Nanuet Mall Soon to Close; Nanuet, New York
Big news last week out of New York: the Nanuet Mall in Nanuet, New York will soon be closing to be demolished and replaced with an open-air lifestyle center.
I only visited the Nanuet Mall once–way back in 2000–and I remember being amazed at the time that it seemed to do fairly well given that it exists in the shadows of Nyack’s mammoth Palisades Center Mall, a far newer behemoth that’s one of the largest malls in the tri-state area. Nanuet seemed quieter and more civilized than its cousin down the street; clearly a case of a mall that had (successfully, then) positioned itself as a convenient option for residents living in the immediate area, much in the same way that Paramus Park manages to thrive in the shadows of Garden State Plaza. I guess that times have changed since then, however, and the center needs to dramatically reposition itself to remain viable.
The Nanuet Mall was the largest mall for affluent, suburban Rockland County in the lower Hudson region for 30 years. The mall opened in 1969, with Bamberger’s and Sears as anchor stores. Here’s a vintage photo of the Nanuet Mall from that era; the Bamberger’s signage is plainly visible in the shot. In 1986, Bamberger’s was converted to Macy’s. In the mid-1990s, a new wing was added (creating a “T” shaped layout) with an Abraham & Straus anchor store; this store would later become a Stern’s. When Stern’s and Macy’s merged in 2001, the store was shut and later replaced by a Boscov’s store; one of only four in New York State.
The redevelopment plans call for eliminating the entire center save the Macy’s and Sears stores; Boscov’s is leaving the complex for good. There were rumblings of something like this happening for awhile, with a scare around the holidays about the mall cutting its hours from 10-9 down to 11-6. Instead it looks like they’ll be cut back a whole lot more than that.
Prangeway took all of these photos in 2001, a much better time for the poor old Nanuet Mall.
on March 4th, 2008 at 12:42 am
This news absolutely sucks. The Nanuet Mall is such a beautiful mall, which is a sharp contrast to the Palisades Center (which is the ugliest mall I have ever seen, given the fact that the HVAC units are exposed everywhere.) The mall’s managers really must have screwed things up: there’s no reason why a smaller mall couldn’t serve as an viable alternative to a nearby behemoth: witness the success of not only the Paramus Park Mall, but also of Southdale Center (which is very close to the Mall of America).
The terrible news of Boscov’s closing really worries me. (Really, if any of the anchors were to close, one would expect it to be Macy’s, since only they have a location at the Palisades Center.) For one thing, I always thought Boscov’s did real well in dead malls. This store closure makes me wonder if that whole chain is in deep financial trouble. The last thing we need is for one of the few remaining regional department stores (not to mention a chain that sells merchandise that other chains stopped carrying long ago) to bite the dust.
As a historical note, I am really surprised to learn that the Nanuet Mall’s Macy’s was originally a Bamberger’s, since (aside from this location) the Bamberger’s name was never used in New York State. I can only speculate that the Bamberger’s name was used because Nanuet is so close to the New Jersey border.
Caldor, thank you so much for profiling this mall, as I had been wanting to see this mall on Labelscar for quite some time.
on March 4th, 2008 at 1:59 am
What the hell? That Boscov’s looks awesome! I hope they don’t demolish it =/
on March 4th, 2008 at 11:23 am
The marketing director at the Galleria in White Plains, also worked in Nanuet as well, she is a friend of mine. When i get a chance i will contact her & get some answers for us.
It shouldn’t come as a shock that Nanuet is closing, it is being squeezed by 2 monsters, Palisades Center & Paramus NJ. What is weired is the fact Macy*s is staying & Boscov’s is not. We don’t need that macy*s to remain if 3 other stores are with in 15 minutes driving time.
AceJay & Max, good to hear from you
on March 4th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
Wow! What a beautiful place. Too bad it’s being closed and razed.
on March 4th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
I haven’t been back in years, it wasn’t that nice of a mall. It was dark & was a hang out for local kids who had nothing to do.
On one visit a group of teens were herrassing my girlfriend in Record Town because she was sort of dressed like an employee. While in the store they kept asking “do you work here”?* laughing as they were doing this*. After the 3rd or 4th time we picked up & left, & to this day never returned.
on March 4th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
The mall interior is too cool to be destroyed. It’s one of the rare mall remodels from that time period that doesn’t look really dated.
It’s very unusual to see a Boscov’s close. But considering what a short lifespan A&S and Stern’s had at Naunet Mall and the upscale demographics of the area, it probably wasn’t the ideal location for a Boscov’s I don’t think it’s indicative of any financial problems with the chain.
on March 5th, 2008 at 1:40 am
Yep, it’s a sad bit of news, but this was really only a matter of time.
Even at its peak, Nanuet was never really a blockbuster mall. Rockland County residents often made the quick trip down Route 17 or the Garden State Parkway to one of the five Paramus malls for major shopping trips, leaving Nanuet for the smaller trips, while residents of Orange County (the next county north) gained many more shopping options when the Galleria at Crystal Run opened in Wallkill and the Woodbury Commons outlet center began its amazing expansion. Nanuet couldn’t even position itself as the quieter, convenient center, since Paramus Park was just as convenient to many Rockland residents and offered better options.
It’s too bad, because this was really a great mall at its peak. Before the 1995 renovation and 21-store expansion (motivated by Palisades Center’s proposed construction), the mall was straight out of the 1970s, with lots of wood, foliage, and funky lighting fixtures. That renovation saw the small movie theater near Sears torn out to provide room for a food court, the addition of marble flooring and glass skylights, and a general upgrade in the mall’s appearance. It also added Abraham & Straus, which would be the last location A&S opened before being closed in the fallout from the Macy’s-Federated merger. AceJay’s right — it is a beautiful store and really a testament to the quality of the job A&S did that the store looks almost as good today (three owners later) as it did the day it opened. Even the internal department signage is the same as in the A&S days. The mall expansion really did a great job bringing new stores to the mall like Guess and the region’s first American Eagle (no Record Town, though – the only record store I remember was the long-existing Sam Goody on the lower level next to Sears), and helped Nanuet hold on a little longer after Palisades opened.
The core reason that Sears and Macy’s will remain while everything else will close is that those two stores — the original anchors — own their stores, while Simon owns the rest (including the Boscov’s location). Sears’ Homart Development division built the mall, and it included the only Bamberger’s in New York state. In fact, until Bamberger’s took the Macy’s family name in 1986 or so, Macy’s/Bamberger’s credit card statements listed the store as being in “Nanuet, NJ,” despite being five miles north of the New York-New Jersey border.
The Nanuet Mall also had its share of tragic headlines. In 1994, a Bronx man carjacked two local teens at the mall and forced them to drive to a vacant field about 15 minutes away before shooting them both at point-blank range. One died, but the other miraculously survived. Years earlier, in 1981, several members of the Weather Underground and the Black Liberation Army stole $1.6 million from a Brinks armored car that had just serviced the Nanuet National Bank branch on the mall’s upper level. Two police officers and a Brink’s guard were killed in a shootout with the robbers during the ensuring police chase against the county.
Finally, I wouldn’t worry too much about the overall health of Boscov’s. When the Nanuet store opened seven years ago, Boscov’s planned to open a series of locations throughout the Hudson Valley and into New Jersey. Over the last few years, it sounds like Boscov’s realized that it could build more stores in other areas for the same price, and given the stated preference of Boscov’s CEO Edward Lakin to build a dense store base in the markets it serves, the company appears to have channeled its growth into other areas (like Maryland, upstate New York, and Pennsylvania).
on March 6th, 2008 at 11:57 am
What an ugly mall. Full of 90s kitsch–a postmodern collection of classic columns, fake wrought iron and other busy looking junk that doesn’t fit together.
on March 6th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
I went to this mall 2 weeks ago and it had a lot of vacancies and odds and ends store. I guess this mall is this way because everyone goes to the Palasades. Why Boscov’s going?
on March 9th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Sean, thank you for your kind words.
One thing that puzzles me about the Nanuet Mall’s decline is the fact that it did not immediately collapse the moment the Palisades Center opened. In fact, based on these pictures, the mall was still successful in 2001 (some three years after the Palisades Center opened). Rather, the mall collapsed within the past five years. Does anybody have any insights as to what occurred over the past five years to make Nanuet Mall so dead? (Obviously, the opening of the Palisades Center could not be given as a reason, since that mall opened ten years ago.) The only event that I can think of (that may have contributed to this huge decline) was the Federated-May merger, which converted the Palisades Center’s Filene’s into a Macy’s; as a result, those who shop at Macy’s no longer had to go to the Nanuet Mall.
This past December, I visited the Nanuet Mall for the first time. The only reason why I even went there was to see Boscov’s. (I live in Morris County, NJ, and the closest Boscov’s locations to me are the stores at Nanuet Mall, Monmouth Mall, Palmer Park Mall, and Lehigh Valley Mall.) If you exclude the anchors, just about the entire mall was dead (aside from the food court). Those tenants that did exist were very odd, such as a Tae Kwon Do studio and a piano store that was located in a former CVS (and looked exactly the same as back when it was a CVS). Macy’s and Sears seemed to be doing alright (although hardling bustling), but Boscov’s was by far the most crowded store in the mall.
on March 9th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
Max,
i’m going to take my best guess at this, why must you ask such tough questions! LOL
The F & M merger contributed some what to Nanuet’s decline, but it was not the sole reason. One of the problems was it was a short distance from Spring Valley where a lot of lower income families live & the kids would hang out as i posted above or congergate at the bus station in town.
It took a few years for pallisades to find it’s footing, but when it did it wasn’t to long till it became the powerhouse that it is today. Yes there are to many empty stores at pallisades for my taste, but their are enough stores that could have filled both centers if they wanted to.
I gave it my best shot even if i took the long way to get there.
on March 9th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
I forgot to make 1 more point, Nanuet mall’s decline was so slow that one would never notice with the naked eye. A store, store here, a store, store there, here a store, there a store, every were a store store. LOL
next thing you know, it’s 5 years & at least half of the stores are gone.
on March 9th, 2008 at 9:37 pm
I was honestly suprised to see the mall lasted as long as it did. Max makes a very good point about the Filene’s-Macy’s merger helping to accelerate the Nanuet Mall slide. Very sad to see this mall’s decline because it was a nice size…it also didn’t have the traffic of route 4 or 17 and it’s not Blue Lawed like every mall in Paramus.
And Craig, I remember that carjacking incident in 1994 vividly…that made news outside of the NY Metro Area as I recall and many I know who live in Bergen County were afraid to go to Nanuet Mall for a while as a result.
Again, sad to see a classic ride into the sunset. And Max, I agree that Palisades Center is not too aesthetically pleasing.
on March 10th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Palisades, at 3,500,000 square feet, still to this very day could not fill all of it’s retail space. When the mall was built the whearhouse club was the in thing. As a result the mall was designed in that manor, & why it is so ugly.
on March 11th, 2008 at 10:59 am
Well, inbetween reading the comments here about Nanuet, and over at the Malls of America blog, I’m saddened to hear that this mall is about to be de-malled. Have to totally agree with other commenters about the condition of the Boscov’s in this mall, it looks in too darn good shape to just close all of a sudden!
Hmmm, all I can guess is maybe Boscov’s does better financially in other regions where they have stores…..
Since I have all but no knowledge about this area(and since I’m trying to correctly read inbetween the lines of other posters here), how many Boscov’s stores exist in northern NJ? I’m guessing a big reason this mall could’ve held on as long as it did after Palisades opened, was that not many Boscov’s operated in the northern NJ area, and this was one of the few easily accessible Boscov’s for northern NJ residents. In addition, I guess(but correct me if I’m wrong, and if this wasn’t the only reason for this mall’s death) all the competing malls and shopping centers to the north of here(in Orange County, and the Paramus malls in northern NJ helped in the end to squeeze this mall’s business too much, and did it in.
Like I said at the beginning, sad to hear that a mall that looks in such good shape is about to be de-malled. Guess the bigger factor that hurt this mall was competition from malls to the north(in Orange County) and the south(in northern NJ) doing this one in, besides it having to compete with Palisades for shoppers. (correct me of course, if my thinking of why this mall declined in the end is off)
on March 14th, 2008 at 9:54 pm
Allan,
In answer to your question, Boscov’s has zero stores in northern NJ. Aside from the Nanuet Mall store, the closest Boscov’s locations accessible to people who live in northern NJ can be found at the Monmouth Mall (in central NJ), as well as two PA malls–Palmer Park Mall and Lehigh Valley Mall–that are located close to the NJ border.
on March 17th, 2008 at 2:08 am
wow I heard this mall was in trouble but not that badly yes the palisades mall killed this mall big time look at the size of palisades compared to this mall. its strange how they had a bambergers in NY back in the day those stores were common in NJ,PA,DE and MD its a shame boscovs is leaving that store aint to bad but I miss A&S though
on March 20th, 2008 at 1:51 am
that boscovs from looking at the pictures looks fairly new even though a&s and stern’s were there before hand. it wouldn’t make any sense to tear it down just plain stupid. they might save the store itself and maybe put one of these stores there Dicks but palisades probably has it already, the great indoors which is like an ikea kinda store but owned by Sears they have a mega location in woodbridge nj or an IKEA but theres one minutes away in paramus across from the GSP on rt4 I dunno any suggestions
on March 20th, 2008 at 9:39 am
With out Boscov’s the number of choices to add becomes very limited. Because both Palisades & Rockland Plaza have most of the big boxes, the only store i can think of adding is Bass Pro Shops. I’m not sure if Nanuet is the best place for a store like that though.
on March 23rd, 2008 at 11:47 am
Sean,
You make Spring Valley sound like a poverty stricken area….which it is not. Unless you are referring to the influx of Guatamalans and Mexicans who have plagued the area the last couple of years?!?!?!?! A large part of Spring Valley falls under middle class income AND no it did not contribute to the decline of the Nanuet Mall.
Max,
To answer your question the decline of the Nanuet Mall was very gradual. Because the Palisades Mall was such a monstrosity when it first opened the Nanuet Mall got the “overflow” of customers who preferred not to be bothered with the Palisades Mall.
I can recall about 1 1/2-2 1/2 years after the Palisades Mall opened that right after the Christmas holidays is when stores started to gradually disappear. I can vividly recall going to the mall after the holiday to catch some after Christmas sales to find the Gap gone. After that I noticed a trend where the stores that were closing were the ones who also had a store in the Palisades Mall….it does make good business sense considering the Palisades Mall and Nanuet Mall are within close proximity of each other.
Currently, there are very few stores in the mall and off the top of my head I can think that NY& Company, Rainbow, Footlocker, Aeropostale, GNC, Hallmark Store, Mandies and Kay Jewelers. Also, another factor that contributed to its decline is the fact that as more stores closed that in effect made the rent increase for the remaining occupants.
It will be sad to see it go, but I am at least glad there are plans in the works to turn it into something else vs. it becoming a “dead mall” and an eyesore like the infamous Dixie Square Mall, where the infamous Blues Brothers chase scene in the mall was filmed.
Fast fact: To date the Dixie Square Mall has been closed for 30 years more than twice as long as it was in business.
on March 23rd, 2008 at 12:54 pm
For the record i said “lower income.” At that time Spring Valley’s downtown area was very nasty, it was in the early 1990s. Perhaps things may have improved since then. I hope things are better now then they were when i went there last.
on March 23rd, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Hello,
The Nanuet Mall closing is no surprise to me, I went in there around Thanksgiving……..theres a dentists office in there people! Thats when you know a mall has gone down the sh*t hole. I live very close to the mall, so the demolition and the stages to follow should be very interesting.
Personally, I think no matter what they put there in the NMs place will still be under the Palisades Malls shadow.
on March 23rd, 2008 at 6:21 pm
So true Greg, the only exeption to this is if they bring in a large format store that Palisades or Rockland plaza doesn’t already have. As i said above, the number of big box choices is very limited. If IKEA was not in Paramus it would be an option, but as it is the only choice i could see are Lowes or Bass Pro Shops.
on March 24th, 2008 at 12:09 am
Sean,
You must be referring to Main Street. There is currently a revitalization project going on and 3/4 of the stores that were there are now gone. Supposively they are building affordable housing…..townhouses & condos.
on March 24th, 2008 at 9:26 am
Yes i was refering to that area. I’m glad to here that part of town is being revitalized, just what Spring Valley needed.
on March 24th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Thanks for answering my question about Boscov’s, Max. It’s too bad that adding Boscov’s didn’t prevent this mall from declining against other competing malls in the end, but I do also know that’s the way the retail cycle of malls often goes.
And considering the size of Palisades Mall(it’s even documented as one of the top 5 American malls in overall square feet, according to wikipedia), I think I’d have to agree with Greg’s comment about the dominance of Palisades over Nanuet, and that whatever shopping center Simon puts in NM’s place will have to carefully be something(i.e. at least a few big-drawing store(s), i.e. Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s, etc.) that you can’t find at Palisades.
on March 24th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
There maybe a way to save Boscov’s,at Palisades move The Sports Authority into the former Comp USA location, that way you would have a 2 level retail space that includes the former JoAnn’s etc. store wich is pritty large to begin with.
Just a thought.
on March 24th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
As a teenager living in Nanuet, I can tell you that the only reason that anyone my age goes to that mall is because parents think it is “safer” (which i know is true) than the Palisades. As everyone knows, the Palisades has much more desirable stores, although it is a bad atmosphere. I am sad to see the Nanuet Mall go, since it has been a part of my life since i moved here in 1997, as a 3 year old. I am, however excited to see what comes out of the new Open Air center.
Does anybody have any idea on the stores that will be there? And when will demolition and rebuilding begin?
on March 24th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Sean, no hope to move to Palisades. The old JoAnn space at Palisades is going to become Burlington Coat Factory.
on March 24th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
OY VEY! You must be kidding me. Of all the stores they could bring in here, they settled for Berlington Coat Factory. I guess thats the state of the econemy right now.
On the other hand, the nearest stores to Rockland County are in Paramus & Wayne Hills Mall.
on March 24th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
As a teenager living in Nanuet, I can tell you that the only reason that anyone my age goes to that mall is because parents think it is “safer” (which i know is true) than the Palisades. As everyone knows, the Palisades has much more desirable stores, although it is a bad atmosphere. I am sad to see the Nanuet Mall go, since it has been a part of my life since i moved here in 1997, as a 3 year old. I am, however excited to see what comes out of the new Open Air center.
Does anybody have any idea on the stores that will be there? And when will demolition and rebuilding begin?
on March 24th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
O Jeez….this looks exactly like the malls built here in Canada during the late 80’s or early 90’s. I was about to ask if you made a mistake by saying this was in New York. It’s so unbelievably Canadian. The decor reminds me somewhat of Woodbine mall (built 1985ish) in Toronto, Ontario.
on March 25th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
Is “Palisades” pronounced “Paul-a-sad-ease” or “Pal-e-sades”?
on March 28th, 2008 at 11:32 am
Today in the Journal news www.lohud.com even after 10 years, residents still have some reservations about the palisades Center, should it have ever opened in the first place. The answer could have prevented Nanuet malls distruction.
I personally think that the opening of Palisades Center did more good than harm. First of all exept for Boscov’s every store in Nanuet was in Paramus, wich means Lower sales tax for shoppers by going across the state line, with far more veriety of retailers to choose from. The only upshot for Nanuet & for Rockland County in general was no blue laws.
Secondly, Palisades atracts shoppers from a much greater trade area than Nanuet ever could. The trade area stretches through 4 suburban counties on both sides of the hudson Westchester & Putnum on the east as well as Rockland & Orange on the west. You may get some shoppers from NYC, & Bergen & Pasaic Counties as well.
on March 30th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
I lived in Rockland for a good period of my life, and now living in Jersey, I can visit the Nanuet Mall every once in a while. I went today and I can say I cannot wait till the Nanuet Mall closes down.
I randomly visited the mall in the past 3 years and saw it’s decline. Any time a store closed down a furniture store would open up. It became a passing joke, “Look a furniture store will take it’s place,” till I saw it to be true more than than I could count (take the Office Depot by Red Lobster for one, or Tower Records and Fortunoff, for another?). The mall would be losing stores left and right, it was almost a sign of the times. Close down quick please! Give me a reason to go to Nanuet, there needs to be change!!
Surprisingly no one mentioned the “downfall” of the Spring Valley MarketPlace, then it’s slow upward incline, but how long will that last? I truly thought a Target would open in it’s place there and Shoprite would stay.
Instead of speaking more on low points, why not solutions, because really, what is a “lifestyle center”?
1. Ikea - yes the furniture joke, but why not? The only Ikea in NY is in Long Island.
2. Borders - Competition against Barnes & Noble, closest one is Ramsey, NJ?
3. Healthy Eateries (come on, compete against White Castle!!) - Amazon cafe, Better Burger NYC, Jamba Juice, Chipotle, Whole Foods, Organic anything
Those are just some ideas. I would like to see something new other than the same old Macy’s and Sears… I will not miss either of them!
on March 31st, 2008 at 9:04 am
Hi. I have lived in Rockland my whole life. I am 41 years old and I have seen a tremendous amount of change here. The Nanuet Mall was and still is a beautiful mall. It used to have a Friendly’s downstairs and on Friday nights I would go there with my family and “wait” on line to get a table! The Movie theater was upstairs over by where the food court is now. There used to be a restaurant called “The Lion’s Den” which as a child we thought was very fancy! The mall used to be packed because of great stores and restaurants. Now the Palisades dump is packed because people have no where else to go. During the week, the Palisades is empty, if you go on the weekend, you can’t get a parking space. This is not because of Rocklanders going there, it is because people from the city stuck in apartments can spend an entire day at the mall. If the Palisade Mall was an upscale mall I bet you that it would not be packed with a ton of people just hanging out. It would have people there to do their business and get out. “The Westchester” is a prime example of a “non-hang out” mall. I truly believe that the Nanuet Mall should be a high end mall with stores such as Fortunoff, Bloomingdales, Whole Foods, Nordstrom, Anthropologie, A & F , Coach, Neimans, PF Changs, Crate & Barrell, Pottery Barn Kids, Gucci, etc…. I bet you that it would be a huge success! People are disgusted with the Palisade Mall and the novelty of that hideous mall is over! We need a refreshing new look in Rockland and for the Nanuet Mall. I know that the economy is tough now, but eventually things even out and it all works out! If the Nanuet Mall decision makers are reading this, please make it an upscale mall!!! I hate going to Jersey and dealing with Routes 17 and 4!!! Thank you!
on March 31st, 2008 at 9:09 am
By the way here is what I found from the Simon website in regards to an “Open Air Lifestyle Center” I just hope that if they plan on doing something like this it doesn’t turn out to be like “Cross County.” God Help Us!
http://www.simon.com/about_simon/our_business/lifestyle_centers.aspx
on March 31st, 2008 at 12:47 pm
check out this weeks “Westchester County Business Journal”, there is an artical called “Mall eyes expantion”, reguarding what the Palisades has in mind for the future.
on March 31st, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Here is the link.
www.westchestercountybusiness.com
on April 6th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
An open air center- a good suggestion- still won’t be able to compete against the Palisades Center and other regional malls. Also not the best idea for a northern climate location where “foot traffic” will rather be somewhere warmer for a large part of the year. The site is so close to the PVL rail- would prefer to see a larger part of the site be redeveloped into townhomes and condos. Also would like to see TV/film and sound production facilities considered in the site- would bring in better paying jobs while production companies may be attracted to modern facilities at half price rents plus twice the space relative to in or around Manhattan…. I know that’s a long shot. If your going to do the open air concept, google “The Block at Orange”- which offers the same concept plus some office and residential mixed into the picture.
on April 6th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
Good points all around Jeff.
With the new service on the PVL, it would be more practicle to build a transit village on that site. Not only could they have housing, some community oriented retail could also be part of that type of project.
Not only is there rail service in the area, but not to far away there are bus services that will take you not just around Rockland County, but to points such as Tarrytown & White Plains in Westchester, as wellas Manhattan. You can also connect to NJ transit in several communities in Bergen County.
With all of the retail in the tri-county area, how can building another retail complex be the best use of limited tax dollars. You have Palisades Center, Paramus/North Hackensack NJ & White Plains across the Hudson, isn’t that enough retail square footage?
on April 9th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
I second that notion, Sean. No more large scale retail really is needed in Rockland. Unfortunately the Nanuet Mall’s slide into the abyss has already proven that to be the case. Changing it’s “look” may help but not significantly.
on April 9th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
It will be very interesting to see how the Rockland/Bergen County shopping scene will adjust to the upcoming opening of the Meadowlands Xanadu. Bergen Town Center, Garden State Plaza, The Shops at Riverside and Paramus Park have all made some changes/additions to prepare for the opening. It will be interesting to see if Xanadu has an equal effect in Rockland. Nanuet has to change as a result of Palisades, but what about Palisades having to change/grow as a result of Xanadu?
on April 10th, 2008 at 10:55 am
That’s a very good question Mallguy, the Business Journal ran an article not to long ago. “Mall eyes expantion,” in it manager Peter Janoff, talks about bringing in a conference center & a hotel with more retail. I am not sure if Clarkstown will allow such a project to ever happen. A lot of locals hate the mall as it is, & now this expantion idea comes along?
Paramus will always be Paramus, no matter what, it has a reputation & base that is almost unmatched any place in this country. Even if Bergen Town Center & the Fashon Center were to close GSP & Paramus Park as well as Routes 4 & 17 will still do a brisk business. Ditto for Shops at Riverside, after Mills spent a boat load of money remoddleing & a expantion of it’s own, bringing Barns & Noble & Cheesecake Factory in to a high end mall that was floundering. Simon is going to defend that mall to the hill.
The wild card in all of this is in the Medowlands, because this is a project far enough away from most of the other retail areas that it could create it’s own market. Not only is there retail, you also have a hotel with conference center, office uses, Giants Statium, an arena, a track for horse racing & NJ Transit is building a station on the PVL wich will open in the near future when the new Giants Statium opens. It will be an understatement to say that a lot of people will want to see the whole project when it’s completed. Traffic around East Rutherford may become a problem, so public transit use is being pushed, by NJT & the NJSEA who is over seeing this project.
The big Loser in the deal of malls in the area will be nanuet. Even when the Lifestyle center finally opens there might not be a market for it. At some point Macy*s could decide to close that location, being so close to it’s Palisades store. As for sears-there finantial problems could seal there fate, or they could also build a new store in West Nyack as well. No matter how you look at it, it doesn’t look good for Nanuet mall’s future.
on April 10th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
Great explanation, Sean. I do agree that Nanuet is the big loser in all of this.
In Paramus, each mall has its niche: Paramus Park gets the Northern Bergen County moms who don’t want to drive the extra 4 miles down route 17 to GSP becuase its crowds, traffic and the overall size of the place is too big (also interesting to note, the Macy’s in Paramus Park is one of the only 2 Macys left in NJ with an in-store furniture dept…Rockaway Townsquare being the other); GSP gets a mix of people who want one stop shopping and will get more now that the movie theatre and Grand Lux Cafe are open; Shops at Riverside gets the high end shopper as their Bloomingdales and Saks are bigger and better than the respective Short Hills locations and they have stores that Short Hills doesn’t (e.g. Hermes)…plus they are a mere 6 miles from the GWB.
While I do believe that the Paramus malls will survive, Xanadu has the “entertainment” factor that the malls in Paramus, or even Palisades Center does not have: the indoor ski center, the virtual skydive and the ferris wheel. As long as Palisades has Dave and Busters, they will see me there, but again, it will be interesting to see how this place does especially on game days. Maybe it will end up alleviating some of the route 17 traffic, which can’t be all that good for Paramus.
Nanuet will be the big loser in this Bergen/Rockland retail landscape and frankly, as far as lifestyle centers go, I doubt it will even come close to that of Tices Corner in Woodcliff Lake. Very sad to see its demise.
on April 10th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Take my word for it, once Xanadu opens Palisades will intriduce new entertainment options to defend it’s market. What they will be is yet to be figured out.
One thing that Xanadu has going for it is, it will be easily reached from Manhattan & the region by public transportation. NJT’S bus 351 & 320lines plus rail service on the PVL will reduce traffic in East Rutherford, lessening the impact on the area roadways. Tri taking the bus to the Palisades from the PABT. It is 100 minutes each way on Red &Tan line 20 & cost $8 one way. It is only 20 minutes each way to East Rutherford &only $3.50 per ride. A round trip is less than paying the toll your self, a nice insentive.
Even if you drive from other areas of the region, as you do Mallguy going to the Medowlands is much closer to mor suburban areas than Palisades is.
On a personal note, i’m tired of the Costco look of Palisades, time for something refreshing. If Xanadu is it, than so be it.
on April 14th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Regarding the comments on the decor above (kitshy Greek columns and post-modern art deco style railings)…my friend had come up with a great description of that style: Art Greco
on April 15th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
hate to see Nanuet Mall go - needs improvement but not to the point of elimination. Believe it or not, many people do not like and will not go to the Palisades Mall. It is a monster place with no warmth - nanuet mall always had this for me. It is my mall.
on April 28th, 2008 at 1:46 am
I’m don’t know whether I should be sad or happy. The Nanuet Mall was much nicer than the Galleria in White Plains, but getting to it was a drag. This was 1987/1988. The tapanzee bridge was the worse part of the trip. I find it to be one of the worst crossings through the Hudson. For your information, the tap is falling apart and they have been talking about replacement for years. The only reason why the Galleria in White Plains is still alive, is that, it is surrounded by a city. Otherwise, it would have gone out of existence as well. It also is a quick hop to the City Of White Plains Library. So that was the main reason why I liked the Galleria. My best childhood memories is of course with the city of White Plains/Westchester County.
on April 29th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
What White Plains has going forit is the fact the downtown core is walkable. Over the last 7 years the city has transformed from a place that was devoid of any activity at night to an area that has become reenergized & actived with new housing, retail, restaurants & entertainment in the downtown. Because of this it is possible to hoof it from place to place & not be dependent on a car to get around all the time.
Many malls were built & or designed for auto access only like Nanuet was. As gas prices rise beyond $4.00 pg people won’t have enough money to spend at the mall.
My friend John works for a supermarket, if you asked him about food prices lately he would say they are going “koo koo!” As i type this a gallon of milk is $4.40 in his store. Little wonder that so many families are struggling. Add increasing forclosure rates & uncertainty with the econemy & you have the ressapy for something desasterous.
on April 29th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
www.doctorhousingbubble.com Is an interesting site that illistrates the points i made in my last post. It teaches with plenty of tungue & cheak reguardless if you agree or not. One of the runners on this blog is a play on the “Real men of Genious” ad from Budwiser. It’s called “Real HOMES of genious.”
Hope you enjoy.
on April 30th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
I second Ava’s statement that it would be great in Nanuet went the way of a more upscale approach. Clearly the people in the area have the money to spend, but do not have local access to such stores. I heard a rumor for a split second that Walmart is no longer wanting to go in Monsey, but the Nanuet space might be appealing. I don’t think it would ever get past Clarkstown’s board (THANK GOD).
I would really support something more upscale, we don’t need anymore run-of-the-mill retail…
on April 30th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Kelly,
I don’t see a need for any new retail in Rockland. Every store has a larger & better location in Paramus or at Palisades Center, either way it’s 15 minutes away from Nanuet Mall. Believe it or not that site is best suted for a transit oriented village with community retail uses including supermarket, small shops & low rise housing units with condos, townhouses & apartments surrounded by greenspace.
Being clost to both the PVL, local bus route 59 & the Tapan Zeexpress, it just makes sence. If they ever decide to add transit along the T Z bridge this will make a difference in Rockland’s housing needs.
on May 1st, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Sean,
Do you happen to know what the plans are for the strip mall behind the actual mall are? I believe it’s called Nanuet Mall South or something of that nature.
on May 1st, 2008 at 8:02 pm
PS - A Trader Joes or Whole Foods would be an awesome addition to the area, but I know Stop & Shop is right there…however I know many people would pick TJ/WF over S&S.
on May 1st, 2008 at 8:59 pm
A good question Kelly, I wish I had an answer for you.
Yes, the strip mall was called Nanuet Mall South. There was aPizza & Brew restaurant, Cineplex Odion 5-screen theatre & other stores wich I have no clue about.
The intigration of Whole Foods or some other major food retailer is a smart idea if you want to turn this property into a mixed use site. Community oriented retail along with residential units is the future. If this remains strickly retail, it will never work.
on May 3rd, 2008 at 8:15 pm
As a teenager residing in Nanuet, I think I speak for the whole youth population here when I say this: We’re bored beyond belief with the Palisades. It’s done. We hate it. At first it was great to go to such a huge place and just hang out, but after the novelty factor wears off it seems that the more scummy aspects show through. Paramus is great, the GSP has all the stores we’re interested in, but it’s so damn far away compared to the Palisades and the Nanuet, that it can’t be a weekend hangout all the time. I’m totally for a mixed-use center with an organic grocery, a gym, and some other non-mall aspects, but I’m not sure on housing. There’s already a few townhouse communities around here(Normandy, Avalon, etc.) and there’s not a huge demand. Not to mention the mall’s property isn’t huge. By creating a lifestyle center that cuts through the B.S. stores and caters directly to the locals who just need some hang-out space and don’t want all the backlit signs and crowds, the Nanuet would do INCREDIBLY well. These huge malls are fine and dandy when you need an 8-hour shopping excursion, but sometimes all you want is a movie theater, a starbucks, and a quick trip to Abercrombie & Fitch (or Ann Taylor, or J.Crew…etc.). My friends and I hate the fact that “our” mall (the Palisades) is so overrun with out of towners that it’s impossible to do anything.
My point is: Create one of these lifestyle centers with a Trader Joe’s, a Jamba Juice, a movie theater, some high-demand, semi-upscale stores, and lots of community “chill” space, and WATCH THE MONEY PILE IN.
Let the Nanuet Mall flaunt its “little-brother-ness” to the Palisades as a quality. We want that.
on May 4th, 2008 at 1:21 am
Rockland County needs some UPSCALE retail! We have so many “junky” stores and th Palisades Mall is just a big dump. Bring in the upscale!!! I hate to go to Garden State Mall and deal with RT. 17. I don’t like the trip to “The Westchester” because I never know if I’m going to hit traffic! Bring in the upsale and GET RID OF THE RIF RAF!!!!
on May 4th, 2008 at 10:56 am
Ava,
With Berlington Coat coming in there’s little chance that upscale stores will go into Palisades. The upscale retailers will continue to move toward bergen County, and the shoppers will follow them.
on May 5th, 2008 at 12:24 am
Enjoyed reading all the other postings shared by fellow Rocklanders about this Nanuet landmark. But I still think the mall should be heavily redone as residential. Please take a look at the numbers for a moment: Rockland’s 300,000 residents simply cannot support a huge mall (Palisades) plus a 2nd medium-sized mall (Nanuet). IMO, NJ residents south of 4/208 will patron Xanadu and don’t count on Westchester residents traveling to Nanuet. Northern Bergen would support a new Nanuet- on Sundays and holidays that is.
It’s time to disperse specialty/upscale retail and the lifestyle scene back to Rockland’s downtown centers (Nanuet, PR, Nyack, Suffern, Piermont, and New City to name a few). IMO, continuing and sustaining on downtown resurgence will require eliminating most of the Nanuet Mall retail space or simply put competition. Under this notion any leftover retail not absorbed by the downtown centers can be reabsorbed into the Palisades Center and/or into other county-wide strip malls depending upon spacing needs.
Bring the life back to downtown centres. The highest and best use of the Nanuet Mall site is residential.
on May 5th, 2008 at 9:44 am
I’ve been trying to drive that point home a few posts back. Thank you Jeff for agreeing with me, somebody finally gets it.
on May 7th, 2008 at 12:54 am
My Uncle has lived in Monsey now almost 20 years and we’ve exclusively went to Nanuet or Pallisades in the years we’ve visited him from South Jersey. We drove by but never visited Paramus or GSP. I guess we went against the trend. I’ve been to Nanuet a handful of times. The last time I was there was before this decline. That Boscov’s store is amazing. I remember being at the mall with the old A&S name I believe. That was a fine quality store they built there. I appreciate Boscov’s still had a toy section. Being shown the parking deck at this mall years ago was a big deal for me. I remember the exterior of the Sears on the other end. I was really disappointed to hear about the mall closure and store clearances my cousin told me about today. I blamed Pallisades 10 years ago for making me bug out with all that neon. Not enough sleep and too much neon I experienced when I visited in 1998.
on May 11th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
Why is it that the Nanuet Mall and the Pallisades Center cannot co-exist, while Garden State Plaza and Paramus Park Mall are able to do so? Certainly, one would think those Rockland County residents who don’t want to go to a huge shopping mall would instead flock to the Nanuet Mall (since this is exactly the reason why so many Bergen County shoppers flock to Paramus Park Mall). Why are these two situations so different?
Also, I have a feeling that Simon simply kicked Boscov’s out of Nanuet, since I once read that the downtown Binghampton store–and not the Nanuet Mall store–is the lowest grossing store in that chain. (Therefore, it wouldn’t make all that much sense for Boscov’s to voluntarily close its Nanuet location, since the Binghampton store remains open.) Sadly, I have given up hope that Boscov’s will open a northern NJ store anytime in the forseeable future.
on May 13th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
I for one am depressed. I HATE, HATE, HATE
on May 13th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Sorry, I HATE, HATE, HATE the Palisades Mall. It’s way too big and parking sucks. The Nanuet Mall is easy to get around, there is always parking without a mile hike, you don’t have to deal with traffic in and out of it and it’s not a horrendous drive to get too. It’s sad to see it go. So what will they put up ANOTHER mall or maybe MORE ugly condos? This sucks.
on May 13th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
Max said:
Why is it that the Nanuet Mall and the Pallisades Center cannot co-exist, while Garden State Plaza and Paramus Park Mall are able to do so? Certainly, one would think those Rockland County residents who don’t want to go to a huge shopping mall would instead flock to the Nanuet Mall (since this is exactly the reason why so many Bergen County shoppers flock to Paramus Park Mall). Why are these two situations so different?
Bergen County’s population and location is the reason why it can operate two successful malls: Bergen’s 900,000+ residents are able to support two malls whereas Rockland’s 300,000 residents is not enough people to support the present retail square footage of the Palisades & Nanuet. Also, Bergen County malls draw shoppers from nearby counties more effectively than Rockland can- however the Palisades does a great job in attracting $$$ from out- of- county shoppers. I just don’t think Nanuet can do the same especially when you add Xanadu into the menu of choices very soon.
Rockland County should add more of a shopping element to their downtowns for an alternative to the “huge shopping mall experience” rather than the two- mall concept.
on May 14th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Lets not forget that not all of the Palisades Center has been built out yet, even after 10 years. Clarkstown has refused time & time again to allow the dead spaces on the 3rd & 4th levels to be occupide. With that in mind how could 2 malls opperate in Rockland successfully?
on May 14th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
^^
Sean,
Do you know WHY Clarkstown is against having space that is already in existence to be actually FILLED? It doesn’t make sense.
I live in Clarkstown and I know a lot of Clarkstown residents HATE the Palisades but it sounds very stupid not to occupy a space that already exists and yet at one point they wanted to physically expand the mall? What!?
on May 15th, 2008 at 10:22 am
Kelly,
From what I remember Clarkstown was fearful that if Palisades were to be expanded any further,there would be so much more traffic on the roads, or so they say.
The people who live there wanted the mall, now after a decade the same people are saying I hate the Mall, do something about it! Or the mall is over run with out of control teens, i’m not going there because of it. You cant have it both ways, the mall is there, get use to it.
Just imagine if out of towners like myself who come regularly to shop here didn’t have an option like the Palisades, we all would instead travel to GSP. Now how would Clarkstown pay for the towns services without aditional sales taxes that the mall generates? Yes, your property taxes would rise close to 10% each year. Oh yeah, I didn’t think about that, thats what often happens, people forget about the other side of issues like this.
One more thaught, I like most people would never cross the TZ bridge just to go to Nanuet Mall, there is no reason to do so. Palisades on the other hand is something entirely different.
on May 15th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
Interesting, thanks so much. You are so informed!!! I assumed you lived around here!
I just can’t believe that they think that there would be considerable more traffic with the addition of more stores in a structure which already exists…Am I missing something? So dumb. I guess it is there way of keeping some people here ‘happy’. Whatever!
The mall must pay a lot of school tax, too. thanks for the info!
on May 16th, 2008 at 9:40 am
Actuly Kelly I live in Westchester not Rockland, but i go to Palisades quite often. I tend to do a lot of my shopping at the Best Buy there because it’s better than the 3 stores nearest me.
A few weeks ago I posted a link to the Westchester County Business Journal wich ran a story about Palisades future plans, see if you can find it.
on May 16th, 2008 at 9:50 am
It was on March 31st
on May 16th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
thank you
on May 16th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
I just learned from this site that the Boscov’s is closing. I live in NYC and do (or did) a lot of my Christmas shopping at the Boscov’s in Nanuet because they truly give you a choice from the local chains. Boscov’s should really find a place to relocate to in the area. As for the open air markets, the only one I am familiar with is the one in Cockeysville/Hunt Valley, MD. They converted the dead Hunt Valley Mall, recycling some buildings and also demolishing, then rebuilding. I think the purpose is to prevent kids from hanging out at shopping centers. The biggest problem is that you will get wet on rainy days.
on May 16th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Kelly,
Were you able to find the article?
on May 16th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
If you want to see what’s in store for Nanuet, just Google “Americana at Brand.” That’s a lifestyle center for you. Even with apartments and condos above the stores. Just like many of you were mentioning.
on May 17th, 2008 at 12:38 am
Hahaha, I wish.
on May 18th, 2008 at 9:56 am
Thanks for that link, Scott. If that’s true that would be an ideal redevelopment project to move forward with but wouldn’t be surprised if Rockland County drags it’s feet on this one. Scott, may I ask how do you know that is what’s in store for the Nanuet site? I thought Simon Mall was the new owner/developer of Nanuet while the link below shows Caruso as the developer of the Americana?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americana_at_Brand
on May 18th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
Another good example of a lifestyle center with condos is Promanade at Edgewater on river road. Most of the parking is in garages under the buildings. It contains most of the upscale retailers you would find in any top level mall.
Nearby are Target, National Amusements theatres, Edgewater Commons & Edgewater Town Center. There are loads of condos & apartment complexs in the area adding to the vitality & traffic levels.
on May 18th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
All I can tell you is the quotes were given from Simon that a “lifestyle center” was in the offing. Americana at Brand is an example of a state-of-the-art development of that type. It certainly made a splash here on the local scene in Los Angeles (along with its predecessor by Caruso Affliated, The Grove), and it doubtless is making a big impression on the developer community across the country, and around the world, as well. You could get one thing TAAB doesn’t have, namely on-site transit, with the railroad tracks running next to the property. There is commuter rail in Glendale, but the station is a good mile away from the mall.
Incidentally, I grew up in Woodcliff Lake (NJ), and spent many years at Nanuet Mall. My mother would drag me there as a toddler in the mall’s early years (early 70’s) and I hung out there countless times as a teenager in the 1980’s. Spent countless quarters at the video game arcade in the front parking lot (next to Beefsteak Charlie’s; building torn down long ago) ate at the Friendly’s many times, bought the Bruce Springsteen “LIVE” box set at the record store, and saw movies at the tiny movie theater on the second floor in the back next to Sears. “Mother Jugs and Speed” with Raquel Welch and Bill Cosby is one I remember seeing there. Also saw “Pink Floyd’s The Wall” first run at the 4 plex theater in the detatched strip mall in the back. Right next door was the “Paperback Exchange,” where I first got interested in collecting old records. Good times.
on May 18th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Thats all well & good, but unless the project is accessable by transit you wont have much of a market for the housing. Housing preferences are changing right before our eyes, with people demanding condos & townhouses near major bus stops & rail stations.
The Nanuet Mall site is the perfect spot to showcase the best of developments like these.
www.tndwest.com is a site the profiles many types of developments in California, Oregon & Washington state. Some good, Some bad & some that really stand out in what a mixed use development should be, like Portland’s Pearl & South Waterfront districts for example.
Take a look you may learn something.
on May 19th, 2008 at 12:31 am
Thanks for the follow up info, Scott. I also remember the Friendly’s (on the lower level across from Spencer’s and going towards Sears) and the arcade (right next to the mall’s 2nd floor entrance). Good times, indeed.
The mixed use center I am familiar with in the greater LA basin is The Block at Orange. I would prefer to see the physical layout of the new Nanuet to mimic something similar to the Americana (where residential is above retail and one which provides ample underground parking options). What I didn’t like about The Block at Orange is the large, mall-like parking lots which circumvent the retail and also the residential and commercial buildings are NOT mixed into the retail space but adjacent to it- making it seperated, mixed- use sprawl to me. The Nanuet site is certainly smaller than this but has similar characteristics of The Block: same sea of existing parking lots, former shopping centers converted/being converted into an open air themes and same owners!!
on May 19th, 2008 at 9:33 am
Jeff,
I in California as well as most localities zoning is single use only. You wont find housing mixed with retail, rather it will be ajacent to it. Go to the link i posted above & you will get a better understanding of the issues involved.
on May 20th, 2008 at 11:56 pm
Thanks, Sean for the link above but I think the website is experiencing some problems since I keep on getting the message below everytime I open it:
If you are a member of the general public:
The fact that you are seeing this page indicates that the website you just visited is either experiencing problems or is undergoing routine maintenance.
If the Nanuet lifestyle center moves forward as anticipated, Clarkstown should consider zoning the new project to resemble more of a “village atmosphere” and create an effective transition linking this project to it’s downtown district (being that they are right next to each other) rather than making the lifestyle center “mall-like” and “automobile dominate”.
on May 21st, 2008 at 9:25 am
Sorry jeff,
It something with their server, try again from time to time
on May 21st, 2008 at 9:42 am
Boscov’s is gone?
http://www.simon.com/mall/directory.aspx?ID=101#
I hope Simon doesn’t tear down the Boscov’s Building, it looks awesome.
on May 21st, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Wow, this is news to me as I’m on the other side of the country now. Used to live in New City during the early - mid 80’s and the Nanuet Mall is my first memories of any mall. It definitely had it’s changes over the years and isn’t what it once was but it’s a better place to go than the Palisades if you ask me. I’ve never liked the Palisades.
Maybe I’m alone in this, but the one time I went to the Rockaway Mall in NJ in 2002, it reminded me of a larger 80’s era Nanuet Mall.
on May 23rd, 2008 at 4:20 am
Holy Crap! What was the name of that arcade next to Beefstake Charlies/Blimpies? I had TOTALLY forgotten about that arcade! If I remember correctly, it was such a piece of trash place.
The best arcade in Rockland was either Mr. Arcade or Futurestars (the place behind Route 59 that had batting cages and for a while laser tag).
on May 25th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
boscovs has officially closed its doors.
on May 27th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
The arcade in the mall was Aladdin’s Castle. I had at least one birthday party there as a kid. Although the Nanuet Mall has lots of sentimental value to me, I support the idea of trying something new. Route 59 in Nanuet is such a mess as it is. Maybe the open air marketplace will work out.
on May 27th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
How long until the mall closes for good.
This is a bit off topic, growing up there were two big arcades in my area, the Nathin’s restaurant in Yonkers on Central Avenue & Cooks in Mamaroneck on Boston Post Road. Ah! memmeries!
on May 28th, 2008 at 7:06 am
James:
The video game next to Beefsteak Charlies was called:
Video Game Asylum.
Played a lot of Tron, Pole Position and Qix there. I also remember the “trailer” for Dragon’s Lair playing OVER and OVER…”Will the princess be forced to marry SOMEONE SHE CAN’T STAND????”
We also went to “Super Arcade” and “Mr. Arcade” after a while, because they were bigger and had better games.
There was also a little storefront arcade in downtown Nanuet we went to…it only had a few games, but the games were 10 for $1. In fact, that was what we called it, “Ten For A Dollar.” I don’t think it even had a sign or a real name. That place only lasted 1-2 years at most.
on May 30th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
Does anyone remember the place across the street (facing rt. 59) in the plaza where Marshalls is named Pickles? I believe it burned down in the late 80’s/early 90’s.
on May 31st, 2008 at 4:15 pm
Kelly,
Pickles burned down in 1987. I recall reading that it was an arson fire staged by the owners for insurance money.
Incidentally I worked very briefly for Pyramid in 1989 or so when they were planning the Palisades Center mall. At that time the plans had been for a much smaller center with high end retailers. Sacks 5th Ave was the anchor. Somewhere after the gulf war and the recession the plans changed to the massive, down-scale dump it is today.
As a teenager in the late 70’s and 80’s I worked at the Nanuet Mall. Before the additional anchor store was added I could stand out in front of the store where I worked in the mall and see straight from one end to the other…Bambergers (later Macys) to the left, Sears to the right. Some nights there were so few customers in the mall I’d just sit behind the cash register doing my homework, a slice of pizza from Roman Delight on the desk.
Good times, indeed.
on June 2nd, 2008 at 11:35 pm
Thanks for the info, Peter
on June 3rd, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Bring back Mr. Arcade!
on June 3rd, 2008 at 8:30 pm
This mall seemed kind of run-down and depressing when I was there around 1993. Kind of surprised it hung on so long, given all the surrounding competition.
on June 5th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Growing up in Clarkstown in the 80’s and living in New City for most of my adult life, I have some fond memories of the Nanuet Mall.
What most folks are missing when it is said that Rockland cannot support both Palisades and Nanuet is the fact that Rockland isnt supporting the Palisades now. So much of the retail (I’m not speaking about the “entertainment” venues) in Palisades seems to be foot traffic from people who make it a destination (not locals).
I absolutely believe Nanuet can support the “lifestyle center” concept, provided it remains upscale. I know many fellow Rockland residents driving to Paramus (GSP) or the Westchester in White Plains to shop. The demographics in a lot of Rockland have shifted from middle class to upper middle class and wealthy over the last 25 years. Rockland deserves a local place to shop without having to travel into another state or over the river, and without having to deal with the ugly cave that is the Palisades Center.
We need an organic grocery (whole foods, etc), solid upscale retail, and stores that accurately reflect the changed demographic that is Rockland County. I often wonder if we fail to show up on these retailers radar since they are already getting our money, albeit in Bergen and Westchester counties.
If Nanuet could function as some sort of transit hub/train depot in addition, that would make it even more attractive as a housing destination, but the current condo market doesnt seem to warrant this. However, if you made it an attractive spot to catch the train to NY, you’d benefit the retail as well and draw local residents and their disposable income (New City/West Nyack, etc). on their way into and out of NY. Eventually, as rail service grows (gas is on its way to 5 bucks a gallon), you could encourage reverse commuting to office space in the new “lifestyle center”.
Especially in the last 10 yrs, Rockland has really come into its own as a true commuter suburb of NY, much like affluent Bergen and Westchester. All we need now is better rail, transit, and retail options.
on June 5th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
Everything you just said is true, however Rockland is 15-20 minutes away from paramus leaving no insentive for locals to stay there& shop. Everything is much cheeper if you cross the state line. Example gas is 35 cents less pg in Montvale vs Orangeburg.
on June 5th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
“We need an organic grocery (whole foods, etc),”
No, you need Wegmans.
Whole Foods is not really good unless you are vegan. Wegmans’ Organic Dept is smaller than Whole Foods obviously, but prices are cheaper for the same products, etc.
tl;dr:
Not everyone will shop at a Whole Foods, but just about everyone will shop at a Wegmans.
on June 6th, 2008 at 12:03 am
John mentioned earlier-
…. if you made it an attractive spot to catch the train to NY…
which I think should mean frequent and fast service to/from Penn St. during the peak am & pm periods. Fast & frequent should mean comparable to other locations that are 30 miles via rail to/from Penn. If you compared the travel times from the train schedules of these other locations (Syosset, Morristown and Edison) you would see that rail travel time from Nanuet to Penn St. should be about 50 minutes to one hour during peak periods. The capital improvement project to create a one-seat ride to Penn on the PVL should shave 10 or so minutes off travel time by 2015 but catching a train from Nanuet would still need additional improvements or more peak express trains. I don’t catch the train from Nanuet but I believe there is one a.m. express train which can get you to Penn in under an hour and that’s it. Personally, I would rather see faster peak hour service that bi-directional all day service on the PVL.
Also key is a mass transit mode with a reliable, predictable and faster travel time from the Nanuet site to the heart of the northern suburbs-White Plains- which hopefully the TZB project will solve as well.
Implementing these mass transit improvements will surely create demand for housing at the Nanuet site which will then create more demand for retail AND SUSTAIN IT.
on June 6th, 2008 at 10:35 am
As we discuss this topic the roll of the suburb is in transformation right before our eyes,. Infact with $4 pg at the pump & rising rapidly, the question is will the suburb remain in existence at all?
I have done a lot of resurch on this topic at my job, and I have come to 2 conclusions.
First observation-communities far from the city without frequent public transit service will depopulate wile those areas that have good transit will gain population, as a result towns like Nanuet should be planning for growth around the train station. White Plains started this a decade ago, with results that shocked even the most arden critic.
Second-transit oriented development projects with housing, offices & retail in a walkable setting instead of acres of parking lots is the future. As i said in prire posts, a high density transit village at the Nanuet Mall site is criticle. If you need an example on how one of these TVs should look & function Go to either Westwood or Ridgewood in Bergen County & take a walk around. It should not take to long to figure out what I’m talking about.
In these examples both villages have walkable downtowns with apartments & offices over shops. However what makes Ridgewood a standout is you could walk to major stores like Stop & shop, Whole foods or Kings.
With a train station & bus station a block from one another in the heart of downtown Ridgewood getting around Bergen County & the region is easy. This is the moddle Nanuet officials & developers of the mall should be examining.
on June 6th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
Sean,
This is actually the case in many NJ communities like Ridgewood. Towns like Madison, Chatham, Westfield, Morristown and Millburn are building vibrant downtowns centered around their train stations.
The suburbanization of the 1950s that relied on the automobile and not public transportation is definitely coming into examination as purely suburban towns in NJ with NO downtowns such as East Brunswick, Edison, Middletown, Mahwah and Montville are exploring ways to build transit villages with lifestyle shops and apartments centered around that transporation hub, whether it be a bus station or a train station.
Malls in turn will have to conintue to build, update and modernize in order to keep up and still keep the customers coming despite the higher gas prices. NJ has bucked the trend with the real estate/retail slowdown as at least 12 malls are moderninizing/have modernized in some form or another wihtin the past two years.
And AceJay, I’ve been hearing rumblings about Wegman’s coming to the redevloped Crossroads Complex in Mahwah, about 15 miles from Nanuet
on June 6th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
mallguy: No, Wegmans (no apotrophe) is not planning any new stores in NY or NJ right now, they’re focusing on MD, VA, and some PA locations:
http://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/FAQDetailView?langId=-1&storeId=10052&catalogId=10002&faqCategory=AboutWegmans#question_4
On that note, Sunday is the Grand Opening of the Potomac Town Center one. If anyone’s in the area, be sure to check it out. 7am sharp!
on June 6th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Mallguy,
NJTransit www.njtransit.com has a transit village program. . The reason I braught up Ridgewood was because of the fact that it was developed prire to WWII wich was the watershed that led to the patterns that we see today.
I could have just as easily inserted Summit, Madison or even Scarsdale. They have the same development pattern, with walkable streets & all the elements I already braught up.
on June 6th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
Mallguy,
I have an interesting question for you, but anyone can chime in.
What area malls do you think could support the adition of housing, AKA Natick Colection?
I was thinking that some malls could build on eccess parking lotsor on top of the mall depending on configuration of the site.
examples:
1. The Westchester-on top of the garage
2. Freehold-off Trotters Way where the existing theatre stands
3. Menlo Park-near Parsonage Road Going toward JFK Hospital.
Today oil jumped $10 to $135 per barrel, it’s time to rethink what to do with oversized surface lots.
Input please
on June 7th, 2008 at 2:05 am
I had this odd idea:
Add a 3rd floor onto QBM in the expansion which will house the Food court and a relocated AMC.Loews 30-plex, then above that, condos and apartments!
Hahahaha.
I’d live there.
on June 7th, 2008 at 11:44 am
Sean,
I could see Freehold sustaining condos or apartments (also a hotel which they were supposed to build when the build the new Wemrock Road access road). Menlo would be tough because it’s hemmed in its little spot and right next to Menlo is the Roosevelt Care Center. And Newport Centre I believe already has apartments nearby. I would also think Garden State Plaza, but knowing that Paramus had to take Westfield to NJ Supreme Court to try and stop the building of the movie theater expansionm, I don’t think Paramus would be too keen on that new development.
on June 8th, 2008 at 11:38 am
Short Hills is in the same boat as Menlo Park, with a property that is hemmed in making building on surface lots difficult.
As for GSP the back lots behind Lord & taylor & neiman Marcus should be used as park & ride spaces. This will keep unnessessary traffic off the local roads. However Paramus officials & Westfield are trying to see the forest through the trees & don’t see the big picture yet.
What about Bridgewater Commons Mallguy, could housing be built there? It’s been a very long time since I been back, and I don’t recall the layout of the area.
on June 8th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
i cant believe its closing its been there forever! how can it close!!!