Big changes could be coming to the Freehold Raceway Mall

As shopping tastes and trends have changed, many malls are faced with a dilemma: what to do with empty storefronts, especially ones that used to be anchors.

The Freehold Raceway Mall may have solved one of those problems with word that Dick’s Sporting Goods will be relocating and expanding, taking over the former Lord & Taylor store.

The Dick’s at the mall isn’t in the mall proper, but is across the street (Winner’s Circle) with its own parking lot.

Dick Sporting Goods, South Plainfield (Google Maps)

The new proposal would move Dick’s into the Lord & Taylor building, which is attached to the mall, and takes up 133,000 square feet of retail space.

That’s not the only change that’s been proposed, though. Dick’s has unveiled a new version of their store, called Dick’s House of Sport; that’s what will be built (pending approval) at the mall.

Dick’s Sporting Goods House of Sport is a new concept store from Dick's Sporting Goods that provides customers with an immersive and interactive retail experience.

The stores are approximately 100,000 square feet in size and feature a wide variety of products, including apparel, footwear, equipment, and technology. They also have a number of interactive experiences, such as a climbing wall, golf simulators, and a multi-sport cage.

Getty Images

The first Dick's Sporting Goods House of Sport opened in 2019 in Johnson City, New York. Since then, Dick's has opened additional House of Sport stores in several other locations across the United States. The company plans to open 75 to 100 House of Sport stores by 2027.

Dick's Sporting Goods House of Sport is designed to be a destination for both athletes and casual shoppers. The stores offer a wide variety of products to appeal to all levels of athletes, from beginners to professionals.

Getty Images/iStockphoto

In addition to its retail offerings, DICK's Sporting Goods House of Sport also provides a number of services to its customers. These services include:

⚫ Equipment fitting and customization
⚫ Lessons and clinics
⚫ Team and group events
⚫ Corporate outings

Freehold Township Planning Board is expected to vote on the matter Nov. 30

LOOK: The story behind every NFL team name

Stacker delved into the story behind every NFL football team name. Overall team records, also included, are reflective of NFL regular-season games. There are some football teams with well-known nicknames—the Jets, for instance, are often referred to as Gang Green—but we also divulge how some teams’ official names are sparingly used (the Jets’ neighbors, the Giants, are actually known as the New York Football Giants). Sometimes a team name can tell you a lot about local history: The Vikings of Minnesota draw upon the area’s strong ties to Scandinavia, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are dripping in local legend related to Florida’s pirate past.

Let’s kick off the countdown with the folks who earned their nickname by buying boxes of used team jerseys.

Gallery Credit: Seth Berkman

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