By JOSEPH P. SMITH
Staff Writer
MILLVILLE — A July 31 “soft opening” is planned for an Ashley Furniture HomeStore that is to be the retail anchor for the rejuvenated Wheaton Plaza shopping center.


The North High Street center has been under renovation since October. The furniture outlet is taking over space that was vacant for almost four years.

Ron Kincaid, a regional manager for Crest, disclosed the opening date Monday. A grand opening will take place in August. The store will have about 47,400 square feet of show space.

Kincaid, a Vineland resident, was a guest at the Millville Industrial Commission meeting. He praised city officials for helping advance the project.

“We’ve opened stores throughout the state of New Jersey,” Kincaid said. “And never in any locale of any city, county, has there been such ease of working with the city.”

The Ashley store is a Crest Furniture Co. operation. Crest has a licensing agreement with Ashley Furniture Industries to sell its products.

Crest, doing business as Wheaton Plaza LLC, bought the center in December 2004.

Kincaid said the Ashley product line targets “middle America.” The store itself is divided into 21 distinct zones, different not only in product but down to their music and lighting.

“You can get lost,” he said.

The center also has landed a Pizza Hut, relocated from Route 47 in Millville; a Huntington Learning Center tutoring service location; an Allstate Insurance office; and Landi Pool & Games, a relocation from Vineland.

“And there are two other businesses,” Kincaid said. “We’re running out of space. So things are going very well. We’re very happy.”

Kim Wood, Cumberland County’s marketing director, also was at the meeting. It was the county that interested Crest in Wheaton Plaza.

Wood said Kincaid recently joined the county’s Economic Development Board.

Originally published July 11, 2013