The Shops at Riverside facts for kids
| Location | Hackensack, New Jersey, United States |
|---|---|
| Opening date | March 10, 1977 |
| Developer | Federated Department Stores |
| Management | Simon Property Group |
| Owner | Simon Property Group |
| No. of stores and services | 66 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 4 |
| Total retail floor area | 658,261 sq ft (61,154.4 m2) |
| No. of floors | 2 |
| Public transit access |   NJ Transit bus: 756, 762 Access to NJ Transit's New Bridge Landing station (Pascack Valley Line). |
The Shops at Riverside is a large, two-story shopping mall located in Hackensack, New Jersey. It sits right next to the Hackensack River, just off Route 4. This mall is quite big, covering about 658,261 square feet.
The mall first opened its doors on March 10, 1977. When it first opened, it had two main stores: a large Bloomingdale's and a Saks Fifth Avenue. Before 2005, the mall was known as Riverside Square Mall. Today, The Shops at Riverside is known as a high-end mall. It has 66 stores and four main anchor stores: Bloomingdale's, Barnes & Noble, Pottery Barn, and AMC Theatres.
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History of The Shops at Riverside
The story of The Shops at Riverside began in 1959 with just a single Bloomingdale's store. Later, in 1977, an enclosed shopping mall was built around it, and it became known as Riverside Square Mall. The mall originally had a warm, sunny feel, with special terra cotta tiles, red brick, and skylights that let in natural light.
Mall Renovations and Updates
By 1995, the mall needed a refresh. It was completely updated with new marble floors, sleek glass railings, and comfy seating areas. This made the mall feel much more modern and inviting.
More big changes happened between 2005 and 2008. The mall grew by another 248,000 square feet! This expansion added 30 new stores and three restaurants. Part of this new space was created by reorganizing the Bloomingdale's store. A new pathway was also built to connect different parts of the mall.
In December 2014, the Saks Fifth Avenue store closed. This left over 100,000 square feet of empty space. Plans were quickly made to turn this area into something exciting. By September 13, 2017, a new AMC Dine-In Theater opened in most of the second floor. This theater has nine movie screens where you can enjoy food while watching a film.
The mall continued to get updates. The second phase of renovations included new floors, new escalators near Bloomingdale's, and a new staircase in the center of the mall. A new glass ball was also added near the movie theater. Most of these changes were finished by November 2018.
The third phase of renovations brought even more luxury. It added a new mall entrance with valet parking, a fancy lounge, and services like coat check and personal shopping. The Bloomingdale's store also got a fresh new look. These final updates were completed by late 2019.
Shopping on Sundays
Because of special rules in Bergen County called "blue laws," most of The Shops at Riverside are closed on Sundays. However, some parts of the mall, like Barnes & Noble, the restaurants, and the movie theater, are open. The mall even tried to change these laws in 1993, but it was not successful.
How to Get to The Shops at Riverside
You can reach The Shops at Riverside using NJ Transit buses. The 756 and 762 bus routes stop at the mall. If you prefer to take the train, the New Bridge Landing train station is only about 5 minutes away from the mall.
