STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Empire Outlets — New York City’s first outlet mall, located on the St. George waterfront — will mark its grand opening Wednesday evening.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 7 p.m., followed by a private party for about 600 VIP guests, according to Joseph Ferrara, principal of BFC Partners and the Outlets’ developer.
Come Thursday, the site will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
While the project — estimated to cost $304 million and infused with $47 million in state subsidies — has been hindered with a series of opening delays, developers say the retail center is currently 80 percent leased.
When finished, the site will feature more than 100 designer outlet retailers and a 1,250-space parking garage.
“We couldn’t be more excited to deliver this world-class space for the people of Staten Island,” Ferrara told the Advance.
Exclusive: Sneak peek of Empire Outlets: Here’s the list of stores opening in May
The Advance got a tour of NYC’s first outlet mall, opening next week.
On Wednesday evening, there will be mobile food units open to the public, including Food Network’s darling personality and Eltingville’s own Dom Tesoriero with his Mac Truck; Waffle de Lys; Abeetz Wood-Fired Pizza; Cousin’s Maine Lobster, and German Christmas Market, a tricked-out truck with a “Frohe Weihnachten” theme and bratwursts.
Cocktails will be available for purchase during the evening. Roving fashion shows are planned, as are street performances and live music.
Permanent food vendors will begin to open in July with initial tenants Shake Shack, Wasabi Steak & Sushi, Mammoons and MRKTPL, an artisanal food hall. While that section of the Outlets is being completed, there will be a battery of gourmet mobile food units in place for the thousands of shoppers anticipated to pass daily through the complex.
In a separate promotion for the opening, Empire Outlets is giving away a $1,500 shopping spree for those who register online.
Empire Outlets will open in phases between now and the summer, according to the developers.
While the parking lot will be open Thursday for shoppers, it will not be open for the ribbon-cutting event. In addition, the grand staircase that leads up to the St. George Ferry Terminal will open Thursday.
STORES OPENING IN MAY
According to Empire Outlets, the following stores will open in May:
- Walgreens
- Lids
- Nike
- Old Navy
- Gap
- Banana Republic
- Samsonite
- H&M
- GNC
- Francesca’s
- Guess
- Jockey
- Columbia Sporting Goods
- Brooks Brothers
- US Polo Assn
- True Religion
- Starbucks
- Wetzel’s