Editing Paramus, New Jersey (section)

===Malls===
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Paramus is known for its multitude of stores and malls. It has five major indoor shopping centers, serving residents in the areas of Bergen County and [[Passaic County, New Jersey|Passaic County]] in New Jersey and [[Rockland County, New York|Rockland County]] in [[New York (state)|New York]]. New Jersey does not levy a [[sales tax]] on clothes and shoes, which makes it an attractive shopping destination for people even further away in [[New York City]], who pay sales tax on clothing items above $110 in price, in addition to the lower standard rate of 6.625% in New Jersey, compared to 8.875% in New York City.<ref>City of New York. [http://www.nyc.gov/html/dof/html/business/nys_sales_tax.shtml "New York Sales and Use Tax"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105050342/http://www.nyc.gov/html/dof/html/business/nys_sales_tax.shtml |date=November 5, 2013 }}. Accessed November 4, 2013. "The City Sales Tax rate is 4.5%, NY State Sales and Use Tax is 4% and the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District surcharge of 0.375% for a total Sales and Use Tax of 8.875 percent"</ref><ref>Belson, Ken; and Schweber, Nate. [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/18/nyregion/18jersey.html "Sales Tax Cut in City May Dim Allure of Stores Across Hudson"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180514071031/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/18/nyregion/18jersey.html |date=May 14, 2018 }}. ''[[The New York Times]]''. January 18, 2007. Accessed August 22, 2011. "For years, shoppers from New York City have played a game of retail arbitrage, traveling to the many malls in northern New Jersey, a state where there is no tax on clothing and shoes. Even accounting for tolls, gas and time, shoppers could save money by visiting the Westfield Garden State Plaza and other malls here, escaping the 8.375 percent sales tax they must pay in New York City on clothing and shoes that cost more than $110 per item."</ref> The borough is one of the largest shopping destinations in the country, generating over $6 billion in annual retail sales, more than any other [[ZIP Code]] in the United States despite the county's blue laws.<ref name=ParamusNumberOneRetailZipCode/>
At the intersection of Routes 4 and 17 is [[Garden State Plaza]], the largest and best-known mall in the borough. Westfield Garden State Plaza is the largest mall in the [[Westfield Group]]'s global portfolio and the largest in New Jersey, with a [[gross leasable area]] of {{convert|2128402|sqft|m2|sigfig=2}}.<ref>[http://www.westfield.com/corporate/property-portfolio/united-states/gardenstateplaza.html Westfield Garden State Plaza] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224215115/http://www.westfield.com/corporate/property-portfolio/united-states/gardenstateplaza.html |date=February 24, 2012 }}, [[Westfield Group]]. Accessed December 25, 2011. "Total retail space: 2,128,402ft2 or 197,728m2 (approx)"</ref> On Route 4, are [[Bergen Town Center]] (known as the Bergen Mall until 2006), Paramus Place and The Shoppes on IV. On Route 17, are [[Paramus Park]], Paramus Towne Square, Paramus Design Center, and the [[Fashion Center (Paramus, New Jersey)|Fashion Center]].

Many national chain stores have at least one location in Paramus. [[Nordstrom]]'s Paramus location was its first New York–area store when it opened in September 1990, with strong sales volume.<ref>Barmash, Isadore. [https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/09/business/sales-strong-for-jersey-nordstrom-s.html "Sales Strong for Jersey Nordstrom's"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702230815/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/09/business/sales-strong-for-jersey-nordstrom-s.html |date=July 2, 2017 }}, ''[[The New York Times]]'', October 9, 1990. Accessed August 11, 2015. "Nordstrom Inc.'s store here, its first in the New York metropolitan area, appears to be off to a strong start in its first month, industry analysts and company executives say. Nordstrom executives refused to give details on the store's sales but said it had had the best initial sales volume of any of the company's three East Coast stores."</ref> There are 25 retailers that occupy multiple stores in Paramus, including [[Macy's]], which had outlets in three malls for a period of time. Some retail analysts view Paramus as being two distinct markets, centered on the two major highways. [[Lord & Taylor]] had locations at both Westfield Garden State Plaza and Fashion Center, giving Paramus the distinction of being the only town with more than one Lord & Taylor location. However, by 2021, both locations closed, due to the company's bankruptcy from the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United States|COVID-19 pandemic]]. [[Toys "R" Us]] had two locations: at the Fashion Center, and at a location on the eastbound side of [[New Jersey Route 4|Route 4]] near Forest Avenue. Paramus also housed a [[Babies "R" Us]] on the northbound side of [[New Jersey Route 17|Route 17]], but it closed in 2018. Later that year, the [[Fashion Center]] and Route 4 Toys "R" Us locations both closed due to the company's bankruptcy. In 1983, Paramus was the location of one of the first [[Kids "R" Us]] stores.<ref>[http://www.toysrusinc.com/about-us/history/ Our History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190418142247/https://www.toysrusinc.com/about-us/history |date=April 18, 2019 }}, [[Toys "R" Us]]. Accessed August 11, 2015. "In 1983, the company branched out into children's clothing when it opened its first Kids 'R' Us® stores in Paramus, New Jersey and Brooklyn, New York."</ref> When Toys "R" Us was revived in 2019 after emerging from bankruptcy, the first new Toys "R" Us store opened at [[Garden State Plaza]] on November 27, 2019. However, it closed again on January 26, 2021, as a result of financial losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>[https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/2019/11/27/toys-r-us-opens-countrys-first-new-store-paramus-nj/4307012002/ "Toys R Us opens 'new' kind of store, with its first US location in Garden State Plaza"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191128040628/https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/2019/11/27/toys-r-us-opens-countrys-first-new-store-paramus-nj/4307012002/ |date=November 28, 2019 }} ''NorthJersey.com''. Accessed November 27, 2019.</ref><ref>[https://abc7ny.com/society/toys-r-us-retrenches-again-shutters-its-last-2-us-stores/10138677/ "Toys R Us retrenches again, shutters its last 2 US stores"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210130032350/https://abc7ny.com/society/toys-r-us-retrenches-again-shutters-its-last-2-us-stores/10138677/ |date=January 30, 2021 }} "ABC7NY.com" Accessed January 29, 2021.</ref> 

====Blue laws====
In addition to the state [[blue law]]s that apply to all of Bergen County,<ref>[https://casetext.com/case/mack-paramus-co-v-mayor-and-council ''Mack Paramus Co. v. Mayor and Council''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221130231136/https://casetext.com/case/mack-paramus-co-v-mayor-and-council/ |date=November 30, 2022 }}, Casetext. Accessed November 30, 2022. "The State's statutory Sunday blue law, as incorporated in the Code, restricts the sale on Sunday of only five categories of goods. N.J.S.A. 2A:171-5.18. The provisions of the State law are not operative unless the voters of a county adopt the State law by referendum, upon which the statutory prohibition will be applicable on a county-wide basis. N.J.S.A. 2A:171-5.12. The voters in Bergen County, in which Midland Park and Paramus are located, have adopted the State Sunday blue law."</ref><ref>[https://www.co.bergen.nj.us/DocumentCenter/View/153 The Sunday Closing Law] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180207041338/http://www.co.bergen.nj.us/DocumentCenter/View/153 |date=February 7, 2018 }}, [[Bergen County, New Jersey]]. Accessed January 28, 2018. "Bergen County has by referendum become the last county in New Jersey to retain the Sunday Closing Law, N.J.S.A. 2A:171-5.8 et seq. As a result, the sale of certain items is still prohibited and the law should still be enforced."</ref><ref>Brennan, John. [https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/2017/06/23/11-things-you-might-not-know-bergen-countys-blue-laws/420512001/ "11 things you might not know about Bergen County's blue laws"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171209231749/http://www.northjersey.com/story/news/2017/06/23/11-things-you-might-not-know-bergen-countys-blue-laws/420512001/ |date=December 9, 2017 }}, ''[[The Record (North Jersey)|The Record]]'', June 23, 2017. Accessed January 28, 2018. "A key moment in time was the 1959 vote to allow each of New Jersey's 21 counties to make individual decisions on blue laws. Ten counties preferred the status quo — at first. Hudson County voters decided in 1985 to become the 20th of 21 counties to repeal the state's blue laws."</ref> Paramus has even stricter restrictions, preventing stores selling non-food items from opening at all on Sundays.<ref name=BoroughCode>[https://ecode360.com/8544550 Paramus Borough Code: Chapter 391: Sunday Activities] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425142446/https://ecode360.com/8544550 |date=April 25, 2023 }}, Borough of Paramus. Accessed April 25, 2023. "391-2. Sunday activities restricted. No worldly employment or business, except works of necessity and charity, shall be performed or practiced by any person within the Borough on the first day of the week, commonly called and hereinafter designated as 'Sunday.'"</ref><ref>Brennan, John. [http://www.northjersey.com/story/news/2017/06/23/11-things-you-might-not-know-bergen-countys-blue-laws/420512001/ "11 things you might not know about Bergen County's blue laws"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171209231749/http://www.northjersey.com/story/news/2017/06/23/11-things-you-might-not-know-bergen-countys-blue-laws/420512001/ |date=December 9, 2017 }}, ''[[The Record (North Jersey)|The Record]]'', June 23, 2017. Accessed December 18, 2017. "In Jan. 1986, Gov. Tom Kean signed a bill into law that allowed Bergen municipalities to have their own blue laws, even if the county at some point removed its bans. The state Supreme Court upheld that option six months later. That decision allowed Paramus to maintain even stricter blue laws than in the rest of the county."</ref> These laws were enacted shortly after Garden State Plaza opened, out of fear that the mall would cause high levels of [[Traffic congestion|congestion]] in the borough.<ref>Staff. [https://www.nytimes.com/1957/06/02/archives/sunday-selling-plaguing-jersey-local-businesses-pushing-fight.html "Sunday Selling Plaguing Jersey; Local Businesses Pushing Fight Against Activities of Stores on Highways"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171024100809/http://www.nytimes.com/1957/06/02/archives/sunday-selling-plaguing-jersey-local-businesses-pushing-fight.html |date=October 24, 2017 }}, ''[[The New York Times]]'', June 2, 1957. Accessed January 28, 2018.</ref> It is one of the last places in the United States to have such an extensive blue law. This law was called into question when a [[BJ's Wholesale Club]] opened at the junction between Routes 4/17. BJ's was allowed to open on Sundays, but is only allowed to sell food and basic necessities. The store has been structured to restrict access to items that cannot be purchased on Sunday.

Local blue laws in Paramus were first proposed in 1957, while the [[Bergen Town Center|Bergen Mall]] and [[Garden State Plaza]] were both under construction. The legislation was motivated by fears that the two new malls would increase the already-severe highway congestion caused by local retail operations along the borough's highways.<ref name=sunday/>

The Paramus Borough Code forbids the performance of any "worldly employment" on Sunday, with exceptions for charity, and the sale of newspapers, medicinal drugs, meals, prepared food and cigarettes, among a limited numbers of exceptions. Even work performed inside one's own home is prohibited on Sundays.<ref name=BoroughCode/> In spite of its six-day shopping week, Paramus consistently has the most retail sales of any ZIP Code in the United States.<ref name=shopping>[http://www.globest.com/retail/advisor/1_54/advisor/16788-1.html Paramus 07652] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517172031/http://www.globest.com/retail/advisor/1_54/advisor/16788-1.html |date=May 17, 2008 }}, GlobeSt. Retail, October 3, 2005.</ref>

More than 63% of Bergen County voters rejected a referendum on the ballot in 1993 that would have repealed the county's blue laws, though the Paramus restrictions would have remained in place.<ref>Staff. [https://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/04/nyregion/1993-elections-ballots-measures-new-brooms-sweep-power-recall-term-limits-well.html "The 1993 Elections: Ballots Measures; New Brooms Sweep In Power of Recall and Term Limits as Well as Candidates"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307074517/http://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/04/nyregion/1993-elections-ballots-measures-new-brooms-sweep-power-recall-term-limits-well.html |date=March 7, 2016 }}, ''[[The New York Times]]'', November 4, 1993. Accessed December 25, 2011. "Residents of Bergen County decided that they wanted to keep the state's only countywide blue laws, which prohibit most shopping on Sunday. Voters rejected the effort to repeal the laws by 63 percent to 37 percent, with 99 percent of the county's precincts reporting."</ref> An unsuccessful 2010 proposal by [[Governor of New Jersey]] [[Chris Christie]] would have ended the state's blue laws, now only enforced in Bergen County, with the governor citing industry estimates that the $1.1 billion in added retail revenue on Sundays would generate an additional $65 million in sales taxes for the state.<ref>Gartland, Michael. [http://www.northjersey.com/news/031710_Christies_blue_law_repeal_proposal_criticized.html&page=all "Christie's blue law repeal proposal criticized"], ''[[The Record (North Jersey)|The Record]]'', March 17, 2010. Accessed June 29, 2011. "Macy's declined to comment, referring questions to the New Jersey Retail Merchants Association, which supports lifting the blue laws. The association said that Sunday hours would generate $1.1 billion a year in extra business for Bergen County retailers, along with $65 million in state sales tax revenues."</ref>

In November 2012, Governor [[Chris Christie]] issued an executive order temporarily suspending the blue laws in both Bergen County and Paramus due to the effects of [[Hurricane Sandy]], a decision that was upheld despite a court challenge by the Borough of Paramus.<ref>Verdon, Joan. [http://www.northjersey.com/news/178121571_Judge_sides_with_govenor__county_over_blue_laws.html "Judge sides with county executive over Bergen blue laws"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004214146/http://www.northjersey.com/news/178121571_Judge_sides_with_govenor__county_over_blue_laws.html |date=October 4, 2013 }}, ''[[The Record (North Jersey)|The Record]]'', November 9, 2012. Accessed November 19, 2012. "Paramus must set aside its blue laws this Sunday due to the unprecedented damage caused by Superstorm Sandy, a Bergen County Superior Court Judge ruled today."</ref> The blue law suspension was in effect on Sunday, November 11, but was back in effect the following Sunday.<ref>Sullivan, S.P. [http://www.nj.com/bergen/index.ssf/2012/11/bergen_county_execs_office_makes_clear_blue_laws_back_this_weekend.html "Bergen County exec makes clear: Blue laws are back this weekend"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121120034052/http://www.nj.com/bergen/index.ssf/2012/11/bergen_county_execs_office_makes_clear_blue_laws_back_this_weekend.html |date=November 20, 2012 }}, ''[[The Star-Ledger]]'', November 16, 2012. Accessed November 19, 2012.</ref>