The Livingston Mall, in Livingston, New Jersey.
Photographer: Dana Golan/Bloomberg
Consumer
Two NJ Malls Separated by Just Four Miles — and Very Different Fates
The Livingston Mall is all but dead. The Mall at Short Hills is thriving. It's a lesson in the cruel economics of consumerism.
After more than half a century, the Livingston Mall is all but dead. Four miles down the road, shopping in northern New Jersey is very much alive.
The Livingston Mall is a remnant of an era that has long passed. Once anchored by department stores like Sears and Lord & Taylor, the shopping complex was for decades a social and economic hub of the affluent commuter town. It hosted an annual high-school art show, was a go-to spot for photos with Santa and offered teenagers their first jobs.