Bergen Mall; Paramus, New Jersey
Paramus, New Jersey boasts one of the largest concentrations of retail space in the United States, with over 6 million square feet of retail clustered around the junctions of routes 4 and 17. At one time or another, there have been no less than six enclosed shopping malls within a few miles of this junction, all in Paramus or nearby Hackensack.
The true behemoths of this area are the Garden State Shopping Center and Paramus Park. The former is a 2 million square foot superregional mall, the latter is half its size but no less successful, offering top-tier tenants without the hassles associated with the GS Shopping Center. There’s also another, more upscale mall that offers top-tier tenants like Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdale’s.
Where does that leave Bergen Mall, the true black sheep of this flock? Close to death. See for yourself.
The Bergen Mall opened in 1957 as an outdoor shopping center, and one of the first malls in the region. Anchored by Stern’s and Orbach’s, the mall opened to much fanfare and included many community-oriented spaces, such as a live theatre, an ice skating rink, and a bowling alley. Located at the junction of Route 4 and Forest Ave., the mall actually included a separate strip area on the east side of Forest Ave. that was (and still is) connected to the remainder of the property with an outdoor pedestrian bridge.
The mall was enclosed in 1973, and despite many changes through the years, looks mostly as it always has. Orbach’s gave way to Steinbach, who later gave way to Value City. Stern’s was acquired by Macy’s, and their store here became a (very redundant, frankly) short-lived Macy’s store before shutting. During the 1990s, the mall also positioned itself as a value-oriented center compared to its swankier brothers and sisters, and courted tenants like Saks Off Fifth Avenue, Marshalls, Gap Outlet, and the aforementioned Value City.
Simon sold the Bergen Mall to Vornado in 2003, and plans are underway to drastically convert the property. I haven’t been able to find a firm plan, but the mall was plastered with renderings of its transition that appear to suggest the mall will be converted to an open-air format, with large-profile stores (such as the Century 21 Department Store that’s already under construction, and a Target store) and architecture that recalls mid-town Manhattan. This is an interesting twist, and one that’s cognizant of the mall’s geographic location, on the new lifestyle center format so it’ll be interesting to see. Unfortunately, the Bergen Mall’s interior is such an amazingly-well preserved example of 1970s shopping mall architecture that it’s pretty hard to see it go. Let’s take a tour starting with the exterior:
That last photo is of the strip center, on the far side of Forest Street. It clearly once housed a supermarket (one of the A&P banners perhaps? It reminds me of the old Kohl’s Supermarkets in Wisconsin). Now that we’re inside, let’s take a look at the floorplan to orient ourselves:
Pay close attention to the “lower level” there. It’s one of the things that makes this mall so unique.
The following photos were taken strolling around the main part of the mall. The former Value City space is at the mall’s westernmost end, the former Macy’s (which is in the process of being converted to the Century 21 Department Store) is at the center court, and the eastern end of the mall houses Marshalls, Saks Off Fifth, and the bridge to the strip center.
In that last photo, we were strolling down one of the two side hallways branching off of the mall’s center court. At the end of that hallway, we saw this:
The escalators lead to the basement. There’s one long corridor in the basement, that provides access to a local museum, the performing arts center, and the 34-year-old Carmelite Chapel of St. Therese, which due to Bergen County’s blue laws, is–like the rest of the mall–ironically closed on Sundays.
Most interesting, however, is the “Village Mall,” a drab collection of very small stores tucked into a space near the bottom of the stairs. Made to look like a wild west village–but clearly untouched since the 1970s–this eerily quiet space hosts only a few active tenants (including a psychic, a hobby shop, and a few other businesses) but otherwise feels as though it has been abandoned for decades. There are several “streets” in this area, forming a pattern not unlike an “8,” and room for maybe 20 or 30 different stores, though each individual store space is probably only about 500 square feet. Note the dreadful carpeting:
Now that is a treat. It may not be very successful, but I’d like to see a lifestyle center try something this unique. Also, if you want just a little bit more, check out this short documentary on the Bergen Mall by filmmaker Robin Groves. It was clearly filmed a few years ago now (Stern’s was still present), and it gives a good impression of what made (and makes, for now) the Bergen Mall so strange.
ADDED 9/29/06: Someone even set up a MySpace page on the Bergen Mall! Check it out; there are some photos from when Stern’s and Value City were at the mall, amongst a ton of other great stuff. People seriously love this mall. Why can’t we clean it up and save it?
Prangeway
July 9th, 2006 at 4:28 pm
I love the lights that hang down into the mall, which I can only describe as “Elephant earrings”; look for some more pictures of Bergen Mall from 2001 and 2004 soon.
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Steven Swain
July 10th, 2006 at 4:24 am
When you look at the interior of this mall, you can clearly tell where the old outdoor canopies were. They just covered them with paint or drywall and kept on truckin’.
It’s a fascinating structure, and hopefully the renovation won’t ruin what makes this place unique.
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Tony Patti
July 31st, 2006 at 6:08 am
Back in the 80’s the basement Village Mall was really hopping. Antique shops, gift shops and a very active and semi-famous marionette/puppet theatre.
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Paramus Park Mall; Paramus, New Jersey » Labelscar: The Retail History Blog
September 28th, 2006 at 3:27 am
[...] Paramus, New Jersey is one of the nation’s biggest retail towns, boasting over six million square feet of retail space racking up some of the largest sales of any town in America. The area around routes 4 and 17 has been home (at one point or another) to no less than six enclosed shopping malls, including the legendary (and previously-blogged-about) Bergen Mall. [...]
D. Jordan Berson
September 29th, 2006 at 3:55 am
Please visit my tribute to the Bergen mall at http://www.myspace.com/bergen_mall
It would be great to get some feedback, commentary on the page from people who know and love this amazing mall!!
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Robin Groves
September 29th, 2006 at 5:06 pm
I’m the creator of the Bergen Mall Movie, and I am so glad I made it, and glad that so many people like it. These retro (not faux-retro but REAL retro) spaces are so awesome and need to be preserved! But alas, most people prefer the steel and glass to the plastic and concrete. I worked in Stern’s corporate offices in 2000, and I spent many lunch hours exploring the nooks and crannies of the BM, even the places that were off-limits. Everyone should go visit, take pictures and video and enjoy while they still can, and we can have something to remember it by. New Jersey rules. Those of us who live(d) there know it!
Steven Swain; I loved that cute-and-paste canopy coverup. There was some weirdass carpentry going on that clearly said, “Oh well, no one will look up here. Ever.”
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William
October 17th, 2006 at 11:15 am
I’m already sad about the soon to be demise of the mall. Anyone know where one can find old pictures of the mall, from the 50’s thru the 90’s?
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William
October 21st, 2006 at 5:52 pm
By the way, the supermarket once housed in that curved roof building was a ShopRite, not an A&P. Sometime in the Eighties they closed up shop and moved slightly north — several hundred yards — to a larger, more modern location.
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anthony Reply:
January 18th, 2010 at 6:06 pm
@William, the shporite closed in the late 1990’s and that little strip housed a radioshack and florest. the spa2 building closed around 2005 and that building used to be a Food Fair supermarker
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David
November 30th, 2006 at 2:39 am
These place’s need to be preserved. There will never be historic places from the 50’s and 60’s. Place’s like this need to be preserved. And I hope Wallgreens or those other pharmacy stores doesn’t knock it down and build another one of the 180,000 already in the 75 mile radius. Too bad someone didn’t win the lotto and bought it to preserve it.
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Joe
December 15th, 2006 at 12:39 am
Just came across your site and only had a chance to briefly look over it. For all intense purposes I grew up in this mall.
Please understand that for most of the 70’s and 80’s the design of this mall went untouched. Mixing wonderful design touches from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s (this mall probably contributes most to my love for ultra cool retro styling’s of these periods). Not having been there for a while in the late 90’s I visited one of my old favorite comic book stores to find that a lot of the little touches had gone and said comic book store had moved up from the Village Mall. Again on a recent visit finding out about the renovation I was tad more heartbroken. I regret not having a collection of pics from those times in the 80’s.
FYI
The store across the street that you mention was in actuality a Shop Rite for many years and if someone can confirm for me as I was a bit younger at the time may have been the location of the ice skating rink that existed at the mall at one time(I could be wrong on the ice skating rink part).
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Charles
December 27th, 2006 at 7:25 pm
The skating rink was in the other food store building across Spring Valley Road. As noted here, the Shop Rite was in the building with the arched roof. On the other end of the little group of stores was another food store, which I remember being a Pantry Pride at one point in the 1960s or early 70s. Later, it became the skating rink.
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Don Trump
December 29th, 2006 at 11:18 pm
Burn the place down and put up some condos.
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chris
January 11th, 2007 at 5:36 am
http://occulude06.tripod.com/ the abraham and straus tribute page check it out I have been working hard on this page so let me know what you think of it !!!
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Derek
January 15th, 2007 at 7:53 pm
This is a great site, thanks!
I spent a lot of time in the Bergen Mall growing up in nearby River Edge. It was a great place back in the ’80’s and early ’90’s, though clearly dated. I haven’t been back for a couple years, and have mixed feelings about its redevelopment. A few comments for the record:
The Village Mall was steady through the 80’s, with a great baseball card shop (Norm’s), a comic book shop, and various other small specialty stores drawing various types of shoppers. The rest of the lower level was pretty empty/creepy by the mid-80’s.
On the top floor of Sterns was a classic department store restaurant, with great views of Route 4 down below. A lot of school clothes came from Sterns, if not nearby Bradlees or Bamburgers, two other lost chains.
In the same building as the old Shop Rite was a popular Bonanza steakhouse and a RadioShack.
Festivals were common, including a blueberry celebration one August.
Lots of memories, but it’s time for rebirth at a great location.
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Aimee Keich
February 11th, 2007 at 10:46 pm
I used to love going to the Bergen Mall when I was a child…I loved it so much better than those other over-crowded malls…I can’t believe they took out the fountain! I just wish I was old enough to have seen the Mall Theatre when it was still open.
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Bob Pepicelli
March 12th, 2007 at 5:51 pm
Hello,
This is a very good piece on the Bergen Mall. I’ve been going to the Bergen Mall since I was in a stroller. Hehehe. So, that’s almost 33 years now!! I lived in Teaneck, about ten minutes away. So, trips to the Bergen Mall were frequent.
Thinking back, I remember all the stores that were there years ago. Such as, Orbach’s, Steinback’s, Record Town, PastryTown Bakery, Wolfie’s, The Magnovox Store, CVS, Norm’s Baseball Cards, Lerner Shop, Stern’s, and J.J. Newberry’s. Just to name a few. Well maybe more than a few.
Newberry’s was probably my favorite store of them all. They had a nice luncheonette in the back with great hot dogs and ice cream. I still have the Coca-Cola glasses they used to sell every Christmas. I remember that Stern had two restaurants at one point. One up on the top floor, called “The Dining Room” when I used to go there and a “sidewalk cafe” type of place on the first floor in front of the main enterance. These were usually places where my family would go to eat during a trip to the Mall. Also, there was a small luncheonette downstairs in the Village Square too.
I have tons of memories of the Bergen Mall. This mall had everything, a bowling alley, comic book store, dentist office, post office, barber shop, a theather, etc etc. It was always a great place to hang out in. Talk about one stop shopping!!!! The Bergen Mall was one of a kind.
Even today, I work right across the street from the Mall and i usually go there on my morning breaks at the Burger King or K & J Bean Co. and stop there on the way home too sometimes.
I will miss the Bergen Mall very much as it is right now. It seems that this place never really changed much at all in all the years. Honestly, I had always hoped that it would be restored, not totally remodeled.
It’s sad to see the mall these days however, many stores have closed and only a few of them remain. No matter what you call it though after it’s been remodeled, it will always be the “Bergen Mall” to me.
Best Regards,
Bob Pepicelli
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Joe66
April 26th, 2007 at 11:00 am
Can anyone tell me exactly where the single-screen movie theatre was located in the mall? It lasted into the 80’s, last operated by Cineplex Odeon.
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Dave
April 26th, 2007 at 4:25 pm
The Movie Theatre was in the back of the mall by Newberry’s. It did not have a inner mall enterance. And there was a skating rink at the mall, I remember that it was in the old Pantry Pride building. And I do remember the walkway to EJ Korvettes,
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Pete
April 30th, 2007 at 11:29 am
I’m very glad you did this. You beat me to it. I have this same set of pictures, more or less, taken up to and including this past month. The arched ShopRite structure has recently been demolished. The Village Mall still plays hosts to the D&D people, the tailor, and a few other odd businesses. The chapel still stands at the ready, praying for a miracle. Most businesses in the mall have left over the past year.
The ShopRite moved in the mid-90s, I think. I have some pictures of the old Lear Siegler/Bogen complex on about its present location (or at least its parking lot) being demolished in early 97.
In the mid-90s there was a Paramus 75th anniversary booklet whose cover showed picture after picture of retail storefront from 4 and 17 over the years. Sadly, it’s not in the Paramus history section of the borough library, nor do I know who published it. Someone must have a copy around.
Finally (I could talk all day about Paramus), there are some great photos of old scenes in town hanging in The Fireplace restaurant on 17N at Ridgewood Ave. (itself a relic of a bygone era, as evidenced by the 1960s pictures inside showing trees in the Route 17 median in front of it).
Pete
Somerville, MA
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Guy DeMuro
May 29th, 2007 at 8:56 pm
To all,
Speaking as a fan of supermarket architecture and as a student at nearby Fairleigh Dickinson in the 1970s, I’d like to clear up some apparent misconceptions about the stores across the Spring Valley Road pedestrian bridge from the Bergen Mall.
Signage during those days designated that area as the “Bergen Mall Food Center”. There were two supermarkets: the squarish one was Food Fair (very visible labelscar on the brickwork as recently as a few years ago), and the other was — surprise! — one of Penn Fruit’s stores (in 1970 the store was Dale’s, PF’s discount division — may have been a “real” PF prior to that); the store was taken over by Glass Gardens Shop Rite in the early 1970s and remained a Shop Rite until that store moved to a new building nearby in (I believe) the late 1990s.
To the posting about whether the site was ever a Kohl’s supermarket: Penn Fruit actually had two supermarkets in North Jersey that I am aware of (Bergen Mall and Essex Green in West Orange), and perhaps a third on Route 17 South at the Paramus/Ridgewood border (now KMart); to my knowledge Kohl’s has never had a store in New Jersey.
Thanks!
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Mike
July 5th, 2007 at 8:22 pm
Grew up in Paramus and spent many times shopping at the Bergen Mall….I’m 43 and have vivid memories of the mall before it was enclosed….They used to have a kiddie amusement park in the downstairs area…..I loved that train….also remember Grossman’s Lumberama and a Horn and Hardart Store how 60’s suburbia can you get!!!. and the old toy department at JJ Newberry’s was the greatest……My parent’s always shopped at Food Fair and I can remember the magazine aisle in the side of the store with many a teen magazine with the Monkees plastered on them. So this was definetly mid 60’s I can’t recall a Kohl’s supermarket but I do know there was a Hills which later became a Stop & Shop supermarket across Route 4 next to the Korvette’s….My Mom used to drag us to Korvette’s for one last half hour of shopping after the .Bergen Mall closed at 9:30…..Korvette’s closed at 10
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Joe
July 23rd, 2007 at 11:58 pm
I dont get why one feels affection for a mall
I mean, its just a mall innit?
I love the Bergen Mall, but its just a mall isnt it
Its a tricky question, to be sure
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Jeffrey
July 30th, 2007 at 11:02 am
RESTORE THIS BAD BOY. AND MAKE IT SNAPPY. NONE OF THAT REMODELING CRAP. MAKE IT JUST LIKE 1973 AGAIN, PLEASE.
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Terri Scott
August 7th, 2007 at 11:32 am
I worked at the Bergen Mall office in 1958-1860 while a student at FDU. The office was located downstairs in the long corridor pictured. James F. O’Grady was the mall’s first General Manager. He died in 1961 in his early 40s.
The buildings across Forest Avenue contained two food stores if my memory is correct. The Curved roof building was a Philadephia company, there first and only store in the area. I think it was Pantry Pride. The other supermarket was Food Fair.
I remember that we had seven shoe stores. They dominated the Mall’s main area.
The Bergen Mall Playhouse opened while I was there. One of the people involved was a Broadway producer Robert Ludrum who later became famous as a writer of espionage thriller novels.
I left NJ in 1970 and have returned very infrequently and haven’t seen The Mall. I wondered what had happened to it with the disappearance of all the department stores. When the Mall opened with Sterns, the Garden State Plaza had Bambergers and Gimbels, while Arnold Constable was in Hackensack and Quakenbush was in Paterson. Later, EJ Korvette opened across Rt 4 from the mall and Alexanders across from GSP.
Originally, there was to be one mall, the GSP, but Macy’s, who owned Bamberger’s,and Allied Stores, who owned Stern’s, couldn’t come to an agreement, so Allied moved down Rt 4 and built their own center. Allied had hoped to attract an upscale department store like Bloomingdales to the site across Rt 4 which is why they built the crosswalk over Rt 4 when the mall was constructed. Now, Macy’s owns all those brands and has concolidated them as Macy’s.
I hope this information fills in some of the blanks for folks who are interested.
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Terri Scott
August 8th, 2007 at 12:05 pm
Correction:
I realized later that the original food store tenant in the arch building was Penn Fruit not Pantry Pride.
Also, a point of information, Forest Avenue was lowered during the construction of the Mall. This was done to provide an outlet for the delivery tunnel that ran underneath the Mall. This also required the construction of the pedestrian bridge over Forest Avenue to connect the Mall.
The original concept for the lower level skating rink was to be like Rockefeller Center’s skating rink and have a restaurant looking out on the rink. The restaurant never materialized.
The Mall and the GSP were revolutionary at the time. No one expected them to kill downtowns, like Hackensack. Rt 4 & Rt 17 had some minor stores at the time, but no major shopping center, then there were two.
You can’t sit still in retailing or you wind up out of business. Therefore, the new plans for the Mall by the new owners should be praised. Better a new, exciting, revitalized shopping center than the wrecker’s ball, or worse yet, a deteriorating shopping center heading for oblivon.
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Jonah Norason
September 9th, 2007 at 6:14 pm
I wonder if anyone has gone to the psychic down in the basement and asked “Will Bergen Mall survive?”. It would certainly be humorous if someone asked and posted the “answer” here. It may be true, or not be, but it would be interesting. Reading the names of the stores of the Village Mall, it to me resembles a type of stores a strip mall would have.
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Michelle
September 12th, 2007 at 10:07 pm
Wow! Love Love Love this mall I grew up there as i lived and still live walking distance. Im Now 40 with 2 Children who I take there in the stroller allthe time. I so so remember the amusement park in the lower promanade before the mall was closed in during the 1973 renovation. Does anyone have any pictures pre 1973. Im looking everywhere and Nothing. The skating rink i remember vividly it was where Spa 2 was a few years ago. Also the Playhouse on the Mall was so cool. I remember going there every christmas to see the Nutcracker. Additionally, Way Cool was the Bowling Alley I am die-ing to get in there I know its still down there the doors are still there but locked I even check them the other day, figuring maybe with construction going on someone left them open but no. LOCKED . The Village Mall is gated and empty the carpeting is still there if you peek through the gates but every little store is empty now. The old photo developing booth that was out front is gone and paved over and the drive up bank little kiosk is gone as well. Things are disappearing everyday over there. it is very sad and will be missed. I can still remember every inch of Newberrys (they sold everything from toys to live animals as well as had a great little luncheonette upstairs, Sterns was awesome also they had a cool mall level cafe and a fancier restaurant on the upper level. the cafe was known for there cinamon rolls they sold by the box-full. Wolfies with the chefs cooking burgers on an open flame right at the store front and then there was Baracini Candy Company they had a huge space in the center of the mall accross from the great fountain (gone) . Seems like yesterday. Very Very sad to see it all go.
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Mike
September 21st, 2007 at 6:15 pm
Everyonce in a while…..go on Ebay and put Paramus, NJ in the search….I’ve found some great old Bergen Mall postcards
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William
September 23rd, 2007 at 8:07 am
Thanks, Mike. Great idea.
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dan-onymous
September 23rd, 2007 at 5:58 pm
According to the Bergen Mall website, http://www.bergenmallonline.com, there will be a grand opening ceremony on Friday, Sept. 28 for the new Filene’s Basement located below the Century 21 (as far as I can tell, it will only be accessible from the exterior, but it’s a good sign that “the Berge” has attracted its first new store since Century arrived last fall). It says that there will be light refreshments and “local dignitaries”! I have to work, but is anyone going to this?
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Mike
September 23rd, 2007 at 6:18 pm
Another memory I truly forgot is the Ten Pin on the Mall bowling alley……During the late 1960’s my mom and my next door neighbor used to bowl in a league every Monday afternoon……They had a supervised playroom that she and the other mothers would bring their kids to play in while they bowled
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Diana S
September 24th, 2007 at 5:15 pm
I’ve lived in bergen county since i was seven years old and i’m now a senior in high school so i’ve baically grown up here. Bergen mall started in 1957 as an outdoor mall and it was a big deal to have a mall cause it was the first in the area. Now when you say you’re from bergen county people know it for all it’s damn malls! I would know because being a jersey girl living in this area my friends and I are alays going to the mall, (not bergen mall). Bergen mall has gone downhill since paramus park mall and garden state plaza opened up. There is a basement there and people always ask questions about it. There used to be a chapel that’s no longer there that m y dad used to go to. There is also The Village Mall. It was made to look really old fashined and has street names. I went there one day while my dad was down there and went off on my own to look at it. It’s kind of scary i can’t lie. It’s dimly lit and there are only about three stores actually there. There’s a pyshcic and a cleaners. It was so creepy so i bolted out of there!
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Rick
November 29th, 2007 at 10:18 pm
Wow – this is cool! Bergen Mall – man that was a neat place as a young kid – they used to have these muics nights on Fridays (tons of people would go) Kiddielane with the train, etc – very neat memory. The sad thing is the mall in my opinion was classic only as an open air mall as it was intended – it went down fast when it enclosed. I remember walking into Sterns at Christmastime – they had these huge heat blowers as you walked in from the Maywood side. As far as the Supermarket it definitely opened as a Penn Fruit (I have an ad from opening day). Does anyone remember the big live tree they used to put up by the highway? Garden State Plaza had the huge chimney Santa and Sterns had the tree – it actually fell onto some cars in 1961 after a strong wind! Luv sites like these! Thanks!
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Rick
November 30th, 2007 at 9:37 pm
I almost forgot – did you know that the Today Show broadcast live from the Bergen Mall the day it first opened? It was quite a big deal – JFK spoke there in 1960, LBJ in 1964 – its amazing how stuff like this gets lost on us Amercians – regardless of what kind of history – important, fun or pop-culture – we just don’t appreciate history of any sort as a rule – very sad! Even all the actors and actresses that have acted there when the theater was a big deal (sat more than 600 for plays!) – so much went on there!
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Jerry
December 4th, 2007 at 3:46 pm
The truck tunnel under the Mall was the best, dark and scary.
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mallguy
December 13th, 2007 at 10:36 am
Just heard the other day that “Bergen Town Center” will be getting a Nordstrom Rack…New Jersey’s first.
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FormerNJguy
December 14th, 2007 at 5:22 pm
It is true like everyone said, that the grocery store across the street was a ShopRite which I believe closed in 99 or 2000. The new store is maybe less than half a mile behind it. Also, interior shots of the supermarket were used in the 1993 Coneheads movie which took place in Paramus.
I, myself, have a small history with the Bergen Mall. My grandfather was an artist for Sterns back when the mall was still outdoors back in the 50’s. Also, when I was in my junior high school band, we played a concert by the water fountains in front of the then Sterns. I believe I have it on video somewhere, but not uploaded from film.
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Koehnson
December 22nd, 2007 at 8:17 pm
Went there today to see for myself. I promised myself I wouldn’t go, but I did. Lots of sections are walled off as the exteriors are gutted. Mounds of dirt everywhere. It is starting to look unrecognizable, except in certain spots.
I sat outside of Century 21 and had a soda and hot dog looking at the results of this “progress.” I guess I shouldn’t have expected that this mall would continue looking the way it did in December of 1980 when I started taking the bus there with my little brother.
A lot of what made the Mall for me went away when Pizza Pizazz disappeared and the Village Mall was closed. I know the mall is prime real estate. But it still bothers me.
You can’t stop progress. Or bulldozers.
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Jonah Norason
December 23rd, 2007 at 4:46 pm
Any pictures on the progress? Also, is there going to be any interior mall left?
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Jonah Norason
December 23rd, 2007 at 9:31 pm
The Bergen Town Center website used to actually have the Village Mall in its Interactive Map. Psychic of Paramus was still there. They closed the whole area now. How much % of the existing mall will still be enclosed?
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Koehnson
December 24th, 2007 at 8:54 am
Jonah, ask about pics on the Bergen Mall myspace account linked in the text at top. There are people who have taken pics of it lately and you should be able to get them by asking around.
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Jonah Norason
December 27th, 2007 at 3:23 pm
This is like a story…
Once upon a time there was a charming 2-level mall in the 50s that was outdoor. It was wonderful. Competition soon forced it to enclose, and it thrived again. However, retail patterns changed. Demographics shifted. Overmalling took its toll. The mall lost anchors and forced redevelopment. Bergen Mall? No, Blue Ridge Mall. Seriously you guys. The mall is still going to be mostly enclosed, not knocked down for a Wal-Mart. Before renovation is always the most charming…but things change.
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Ken
January 4th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
Just to add a few notes to this Malls History. The large branch of Stern Brothers (Stern’s) wound up becoming that chains Flagship Store and Headquarters when they closed their former Flagship on 42nd Street in NYC in 1969. Stern’s was owned by the Allied Stores Corp, and under it’s ownership new branches were built as other Malls opened. The interesting thing is that Stern’s was much more upscale in the 60’s and early 70’s then it was in later years. As an example it had a large Gourmet Foods Department, 2 Dining Rooms, and it often featured Fashion Shows in it’s 3rd floor restaurant. The Headquaters Staff was located in the lower level, westside of the building.
Ohrbachs also was notable as that companies chain wide Credit and Customer Service departments were located on the upper level of their building. These corporate functions were moved there when Ohrbachs closed their store in downtown Newark, in January of 1974.
Ohrbachs also featured an in-store dining room.
The Supermarket building opened as Penn Fruit, then became, Food Fair, and finally was rebranded (as were most Food Fairs), Pantry Pride.
Ken
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david
February 28th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
wow. just amazing that people have these same memories. i can remember going shopping for school clothes at stern’s and ohrbach’s, buying school supplies at newberries – where i would also look at all the animals downstairs in the pet department, getting buster brown shoes in the shoe store next to wolfie’s where they had big open buckets of dill pickles on the tables and the charbroil chefs working behind the counter with flames shooting up almost to the ceiling it seemed at times – (their restrooms were downstairs and i remember there was a regular old fashioned (now) phone booth with the bifold glass door there as well – sort of like the ones they had at the old baumgart’s in englewood) we would go to wolfie’s for dinner after shopping (unless we had time to go to the restaurant at the top of stern’s)- i used to love wolfie’s burgers and chocolate egg creams, a few years ago i was in miami beach and went to the original wolfies just north of miami beach – it was very close to what i remembered, but no where near as ‘clubby’ as i remember at the bergen mall. i can remember leaning over the railings to watch the kiddieland rides in the concourse, and have some dim memories of seeing something in the theater – maybe it was a christmas show. there was also a ‘fine’ restaurant over there – does anyone remember what it was? seems to me it was like a cocktails and steak house sort of place then maybe it became a chinese restaurant??. there was also a restaurant right at the entrance to the mall before it was enclosed, near the kiddieland , and i can’t remember the name of that as well – just remember it had lots of glass windows. i remember there were flat giant light up christmas ball decorations on the outside of stern’s, and their fine glassware department was in the basement, as was a watch maker/ clock repair shop. i do also remember the christmas tree out by rte 4. i also remember the big heat blowers at the wide open entrances on the mall side of stern’s – nowadays you would be fined for wasting all that energy i am sure, hahaha.it seems to me that ohrbach’s was not always there however – was it a macy’s originally? i also remember being a teenager when they put in the village shops downstairs where the kiddieland rides used to be – and that at one time they were incredibly busy selling all kinds of useless paraphernalia. thanks for the stroll down memory lane…
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Mike
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:36 pm
I remember that restaurant too! But I can’t remember the name……..It was right next to Trepel Florist and later became a Magnavox store, where my Dad bought our first color TV in 1975.
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Paramuschick
April 21st, 2008 at 11:46 am
Does anyone have any photos of the old ice skating rink that used to be there? I believe this was there prior to Kiddieland being built. Such wonderful memories!
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Cee
June 6th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
“The Bergen Mall Playhouse opened while I was there. One of the people involved was a Broadway producer Robert Ludrum who later became famous as a writer of espionage thriller novels.”
Author’s name is Robert Ludlum, not Ludrum.
Among other great books, The Rhinemann Exchange
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Mr.D
August 7th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
Went there yesterday and there working on it like crazy.The new celings look instering.There are a few stores open inside(Including a very large gamestop
.)
The 2 other anchors in the mall are going to be a whole foods lol
and a….wow 2 story target lol!
This mall is going to thrive now that Xanadu is in the area(Meaning that the BTC will be a locals mall while Xanadu will be a dive for people from newyork.)
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Scott Mercer
October 6th, 2008 at 2:55 am
Growing up in the area, can’t help but have a lot of connections…
Remember going down to that basement mall to the comic book shop several times, also buying “penny candy” at a candy store down there. Saw several movies first run in the crappy little one screen movie theatre, including Monty Python and The Holy Grail (I believe the only theater in New Jersey playing it…it didn’t get too many bookings) and later, Risky Business. Also got a tuxedo there for my cousin’s wedding in 1976 when I was 10…yes, it was pastel blue, with a ruffled shirt and HUGE collars! And yes, it was a rental, not a purchase. Finally, we had our high school graduation party at the skating rink/sports center across the street…an all night affair. Good times.
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Stephen Ohocinski sr.
November 10th, 2008 at 2:21 am
i have many great memories of the old Bergen Mall.
My family ran a Magic Shop in the “Village Square mall” late 70’s.
You can read about it here:
http://www.optimystiks.com/hocus_pocus_magic_shop.htm
If you wre a customer…would love t hear from you.
Stephen
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mallguy
November 27th, 2008 at 12:22 am
The Bergen Record’s retail blog makes note of the stores opening at Bergen Town Center.
In addition to what was already noted, Nordstrom Rack and Bobby’s Burger Palace will also be opening there.
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Elinor Bernstein
November 28th, 2008 at 11:36 am
I was hired as an Usherette for The Playhouse on the Mall in 1975 – it was my first job! The rumor was that the backstage area of theatre was haunted! We always joked that one day, the Playhouse would become a shoe store – we were close…it became Lane Bryant! Ah, take-out from Wolfie’s!!
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John Overall Reply:
July 4th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
@Elinor Bernstein,
HI, I’m working on doing a website for my friend, actress Judi West (The Fortune Cookie, Gunsmoke, Man From Uncle) who did two plays at the “Paramaus Playhouse”. One was “Scuba Duba” with Dick Shawn, and the other was a play with Judd Hirsch. Was that this playhouse people remember here? Does anyone remember these plays, or know where I could find out more info (dates, programs?) “Scuba Duba would have been before or (probably) after Jan 1970, when she did it briefly in LA. Hopefully I will find out more about the Judd Hirsch one. You can email me at “jove27@optonline.net”.
This sounds like a great “old” mall. I live down in the Oranges, and I’m sure I was there, probably several times, but I just don’t remember. Thanks!!
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Mike
November 30th, 2008 at 9:40 am
Saw one of the last shows at the Playhouse…most likely in the early 80’s….A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum….one of my friends was on the stage crew and he snuck a bunch of us in….Was sad to see it go…..also my Mom used to work at Ohrbachs….she told me one day a very nice attractive blond came in and said she was pressed for time on her break and asked her if she could help her find something……after the woman left the store…My Mom realized it was Lana Turner!! most likely on a break from rehearsals
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Mr.D
December 4th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
Photos!!!!!!
Taken today
http://www.bergenmallonline.com/shop_rev.asp
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Mr.D
March 6th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
Went there last night and the Target there is open(Ahead of Schedule I may add).
New stores are starting to open up in there(Whole Foods is the next biggie on the property) but because of the new desgian of the mall and the lack of stores, the interior feels like a long cave/tunnel.It’s still a WIP.
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SEAN
March 6th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
One of the tv stations here in New York had a story on who has been hiering dispite all of the job losses. It turns out the manager at the new Paramus Target was just let go from Linnins ‘n Things a few days earlier.
Talk about good luck.
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Diane
March 20th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
I remember taking my son’s, now 42 and 39, to the kiddie rides at the Bergen Mall. They were in the center of the mall in a pit that you could look down at. That was so much fun for them. I thought that it was such a great idea. I guess noone else does as I never saw it again at any mall except for the merry-go-rounds. Since Palisades Park had closed the only other time the kids could go on rides were down the shore or if a fair came to the area. I don’t really remember fairs back then though.
I also remember the theater but only remember going to it once or twice. I wish that was back again too. Now I can afford to go, then I couldn’t. The theater was not like the little town playhouses as you could see the Broadway actors.
I also remember Rose’s dress shop where we all got our gowns for the Prom.
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Mr.D
March 25th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
I think BTC will be fine.You know why?
Xanadu’s opening date just got pushed back to who knows when.
http://74.92.65.109/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=9949
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jf
April 2nd, 2009 at 3:11 pm
So many memories! Wow. We always made a visit to the chapel, and went to Mass there when we were out of school for religious holidays. I loved the tiny chapel gift shop full of statues and rosary beads.
We always walked along the walls around the planting beds- hated to skip one (Garden State Plaza had even more and bigger). Loved going down the escalators to the “tunnel,” and the little amusement park- it felt like being at the bottom of a huge empty swimming pool. And the Playhouse on the Mall seemed so glamorous. Somewhere I still have a paper menu from the restaurant on top of Sterns- I remember it as being a real old-fashioned coffee shop/tearoom until the end. When we were small we went there for Breakfast with Santa Claus. I loved the French onion soup and the grilled cheddar and tomato sandwiches, and my mother and grandmother used to order a plate of three different seafood salad sandwiches. There are no ladies’ lunch places like that anymore, sad to say.
When they opened the Village Square shops my sister and I felt very grown-up being allowed to leave our parents and wander the little “streets” and have a soda at the “cafe” in the middle. Dollhouse miniatures were a trend then and there were two miniature shops- we bought things there for our dollhouses. It had that gaslight/Gay 90s ambiance that was popular in a lot of places in the early to mid-70s, in retrospect not nearly as cool as the midcentury modern of the older parts of the mall, but very stylish at the time. By the 80s the place was going downhill, but there were still some antique stores downstairs and I bought a few pieces of jewelry there in college. My mother got her wedding dress at Roses and I tried on dresses there 30 years later.
I’m sure the revamped mall will be good for local revenue, but it’s too bad it couldn’t have been preserved in retro style.
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Mr.D
April 23rd, 2009 at 1:39 pm
I forgot to mention that BTC will have cart-welding bastards in the concourse.
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Coleen
July 24th, 2009 at 10:39 am
In the 80’s Newberry’s rented space to a photographer in the lower level of the store. I gave the photographer the only picture I had of my father for a color touch up. When I went back to pick it up many months later he was gone.
Unfortunately Newberry’s was already starting to go out of business and when I asked the name of the photographer who had now since left, no one seemed to know or care who he was.
There was not internet at that time, so without help from someone who cared it was fruitless and I never did get an answer. After 20 years i’m still trying to find out who the photographer was and hopefully can get back the 8 X 10 picture of my dad in his police uniform.
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Dave W
August 16th, 2009 at 10:43 pm
Is the Village Stores in the basement gone? And the chapel?
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Mr.D Reply:
August 22nd, 2009 at 3:01 pm
@Dave W,
The village stores are gone, the chapel I think is located in the upstairs offices (The entrance to that is somewhere between Marchalls and Saks 5th Ave on the outside of the building).
P.S Is this post going to be updated with some after pics of the renovation?
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Jonah Norason (Pseudo3D) Reply:
August 22nd, 2009 at 4:36 pm
@Dave W, the Village has been gone for nearly a year now.
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Dan
August 24th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
The mall is not open-air format, and the renovation is complete. The mall looks amazing, and is much better than before. The new parking deck how-ever, is very creepy, and I would not want to be in it alone at night, or alone on one of the upper floors (3, 4, or 5).You should really go back to take pictures now that the renovation is complete, as it looks much different than the renderings.
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Mr.D
September 6th, 2009 at 9:59 pm
Well the Bergen Town Center is not as 21st century as it tries to be =p.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXn_VsMr_LQ
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SEAN
September 14th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
Went to Bobby’s Burger Pallace over the weekend. The mall was somewhat quiet for a Saturday, but there was a line out the door at the restaurant. A burger + a soda is about $10 per person & sides are extra. The location is in the side of of what passes for a food court with the entrence outside.
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dan-onymous
November 15th, 2009 at 11:42 pm
I visited “the Berge” for the first time in over a year this weekend, and I was very impressed with all the renovations. The mall has a really sleek, clean look, but I think the architects did a good job incorporating some of its original modernist style in the new design: hanging pendant lamps, seating areas beneath wooden pergolas, a neat circular ceiling motif. While there was no fountain (aside from a small one inside the Whole Foods), there were two aquariums. And lots of customers. Some of the stores still seem like they might be temporary, but they’re better than vacancies. Overall, job well done!
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Ed
January 25th, 2010 at 12:37 am
According to USA Today and Macy’s Inc. Bergen Town Center alongside Dolphin Mall, Potomac and Saw-grass Mills malls were chosen to have the first four “Bloomingdale Outlets”, they are supposed to be somewhat like Marshall’s and will have Bloomingdale’s clearance/salvage alongside exclusive merchandise, what i don’t get is where is it going to be? The former Steins is now Century 21, Filene’s and another store.
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