Three major shifts are converging on Monmouth and Ocean County. Here is what they mean for your business.
For most of its history, the Jersey Shore economy has moved to a familiar rhythm. Summer drives traffic and revenue. Fall brings a quieter stretch. Winter belongs to the locals. Spring begins the buildup again. That cycle has anchored shore businesses for generations, and for a long time, understanding it was most of what you needed to know.
That rhythm is not disappearing. But something is shifting beneath it. Three significant developments are unfolding simultaneously across Monmouth and Ocean County, and together they represent a level of economic change that most local business owners have not fully processed yet. A billion-dollar studio complex is rising from a former Army base. One of the region’s most iconic landmarks is being rebuilt from the ground up. And the broader small business environment is navigating a set of national pressures that are landing differently depending on how well a business is positioned.
None of this is reason for alarm. Most of it is reason for preparation. The owners who move now will be better positioned than those who wait until the changes are impossible to ignore.
Netflix at Fort Monmouth: A Long-Term Shift, Not a One-Time Story
On January 12, 2026, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos stood in Oceanport alongside New Jersey’s outgoing and incoming governors to officially celebrate the closing of the 292-acre Mega Parcel at Fort Monmouth. The deal, a $55 million land acquisition, marked the formal beginning of what the company is calling Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth, a $1 billion production hub that will transform a former U.S. Army installation into one of the largest studio complexes on the East Coast.
The numbers are worth sitting with for a moment. 12 soundstages totaling nearly 500,000 square feet. A hotel, theater, retail space, and visitor attractions. A projected economic impact of $4 billion statewide. Thousands of construction jobs in the near term, thousands more permanent positions once the facility opens. Phase one, four soundstages in Oceanport, is targeted for 2027. Phase two follows in 2028.
For local business owners, the temptation is to absorb this as background news, a big-picture development with long-term implications but no immediate bearing on daily operations. That would be a mistake. Productions bring people, and people spend money, on food, lodging, services, supplies, and entertainment. Netflix has already filmed nearly 20 titles in New Jersey over the past year and currently employs over 500 people on two active productions in the state. That activity will only grow as the campus takes shape.
The businesses that benefit most from this development will not be the ones who react to it after it arrives. They will be the ones who have already built the visibility, reputation, and digital presence to be found when a location scout, a crew member, or a production vendor needs a local vendor.
What This Means Now: You do not need to wait until 2027 to start positioning your business for what Netflix will bring to the Jersey Shore. Building your digital presence, local SEO, and brand authority now puts you ahead of the businesses that will start scrambling when construction is finished.
Monmouth Square: The Reinvention of a Regional Anchor
A few miles from Fort Monmouth, another transformation is already well underway. Monmouth Mall, a Route 35 institution that has served Monmouth County since 1960, is being torn down and rebuilt as Monmouth Square, a $500 million open-air, mixed-use development that developer Kushner Companies describes as turning the traditional mall concept inside out.
The numbers tell the story clearly. Roughly 600,000 square feet of the old enclosed mall are being demolished, reducing the retail footprint by 40 percent. In its place will be free-standing buildings with street-front entries, outdoor walkways, a two-acre public green, and nearly 1,000 luxury apartments under Kushner’s Livana brand. Residential leasing launches in late 2026, and full completion is targeted for 2028. The project is already 75 percent pre-leased, with tenants including Whole Foods Market, Cava, Prince Street Pizza, Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, and Strong Pilates.
For local and regional businesses, this project signals something important, that being the era of the enclosed, anchor-dependent mall is over. Not just nationally, but right here in Monmouth County. What replaces it is a model built around lifestyle, community, and foot traffic driven by daily routine rather than department store draws. That shift has marketing implications that extend well beyond the businesses signing leases at Monmouth Square.
The customers drawn to Monmouth Square will be local residents who choose it as a regular gathering place. They will be the same people who search for nearby services, read local reviews, and make decisions based on what comes up first when they look for options in their area. If your business is not showing up in those searches, a steady stream of high-intent, locally-rooted customers will simply not find you.
The Broader Pressure: What National Trends Mean Locally
Beyond the two headline developments, Jersey Shore businesses are also navigating a set of economic conditions that are shaping how consumers spend and how businesses plan.
Tariffs have emerged as a meaningful operational concern. According to the New Jersey Business and Industry Association (NJBIA), supply-chain price increases have hit nearly 90 percent of businesses statewide, with one-third already sourcing products from different suppliers. For shore businesses that rely on imported goods, whether for retail inventory, restaurant supply chains, or construction materials, those pressures are real and ongoing. A landscaping business in Berkeley Township recently noted that imported stone and veneer products have forced a shift toward domestic sources from Pennsylvania and New York.
Energy costs are rising sharply across New Jersey, with increases that NJBIA President Michele Siekerka described as devastating for business facilities operating at scale. Small businesses running larger footprints, such as restaurants, retail shops, service providers with physical locations, are absorbing these costs or passing them to consumers.
And then there is the labor challenge. Difficulty finding qualified workers remains the most persistent drag on the small business economy, according to the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). The quit rate in New Jersey sits at 1.5 percent, suggesting workers are not leaving current jobs easily, which makes hiring even more competitive for small employers trying to grow.
None of these conditions are unique to the Jersey Shore. But their impact here is shaped by the region’s economic structure, which is built heavily around seasonal tourism, hospitality, and small business ownership. That structure creates a narrower margin for error than businesses in more diversified economies might have.
THE REAL RISK: The businesses that struggle in this environment will not be the ones facing the most pressure. They will be the ones that are hardest to find, least trusted online, and most dependent on foot traffic and word-of-mouth that no longer travels as far as it once did.
What Smart Jersey Shore Businesses Are Doing Right Now
The common thread running through every major shift described above is visibility. The Netflix studio will bring new economic activity, but only businesses that can be found will benefit from it. Monmouth Square will draw thousands of residents to a single node in Monmouth County, but only businesses with a strong digital presence will be discovered by those residents before they default to national chains. Rising costs and labor challenges can be partially offset by a stronger customer relationship and a more consistent local reputation.
The businesses best positioned for 2026 and beyond are the ones treating their digital presence not as an afterthought but as the most important infrastructure decision they make this year. That means a website that communicates clearly and loads fast. It means consistent, findable content that answers the questions local customers are actually asking. It means being present and credible on the platforms and tools that people now use to make decisions, from Google to AI assistants to voice search.
Most importantly, it means starting before you have to. The businesses that wait until the Netflix campus is open, or until Monmouth Square is complete, or until a competitor has clearly pulled ahead, will spend the next two years catching up. The businesses that invest in their visibility and brand now will spend those same two years compounding the advantage.
Key Takeaways
- Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth is a $1 billion development projected to generate a $4 billion statewide economic impact, with initial phases opening in 2027. Local businesses that build visibility now will be positioned to capture the spending that follows.
- Monmouth Square’s $500 million transformation of the former Monmouth Mall into an open-air, mixed-use town center is already attracting premium tenants and nearly 1,000 new residents. The foot traffic it generates will flow to the most discoverable local businesses.
- Rising tariffs, energy costs, and labor challenges are adding operational pressure to Jersey Shore businesses. Visibility and a strong digital presence are among the most effective tools for offsetting those headwinds.
- The economic changes reshaping the Jersey Shore are not distant. They are happening now, in phases. Businesses that act early will be better positioned than those who wait for the changes to be impossible to ignore.
- Seasonal tourism remains important, but the Jersey Shore economy is becoming more year-round. A content and digital marketing strategy built for consistency, not just peaks, reflects that shift.
At Resolution Promotions, we work with local Jersey Shore businesses to build the kind of consistent digital presence that creates visibility before opportunity arrives, not after. If the changes coming to Monmouth and Ocean County have you thinking about how your business is positioned, we would love to have that conversation with you.
FAQs (Jersey Shore Marketing)
How will Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth affect local businesses?
Netflix’s $1 billion production hub is projected to create thousands of permanent jobs and generate $4 billion in statewide economic impact. Local businesses (particularly in food, hospitality, and services) stand to benefit significantly from the increased activity, especially those with strong local visibility and digital presence when the facility opens.
What is Monmouth Square, and when will it open?
Monmouth Square is the $500 million redevelopment of the former Monmouth Mall in Eatontown into an open-air, mixed-use town center featuring retail, dining, nearly 1,000 luxury apartments, and a public green. Residential leasing is set to launch in late 2026, with full completion projected for 2028.
What are the biggest challenges for Jersey Shore small businesses in 2026?
The most cited pressures for New Jersey small businesses in 2026 are rising energy costs, supply-chain disruptions from tariffs, and persistent difficulty finding qualified workers. Businesses with strong digital visibility and consistent local marketing are better positioned to attract and retain customers despite these headwinds.
