Are 170 places to shop not enough for you? Then you’re in luck, because the Queens Center mall is adding eight new retailers.
Out of the eight new additions, there will be three major retail brands – LEGO, Guess Accessories and the first Love Culture store in the New York City area.
Five Guys Burgers and Fries, named a top-five retailer of 2009 by the International Council of Shopping Centers, will be one of two new eateries opening up in the food court, along with Grill Kabob, which serves a fresh Mediterranean cuisine. Rockport, Traffic Shoes and M. Alpine Sports will also be opening in the mall.
“I think they’re all going to be successful,” said Jeffrey Owen, Senior Property Manager of Queens Center.
Most of the stores will be ready for business soon. Grill Kabob and LEGO are already open and Traffic Shoes will open its doors this month. Love Culture, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Rockport, Guess Accessories and M. Alpine Sports will be open by the fall.
To celebrate its new store, LEGO hosted events from July 9-11, including a model building event, at which kids could help a LEGO Master Model Builder create an eight-foot replica of Star Wars’ R2-D2. Also, the first 300 customers to spend $35 or more on Saturday, July 10 and Sunday, July 11 received a free subway car LEGO set or T-shirt, respectively.
However, these additions to Queens Center represent something far more significant than new stores. New retailers opening up businesses and filling vacant shops are a sign that the rough economic times that the country and the Queens area have been experiencing may be taking a positive turn, according to Owen.
In addition, Owen said that Queens Center’s retailers think that now is a great time to open up new stores.
Located on Queens Boulevard in Elmhurst, the Queens Center mall is home to more than 170 retailers, including their most successful department stores: JCPenney and Macy’s. They make many efforts to support the local Queens community, including blood drives, reading programs and environmentally-friendly practices.
To find more retailers or more information about the Queens Center, visit www.shopqueenscenter.com.
