Mid-Island Plaza' s Beginning
The Mid-Island Shopping Plaza would cost over $40 million dollars to build, and was an open-air mall that was anchored by the 5-level, Queens-based Gertz Department Store. This department store opened for business on October 12, 1956, along with an initial eleven stores selling various goods and services. Among those stores were J.J. Newberry, Bond Clothes, Oppenheim-Collins, National Shoes, Flagg Brothers Shoes, Lodge Coffee Shop, Famous Fashion Shop, a Horn & Hardart Retail Store, S.S. Kresge 5 & 10 and 
Mid-Island Plaza Before the Enclosuretwo supermarkets, Food Fair and First National Store. First National store later morphed into a Shop Rite and then became Pathmark in 1968. Finally closing for good in late1978. Food Fair was rebranded as a Pantry Pride in 1972 and a Hills in 1977 which was finally shuttered in early 1979.
After the initial eleven stores that opened in October 1956, the Mid Island Plaza would be the home of the following stores, all opening in less than a year.
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Albrecht's Arthur Maisels's Restaurant AS Beck Shoes Atlantic Book Shops Baking by Ruth Barricini Candy Bond Clothes Buster Brown Shoes Chandler's Shoes Courtesy Drugs |
Duane's Shoe Eastern Camera Eastern Newsstand Electronic City Farmers Fashion Flagg Brothers’s Shoes Food Fair Store Higgins & Beckett Opticians Horn & Hardart Household Finance Corporation |
J.J. Newberry Jay Dee Kitty Kelly Lerner Shops Little Charmers Loft Candy Long's Chinese Restaurant Lorry's Men's Shop Maternally Yours Mid Island Kosher Meats & Poultry |
National Shoes Oppenheim Collins Raphan Carpets S. S. Kresge Slenderella Stevens The Brown Cow The Lodge Coffee Shop Thom McAn Shoes Woods |
