The Elizabeth Center is a power center located off Exit 13A on the New Jersey Turnpike in Elizabeth, New Jersey. The location near the exit is incorporated into the center's logo, as El13Abeth Center. The first tenant, IKEA, opened in 1990. It is right next to the Jersey Gardens mall and also located in an Urban Enterprise Zone.
Built on a former landfill, in 1990 the Swedish-based home furnishings store, IKEA, opened. It became very successful, and by the mid-1990s, an Incredible Universe store opened next to IKEA. Toys "R" Us Kid's World, a prototype store also opened which included 100000square feet. of space, including Toys "R" Us, Kids "R" Us, Babies "R" Us, the Warner Bros. store, Kids Foot Locker, a photo studio, children's hair salon, play area, candy store and Pizza Hut.
The IKEA store was renovated and expanded in 1998. The Incredible Universe store was closed in 1996 after the chain went under. In 1997, Here Comes The Place, "RexPlex", a large indoor theme park, skate park, and arena park. It also featured a soccer field in the parking lot. It closed in 2004 and the soccer field has since been paved over. In 2011, Big Lots was opened next to Toys "R" Us and Babies "R" Us. All Toys "R" Us and Babies "R" Us stores closed in 2018, and Big Lots closed in 2019. A Raymour & Flanigan was also opened in the former RexPlace in 2019 with Floor & Decor to be opened in the former Big Lots and the joint Toys R Us and Babies "R" Us location in the future.[1]