This NJ Town Had Plans for a 200+ Apartment Complex on an Abandoned Mini Mall. Now It’s a Movie Set.

“New stores opening up?”That was the excited question of one Wayne, NJ, resident on Facebook after photos surfaced on a community corner page showing construction taking place at a local strip mall.The town’s Preakness Shopping Center used to be host of several businesses adored by residents: a Macy’s, a small movie theater, and beloved family-run diner. Sadly, in the years leading up to COVID-19, a majority of the retailers moved out without being replaced, with the Macy’s functioning as a vaccination center during the pandemic and a Spirit Halloween moving in seasonally to fill in the glaring gaps in the storefronts.But to the surprise and delight of residents, a stretch of the mall was refreshed and reformed almost overnight on Oct. 1, bringing new life to a space that’s been sitting in limbo for years.And while the construction didn’t turn out to be the 200 or so apartments that’s been the talk of the town for years, for some, the replacement was even better:A movie set. Loading...The mini mall has several businesses still in operation, including a salon and CVS (far right), while the rest of the space has been transformed into 1980s Miami.Dina Sartore-Bodo/ Realtor.comLoading....