For years, developers have espoused the virtues of mixed-use development as they brought forward “live, work and play” projects.
The argument went if you built housing near offices and restaurants, you’d create a winning scenario for each element while keeping cars off the road. Where before a large shopping center seemed out of the question, maybe a mix of uses could thrive.
In 2022, Delaware began to see many of these projects come to fruition. In Greenville, Barley Mill Plaza replaced what was an empty DuPont office complex with Wegmans, townhomes, restaurants and some shops. Offices are coming next.
In Newark, The Grove has begun to reimagine College Square shopping center. Kmart and Sears Hardware are gone. Apartments and common space have been built in their place along with fresh facades for the businesses that remained. More restaurants are on the way next year.
Before we turn the page to 2023, here is a list of highlights of what opened in Delaware this year as reported on by Delaware Online/The News Journal. Our roundup on the changes coming to Delaware in 2023 and beyond will be published in the days ahead.
Barley Mill Plaza
In addition to Wegmans, multiple businesses opened this year in the new Barley Mill Plaza at Lancaster Pike and Centre Road in Greenville.
Among the businesses that opened are Performance Physical Therapy & Fitness; ChristianaCare GoHealth Urgent Care; Maura Grace Boutique; First Watch, a Florida-based chain serving American-style breakfast, brunch and lunch; and kaffe KARMA., a coffee shop with yoga classes.
Others on the way include McGlynns Pub and La Tolteca.
Boot Barn
The California-based Western wear and boot store made its Delaware entrance with two new stores in 2022.
In March, Boot Barn took over the former Modell’s Sporting Goods in Center Pointe Plaza off Churchmans Road. Four months later, the company opened a second store in the Dover Commons shopping center next to the Dover Mall on Route 13. The Dover store replaced a Pier 1 Imports.
Boot Barn calls itself the largest Western and workwear retailer in the country. The staples of Boot Barn’s offerings are its cowboy-style boots for men and women. Boot Barn also sells cowboy hats and jeans, and in recent years expanded to baseball hats, hiking boots, dresses and other fashion-forward items in an attempt to broaden its customer base.
The products come from a mix of Boot Barn’s own brands and outside brands such as Wrangler, Levi’s, John Deere and Carhartt.
Christiana Mall
Several new stores and restaurants opened inside the Christiana Mall, including:
- Gilly Hicks: an underwear, loungewear and activewear store that with Hollister replaced the Abercrombie & Fitch and Abercrombie Kids stores
- Hollister: geared toward teens, a California-inspired clothing store
- Lululemon: an athletic apparel store in the former Anthropologie
- Tommy’s Tavern + Tap: an upscale sports bar in the former JB Dawson’s
- Tio Taco + Tequila Bar: a “modern flare” on Mexican cuisine in the former California Pizza Kitchen
DSU Riverfront
Delaware State University made its return to Wilmington in 2022, taking over the former Capital One building on the Wilmington Riverfront.
The university held an event in February as it began to move into the six-story office building. It will headquarter the university’s school for graduate, adult and continuing education students, a new partnership with Teen Warehouse’s workforce development center and an incubation hub for small businesses with a focus on minority- and women-owned companies.
The acquisition of the building is one of several moves made recently by DSU to expand. The university in July finalized its deal for Dover’s Wesley College. In 2020, it built a $5.5 million molecular diagnostic lab at its Kirkwood Highway facility.
The Grove at Newark
The Grove at Newark − Fusco Management’s reimagining of Newark’s College Square shopping center − began to take shape in 2022.
Residents began moving into the development’s apartments in the fall. Bonchon, a Korean fried chicken restaurant, and Jersey Mike’s, a sub shop, became the first major new tenants in the retail portion of the development. Businesses announced in 2022 that are coming next year include the fast-food chicken restaurant Raising Cane’s and the Mexican sit-down restaurant Del Pez.
NERDiT NOW
The electronics startup that grew to local fame after an appearance on “Shark Tank” and earned notoriety for refurbishing computers for students during the pandemic expanded to Riverside in December.
Founder Markevis Gideon is transforming the company from a small retail repair shop in Stanton’s First State Plaza to the state’s only R2-certified electronics recycler. NERDiT NOW took over the warehouse across from Eastside Charter School previously used by Second Chances Farms.
READ MORE: How this Delaware nerd fosters entrepreneurship as NERDiT NOW expands
Pike Creek Community Hardware
Pike Creek Community Hardware opened earlier this year in part of the former Kmart in Limestone Road’s Pike Creek Shopping Center.
It’s the fourth in a line of family-owned hardware stores under the Community Hardware umbrella, joining stores in Smyrna, Laurel and Pennsville, New Jersey.
To the left of Pike Creek Community Hardware when viewed from the parking lot, Edge Fitness is planning to take the rest of the Kmart space in fall 2023. The Kmart closed in 2019.
The Quoin
Wilmington’s first luxury boutique hotel and rooftop bar opened earlier this year.
The 24-room hotel at Sixth and North Market streets houses a trio of culinary concepts including the ground-floor Quoin Restaurant. It also delivers a rooftop with an indoor bar and lounge that opens up to a roof deck with views of the city landscape and an outdoor fireplace.
The building that now houses Quoin was first opened as the Security Trust & Safe Deposit Co. more than 135 years ago.
Staybridge Suites
After three years of planning and construction, a Florida-based real estate firm completed the conversion of an 11-story office building in downtown Wilmington to a 134-room hotel.
At a cost of $31 million, Driftwood Capital sees the hotel as an opportunity to capitalize on the business market in the city. A Staybridge Suites, the hotel features suite-style rooms, a lounge, fitness center, shops and a business center. It’s located at 1220 N. Market St.
Wegmans
After years of anticipation, Delaware’s first Wegmans opened in late October in the new Barley Mill Plaza.
More than 150 people were lined up to enter the new store at Lancaster Pike and Centre Road ahead of its grand opening. It’s since seen regular large crowds. At around 84,000 square feet, the store follows Wegmans’ newer, smaller format.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Wegmans in Delaware and beyond
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Contact Brandon Holveck at bholveck@delawareonline.com. Follow him on Twitter @holveck_brandon.
