New Stores Set to Arrive Others Leave This Summer

Candace Braun

As J.E. Caldwell & Co. liquidates its jewelry stock in preparation to vacate its facility at the end of the month, plans are underway for Polo Ralph Lauren to move into the store, located at 54 Nassau Street, in October.

In addition Zoe, a women's clothing boutique which now occupies two locations in Palmer Square, will be moving into a single, larger store this fall.

Polo Ralph Lauren recently signed a deal with Palmer Square Management and a rendering of the new storefront has been etched out by the company, which has been in discussions with Jerry Ford, owner of Ford 3 Architects, LLC.

"Construction plans were submitted last week, but [Polo] is still looking for a contractor," said Mr. Ford.

He said that once Polo receives building permits renovations will begin.

Caldwell, which has been at its Princeton location since 1999, replaced La Vake's, another jewelry store. Before that the store was a restaurant, as well as two different candy stores, said Mr. Ford.

In addition to Caldwell closing, The Gap and Mother, and Baby & Co. will also be vacating their stores on June 30. Zoe will be taking over The Gap's location at 11 Hulfish Street in mid October.

According to David Newton, vice president of Palmer Square Management, Zoe started out as a 500-square-foot store, and has undergone three expansions. Now, Zoe will be expanding from a 1,900-square-foot facility to a 3,700-square-foot facility, combining both its clothing store and shoe store into one. The store will also now carry men's and maternity clothing, said Lisa Brock, the store's owner.

"The space is much larger," said Ms. Brock. "We wanted to add to our collections, and combine our women's clothing and shoes together into one area."

Some of the maternity lines the store will now carry include Citizens of Humanity, Juicy, and Diane Von Furstenberg. There will be an emphasis on denim jeans in this department, said Ms. Brock.

Men's clothing lines will include Diesel, Paper Denim, G-Star, Marc Jacobs, Earl Jeans, and Lacoste. Puma sneakers for men will also be available, and others may be added later on, said the owner.

New tenants for the stores that Zoe is vacating have not yet been found, said Mr. Newton.

"I've been talking to a few prospective [tenants], but have not committed to anything yet," he said.

A Subway Surprise

Subway, a fast-food franchise found in more than 20,000 locations nationwide, will soon take over the space vacated last fall by the French restaurant Les Copains. The store is scheduled to open at 18 Witherspoon Street some time this summer.

Currently there are three other Subway store locations in the Princeton area, in the Princeton Forestal Village, on Nassau Park Boulevard, and at the Ellsworth Center in Princeton Junction.

A Subway representative was unable to provide additional information about the new store location.

A top competitor for Subway will be Quizno's, which opened this spring in the Princeton Shopping Center. Other sandwich shops located near the new Subway are Olive's, just a few stores away on Witherspoon Street, along with Hoagie Haven, located on Nassau Street.