What Should Open at 340 Pompton Ave?

In a large strip center on Route 23 in Verona, the sign atop an enormous 46,492-square-foot retail space remains blank.

Mandee, a clothing store, most recently occupied the space at 340 Pompton Ave. The large, empty lot sits amid big retailers like King’s Supermarket, Platinum Fitness, Staples, Party Fair, and Annie Sez.

The old Blockbuster, which was next-door to Mandee, was also closed for a period of time, leaving two vacant spaces next to each other. However in April, into the Blockbuster space. There is one more vacant space in the Pilgrim Plaza shopping center, which is the old .

A new business would take advantage of the consumer traffic from other businesses in the center, the large parking lot, and the visibility from Route 23.

So this is where you come in, Verona and Cedar Grove community. The concept behind this column is we’ll present a vacant building and ask you to tell us what you think would be the best use of the vacant space.

Here's the fun part: Forget what zone it’s in. Ignore setback regulations, as well as dump lot coverage rules and all the other zoning jargon that puts most people to sleep.

Our bottom line: If you had your way, what would you like to see there? What would be the best use of the space for the community?

To make this work, this can’t be a one-sided conversation. We want to hear from you in our comments section. And, please, let us know if there’s a vacant space/building you know of as well we can feature in a future column.

Send emails about vacant buildings or stores to Essex County Associate Regional Editor Jack Durschlag at jack.durschlag@patch.com.