Shopping areas of Long Island: Lake Grove

November 20, 10:02 PMLong Island City Guide ExaminerJohn Myers

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One of the largest concentrations of retail shopping on Long Island is located deep in the heart of Suffolk County’s North Shore, along Nesconset Highway in the towns of Nesconset, Lake Grove and East Setauket. The shopping district is immense, with retail shops on both sides of the highway and anchored by the Smithaven Mall at the intersection of Route 347 (Nesconset Hwy.) and Middle Country Rd. Here’s a rundown of what’s around:

Smithaven Mall

The Smithaven Mall covers 1.4 million square feet of retail space, and over the years has steadily metamorphosized from the earlier, simpler mall it was when it first opened in 1969, to the posh mega mall it is today. The shopping center has over 140 stores in all, anchored by Macy’s, Sears, and J.C. Penney Department stores. In recent years, an old A&S/Stern’s Department store building was torn down to create an posh outdoor area with Cheesecake Factory, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Barnes and Noble Booksellers amidst beautiful fountains and seating areas. The Smithaven Mall has it all, from the GAP to Abercrombie & Fitch to Williams and Sonoma and more. Shoppers would be hard pressed to walk away from this mall without bags full of goods in their arms.

Surrounding Shopping Centers

Adjacent to the Smithaven Mall are three other major shopping centers. To the west of the mall lies a small, but useful shopping strip with a more localized form of retail choices, such as a couple of banks, a liquor store, a stationery store, and the fabulous Umberto’s Pizzeria. The most visited store in this center is no doubt Trader Joe’s organic supermarket, filled with exotic and delicious delicacies not found anywhere else. A trip to the mall is not complete without a side trip to Trader Joe’s.

To the south of the Smithaven Mall, across Middle Country Rd. (Route 25) is another large shopping center with some great retail shopping, dining, and even a gym for working out. Located here is the popular DSW Shoe Warehouse, Petco, Houlihan’s restaurant, and Bally’s Total Fitness. There’s also a great Hallmark store and a Stop n Shop supermarket here.

On the north side of the Smithaven Mall is yet another large shopping area, containing Sport’sAuthority, Borders Books and Music, and a grand Marshall’s Home Goods Store, where you can find great bargains on things for the whole house. A multi-theater AMC Loews complex is also located near the Marshall’s store.

Further East

If you continue to travel eastward on Nesconset Highway, you will soon come across another small area of retail shops, in the town of East Setauket, which is about 4 ½ miles from the Smithaven Mall. Here, you’ll find a BJ’s Wholesale outlet, BestBuy, Target, Wal-Mart, Kohl’s Department Store, and Ethan Allen and La-Z-Boy furniture shops.

There you have it! This approximately five-mile stretch of highway is home to everything a shopper could want, from bargain hunting to upscale shops and a plethora of places to dine. So if you’re looking for a great place to do all of that Christmas shopping, Lake Grove is a great place to be!

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smith_Haven_Mall