Kings Plaza
Kings Plaza is a shopping center that opened in 1970, within the Marine Park/Mill Basin section of Brooklyn, east of Flatbush Avenue. Owned by Vornado Realty Trust, Kings Plaza originally hosted the now-defunct Alexander's (itself owned by Vornado before being wound down), as well as Macy's department store chains. It began to operate a branch of Sears in 1997, and underwent extensive renovations in 2001.
With approximately 4,200 jobs in retail services and over 120 individual stores, Kings Plaza is the largest such shopping center within the borough of Brooklyn.
It is home to the world's first Sbarro pizza outlet.
Unlike traditional malls in the United States, shoppers visiting Kings Plaza have to pay for parking their cars on mall premises. The parking fee is currently $3 per vehicle. Kings Plaza closed its outdoor parking lot, where a Lowe's home and hardware store has been built.
The mall acts as a terminal for the bus routes in the area. The B2, B9, B41, B46, and B47 terminate there, and the B3 and Q35 serve the mall as an intermediate stop.
[edit] Reputation
In its opening years, Kings Plaza was regarded as Brooklyn's mall of choice. For the 1970s and 1980s, Kings Plaza was considered to be an ideal family place with a carousel for children as well as offering many name brand stores. The mall's reputation swiftly declined in the 1990s and has been noted by many customers as the worst mall in Brooklyn. Over the years, although massive renovations have taken place to improve the mall, patrons still criticize the selection of stores offered, the "unfriendly" employees, maintenance, and the surrounding area that has been becoming more dangerous over the years. Another common complaint is the removal of the bookstore, food court, and the parking fee.
