The mall had sales of $775 per square foot in 2013, almost 75% above the national average.[10] In a study of malls in the United States performed on behalf of CNBC, published in 2018, Garden State Plaza ranked ninth in the nation, based on sales of $950 per square foot.[11] Most of the mall, especially retail outlets, is closed on Sunday in accordance with state and local blue laws.[12] Since April 2023, minors under the age of 18 are required to have an adult over 21 supervise them on Friday and Saturday nights.[13]
In a borough where half of the property tax revenue comes from retail properties, Garden State Plaza accounts for 10% of the property taxes collected in Paramus.[14]
The site at the southwest corner of Route 4 and Route 17 that would become Garden State Plaza was next to a drive-in theater dating back to the 1930s.[17]Allied Stores and Macy's had discussed a shared project at the site that was abandoned in August 1953, after which Allied Stores pursued development of the Bergen Mall (since renamed as Bergen Town Center), that would be located a mile away on Route 4 and which was scheduled to open in September 1957 with Stern's as its anchor store.[18]
R.H. Macy announced the creation of Garden State Plaza in May 1954, establishing a subsidiary that would own and operate the mall.[19] JC Penney announced in June 1955 that the company would construct an 83,000-square-foot (7,700m2) standalone three-story building as part of the project, with the infrastructure to add a fourth floor, as needs grew.[20] In September 1958, long-time Macy's rival Gimbel's announced that it was acquiring access to a building site in the mall for a facility that would include 240,000 square feet (22,000m2) of retail space on three floors, with completion expected in 1960.[21]
Garden State Plaza opened on May 1, 1957, as the first suburban mall in New Jersey, with plans to be "the largest in the state". On opening day, Garden State Plaza had 75,000 shoppers at a mall that was anchored by a 340,000-square-foot (32,000m2)Bamberger's store on three floors and included 60 retail stores and 5,500 parking spaces on a site that covered 110 acres (45ha).[1] The formal ribbon cutting ceremony included the mayor of Paramus Fred C. Galda and a local eight-year-old who cut a ribbon with one thousand dimes as a fundraiser for the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (since renamed as the March of Dimes), part of an awareness campaign to encourage people to get the polio vaccine.[22]
Its original three anchor stores were Bamberger's, Gimbels, and JCPenney, with the rest of the mall consisting of 90 smaller specialty shops. It was called "the largest shopping center in the world."[5] Constructed by the Muscarelle Construction Company for owner/developer R.H. Macy & Co. as an open-air shopping "plaza",[23] total construction costs for the mall were $26 million (equivalent to $282,000,000 in 2023).[24]
Garden State Plaza on Labor Day 2007, taken from second level above mall's food court
Garden State Plaza drew much business from nearby New York towns and cities, whose shoppers wandered across state lines to take advantage of New Jersey's lower sales taxes and its policy that exempted clothing purchases from sales tax. By 1961, it was the world's largest mall.[24]
In 1975, the mall began a multi-phased, years-long project that would fully enclose the mall, converting exterior passageways into covered spaces. The project, budgeted at $20 million, would add 400,000 square feet (37,000m2) of retail space, bringing the total to 1,757,000 square feet (163,200m2) upon completion.[25]
A $21 million construction project in 1981 converted access tunnels into a second level for the mall, added 150,000 square feet (14,000m2) of retail space.[17]
The mall was enclosed between 1981 and 1984 in response to competitive pressure from newer fully enclosed malls such as the Willowbrook Mall in nearby Wayne.[26] Later in the 1980s, a lower level was added by converting a former basement truck tunnel into retail space. The existing JCPenney basement was given a new entrance on the lower level, but since the floors were at slightly different elevations, that entrance features the shortest escalator in North America, at a height of six steps.[27]
In 1987, Gimbels' parent company, BATUS, which had been selling off its Gimbels' stores, sold its Garden State Plaza location to Associated Dry Goods. Associated reopened the store as the new headquarters for its Hahne's department stores. Hahne's had previously been headquartered at its flagship store in downtown Newark, which the company wanted to close.[28] In the mid-1990s, a Nobody Beats the Wiz store was added as an out-parcel to the mall site; it later became a Best Buy store that closed in 2018.[29] The site was then occupied by a toy store called Toy City, owned by Party City.
On September 7, 1990, Nordstrom opened its first New Jersey location, a $37million, 272,000sqft (25,300m2), three-level store constructed on the former Hahne's site.[30] In 1991, the luxury department store chain Lord & Taylor opened a store in the mall, which was its seventh in the state at the time.[31]
In 1996, Garden State Plaza completed a $200million expansion and major remodeling project that added more than 700,000sqft (65,000m2) of retail space and a pair of four-level parking structures, Parking Garage A, and Parking Garage B. The downstairs food court was connected to the lower level from the previous expansion. JCPenney grew by 62,000 to 150,000sqft (5,800 to 13,900m2), and two new anchors were added, a 150,000sqft (14,000m2)Neiman Marcus on three levels and a 135,000sqft (12,500m2) Lord & Taylor on two levels, both targeted at the upscale fashion-conscious shopper.[26] A Venetian carousel was also added at that time of the expansion and remodeling and was located in front of Macy's. The carousel closed in 2016, and was removed so that the mall could use that space for performances by the Bergen Performing Arts Center.[32]
The Borough of Paramus petitioned the New Jersey Supreme Court to review a decision by borough's Planning Board, asking it to review the plans to construct a 163,000-square-foot (15,100m2) "entertainment lifestyle precinct" at the mall that included a 16-screen AMC movie theater and 10 specialty retail stores, along with a 158,000-square-foot (14,700m2) parking lot below the new wing, known as "Parking Garage C".[35] The petition was turned down, and the mall celebrated its 50th anniversary with the new expansion and stores opened on May 25, 2007.[36]
In 2013, the mall rebuilt Parking Garage B, expanding it to five levels and 1,800 parking spaces. Adjacent were built a new guest services office and a valet lounge. A year later, the mall added a 55,000 square feet (5,100m2) wing at a cost of $160 million known as the "Fashion District" that has 22 stores and restaurants.[37][38]
In January 2018, Best Buy announced that they would be shuttering their two-level store at Garden State Plaza and would be relocating to a single-floor building to be constructed at The Outlets at Bergen Town Center nearby.[39] The store officially moved on April 14, 2018. JCPenney closed in March 2018.[40][41] Both stores are expected to be redeveloped by Westfield in the future, though as of October 2018, no such development has been announced.[42][43] Westfield Garden State Plaza announced plans to build a mixed development center in the previous JCPenney outpost.[44]
In July 2019, Tru Kids announced that one of two Toys "R" Us stores being opened by that company as part of that toy retailer's recovery from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2017 and its acquisition by Tru Kids, would be at Garden State Plaza. (The other would be opened at The Galleria in Houston.) Eschewing the "warehouse" arrangement of previous stores, Toys "R" Us stores, these revamped versions were much smaller, and centered around open play areas, interactive displays and areas for special events and birthday parties. It opened on November 27, 2019.[45][46] However it closed on January 28, 2021.[47]
In September 2019, the mall announced that it would developing mixed-use projects with dining and other retail on the ground floors of the buildings and housing on the upper floors, which would be constructed in areas now covered by parking lots on the periphery of the mall. Construction of this housing would count towards the borough's affordable housing obligations and would serve as a downtown "town square" for Paramus.[14]
In August 2020, Lord & Taylor announced that its location in Garden State Plaza would be one of six remaining stores in the state that would be closed, as part of an overall shutdown of the chain's retail operations.[48]
In April 2023, the mall announced it would closely align with similar policies adopted by many other malls nationally, banning visitors under 18 without a parent or guardian from the building on weekends, effective the end of that month (except for its AMC location and onsite restaurants, leading some local residents to question the effectiveness of the policy).[49][50]
Blue laws
Due to New Jersey state blue laws that only apply in Bergen County[12][51] and more restrictive limitations in place in Paramus restricting business on Sunday, Garden State Plaza is almost completely closed on Sundays, except for some of the restaurants and the movie theater, all of which have special Sunday entrances. On Sundays, Garden State Plaza's parking lot is accessible only from the Route 4 and Route 17 access points. Gates are down so that the access roads from the secondary streets are blocked. The Paramus Borough Code forbids the performance of any "worldly employment" on Sunday, with very limited exceptions.[52] These laws were enacted shortly after Garden State Plaza opened, out of fear that the mall would cause high levels of traffic congestion on the highways in the borough.[53] During the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Governor of New JerseyChris Christie issued an executive order that suspended the state's blue laws, allowing stores to be open on Sunday, November 4, 2012, for the benefit of those severely affected by flooding and/or power outages caused by the hurricane. A week later, after public outcry that included the mayor of Paramus announcing that the borough would continue to enforce its own restrictions, the state's blue laws were put back into effect.[54]
On November 4, 2013, 20-year-old Richard Shoop, armed with a SIG 556R semi-automatic rifle, fired multiple shots in the mall. Customers and employees were evacuated immediately from the mall premises shortly after the shots were fired and the mall was on lockdown for hours. The mall remained closed the following day. No one was injured or killed, other than Shoop himself, who committed suicide.[56][57]
Popular culture
Garden State Plaza is the setting for Tricia Sullivan's science fiction novel Maul (2002). The novel takes its title from the way that the word "mall" is pronounced with the New Jersey accent. In the novel, three teenage girls start a shoot out with a local gang.[58]
Several episodes of The Sopranos, the HBO mob drama were filmed at the mall, which was called the "Paramus Mall".[59]
Paramus is a borough in the central portion of Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A suburban bedroom community of New York City, Paramus is located 15 to 20 miles northwest of Midtown Manhattan and approximately 8 miles (13 km) west of Upper Manhattan. The Wall Street Journal characterized Paramus as "quintessentially suburban". The borough is also a major commercial hub for North Jersey.
King of Prussia, also referred to as King of Prussia Mall, and referred to by locals as KOP, is a shopping mall located in the community of King of Prussia in Upper Merion Township, Pennsylvania. It is the largest shopping mall in Pennsylvania and the fourth-largest shopping mall in the United States in terms of gross leasable area. It is an upscale mall with 450 retailers.
The Fashion Center is a shopping center located in Paramus, New Jersey. It opened in 1967 as a traditional indoor shopping mall. The mall slowly underwent a "de-malling" process over a period of several years prior to 2009, which resulted in the former interior portion of the mall gradually taken over by other stores and eventually sealed off, with each store inside the center having its own outside entrances.
Wayne Towne Center is a regional shopping center located in Wayne, New Jersey, in the New York City metropolitan area, adjacent to Willowbrook Mall along Willowbrook Boulevard. As of 2008, the mall had a gross leasable area of 653,000 square feet (60,700 m2). The center formerly operated as an indoor shopping mall from the time when JCPenney was built, in the late 1980s, until its de-malling in 2008. The inner portion of the mall, which had one floor has since been demolished.
Laguna Hills Mall was a shopping mall in Laguna Hills, California, United States, in southern Orange County that is being redeveloped into a lifestyle center by the owners as Village at Laguna Hills. The enclosed mall closed on December 31, 2018, and was completely demolished in 2023. The exterior stores remain open. A hotel, entertainment venues, apartments, office spaces and a community park will replace the mall.
Monmouth Mall is an enclosed split level shopping center in Eatontown, New Jersey located on the corner of the intersection of NJ 35, NJ 36, and Wyckoff Road. It is owned Kushner Companies and managed by Westminster Management. The mall has a gross leasable area of 1,500,000 sq ft (140,000 m2), making it the sixth largest shopping mall in New Jersey.
Freehold Raceway Mall is a super-regional shopping mall located in Freehold Township, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of 2020, it was the largest shopping mall in Central Jersey and the state's third largest shopping mall, behind Garden State Plaza in Paramus, and American Dream Meadowlands in East Rutherford. It is located off of U.S. Route 9, Route 33 Business, and County Route 537, opposite the Freehold Raceway.
Franklin Park Mall is a shopping mall in Toledo, Ohio. The anchor stores are Dillard's, Macy's, Dick's Sporting Goods, Forever 21, DSW, and JCPenney.
Plaza West Covina is a large regional shopping mall in West Covina, California, owned by the Starwood Capital Group. Its anchor stores are Macy's, JCPenney, XXI Forever, Nordstrom Rack, Best Buy, and Gold's Gym with one vacant space last occupied by Sears. Westfield America, Inc., a precursor to Westfield Group, acquired the shopping center in 1998 and renamed it "Westfield Shoppingtown West Covina", dropping the "Shoppingtown" name in June 2005. In October 2013, the Westfield Group sold the mall to Starwood Capital Group and the mall is now managed by Pacific Retail Capital Partners.
The Shoppes at Carlsbad is a shopping mall in Carlsbad, California. The mall was originally named Plaza Camino Real when it was built in 1969, but was rebranded several times when it was a Westfield Holdings property (1994-2015). Its anchor stores are JCPenney and Macy's. A Robinsons-May closed in 2006, while Sears closed on December 15, 2019.
The Shops at Riverside is a two-level enclosed shopping mall, located in Hackensack, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, off Route 4, along the Hackensack River. The mall has a Gross leasable area (GLA) of 658,261 sq ft (61,154.4 m2). The "lavishly appointed" mall opened on March 10, 1977 with 620,000 sq ft (58,000 m2) of retail space, which included a 237,000 sq ft (22,000 m2) Bloomingdale's and a 107,000 sq ft (9,900 m2) Saks Fifth Avenue. Until 2005, the shopping center was known as Riverside Square Mall.
Willowbrook Mall is a one-level shopping center with a partial second floor located in Wayne, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is near the intersection of New Jersey Route 23, U.S. Route 46, and Interstate 80 in the New York metropolitan area and is situated close to both Essex and Morris counties near the Passaic River. The mall features more than 165 retail establishments and a leasable area of 1,518,006 square feet (141,027.4 m2). It is the fifth-largest shopping mall in New Jersey. The mall opened in 1969 and was expanded or renovated in 1970, 1988, 2006, and 2015.
Bergen Town Center is a shopping center located in Bergen County, New Jersey, USA. The center consists of both an indoor mall and exterior outlying stores and occupies over 105 acres split between the municipalities of Paramus and Maywood.
Woodbridge Center is a major two-level shopping mall located in Woodbridge Township, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, at the intersection of U.S. Route 1 and U.S. Route 9. As of 2022, the mall features Macy's, Boscov's, JCPenney, and Dick's Sporting Goods.
Paramus Park is a shopping mall located in Paramus, New Jersey, United States. It opened in 1974, is owned by Brookfield Properties, and has a gross leasable area (GLA) of 770,941 sq ft (71,622.8 m2).
Burlington Center was a shopping mall located in Burlington Township, New Jersey. It was built by The Rouse Company of Columbia, Maryland. Its anchors were Macy's, JCPenney, and Sears.
The Crossings at Northwest is a mixed-use commercial center containing 400,000 SF of retail and 500,000 SF of office uses located in St. Ann, a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri, United States. It was redeveloped from the old Northwest Plaza. The former mall comprised nearly 1,770,000 square feet (164,438.4 m2) of gross leasable area, making it the 27th largest mall in the United States according to the International Council of Shopping Centers prior to its closure. With a total of 1.9 million square feet (180,000 m2) of enclosed space, it was the largest enclosed mall in the state of Missouri. The mall featured nine anchor stores and more than 210 stores at its peak.
Westfield Wheaton, formerly known as Wheaton Plaza, is a 1.7 million square-foot, two-level indoor shopping mall in Wheaton, Maryland, north of Washington, D.C. It is owned by Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield and Its anchor stores include Macy’s, Target, JCPenney, Dick's Sporting Goods, and Costco.
The Shops at Palm Desert is a shopping mall located in Palm Desert, California which serves the Coachella Valley. The mall features the traditional retailers Macy's, JCPenney, Dick's Sporting Goods, and Barnes & Noble, with 122 inline stores. In addition, the mall includes a food court and Tristone Palm Desert 10 Cinemas. The cinema has closed as of February 5, 2023. Numerous theater chains have been in discussion.
↑ Ma, Myles. "Garden State Plaza in Paramus starts $130 million remodeling project", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, January 10, 2013, updated March 30, 2019. Accessed February 18, 2022. "The Garden State Plaza started work Monday to replace a parking deck, the mall announced on its Facebook page.... The new space is scheduled to open in the spring of 2014. The mall will have close to 300 stores when work is complete."
1 2 Anzidei, Melanie. "Westfield Garden State Plaza's transformation a sign of changing times in retail", The Record, May 6, 2019. Accessed November 13, 2023. "Westfield Garden State Plaza is no stranger to innovation. In 1957, it opened as the first suburban mall in New Jersey.... Garden State Plaza was born as a one-level open air center in 1957, operated by R.H. Macy. The center’s original anchor stores were Bamberger's, Gimbel's, and J.C. Penney, surrounded by 90 smaller specialty shops."
↑ Rehman, Habib Ur. "25 Largest Shopping Malls in the United States", Yahoo!, December 7, 2022. Accessed November 9, 2023. "16. Westfield Garden State Plaza Retail Space: 2.16 million Square Feet Westfield Garden State Plaza is a shopping center in Paramus, New Jersey."
↑ Na, Myles. "Garden State Plaza addition to include Tory Burch, Microsoft stores", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, December 4, 2013. Accessed November 9, 2023. "Several international retailers plan to open their first U.S. stores at Garden State Plaza. The mall boasts sales of more than $775 per square foot, compared to the national average of $455, according to Retail Property Insights."
↑ Remo, Jessica. "This N.J. mall is 1 of most lucrative in country, study says", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, January 31, 2018. Accessed March 7, 2018. "The study (done for CNBC by analysts Boenning & Scattergood) says Garden State Plaza ranks ninth in the country for revenue-producing malls and put it among the top 10 malls in the U.S. with 'A' ratings and little to no vacancies. The mall has a total asset value of $2.71 billion, which equates to $950 in sales per square foot, according to the research."
1 2 Shopping, Bergen County, New Jersey. Accessed November 25, 2019. "Bergen is the only county in New Jersey which enforces Blue Laws – legislation that limits Sunday shopping. Paramus strictly observes these laws, therefore major malls and other retail stores are closed on Sunday."
1 2 Pries, Allison. "Garden State Plaza, N.J's biggest mall, is getting a massive makeover", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, May 1, 2019, updated September 24, 2019. Accessed March 1, 2021. "When Paramus redid its master plan a couple of years ago, Mayor Richard LaBarbiera said, it zoned the Routes 4 and 17 commercial corridor for mixed use, which allows for residential units to be built on top of retail. The zoning was implemented for two reasons, he said Wednesday: to make sure Paramus' commercial entities could remain competitive and to satisfy the borough's affordable housing obligation. Half of Paramus' tax base is commercial. And Garden State Plaza pays one of every ten tax dollars."
↑ Furnas, Dawn. "Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus to undergo ‘transformation’", NJBiz, August 23, 2022. Accessed November 13, 2023. "As part of the project, Garden State Plaza — a 2.1 million-square-foot destination anchored by Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Macy’s and AMC Theatres — will be reimagined, with the surface parking areas to the west of the shopping center converted into the luxury apartments, plazas, parks, gardens, health and wellness amenities, commercial office space, as well as a transit center – alongside new outdoor shops, restaurants and community event spaces."
↑ "Fitch Affirms RBS Commercial Funding Inc. 2013-GSP", Fitch Ratings, April 26, 2021. Accessed November 9, 2023. "High Quality Asset in Primary Market: Garden State Plaza is a 2.2 million-sf super-regional mall located in Paramus, NJ. The three anchors, Macy's, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom, as well as the major tenant AMC Loews theatre, own their own spaces and are only subject to ground leases."
↑ "Garden State Shopping Center Due to Open May 1 in Paramus; It Will Be Largest in Jersey --Bergen Mall Being Built Less Than a Mile Away", The New York Times, March 20, 1957. Accessed February 28, 2021. "Less than a mile from the plaza, the Allied Stores Corporation is building Bergen Mall, another major shopping center. Anchored by a Stern's department store, this center is expected to open around the beginning of September.... Macy's and Allied first became interested in the Bergen County area in the Nineteen Forties. Until August 1953, both had considered constructing one center as a joint venture on the Garden State site."
↑ "Macy Forms Subsidiary; Garden State Plaza Corp. Will Run New Jersey Center", The New York Times, May 5, 1954. Accessed February 28, 2021. "Garden State Plaza Corporation has been incorporated to operate and assume the ownership of the shopping center that will be located at the junction of Routes 4 and 17 in Bergen County, N. J., it was announced yesterday. It will be a subsidiary of R. H. Macy Co., Inc."
↑ "Gimbels Buys In Macy's; Rents Land for Store in Rival's Paramus Plot", The New York Times, September 5, 1958. Accessed February 28, 2021. "Gimbels rented land from a Macy subsidiary, the Garden State Plaza Corporation, in the Garden State Plaza Shopping Center, Paramus, N. J., to build a 240,000-square-foot, three-level store. A unit of L. Bamberger & Co., a Macy division, is one of the many stores already operating there."
↑ "Ribbon-Cutting Plan Set For Tomorrow", The Record, April 30, 1957. Accessed March 1, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Instead of the usual satin ribbon used on such occasions, the Garden State Plaza has designed a symbolic ribbon composed of 1,000 dimes to spell out the Garden State Plaza name. Eight-year-old polio victim Barbara Brannon of 193 Alberta Drive, Saddle Brook, New Jersey will be the official ribbon cutter, assisted by Paramus mayor Fred C. Galda. The dimes will go to the Bergen County Chapter of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis. This ceremony was conceived, in co-operation with the state offices of the Foundation, to focus attention on the current drive to get everyone in New Jersey inoculated with polio vaccine before the summer."
↑ Karsian, Dillon. "Garden State Plaza Reshaped Landscape", National Real Estate Investor, May 1, 1999. Accessed February 10, 2021. "Having undergone periodic renovations and expansions since its spring 1957 debut as an open-air center, the property today stands in the superregional class."
↑ Savage, Ania. "Garden State Plaza Will Enclose Mall", The New York Times, February 23, 1975. Accessed February 28, 2021. "The Garden State Plaza, the oldest and one of the largest shopping centers in North Jersey, is scheduled for a $20‐million expansion and facelift.... About 400,000 square feet of merchandising space will be added to the 1,357,000 square feet that now exist. And a roof will be put over 120,000 square feet of walks and promenades, thus providing a year‐round, climate-controlled shopping area about 10 city blocks long."
↑ Hill, Jeffrey. "Taken for a Ride: The insanity of escalators". Next American City. Summer 2008. Accessed February 11, 2011. "By contrast, the Garden State Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey, boasts the world's shortest escalator pair in front of its JCPenney, at a comical height of six steps. Kids play on them while adults use the more practical, non-moving staircases to the left and right." "Next City – Inspiring Equitable Cities". Archived from the original on December 11, 2010. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
↑ "11 Gimbels Stores Are Sold By Batus", The New York Times, June 18, 1986. Accessed February 18, 2022. "The Gimbels store in Paramus, purchased by Associated Dry Goods, will reopen in March 1987 as the headquarters for Hahne's department stores, an Associated chain, according to John Manos, a company spokesman. Associated plans to close its current headquarters in Newark because it is unprofitable."
↑ Karsian, Dillon. "Garden State Plaza Reshaped Landscape"Archived October 17, 2006, at the Wayback Machine , Retail Traffic, May 1, 1999. Accessed February 11, 2011. "In May 1990, Nordstrom debuted in New Jersey by constructing a $37 million, 272,000 sq. ft., three-level store on the former Gimbel's site."
↑ Barmash, Isadore. "Lord & Taylor to Bolster Presence in New Jersey", The New York Times, January 12, 1989. Accessed February 18, 2022. "Lord & Taylor's parent, the May Department Stores Company, said yesterday that it would convert four of its Hahne & Company stores in New Jersey to Lord & Taylor stores this fall. Lord & Taylor will also open a store in the Garden State Plaza in Paramus, N.J., in 1991, giving it a total of seven stores in the state."
↑ Garden State Plaza carousel stops spinning. "NorthJersey.com". Accessed February 2, 2016. "The carousel at Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus has twirled for the last time. The popular parent and tot attraction at New Jersey's largest mall closed on Saturday, with a sign posted by the ride's owner, Indoor Entertainment, and the mall owner, Westfield, saying, basically, thanks for the merry-go-round memories.... The space occupied by the double-decker carousel will be used by the Bergen Performing Arts Center for shows and performances designed to promote arts in Bergen County."
↑ Gutis, Philip S. "The Talk of Garden State Plaza; Scene at Mall in Jersey: Toys, Tinsel and Frenzy", The New York Times, November 18, 1987. Accessed February 11, 2011. "Mr. Bacon, who took over as general manager after Westfield Inc., an Australia-based developer purchased Garden State Plaza from Macy's last year, said attracting customers to the malls is no real problem. Two million people, he said, live within a 10-mile radius."
↑ Verdon, Joan. "These aren't your mother's shopping malls", The Record, February 11, 2007. Accessed February 13, 2021. "Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, the region's largest mall, with more than 2 million square feet of stores, has decided that today's malls don't live by shopping alone. It is adding a 163,000-square-foot "entertainment lifestyle precinct." It will include a 16-screen movie theater with stadium seating, a restaurant and 10 specialty retailers, including 'experiential' stores where shoppers are encouraged to try out the merchandise before they buy."
↑ Verdon, Joan. "Best Buy relocation creates opening for new moves at Garden State Plaza", The Record, January 17, 2018. Accessed January 27, 2018. "The freestanding Best Buy store in the parking lot of Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus will be empty soon, and that will give New Jersey's largest mall an opportunity to make some new moves. Best Buy is preparing to relocate to the mall next door, The Outlets at Bergen Town Center, in a new building under construction in the east section of that mall, on Forest Avenue."
↑ Attrino, Anthony G. "J.C. Penney quietly closing another N.J. store after 60 years at mall", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, January 26, 2017. Accessed January 27, 2018. "J.C. Penney, an anchor for 60 years at the Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, will close on March 10, according to a recording on the store's phone line.... After its 1958 Paramus opening, the Westfield Garden State Plaza -- located on Route 17 near Route 4 -- expanded and grew around the retailer, NorthJersey.com reported. The store was remodeled in 2012 and 2013, according to the report."
↑ Edelson, Sharon. "J.C. Penney Closing Westfield Garden State Plaza Store — After 60 Years", Archived August 21, 2023, at archive.todayWomen's Wear Daily, January 29, 2018. Accessed November 9, 2023. "Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, N.J., with 2.13 million square feet of gross leasable space, is one of the largest and most productive shopping centers in the U.S., anchored by Macy’s, Nordstrom, J.C. Penney, Neiman Marcus, Lord & Taylor and AMC Theatres. But, come March, Garden State Plaza will have one less anchor. J.C. Penney is quietly closing its 183,000-square-foot store, after 60 years of anchoring the center."
↑ Anzidei, Melanie. "Garden State Plaza's sweeping overhaul plan draws mixed reaction locally", The Record, May 2, 2019. Accessed November 9, 2023. "Shoppers and local political leaders offered mixed reviews after owners of the Westfield Garden State Plaza unveiled an ambitious plan this week to re-purpose vacant spaces inside the Paramus mall and transform a parking lot into a bustling downtown."
↑ DeVencentis, Philip. "Lord & Taylor's exit to leave hole in mall", Herald News, August 30, 2020. Accessed September 7, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "Lord & Taylor, a storied Manhattan-based chain that sells designer clothing, handbags and shoes, announced on Thursday that it will go out of business after a 194-year run.... Thursday's news means that the remaining six stores in New Jersey, including two in Paramus at the Fashion Center and at Garden State Plaza will cease operations."
↑ Brennan, John. "11 things you might not know about Bergen County's blue laws", The Record, June 23, 2017. Accessed January 28, 2018. "A key moment in time was the 1959 vote to allow each of New Jersey's 21 counties to make individual decisions on blue laws. Ten counties preferred the status quo — at first. Hudson County voters decided in 1985 to become the 20th of 21 counties to repeal the state's blue laws."
↑ Sullivan, S. P. "Bergen blue laws are back: Paramus mayor says Gov. Christie has reinstated Sunday shopping ban", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, November 13, 2012. Accessed January 28, 2018. "Gov. Chris Christie is expected to lift a temporary suspension of Bergen County's blue laws Tuesday, Mayor Richard LaBarbiera said.... Christie had issued an executive order suspending the decades-old ban on Sunday retail shopping in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, allowing stores throughout the county that normally would have to remain closed to sell their wares on Sunday. The executive order caused a legal tussle, though, when officials in Paramus — where mall traffic is heavy and blue laws remain popular — announced they'd still be enforcing their own blue laws."
↑ Nash, Margo. "Footlights; All About A, And Don't Forget Z", The New York Times, September 4, 2005. Accessed July 19, 2019. "When it came time to choose a shopping center, the video's makers headed, quite naturally, to New Jersey. Mr. Colbert, dressed as a big blue letter Z, and Ms. Sullivan, appearing as a big red A, are shown in the video ambling around the Garden State Mall[sic], asking people if they know any words with their letters in them. Ms. Sullivan got a lot more responses than Mr. Colbert."
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