If you’re living in Bergen County and want to get some shopping done on Sundays, you no longer have to travel all the way to the Palisades Center in Rockland County, New York, or the Willowbrook Mall in Wayne.
Now you can drive to American Dream in East Rutherford, which NorthJersey.com confirmed is fully open on Sunday — not only rides, waterslides, ski slopes and restaurants but retail stores as well.
The stores at American Dream have been open for nearly a year on Sundays despite Bergen County’s blue laws, which date back to the 17th century and prohibit the sale of non-essential items on Sundays in the county, such as furniture, appliances, clothing and cars. Grocery stores are exempt.
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Proponents of the Blue Laws say they’ve provided relief to residents of Bergen County, especially in Paramus, which for the rest of the week, especially Saturdays, is hampered by the automobile traffic from four shopping malls.
And county officials are not pleased with American Dream’s decision to stay open and have vowed to fight what a spokesperson for the county called a “disregard” for the Blue Laws.
“Its violation gives American Dream Mall tenants an unfair advantage over all other Bergen County businesses lawfully complying with state law,” the Bergen County spokesperson said.
Don Ghermezian, CEO of Triple Five, the Canadian company that owns American Dream, said in a statement that the mall is “ecstatic that our extensive list of offerings operates on Sundays, allowing everyone to enjoy the very best of American Dream whenever they want.”
In May, county officials pressed the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which owns the land where American Dream is located, to enforce the county’s Sunday blue Laws.
Robert Davidow, an attorney for New Jersey, wrote in a response letter obtained by NorthJersey.com that the NJSEA does not have the authority to enforce compliance with the laws and that therefore it won’t be doing so.
“With respect to your inquiry as to which law enforcement agency has authority to enforce the Sunday Sale Law at the MetLife Sports Complex, the NJSEA is not that entity,” Davidow wrote in a letter addressed to Bergen County Executive James Tedesco and obtained by NorthJersey.com.
A spokesperson for the NJSEA said in an email that the state agency “provides operational support” to the mall and other facilities at the MetLife Sports Complex, but did not answer specific questions on blue laws and the mall.
County officials said they’ve reached out to the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office for clarification.
But Dan Prochilo, a spokesperson for the Attorney General’s office, declined to comment specifically.
“For the most part, the Attorney General’s Office is not authorized to provide general information to the press about New Jersey law or to interpret state statutes or regulations,” he said in an email.
Daniel Munoz covers business, consumer affairs, labor and the economy for NorthJersey.com and The Record.
Email: [email protected]; Twitter:@danielmunoz100 and Facebook
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