American Dream stores open on Sundays despite county ‘blue laws’
Bergen County is the only one in New Jersey that observes “blue laws,” which restrict non-essential businesses, like retail stores, on Sundays.
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Bergen County officials are taking aim at the American Dream megamall for breaking centuries-old “blue laws” by opening retail stores on Sundays.
Bergen County is the only one in New Jersey that observes “blue laws,” which restrict non-essential businesses, like retail stores, on Sundays. But the nation’s second-largest mall - American Dream in East Rutherford - has reportedly been open for business on Sundays.
“The rest of all the stores and businesses in Bergen County are abiding by the law,” said Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco. “We believe that American Dream should also abide by the law. Nobody's above the law.”
The Paramus township code says the laws are for the “general good and welfare of the community,” including traffic reductions and the psychological benefits of workers. It’s why the Garden State Plaza mall in Paramus is open on Sundays for food, but not for retail.
A source tells News12 that because American Dream is on state-owned land, it’s not subject to blue laws. Patrons can buy apparel during Sunday events at MetLife Stadium. But until recently, the mall apparently followed the rules anyway.
The Wayback Machine preserves website data as part of the nonprofit Internet Archive. Back on Jan. 22, 2023 - a Sunday - a disclaimer on the mall’s website states that "select" retail is closed per county ordinance. Two years later, that message is nowhere to be found.
A cursory scan of retailers’ Sunday hours shows many stores open on Sunday, with few stragglers.
“They've been doing it slower and slower,” Tedesco said. “Now, they're advertising it.”
Tedesco has asked state Attorney General Matt Platkin for an opinion on who enforces the Sunday sales statute. The site’s landlord, the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, says it cannot.
The statute calls for fines - and even imprisonment - for violators.
“We’re hoping that American Dream will do the right thing,” Tedesco said.
News 12 has reached out to Triple Five Group, which owns American Dream, for further comment.
