Welcome to my next post on Delran. This stop is at Millside Plaza on Rt. 130 which is located between Haines Mill Rd and Suburban Blvd. Millside Plaza has benefited from a complete overhaul over the past couple of years and the last set of stores are currently opening.
To start, let's take a step back in time. For those familiar with Millside, it was once anchored by a Shop Rite, K-Mart and a movie theater. I believe it was originally built in the late '70s. I still remember riding my bike as a kid up to the movies to catch the premiere of the first Batman movie with Michael Keaton and Kim Basinger. But once Lowe's Multiplex opened in Cherry Hill, that was the demise of the movie theater. Next came the closing of K-Mart with the emergence of Wallmart down the highway. Then, Shop Rite jumped ship with the building of the new Hartford Corners. So for awhile, the shopping center sat nearly empty with a few mom and pop shops left. It quickly became an eye sore as the building started to look run down and the parking lot fell apart.
Then, enter Target! The town was successful to land a new set of stores which led to the complete overhaul of the shopping center. The movie theater and K-Mart were torn down and the rest of the complex received a face lift. Now the center looks great and is buzzing with activity again. The center is now the new home of Target, PetsMart, Office Depot, Sleepys, Panera Bread, Mikes Pizza, Great Taste Chinese and a few others. With this and the emergence of Hartford Corners (a future post in the making) Rt. 130 in Delran is showing signs of life. There is still work to be done, but it's going in the right direction!
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Nice informative blog. Looks like you really put some work in on it.
Dusty Irving
United Country Real Estate
Fort Worth, Texas
The shopping center was built in 1968 and featured a Pantry Pride grocery store that occupied the space which Sleepy's and Office Depot are now located. I remember Sal's Pizza, The Wigwam ice cream parlor, Rite Aid (still there but moved a bit), the post office which was next to the bank (which was where Panera Bread is now). Radio Shack and the Hallmark card store. The dry cleaner that is where Esquire liqour store used to be where the Game stop is located. There was a gas station where Taco Bell stands now.
On the corner of Chester Avenue and Route 130 was a Two Guys store (now vacant but used to be Sam's up until about 5 years ago).