Blackwood bellies up to big table for malls

When you're tucked between Philadelphia and Atlantic City, you fight for attention.

Unless a huge outlet mall opens in your backyard. That was the case for Blackwood, Gloucester Township, in South Jersey, on Thursday.

All eyes were on the grand opening of Gloucester Premium Outlets, just off Route 42 at Exit 7B and a stone's throw from the Atlantic City Expressway entrance.

It's not a big deal, said Gloucester Township Mayor David Mayer, who grew up in Runnemede. "This is tremendous," he said. "It really puts Gloucester Township on the map and gives us an identity."

Word apparently got out on the new shopping mecca. Hours before the mall's 10 a.m. opening, a throng of shoppers and diners converged in the mall's Town Center Square, where a stage was raised to welcome the largest economic development project in town history - one that resulted in the hiring of 300 construction workers to build and an additional 800 to staff the mall's 50 stores.

"This development shows the confidence business has in South Jersey," said U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross (D., N.J.), who sat next to Mayer and Simon Premium Outlets CEO Stephen Yalof.

After the ribbon was cut on stage, confetti rained down and a Mummers band strutted around the mall. A Beatles cover band provided entertainment.

For Simon Property Group, Gloucester Premium Outlets represents its 69th outlet mall, the first of three built from the ground up this year. The others are in Tucson, Ariz., and Tampa, Fla., both opening in October. The company also is expanding its outlet malls in Las Vegas, Chicago, and San Francisco this year.

Meanwhile, Yalof said, the 376,000-square-foot Gloucester Township outlet mall uses the largest amount of outdoor space for a town square than other Simon outlet malls.

"From a design center point of view, we wanted to create a safe place to bring the family and serve as a gathering place for the community," he said.

Anticipating the opening, all 2,000 spaces in the main lot were already filled by 8 a.m. Thursday. Minor verbal skirmishes erupted as some drivers ran out of patience circling the lot unable to find a space.

By 11 a.m., a few hundred cars were parked across the street in the overflow lots, while several dozen more parked at nearby Camden County College, their drivers taking a free shuttle to and from the mall.

Karen Braun, 38, of Deptford, and her sons - Ryan, 7, and Jack, 4 - were among those who took the shuttle.

"As much as I'm happy to have this here, I can't wait until the traffic dies down," said Braun, a middle school teacher.

Braun had just left the Vera Bradley store, where long lines snaked out front all morning and afternoon. The apparent reason: The store gave a free market tote to the first 100 guests on Thursday. Also, the store offered 50 percent to 70 percent off all signature paisley bags.

"They only allow a certain number of people in at a time," said Braun, who bought two small handbags for $50, instead of paying $50 apiece. "I think it's for safety reasons. The inside is just as packed."

It became a shopping and feeding frenzy.

By noon, there wasn't a seat to grab in the mall's Market Hall of five restaurants. Even the outdoor tables were filled to capacity. There were lines flowing outside the Starbucks and at Auntie Anne's Soft Pretzels. Even the handful of food trucks on the mall's periphery, such as the Cheesesteak Guy for soft tacos, enjoyed steady business.

Self-described "mall rat" Brian Mariano, 34, was impressed. He said he prefers to shop at Philadelphia Premium Outlets in Limerick, Pa., and Jersey Shore Premium Outlets (both owned by Simon) "for better deals." On occasion, he visits Deptford Mall, which is enclosed.

He found his treasure early in the day: a $12.99 workout T-shirt from Reebok - a 35 percent markdown from $19.97. Next stop for Mariano was a JCrew that advertised "$25 off on all jeans," and a 20 percent to 50 percent discount on all other items.

"It's real nice," Mariano, a teaching assistant from Blackwood, said of the new outlet property. "It's nice to have our own" mall.