Rego Center

Rego Center is a shopping mall bordered by the Long Island Expressway, Junction Boulevard, Queens Boulevard, 63rd Drive, and 99th Street in the Rego Park neighborhood of Queens in New York City.

Rego Center
Rego Center Phase 1
LocationQueens, New York, United States
Coordinates40°43′59″N 73°51′47″W
Address96-05 Queens Boulevard
Opening dateMarch 3, 2010 (2010-03-03)
DeveloperVornado Realty Trust
ManagementUrban Edge Properties
OwnerVornado Realty Trust
ArchitectEhrenkrantz Eckstut & Kuhn Architects
No. of anchor tenants5
Total retail floor area270,000 square feet (25,000 m2) (Phase I)
950,000 square feet (88,000 m2) (Phase II)
No. of floors4
Parking1400[1]
Public transit access New York City Subway: "R" train at 63rd Drive–Rego Park
Bus transport New York City Bus: Q59, Q88
Bus transport MTA Bus: Q38, Q60, Q72
Websiteregocenter.com

History

The property was originally the only Queens location of Alexander's, a New York City department store. Caldor had bought up the location and was in the processes of opening their store in the fall of 1995 but those plans were stalled when the chain filed for bankruptcy that year. Sears later opened in 1996.[2]

Phase II

Phase II of the mall, which is an annex to the already open Phase I, opened on March 3, 2010[3] with 950,000 square feet (88,000 m2) of retail space.[4] Costco with 145,000 square feet (13,500 m2), At Home with 135,000 square feet (12,500 m2), and T.J. Maxx have opened.[5] Retailers also include Bed Bath and Beyond, Marshalls, Old Navy and Burlington Coat Factory in Phase I.[4] An Aldi supermarket also opened on level 1 in February 2011.[6][7] The nearest competitor malls are Queens Center and Queens Place Mall.

As of February 2015, Vornado Realty Trust, the mall's owner, is developing a 24-story, 314-unit residential tower named The Alexander on top of the mall's phase II, due to a surge in young professionals moving into the area. About 20% of the units are studio apartments, with the rest being one- and two-bedroom apartments.[8]

On January 4, 2017, it was announced that Sears would be closing as part of a plan to close 150 stores nationwide. The store closed in April 2017.[9] A year later, in March 2018, Toys "R" Us announced that it would close all of its US stores, including the location at Rego Center.[10] The site was then occupied by a toy store called Toy City, operated by Party City.

On January 13, 2019, Kohl's announced that its store at Rego Center would be closing along with 3 other stores nationwide. The store closed on April 13, 2019.[11]

In September 2019, IKEA announced plans to convert the former Sears into its third New York City location.[12] It opened on January 11, 2021.[13][14] However, on October 26, 2022, it was announced that IKEA would be closing this location on December 3.[15]

On April 24, 2020, it was announced that At Home would be opening in the former Kohl's space in 2021.[16]

On September 10, 2020, it was announced that Century 21 would be closing its location as part of a plan to close all 38 stores nationwide.[17][18] One month later, Century 21 permanently closed its Rego Park store.

On April 23, 2023, Bed Bath & Beyond announced that they filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, and announced that they would close all remaining stores in the United States, including the location at Rego Center. The store will close in July 2023.

Withdrawals

The Home Depot withdrew from the rental deal with Vornado in late 2008 due to drop in profit.[19] The space vacated by Home Depot was replaced by Costco. This is Costco's fifth location in New York City and second in Queens.

In 2005, Walmart had been dropped as a potential tenant, as an early part of its bid to open a store within New York City. Opposition by various groups killed the plan.[20]

In October 2022, it was announced that IKEA would be closing its Rego Center location.

Layout

The following layout of retail space is taken from Vornado's Property website.[21]

References
  1. Gustafson, Anna (December 17, 2009). "Rego Center spurs worries - NYPOST.com". New York Post. Retrieved October 7, 2010.
  2. SERANT, CLAIRE. "CALDOR BANKRUPTCY JITTERS". nydailynews.com.
  3. Kadinsky, Sergey (March 4, 2010). "Rego Center II anchors open to fanfare". Queens Chronicle. Retrieved March 15, 2010.
  4. Vornado Realty Trust, Rego Center, NY-Vornado Retail, archived from the original on July 9, 2011, retrieved March 15, 2010
  5. "Bank of China Lends $253M to Vornado REIT to Refi Rego Park Mall in Queens". Commercial Observer. December 28, 2018.
  6. "Aldi opens first outlet in NYC - News - Inside This Issue - Mass Market Retailers :: The Global Newspaper For Supermarket, Drug, Discount Chains". Mass Market Retailers. March 7, 2011. Archived from the original on March 21, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
  7. By Lisa Fickenscher (May 26, 2010). "Grocer Aldi heads to Rego Park shopping center | Crain's New York Business". Crainsnewyork.com. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
  8. Laterman, Kaya (February 5, 2015). "New Residences, Proposed QueensWay Advance in Rego Park, Queens". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
  9. "Sears To Close Rego Park Location Amid Falling Sales". DNAinfo New York. Archived from the original on January 12, 2019. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
  10. Pozarycki, Robert (March 12, 2018). "Reported bankruptcy demise would spell the end of Toys R Us and its six remaining Queens stores". QNS.com. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  11. Davenport, Emily. "Rego Park Kohl's is one of four store locations to close later this year, reports say". QNS.com.
  12. "Next Stop For IKEA… Queens, NY". Yahoo Finance. September 24, 2019.
  13. Acevedo, Angélica. "A 'great opportunity' for Queens: IKEA officially opens new Rego Center location". QNS.com. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  14. Shain, Michael. "Queens' first IKEA store opens at Rego Center". Queens Chronicle. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  15. Rizzi, Nicholas (October 26, 2022). "Ikea Closing 115K-SF Queens Outpost in December". Commercial Observer. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  16. "At Home Signs Lease for Big Store at Rego Center, Queens". The Real Deal New York. April 24, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  17. Thomas, Lauren (September 10, 2020). "Discount retailer Century 21 files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and is closing all of its 13 stores". CNBC. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  18. Russell, David. "Century 21 bankrupt; Rego site will close". Queens Chronicle. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  19. Fogarty, Lisa (April 16, 2009). "Retailer Reconsidering Rego Park Mall Site". Queens Tribune. Archived from the original on April 8, 2010. Retrieved March 15, 2010.
  20. Greenhouse, Steven (February 24, 2005). "Wal-Mart Drops Plans for Its First Store in New York City". The New York Times.
  21. Official website
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