Coming Soon to a Strip Mall Near You (Near Me, Actually)

A new sign went up in the Park Plaza strip mall over the weekend. Persis Biryani Indian Grill will open in the space once occupied by Spice Rack restaurant. The new restaurant will add to the chain that already has 19 locations in the U.S., and will be the fourth in New Jersey. Persis's existing New Jersey locations are in Hamilton, Piscataway and Jersey City.

The company's website says each location is independently owned and operated and adheres to the Persis's guidelines and food standards. Other locations are in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Tennessee, Florida and Nebraska.

Child Care...

A couple more sign changes occurred recently at Franklin Park Plaza (the shopping center that includes the IHOP). The Wonder Years Academy preschool and day care has changed to Greatstart Early Learning. (The Franklin Park Plaza sign still says Wonder Years, though). Greatstart has four sites in New Jersey and another in the Philippines, while Wonder Years only has two locations now. Greatstart offers programs for children from 6 weeks to 13 years old, according to its website.

The original building, built in 1909, was called Franklin Park School, but renamed the Phillips School in 1931 and was part of the Franklin Township public school system until 1976, according to Wikipedia. The township recreation department used the building until 1993, when it was closed due to structural problems. It was sold, renovated and re-opened as a private childcare and preschool facility in 1999.

.. And Kidney Care

A sign went up for DaVita Kidney Care Center in the strip mall behind the IHOP. The company operates 2,445 outpatient dialysis centers in the U.S. and  217 centers in other countries as of June 30, 2017. The company opened 27 centers in its fiscal second quarter and 24 in this year's first quarter.

Lots More Coming to Riya Plaza

Rita Dance Academy is moving from Finnegans Lane in North Brunswick to Route 27 (probably no more than 500 feet from its current location). The school teaches Kathak, a dance style prevalent in northern India, according to the academy's website. 

A brand known in India, Kwality Ice Cream, is also opening a store in Riya Plaza. Headquartered in Edison, the brand is available at 10 other locations in the U.S. The chain carries more than 57 gourmet ice creams and specializes in Cassta, Kulfi, eggless ice cream cakes and sugar-free ice creams.   

Five-minute pizza? Pie Five Pizza Co. is also opening up in the same strip mall. The  chain, based on the premise of preparing pizza in five minutes, stretches as far west as Nebraska and Texas and as far north as Minnesota. The company also plans to open a location on Route 18 in East Brunswick and another on Long Island.

Also coming to Riya Plaza is Les Delices Bakery and New Nail Time & Spa

.

Let me know what's going on in your business on Route 27 between Finnegan's Lane and Route 518. Email me at lkiesche@gmail.com

Liz Kiesche
Liz, a business journalist, formerly worked for Bloomberg News in Princeton and New York.

Inaugural Post

Wawa Construction site at Beekman Road

When I moved to Franklin Park 28 years ago, it didn't take long to notice that new strip malls were being built even as existing ones had space available. So I've decided to chronicle the business in this area. Who's opening up and who's closing? I have chosen this stretch of Route 27 from Finnegans Lane to Route 518 (also labeled Georgetown Franklin Turnpike on maps), about 3.4 miles of road by Google Maps calculations. It's a fairly manageable area to cover and still has some room for building. In future posts, I plan to get more into why business owners choose to select the space they're in.

The area is also interesting in that Route 27 marks the boundary between Somerset and Middlesex Counties and between Franklin Township and South Brunswick. Much of this area is Kendall Park on the South Brunswick side and Franklin Park on the Franklin Township side. Municipal regulations may make a difference in which side of Route 27 a  business owner chooses to set up shop.

Leasing opportunies at Franklin Towne Center

Stein Mart store-closing sale

Comings & goings: 

• Wawa is building a new store at the intersection with Beekman Road, about 3 miles south of the Wawa convenience store in North Brunswick
• Stein Mart has started its store-closing sale 
• The Potting Shed, a florist at the intersection of Clover Place, has closed
• Another recent closing is the shoe repair business at the intersection of Claremont Road
• "Coming Soon" signs are up in Riya Plaza for Les Delices Bakery, Pie Five Pizza, Kwality Ice Cream and Rita Dance Academy (Rita Dance Academy from Finnegans Lane)

Over the course of two days I have made a list of businesses and buildings in the area. Here's what I've found out so far. There are: 

•  32 empty storefronts, nine of them at Franklin Town Centre; five of them at the property behind IHOP; and eight at the Riya Plaza, a new strip mall at the intersection with Finnegan's Lane, but four of those of signs for businesses that are "coming soon"
• Eight real estate offices
• Eight banks, including the PNC Bank branch located in Stop & Shop
• Six dry cleaners
• Five pharmacies including the one in Stop & Shop; two of them are CVS's
• Four houses of worship
• Three day-care/Pre-K schools
• Three tutoring centers
• Three gas stations
• Three liquor stores
  
  Related link: Stein Mart Closing Franklin Park Store In October

Let me know what's going on in your business on Route 27 between Finnegan's Lane and Route 518. Email me at lkiesche@gmail.com

Liz Kiesche