Circus liquor store moving way from 'evil clown' to new home in Middletown

MIDDLETOWN - Trader Joe's is getting a new neighbor.

After more than 30 years in the same Route 35 location, Circus Wines Beer & Spirits will move its store near the intersection of Kings Highway East to Middletown Plaza, a Route 35 shopping center over a mile away at Harmony Road, said Lou Scaduto Jr., president of Circus Liquors Inc., which owns four liquor stores in Monmouth County.

Circus Liquors has leased a 13,000-square-foot storefront two doors down from Trader Joe's and next to RetroFitness. Currently, Party Fair is in the same space, but it is moving to the former Bottle King store on Route 35 . Scaduto said he hopes the new Middletown Plaza store will open by November 1.

"We just feel that we're better served by moving the business up there," Scaduto said. With neighboring stores, "it just gives more options for the customers to come there. If you are driving into the current location, you are coming there for one reason."

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Circus Wines is the latest change coming to Middletown Plaza. Trader Joe's opened this past spring , remodeling what was formerly a Walgreens. Shake Shack is renovating the former Moe's Southwest Grill .

Middletown Plaza is also in the midst of a $8.9 million makeover. Its owner, Brixmor Property Group, is renovating with a new façade, enhanced landscaping, new pylon signage and trash enclosures and extensive repaving, a project expected to be complete in early 2025.

In a statement, Brixmor said it was excited to welcome Circus Liquors to Middletown Plaza.

"Their addition will complement the center’s current offerings, especially the recently opened Trader Joe’s, which does not currently offer beer or liquor," spokesperson Maria Pace said. "This addition will expand our shoppers’ choices and enhance their overall experience."

It also adds a "longstanding, local business" to the shopping center's redevelopment. "Their presence will bring familiarity and contribute to the overall vibrancy of the shopping center," Pace said. "We look forward to Circus Liquors becoming an integral part of our community servicing residents and visitors alike."

The current Circus Wine, Beers & Spirits location had been a liquor store for a long time. The building was home to a supermarket around 1956 with a liquor store sharing the space in the early 1960s before Circus took over the store in 1991.

The old store sits on a piece of a 52-acre property — a Route 35 landmark with a sign out front featuring Calico, popularly nicknamed the "evil clown" — that's currently involved in litigation over its future.

Weird NJ: Calico, the "evil clown" of Middletown

A redevelopment proposal to build a large shopping center collapsed in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic after Wegmans, a key tenant, backed out and others declared bankruptcy. The developer, National Realty & Development Corp., dropped its plans to build the Shoppes at Middletown, a 342,000-square-foot shopping center.

Since then, another developer has signed a contract to purchase the parcel , and wants to build a 937-unit residential development, including apartments, townhouses and affordable housing units. The contract purchaser, AAMHMT Property Inc. of Wall, has sued the township, asking a judge to allow the residential development.

In February, the township declared the property an area in need of redevelopment so it can condemn the property and move forward with a different developer.

David P. Willis, an award-winning business writer, has covered business, retail, real estate and consumer news at the Asbury Park Press for 27 years. He writes APP.com's What's Going There column and can be reached at dwillis@gannettnj.com. Please sign up for his weekly newsletter and join his What's Going There page on Facebook for updates.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Circus liquor store moving way from 'evil clown' to new home in Middletown