West Windsor mall rearranges its floor plan to add four eateries, furniture and apparel stores

WEST WINDSOR A retail makeover is in store for Princeton MarketFair mall, which is adding four new restaurants and a high-end furniture store, while shuffling a few existing tenants to put them into different slots on the floor plan.

One of the biggest changes will be the relocation of the Barnes & Noble anchor store on the malls south end to a spot formerly occupied by Restoration Hardware.

Barnes & Noble, which has launched into the electronic book market and also is selling more games, toys and gift items these days, aims to open a state-of-the-art book store in the new 28,000-square-foot space. A September 2013 opening is planned. The existing store will remain open during the entire construction period.

The string of new eateries will include Seasons 52, a wine and grill restaurant; Bahama Breeze, offering Caribbean cuisine; Qdoba, a Mexican grill; and Bobby Flays Burger Palace.

The new furniture and housewares retailer is West Elm, a purveyor of uncomplicated, modern designs, which has been operating a store at Nassau Park Boulevard. West Elm and the four new restaurants have all signed leases and will be opening new stores over the next two years, mall officials said in a release.

MarketFair has close to 50 stores. It is operated by Madison Marquette, a Washington, D.C.-based company, under contract from mall owners TIAA-CREF, an investment group.

Other changes are under way.

A week ago, a Banana Republic clothing store relocated from Palmer Square in Princeton Borough to a MarketFair location. The Princeton shop will be converted into a Brooks Brothers clothing store, beginning in June or July, said David Newton of Palmer Square Management.

Seasons 52 and Bahama Breeze will join Eastern Mountain Sports in backfilling the location currently occupied by Barnes & Noble, mall officials said. Seasons 52 will occupy 9,300 square feet with a planned opening in late 2013. Adjacent to Seasons, Bahama Breeze will occupy 8,500 square feet with an anticipated opening in early 2014.

The food court inside MarketFair will close April 22 while the space is redeveloped for the 7,400-square-foot West Elm, which is owned by Williams-Sonoma Stores.

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West Windsor mall rearranges its floor plan to add four eateries, furniture and apparel stores