Several completed redevelopment projects in Downtown Newark that included retail space are now starting to see their storefronts fill up, adding some vibrancy to an area long considered a 9 to 5 business district.
The Shoppes at Prudential, built on the ground floor as part of Prudential’s North American headquarters, are showing major signs of life. A new health-conscious market called Grabba Green is currently under construction at 98 Halsey Street. The market, which has three locations in Scottsdale, Arizona, will serve healthy food options, sandwiches, juices, and smoothies in a casual setting. The company, who look to open 20 stores in New Jersey over the next decade, says they hope to have their Newark store open in the Fall.
The Shoppes also saw Mexican restaurant Qdoba open up back in May. The food chain joined several other establishments in the development that include a Blaze Pizza outpost, a Bright Horizons child care center, men’s clothier Ron Tomson, a Nike Factory store, the obligatory Starbucks and the just-opened Halsey Cleaners.
Across the street at the intersection of Halsey and New Streets, Turner Construction Company is hard at work on Halsey Tower, a residential building that also includes ground floor retail space. The project was topped out in April earlier this year and brick façade work has begun at the site.
Halsey Tower is part of the Hahne & Co. renovation project, which is nearing completion. Scaffolding is off the main building and many of the structure’s historical features can now be fully viewed and appreciated by passersby, including restored cast iron entrance ways and detailed awnings.
A “coming soon” sign is also officially up on the building for Whole Foods, who will be occupying 30,000 square feet of space in the project. The company hopes to have the market open by the end of the year.
