Sun Vet Mall

40°46′14″N 73°03′49″W / 40.7705844°N 73.0637223°W / 40.7705844; -73.0637223Address5801 Sunrise Highway, Holbrook, New York 11741Opening date1973Developer

• TBA (1973-2022)
• Blumenfeld Development Group (2022-present)^[1]

OwnerTBANo. of stores and services30^[2]No. of anchor tenants10 (1 open, 9 vacant)Total retail floor area

• 270,000 square feet (25,000 m²) (1973-2023)^[1]
• 168,000 square feet (16,000 m²) (2023-present)^[3]

No. of floors1ParkingLighted lotPublic transit access Suffolk County Transit: S54, S59Websitehttp://www.shopsunvet.com/

The Shops at SunVet^[4] was a shopping center located in Holbrook, in Suffolk County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The center opened in 1973 as Sun Vet Mall (also known as the Sun-Vet Mall, SunVet Mall, or simply as Sun Vet), with it becoming a major shopping destination in the area. As of 2023, it is slated to be transformed into an outdoor shopping center, with construction continuing as of October 2023.

The anchor stores have included Toys "R" Us, A.C. Moore, Pathmark, Citibank, Red Wing Shoes, Kid City, Mandee, and Payless Shoes; the Citibank is the only store still in operation as of October 2023.

History

The Sun Vet Mall first opened in 1973. It was called the Sun Vet Mall due to the mall being located in close proximity to both Veterans Memorial Highway (NY 454) and Sunrise Highway (NY 27).^[5] Its former tenants included but were not limited to Blockbuster Video, Sears Portrait Studio, Fashion Bug, Radio Shack, FYE, Solar Flare Tanning, ClothesLine, Tuesday Morning, Building Star, SunVet Hobbies, SunVet Optical Center, Hallmark, Contour Express, Bundy Art, and Dollar King.^[6]

In June 2017, a Twitter account parodying the mall was reported to be begging for shoppers and running fake promotions.^[7] In that same year, the mall was listed as property of the Long Island-based Schuckman Realty group.^[8]

In 2018, the shopping mall's biggest anchor, Toys "R" Us filed for bankruptcy, subsequently closing their store in the mall soon after.^[5] In that same year, Schuckman Realty announced that redevelopment of the mall would be coming soon with no further information being provided.^[8]

One year later, in 2019, the shopping mall's second biggest anchor, A.C. Moore filed for bankruptcy, ultimately causing their Sun Vet location to shut down permanently.^[5]

In March 2020, it was announced through an employee that the mall's Mandee location would be closing on the third.^[8]

In July 2022, Syosset-based Blumenfeld Development Group purchased the property for a 99-year lease.^[1]

On August 6, 2022, the Aegean Pizzeria was closed by its owners due to financial reasons after 50 years of operating in the shopping mall.^[9] It was also announced in 2022 that proposals were made to redevelop and transform the struggling mall; it was reported October that only four tenants remained in business at the mall.^[10] That November, it was reported that a Whole Foods, Starbucks, and more stores will occupy spaces in the redeveloped shopping destination.^{[11][12][13][14][15]}

In May 2023, the Holbrook Chamber of Commerce's president, Rick Ammirati, confirmed the redevelopment plans and told reporters construction would commence later that same year.^[3] The revitalization project plans to transform the mall an open-air, 168,000 square-foot (15,600 m²⁾ shopping center; the transformation and redevelopment of the Sun Vet Mall will be executed through a joint venture between Blumenfeld Development Group and Regency Centers, with construction being done through NYM Group.^[16][17] In December, new renders were released with plans to repurpose the left side of the mall.^[18]

Transportation

The Sun Vet Mall is served by two of Suffolk County Transit's bus routes: the S54 and the S59.^[19]

See also

• Mall at the Source

References

External links

• Sun Vet Mall official website
• The Shops at SunVet website (temporary)