Bergen Town Center facts for kids
Bergen Town Center as seen in 2012
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| Location | 1 Bergen Town Center Paramus, New Jersey |
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| Opening date | November 14, 1957 (outdoor plaza) September 16, 1973 (enclosed mall) August 25, 2009 (Major Renovation/Expansion) |
| Developer | Allied Stores |
| Owner | Urban Edge Properties |
| No. of stores and services | 100 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 2 |
| Total retail floor area | 917,129 sq ft (85,204.1 m2) |
| No. of floors | 1-2 (4 in Old Sterns/Macy's Bldg, Now occupied by Home Goods/Bloomingdale's-The Outlet Store(1), Century 21(2,3), and Lincoln Tech (4) |
| Parking | 8,600 spaces |
| Public transit access |   NJ Transit bus: 168, 171, 751, 752, 753, 755, 756 |
Bergen Town Center is a large shopping center in Bergen County, New Jersey, USA. It has both an indoor mall and outdoor stores. The center covers over 105 acres across two towns: Paramus and Maywood.
This shopping center first opened in 1957 as the Bergen Mall. It was one of the biggest outdoor shopping centers in the country at that time. It is also the second-oldest mall in New Jersey. The mall is located where Route 4 meets Forest Avenue. There's even a separate shopping area connected by a bridge.
Over the years, the mall has had many community spaces. These included a chapel, a theater for live shows, a post office, and even an ice rink! It also had a bowling alley and a kids' amusement ride area. Today, it is home to the Bergen County Museum. Because of special blue laws in Bergen County, the mall is closed on Sundays. However, some restaurants and other non-clothing stores can still open.
History of Bergen Town Center
The idea for the mall began in 1955. The plan was to have 100 stores and 8,600 parking spots. It would be a huge mall, with a large Stern's store as a main attraction. The company behind it, Allied Stores, said it would be the biggest of ten new shopping centers. They believed only a few large malls like this would be built in the whole country.
The mall officially opened on November 14, 1957, with a big celebration. Dave Garroway, the host of The Today Show, was the master of ceremonies. In 1967, another big store called Ohrbach's opened, becoming the mall's second main store.
In 1972, the mall's owners decided to make a big change. They wanted to turn the outdoor shopping area into an enclosed mall. This was a popular trend at the time. Other outdoor malls, like Garden State Plaza, were also becoming indoor spaces. The new, enclosed Bergen Mall opened on September 15, 1973. However, unlike other malls, it didn't update its look much over the years.
In 1986, the Ohrbach's store closed. It later reopened as part of the Steinbach chain. Then, in 1997, it became a Value City store. This building was eventually closed and torn down in the mid-2000s.
In the early 1990s, the mall started focusing on discount stores. It added stores like Marshalls, Gap Outlet, and Saks 5th Avenue Off 5th. There was also a small shopping strip across the street. It was connected to the main mall by a bridge. A Chuck E. Cheese's opened there in 1993. It closed in 2010 and moved to a new location. The old Chuck E. Cheese's spot is now a Red Robin restaurant. Other stores in that strip included REI and Shop Rite.
A major change happened in 2001 with the Stern's store. Stern's was owned by the same company that owned Macy's. In 2001, the Stern's store at Bergen Mall became a Macy's. However, Macy's closed this location in 2005. Soon after, a Century 21 store opened in that building.
The mall was once involved in a lawsuit. A group wanted to hand out flyers to shoppers. In 1984, a judge said they should be allowed to. The judge noted that the mall had become like a "town center" for people in the area.
The Carmelite Chapel of St. Therese was located in the mall's basement since 1970. It moved to the upper level in 2007. The chapel held masses during the week. But since the mall was closed on Sundays, the chapel did not have Sunday services. The chapel closed its doors for good on March 1, 2017.
The mall also had a unique water fountain. It was a replica of the famous dandelion fountain in Sydney.
In 1987, the Bergen Mall was a special stop for teen pop star Tiffany. She promoted her first album there as part of a shopping mall tour.
In 2003, a new company, Vornado Realty Trust, bought the mall. They started making plans to update it with new, popular stores.
One of the first big changes was the opening of Century 21 in 2006. It took up a large part of the old Stern's/Macy's building. Today, that building also has Home Goods, Bloomingdale's-The Outlet Store, and Lincoln Tech.
In 2006, plans were approved to make the mall much bigger. It would cost $171 million. The mall was renamed Bergen Town Center. It would include more renovated shopping space and a large Lowe's store. A new parking garage was also planned.
Many new stores opened in 2009. These included Target, Whole Foods, Nike Factory Store, and Nordstrom Rack. A big celebration was held on August 25, 2009, to mark the end of the renovation.
In 2015, the mall announced another big expansion. It would add another level to the mall and new stores.
In 2018, it was announced that Best Buy would move to Bergen Town Center. It opened in April 2018. Also, a Burlington Coat Factory store opened in August 2019. It took over space that used to be the chapel and some mall offices. A new restaurant, Ruth's Chris Steak House, also opened in November 2018.
In 2020, Kirkland’s Furniture closed. Then, the Subway and AT&T stores closed in 2021. On September 10, 2020, Century 21 announced it would close all its stores, including the Bergen Town Center location. It closed permanently on December 5, 2020.
Playhouse on the Mall
From 1960 to 1982, the mall had a special theater called the Playhouse on the Mall. It had 635 seats. A producer named Robert Ludlum, who later became a famous novelist, managed the theater for many years.
The theater showed many different types of plays. These included famous Broadway shows and new plays trying out before going to Broadway. Many movie, TV, and Broadway stars performed there. One of the most popular shows was Ann Corio's This Was Burlesque. The theater closed in 1982 because it cost too much to run and fewer people were coming. The space was later turned into stores.
