Monmouth County's Newest Whole Foods Reveals Opening Date

EATONTOWN, NJ — Monmouth County's newest Whole Foods just announced their opening date:

The Whole Foods at 180 Rt. 35 south in Eatontown will open for business July 29. Whole Foods just announced it here on Tuesday.

Whole Foods is opening at Monmouth Square, the former site of Monmouth Mall. The mall was torn down and the site is being redeveloped by Kushner Companies into an open-air shopping center surrounded by luxury apartments, shops and restaurants.

Whole Foods took over the space formerly occupied by Barnes & Noble, which moved next to the Macy's.

In addition to the Whole Foods, six new shops and restaurants so far signed leases to open at the revamped Monmouth Square. They are: Felice upscale Italian restaurant and wine bar, STRONG Pilates, Prince Street Pizza, Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, Offshore Coffee and Cava Mediterranean food, hummus and salads.

Whole Foods is the first to open.

Doors will open at 8:00 a.m. on opening day, and regular store hours for that Whole Foods will be 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily.

On opening morning, customers can get samples from Palazzone 1960 and coffee from Paper Plane Coffee Co., both of which will be sold in store. The first 300 customers in line on July 29 will receive a limited-edition Eatontown tote bag and a Secret Saver coupon featuring savings up to $100 off.

The redevelopment of Monmouth mall is being done by mall owner and developer Kushner Cos., now being helmed by Charlie Kushner's daughter, Nicole Kushner Meyer. Kushner's plan is to make Monmouth Square an open-air shopping, dining and strolling complex.

In the past two years, Kushner torn down large parts of the mall and reduced the mall's retail footprint by 40 percent. The new Monmouth Square will have an open-air feel, with walking paths and shops built around a large center green, with an outdoor pool and fitness center in the middle. Rental prices have not been released, but likely $2,000 - $3,000 a month for studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments. Monmouth Square says it is 75 percent pre-leased, according to this report.

So far, Macy's and Boscov's are still slated to remain open, as is the AMC movie theater.

Here's what to expect at the new Eatontown Whole Foods:

• The store will have more than 1,000 local items from the Northeast.

• The décor is Jersey Shore-inspired, with sea-inspired elements, including a bright, pastel color palette combined with neutral tones and raw wood.
• All fresh produce and floral items meet their Pollinator Health Policy to reduce the use of chemical pesticides.
• Local options include shiitake mushrooms from Mushroom King Farm, salad kits from Ark Foods, tinned vegetables from Row 7 Seed Company, EverCrisp apples from Hudson River Fruit and tomatoes, squash and leafy greens from Lancaster Farm Fresh.
• There will be a seafood counter providing fresh fish and ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat seafood, and a variety of packaged smoked items. All offerings are either sustainable wild-caught or responsibly farmed. Local options include seafood cakes, stuffed clams casino and stuffed bay scallops from Lagniappe Foods.
• There will be a full-service meat counter, with animal-welfare certified selections and expert butchers available to cut steaks and poultry to order. Features include made-in-house fresh sausage and marinated and seasoned meats.
• Artisan cheese selection and a bakery department, including artisan bread from Bread Alone Bakery, breads and pastries from BalthazarBakery and sliced sandwich breads from Paind’Avignon.

These 5 New Stores Coming To Monmouth Square, Formerly Monmouth Mall

Upscale Italian Restaurant Felice Plans To Open At Monmouth Square In Eatontown

Goodbye, Monmouth Mall As We Knew It: Demolition Underway