It’s a special time of year in North Jersey. There is a palpable hustle and bustle as people prepare for the holidays, purchase gifts and enjoy the company of friends and neighbors.
Each of our downtowns has something unique to offer, from beautiful boutiques to great places for a bite to eat to specialty shops found only in North Jersey.
And that’s before you venture out to the malls that dot the landscapes of Paramus, Hackensack, East Rutherford, Wayne, Short Hills and Rockaway. In this age of online shopping, those malls still remain experiences for shoppers, and along with our downtowns, they drive the retail engines of our suburban economy — perhaps now more than ever before, as more people are working hybrid schedules or fully remote.
Speaking of working at home, our residences are playing an increasingly important role in our day-to-day lives. For many, they are not just a place to return to at night and on the weekends, but now serve as offices, conference centers, lunch spots and more. Typically one of the biggest investments you can make, your home has now taken a central place in our suburban economy.
At NorthJersey.com we cover many aspects of this economic community, working to bring you news about your favorite restaurants, shops and malls. We cover real estate and taxes, bringing you information you need to make smart decisions about your financial future.
And we are always looking for more stories, so please don’t hesitate to reach out with suggestions by emailing any of the writers below or by reaching me at [email protected].
Thanks so much for supporting our journalism, and have a safe and healthy holiday.
Here is a sampling of some of our recent efforts:
The future of malls in New Jersey
The annual Big Santa Lighting and Holiday Drone Show at Garden State Plaza on Nov. 11 was mobbed. Traffic to get into the mall. Traffic to get out of the mall. Crowds everywhere.
The perks of in-person shopping, experiences like high-end restaurants and bowling alleys, as well as incorporating everyday life — from housing to gyms to dry cleaners — are all strategies malls are undertaking to ensure their success in the years to come.
Mall executives we spoke to said it’s beyond just shopping and buying a product. It’s about the experience of being at the mall. It’s about getting out of the house and being with friends and family.
At Garden State Plaza, for example, mall executives are pulling out all the stops for the holiday shopping season.
“The holiday shopping experience, it becomes tradition” for friends and family, said Wesley Rebisz, the mall’s senior general manager. “There’s a very strong value in having the experience of walking through the property, having the gorgeous holiday decor around you for ambiance, and then being able to touch, feel, smell, visualize the actual product that you’re buying and have that instant gratification and being certain that what you’re buying is exactly what you want.”
—Daniel Munoz
Marcus Samuelsson
In early December, acclaimed chef and Food Network personality Marcus Samuelsson will launch his latest restaurant, Marcus Live! Bar and Grille, in the American Dream mall. It’s his third restaurant in New Jersey — the first is Marcus B&P in Newark; he is no longer associated with the second, NoHu Rooftop Bar in Weehawken, though the restaurant is still open.
— Kara VanDooijeweert
Los Pockets brings homemade Hot Pockets to Elmwood Park
A Hot Pockets restaurant has opened in New Jersey, and it has all your favorite post-school, “Avatar: The Last Airbender”-watching flavors.
But the plot twist? They’re homemade.
That’s right, Gen Z and millennials (and boomers who ate their kids’ snacks): Bergen County has a mom-and-pop shop serving handcrafted versions of your favorite cheese-stuffed rectangles.
Unlike the freezer version, though — and far from the travesty that is (was?) Lean Pockets — they’re actually good.
— Kara VanDooijeweert
This Bergen County home sold for $100K over asking price
With a tough housing market like ours, it is not uncommon to see homes selling for more than their original asking price.
For one home that sold this week in Oakland, the over-asking figure was nearly $100,000.
The four-bedroom, 2½-bathroom colonial home at 8 Sienna Way was originally listed for $799,900 in August but just sold for $892,500. Offering about 2,500 square feet of living space, the home features a traditional formal dining room and family room, as well as an eat-in kitchen with granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and a center island with a breakfast bar.
—Maddie McGay
What must-have trend is driving home prices over their asking price?
Are you on the hunt for a home with a first-floor bedroom? Well, you’re not alone.
North Jersey’s housing market is tough enough to navigate as it is. Now, with a rising demand for homes that have a bedroom on the first floor, it has become even more so for homebuyers.
“Between ranches and first floor — either primary suites or at least having the ability to have a first-floor bedroom — we are in high demand,” said Christine Frosini, a broker associate with Prominent Properties Sotheby’s International Realty in Saddle River. “I’m working with clients now, and the only reason they’re moving is because they want that first-floor primary suite.”
—Maddie McGay
These North Jersey ZIP codes are the most expensive this year
For $22.5 million, you could buy an abandoned town in California, used as a set by director Christopher Nolan, with three schools, a public swimming pool, a few churches and a baseball diamond — or a single house in Alpine.
Many of the state’s most costly neighborhoods, especially those in our very own North Jersey region, have maintained their status as the most expensive communities in which to live.
Comparing home values across all of New Jersey’s ZIP codes, using data from Zillow’s Home Value Index, four Bergen County communities and one Essex County community make up North Jersey’s five most expensive ZIP codes so far this year, and they have ranked highly overall in the state.
—Maddie McGay
Fair Lawn hosting ‘scavenger hunt’ in business district for prizes
Earlier this year, shoppers in Fair Lawn were encouraged to snap a selfie at their favorite borough businesses as part of a scavenger hunt that would award prizes and give visitors and residents a new reason to head downtown.
It’s the second year that Fair Lawn Main Street, a nonprofit group that manages the borough’s two special improvement districts, put together the event, said Ryan Greff, executive director of the group.
“The scavenger hunt is a good way to shine a light on these various different businesses,” Greff said.
— Stephanie Noda
Hackensack transforms its business district
Much of the development that has transformed Hackensack’s downtown in recent years has been spurred by financial incentives provided to builders.
In the 11 years since the city designated a large swath of Main Street and the surrounding area as one in need of rehabilitation and laid out a redevelopment plan to attract developers, thousands of apartments in mixed-use buildings have opened.
City officials say the financial agreements Hackensack negotiated with these developers, known as payments in lieu of taxes, or PILOTs, are now paying off as the buildings fill with tenants.
— Megan Burrow
