Gateway Center

This is my updated review of the Gateway Center (a/​k/​a Bronx Terminal Market). Which is, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
I have a car now and you still have to pay to park but watch out on «Event Days.» This means after 3 hours, the rate goes from $ 3.00 to (I think) $ 25.00 if you stay longer than 3 hours. Or whatever the «Event Price» is. So forget about hanging out at this «mall» all day long. It means hurry up and get out. Pick one store to do your shopping unless you want to get fined (because that’s what it feels like). Oh sure, the Bx13 bus stops closer to the mall now but I don’t even bother because it is so infrequent and unreliable. The taxi/​gypsy problem still exists. I heard prayer works with this situation.
The layout still sucks. It is not pedestrian friendly. I cannot add or subtract anything from my previous review about this situation. The same for the eating situation. No fast food or no real restaurant. They really need to put something here to get people to stay and shop. If I have to go outside to get something to eat, I am not coming back to shop some more because I am done. Chances are it will be too much of a hassle between the traffic and gypsy/​taxi people. Think about it, if you are on line to pay in BJ’s and you feel like a little snack but the factory, pumped-​out «food» in their café doesn’t do it for you, you are going to have to trek all the way back to 161^st Street to get anything worth buying. Now, are you really going to come back all the way to the Gateway Center to go to Bed, Bath & Beyond after that? Check the «no» box on that one. Everyone just wants to go home and take a nap after all that.
Staples is closed and some dollar store is there. Don’t we have enough of that in the Bronx already? Do we need another one IN the damn mall because they are so hard to find OUTSIDE the mall? At least they opened up Michael’s again. Yaye.

I came here with my family and my bf. We were just in the area after visiting Mitsuwa and wanted to do some shopping. I visited Michaels, Target, and Bed Baths and Beyond. People there were very nice and friendly, making it a good shopping experience for us. I believe it was Target that had a Starbucks inside? The gentleman working there at the time was very patient and provided superior service. I think it was around closing time so he was starting to clean up but when I approached with questions, he was very nice and polite about it. My drink was made fairly quickly and was good (cotton candy).
It is sad to say that service like this is not offered at many places.
The workers in this area earned these stars.
However, I do wish they had more shops here. The one in Brooklyn offers more.

This «mall» is within walking distance of my house, but I’d rather go elsewhere to shop. Trekking through parking lots, just to shop in more than one store, is a nuisance (especially for those of us who have mobility impairments). The quality of merchandise available here is poor; in particular, the cat food selections in Target are well priced, but the shelves are not plentifully stocked. The only store that met my expectations was Staples –and it’s gone. What really pushes me over the edge into anger is the presence and aggressive behavior of the «taxi» drivers– they are not TLC licensed, so entering their vehicles is essentially at your own risk. No thanks, Gateway Center; shopping should be a pleasure, not a nuisance!

My husband and I have been there numerous times, we have purchased big ticket items from best buy and from raymour & Flanigan, not counting all the money we spent in Target and Bed bath and beyond, if you went in and the store had closed or you got out in less that 10 min. Or so you didn’t have to pay for parking. How ever today we went in Best Buy was closed so we left, getting to the gate we had to pay for parking even though we were there for less than 8 min. Not only that we went to the cashier to let them know, he said you need to pay, and charged us .75 more, why? .
As much money as we have spent there, for $ 3 and a bad sense of business they lost my shopping all together.
Not coming back.

The Gateway Center is convenient because it’s in the Bronx but I rather get a ride to a better shopping area. It is nice to have some of these stores in the borough but I still prefer to shop online and have the items delivered to me to avoid having to go to this place. I think it is a great idea for those who live in walking distances but unless I’m already in the area I wouldn’t choose to go here to shop.

This getaway center is very convenience to buy, the bronx really needed a place like this. Beside it generated jobs and provide certain services such BJ’s wholesale which one help the community to save money. The only thing and that is why I do not gave 5 starts is the cab services it is a mess.

Ok, ok, ok. It’s da Boogie Down Bronx. It’s not the Upper East Side, it’s not Long Island, it’s not Wichita. It’s Da Bronx. I live in Harlem right across the 145^th Street Bridge and the Gateway Center has been a godsend. I don’t have to go to Jersey! I don’t have to go to the worst-​Target-​in-​America: Brooklyn. I can get in my car and drive ten minutes and there’s a Marshalls, Home Depot, Target, Bed, Bath & Beyond, and Best Buy. Yes, the Marshalls is a strewn-​filled horror where no one speaks English and the lines stretch out to creation, and don’t even try to go into the Staples the night before the first day of school (don’t even ask but it’s completely my fault) but there’s a Home Depot! Real trees at Christmas! A Target! That actually has items on the shelves! And not too long lines! And yes, the Gateway Center layout makes absolutely no sense and God help you if you shop there the day of a Yankee game or on the weekends but you can’t have everything! I haven’t dared venture into the BJ’s but that’s because, well, just the idea of it scares me but that’s just me. I haven’t borne witness to any fighting or bloodshed, it’s $ 3 bucks to park and I’ve been able to get nearly everything I need each time I go there — food processors, sheets, back-​to-​school supplies, jeans, endless, endless stuff — and a live Christmas tree!

This place blows and is an embarrassment to the borough.
You can’t seriously tell us you’re giving us economic growth when all you give us are crappy malls with crappy chain stores and crappy chain restaurants. Minimum wage jobs and Black Friday madness are not ways to help communities thrive. They’re temporary solutions to a larger problem.
The Gateway Center promised us jobs, shopping, and a place to socialize. Instead, we got a giant parking lot decorated with a Target, a BJs, and a few other stores obviously owned by the TJX company, all coming to a low-​end mall complex near you.
First of all, this place is nearly impossible to navigate. Escalators lead you to random floors and stores are separated from each other by the massive parking structure. Now, tell me, why would you put a massive parking lot in the South Bronx?! Barely anyone drives around here! You should have focused on BUS accessibility. The Bx13 should not have to let people off in the snake pit of taxi guys.
Aside from the abysmal aesthetic of the mall, the stores are downright awful. The Target’s shelves were bare. The Burlington Coat Factory didn’t even have any jackets. The Marshall’s line was ridiculous. I don’t think the Michael’s is even there anymore (if anyone could tell me I’d appreciate it).
I’m getting really disgusted with the Bronx’ politicians telling us that growth and development are these crappy box stores. If this is what they want to do with the Kingsbridge Armory, give me a first class ticket out of here, please.

This has got to be one of the worst «malls» I been to. The Target here is extremely unorganized, messy and not nearly as good as the other ones I’ve been to, the one by Kingsbridge is 100 times better. The other stores aren’t any better, having a Burlington and Marshalls right next to each other is stupid considering they both are extremely alike. Overall this isn’t a place I would reccomend unless someone was in the area and needed a few things, and it’s not a place I would shop at regularly either.

There is a Gateway Center in Brooklyn, ENY. Similar stores, Im assuming owned by the same builders or whatever you call them.
Brooklyn is way better and I’m not being patriotic.
They should’ve built an actual indoor mall like location in place of this since the bronx doesnt have one. This was poorly constructed and a waste of parking lot space. Its always empty and people usually park on the street when its a little later.
The layout really does suck. And i feel like some of the smaller stores close too early. But I guess they arent getting business.
2 stars but I’ll add another because I actually like the stores inside.

Horrible mall. go to Fulton or Jamaica Ave… hell Flatbush… If you go to Gateway. you go for what you need and leave ASAP!!!

Who the heck thought of the layout of this place??! There should be no reason why I should have to trek through the parking lot to reach a store on the other side! This is the dumbest layout ever. Such a poor use of space! Now that I have vented on that part, on to my second complaint. It is soo busy on the weekends especially near BJs. You can barely navigate through the store. The only reason I use to go to this shopping center was to go to Michael’s when I needed tto pick up baking supplies. Overall this place may not be too bad on a Wednesday morning but I wouldn’t know because I’m at work, I’m just assuming since the world and their moms go there between Friday afternoon and Sunday night. Avoid it if you can.

This is an odd sort of place, but typical of 2000’s urban development. With more higher-​income families choosing to stay in the city and more lower-​income families looking for places to shop in their under-​retailed neighborhoods, big chains have been finding ways to create their typical big box stores in forgotten ex-​industrial spaces inside the 5 boros. River Center in Kingsbridge, the new Target in East Harlem, Atlantic Center in Brooklyn, etc. This one is no different. It is not a mall, it is not an amenity built for nearby residents. It simply represents a series of big box stores like you would find at a power center in Oklahoma City, only here they are stacked on top of each other next to the Deegan expressway and connected to local sidewalks. The hope of the developers was obviously to capture some of that northbound suburban commuter traffic while also attracting city families with cars (there are a lot more of these than you think in Upper Manhattan, Riverdale, etc.). Local pedestrians are an afterthought even though they make up most of the shoppers — the main «mall» was simply not designed for them. (Note — there are pedestrian friendly small shops farther south on River Drive at the old Terminal Market building but these are not the main draw and have struggled to attract tenants).
That said, if you are looking for a certain product at a nationally advertised price, this power center is great. Easy to get to by car, confusing to navigate but lots of parking spots, and quiet if you go at the right times. On weekends, especially holiday weekends, look out as the stores can get super crowded with large crowds looking for the deals in the only place they can easily get to. I was at the Toys R Us two weeks before Christmas and waited 27 minutes in line at the checkout. 27 minutes!
Also, note that the initial 3^rd floor plan with a sort of indoor mall section and smaller tenants, including a Michaels, utterly failed due to the anti-​local, anti-​pedestrian design. These are now closed and a Burlington Coat Factory will be taking their place.

An ABOBINATION to HUMANITY.
Been to Malls in Paris, Madrid, Virginia, and other places around the World and this by far is the MOST HORRIFIC MALL ever built.
It Looks more Like Jail, it is anti-​Human. No Food Court sends a sign…“SHOP, GIVE US YOUR MONEY, & Leave. Developers & Designers showed NO COMPASSION, or RESPECT to the People who shop at this Mall. It is an atrocity to humanity. I rather take my Cash somewhere else where it is appreciated. NO Chairs, NO shopping Carts and to top it off you have to PAY TO PARK & SHOP. Please… only desperation will get me to shop at this Psuedo Facist Mall.

Pathetic excuse for a mall, but I guess its not really a mall. I like the fact that they have a lot of different stores that people around the area need. Target, BJs, and Bed Bath are definitely nice to have around this otherwise desolate neighborhood. But this complex was designed for the basic necessities in shopping. There isn’t a food court, and a lot of the smaller chains like conway and rainbow are already out of business because target and BJs occupy most people’s attention when they get here. I don’t like the fact that you have to walk across a parking lot to get to the other side of the center. It’s dangerous for kids who are running around, not to mention there are crazy livery cabs rampaging all over the place.
This place get way too packed on the weekends, especially by BJs, but its because of how its built, it doesn’t give people enough space to chill out and there is absolutely no sitting space for those who’ve travelled a long way to shop and want to take a breather before they go back. There are also tons of stray shopping carts. I do like the view of the Harlem River from the center, and they built a cute park/​tennis courts right near this place. But they have ton’s of space near the bronx terminal market to make it into a full functioning mall with places to sit, and a food court for people to hang out, it would be nice to see more smaller stores too, and cafes and healthier options for food.

I live right over the bridge from the gateway mall, very convenient to get to. I don’t like the design because you have to go from one side to the other you have to go through the parking lot, don’t recommend doing that at night. The worst part about the mall is the price gauging by the taxi company that sit in the parking lot. I go to BJ’s a lot and it shouldn’t cost me 15 dollars to go over the bridge into Harlem. I am going to renew my Costco card and go to that mall. The service is much better and you don’t have the nasty cab drivers trying to rip you off. They have a great system for taxi service at the 116^th Street mall, next cab; take the next passenger none of this where are you going $ 15.00 crap.

The best thing about the Gateway Center is that it is open 24 hours, 7 days a week (according to their website) and they have pretty much every staple store you need for your house (home improvement, grocery, electronics, etc.). They also have a taxi service for people who don’t have a car and have too much stuff to carry on the train or the bus. After that, it all goes downhill.
As another reviewer put it, this is New York City. Major shopping centers should be designed with accessibility and ease of use as the first thing that comes to mind. While this place is pretty well located– you can take the subway (2,4,5, B or D trains), the bus (BX1 or BX19) or even the Metro North (Hudson line) — you’re going to still have to walk a bit to get there, which I can imagine is very hard if you are laden with shopping bags/​carts or small children. Many people there usually are. And once you arrive? It’s a nightmare to figure out how to get anywhere.
Unlike more suburban malls designed with the mall itself as the epicenter and the parking lots and garages circling it, the Gateway Center is designed so that the parking garage is right in the middle (who drives in this city??) and you have to cross through it to get to stores that you want to visit. Sure, there’s a Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, Best Buy and Home Depot (my staples) plus Marshall’s, BJ’s, Raymour & Flanagan and Toys R Us, but unless you spend time beforehand planning out how you’re going to maneuver your way around all of them, you’re shit out of luck., because some of the stores don’t let you bring their shopping carts around with you.
I bought a CARTFUL of stuff at BB&B, only to have them tell me I couldn’t bring the shopping cart around the mall with me. It was too much to carry, even for two people, so I had to stay with everything while my boyfriend ran to Target on the other side of the garage to get one of THEIR carts, which we then reloaded with my stuff and walked back to Target with to continue shopping. So incredibly inconvenient. What they should do is have shopping carts that belong to the mall, not the individual stores, keep them in a central location on each level, and let people walk around with them to do their shopping. But whatever.
Also, there’s a serious lack of food options– that is, unless you’re OK with Applebee’s. I personally can’t think of anything more depressing than an Applebee’s with a view of a parking garage located in the middle of a mall filled with home improvement stores. Maybe that’s just me, though.
In the end, it’s OK for a one-​stop shopping trip if you know what you need, how to get to the stores that sell what you need and either don’t need a lot or have your own car in which to store your stuff from one store while you shop in another. Anything else is just way too much work for a place that should be designed with convenience in mind.

EXTREMELY awkward design. It is NOT a typical mall. There are a few nice stores BUT you have to drive to each one.
If you want to exit the «mall,» good luck. It’ll take you at least 15 mins to figure out how to.

I visited the Gateway Center today only to drop off an application at BedBath&Beyond, so I really didn’t get a full look around at the whole Center. However from what I’ve seen so far, it’s a nice Center. It’s clean [for now] and the environment looks nice. It’s only about 3 blocks away from the train station[2,4,5] which is convenient. I can walk to GunHill Road train station in 5 minutes, and be at the Gateway Center in about 30 minutes. I love this!!! The elevators are big (can fit probably 7 – 8 carts). I agree that the layout of the floors could have been better, but other than that, there aren’t any other major flaws I see. The Pros definitely outweighs the Cons here…
By the way, the areas near the elevators stinks… and i think the parking lots I passed do too, but I don’t have a car, so I haven’t really gone throughout all the parking lots. The smell isn’t horrible, just a noticeable minor flaw.
One suggestion I have is an outside sitting area with scenery on the 6^th level or some kind of resting spot so that they can add some visual appeal to the place. Although, the stores they have there already are very appealing. Hope it don’t end up like Manhattan Mall[a.k.a catastrophe].

What? There’s a new mall within the five boroughs that’s been open for five months and I’m the first person to review it on Unilocal?If the Gateway Center was in Brooklyn, it would have 50 reviews by now! I know Unilocal is heavily biased toward Manhattan and Brooklyn, but this is just silly.
That said, I live in the Bronx, and I made my first trip to the Gateway Center myself just this week, out of Christmas shopping necessities. It sure is a queer place! Like every shopping mall, all the stores face in to a common area. Unlike other shopping malls, this common area is a parking garage. Srsly. The odd numbered floors are on the north side of the mall, the even numbered floors are on the south side of the mall, and if you want to walk from Target on floor 5, to Best Buy on floor 6, you have to walk through the parking garage and up concrete stairs to get there. Totally weird. This is New York City. People use subways and buses, not cars. So the parking garage is mostly empty. Whoever designed this place is a stranger to the city. You won’t be lingering around the Gateway Center because it’s not an appealing pedestrian environment. It makes you want to buy what you came to buy, and go home.
The parking garage common area is the only reason I’ve removed a star. Otherwise, this place is great! It’s only a few blocks from the 149^th St — Grand Concourse stop on the 2, 4 and 5 subway lines. Yes, it’s the South Bronx, but don’t be scared. You will be walking through the campus of Hostos Community College, and a heavily car trafficked area. I didn’t see a sketchy person in sight.
The Target is simply amazing. It’s huge and has a full supermarket inside. It’s very well stocked, unlike the Targets at Atlantic Center and Marble Hill, which always seem to be picked over. I didn’t visit all of the shops, but for sake of convenience, here’s a list: The Home Depot, Staples, Toys R Us /​Babies R Us, Raymour & Flanagan, Marshall’s, Bed Bath & Beyond, Best Buy, BJ’s Wholesale Club.