Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
in addition to a photo opportunity with the Easter Bunny
Easter Bunny
The Easter Bunny or Easter Rabbit is a character depicted as a rabbit bringing Easter eggs, who sometimes is depicted with clothes...
around Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
time.
In 1993, Bridgewater Commons jumped on the bandwagon, becoming one of the first malls in the state to ban smoking, joining 300 of 1800 malls nationwide that prohibited smoking on mall grounds.
The mall has become a major focus in Bridgewater and an attraction throughout the area, bringing new residents to the township and shoppers to the mall which "dominates the retail industry in Somerset County." You can often find students of Immaculata High School dressed in their blue and white uniforms or students of Somerville High School walking to and around the mall right after school as it is so close by.
Bridgewater Commons underwent its first major renovation
Renovation
Renovation is the process of improving a structure. Two prominent types of renovations are commercial and residential.-Process:The process of a renovation, however complex, can usually be broken down into several processes...
in 2004-05, replacing the flooring on the 2nd and 3rd levels, repainting the ceiling and floor lights, adding lighting, adding elevators (the glass elevator in center court would later be removed in 2007) and removing the 3 story escalator
Escalator
An escalator is a moving staircase – a conveyor transport device for carrying people between floors of a building. The device consists of a motor-driven chain of individual, linked steps that move up or down on tracks, allowing the step treads to remain horizontal.Escalators are used around the...
. Since September 2006, the mall has added a whole new section, called the Bridgewater Village. The Village, located directly across from the Bridgewater Marriott
Marriott International
Marriott International, Inc. is a worldwide operator and franchisor of a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Founded by J. Willard Marriott, the company is now led by son J.W. Marriott, Jr...
hotel, is rooted by such stores as Crate and Barrel
Crate and Barrel
Crate & Barrel is a 170+ store chain of American retail stores, based in Northbrook, Illinois, specializing in housewares, furniture , and home accessories. Its corporate name is Euromarket Designs, Inc. The company is wholly owned by Otto GmbH.-Founding:Gordon and Carole Segal opened the first...
. It also contains Maggiano's Little Italian Restaurant
Maggiano's Little Italy
Maggiano's Little Italy is an Italian-style chain of casual dining restaurants with locations throughout the United States, Mexico, Canada, and Northern Ireland founded in Chicago's River North neighborhood in 1991 by Richard Melman's Lettuce Entertain You and named for Melman's late partner,...
and a Chipotle Mexican Grill
Chipotle Mexican Grill
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. is a chain of restaurants in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada specializing in burritos and tacos, founded by Steve Ells in 1993 and based in Denver, Colorado...
.
While under management and ownership by Simon Property Group
Simon Property Group
Simon Property Group, Inc. is an American commercial real estate company, ranked #1 in the United States as the largest real estate investment trust. Simon is a fully integrated real estate company which operates from five retail real estate platforms: regional malls, Premium Outlet Centers, The...
, the mall also featured a preferred shoppers' program and public and personal concierge service. GGP later purchased Simon's properties including the Bridgewater Commons.
In 2007, major tenants Eastern Mountain Sports
Eastern Mountain Sports
Eastern Mountain Sports is an outdoor apparel and equipment retailer in the U.S. Northeast headquartered in Peterborough, New Hampshire.EMS sells outdoor equipment and clothing from both name brands and its own EMS line...
, The Gap
Gap (clothing retailer)
The Gap, Inc. is an American clothing and accessories retailer based in San Francisco, California, and founded in 1969 by Donald G. Fisher and Doris F. Fisher. The company has five primary brands: the namesake Gap banner, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta. As of September 2008,...
and Lane Bryant
Lane Bryant
Lane Bryant is a United States retail women's clothing store chain focusing on plus-size clothing. It began in the early 1900s with the innovative maternity designs created by Lena Himmelstein Bryant Malsin. -Beginning:...
relocated to a nearby open-air mall, the Somerset County Shopping Center.
In 2008, the Food Court
Food court
A food court is generally an indoor plaza or common area within a facility that is contiguous with the counters of multiple food vendors and provides a common area for self-serve dining. Food courts may be found in shopping malls and airports, and in various regions may be a standalone development...
area was renovated and modernized. In 2010, The Cheesecake Factory
The Cheesecake Factory
The Cheesecake Factory, Inc. is a restaurant company in the United States. The company operates 165 upscale, casual, full-service dining restaurants: 151 under The Cheesecake Factory mark, 13 under the Grand Lux Cafe mark and one under the RockSugar Pan Asian Kitchen mark...
was opened outside of the main entrance next to McCormick and Schmick's, and California Pizza Kitchen
California Pizza Kitchen
California Pizza Kitchen , known within the food industry as CPK, is a casual dining restaurant chain that specializes in California-style pizza...
was opened near Bloomingdale's
Bloomingdale's
Bloomingdale's is an American department store owned by Macy's, Inc. .Bloomingdale's started in 1861 when brothers Joseph and Lyman G. Bloomingdale started selling hoop-skirts in their Ladies Notions' Shop on Manhattan's Lower East Side...
.
During the early morning hours of November 27, 2009, a power outage at a RadioShack
RadioShack
RadioShack Corporation is an American franchise of electronics retail stores in the United States, as well as parts of Europe, South America and Africa. As of 2008, RadioShack reported net sales and operating revenues of $4.81 billion. The headquarters of RadioShack is located in Downtown...
in the mall caused chaos for some shoppers. The outage was soon fixed, and several stores had the power back on. This once again happened at Love Culture in 2010, but problems were soon resolved.
One of the most significant appearances at the mall was made by Miranda Cosgrove
Miranda Cosgrove
Miranda Taylor Cosgrove is an American actress and singer-songwriter. Her career began at the age of three, where she participated in television commercials. Cosgrove's film debut was in 2003, as Summer Hathaway in School of Rock...
in 2009 when she came to do a signing for her fans. A line wrapped around all 3 levels in every area of the mall. There was little space to stand as it was so crowded. In the end, not all of the fans were able to meet Miranda.
Another famous actress known to shop in stores such as Love Culture at the mall is star of Jerseylicious
Jerseylicious
Jerseylicious is an American docusoap airing on the Style Network that follows employees of the newly renovated Gatsby Salon, taking place in Green Brook, NJ. The Gatsby Salon relaunched with a multimillion dollar renovation and began hiring new employees in 2009 which included series cast members...
, Olivia Blois Sharpe. She has been spotted there mulitple times since the oppening of Love Culture in the summer of 2010.
Troubled owner GGP filed for bankruptcy protection
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
in April 2009 but operations will continue as normal.