Paramus, New Jersey: Retailing Paradise!
▌ Do you like to shop? If so, Paramus, New Jersey is home to hundreds of retailers and it is the second largest retail destination in the US by zip code. Shop to your heart’s content, but don’t shop on Sundays. Read on for more!
Situated in the heart of Bergen County, New Jersey at the crossroads of state highways 4 and 17 is the town of Paramus, home to some 30,000 residents, but also home to one of the largest retail meccas in the world. Let’s take a look at Paramus and what has made this town such a popular destination for shoppers.
Convenience
Nearly one million people live in Bergen County, but draw a 75 mile radius with Paramus at the center of it and the figure mushrooms to over 20 million people! Yes, all of northern and central New Jersey, New York City, southern New York State and parts of Long Island and Connecticut fall within this circle. That makes for a lot of potential shoppers in such a compact area.
Malls
Four big malls plus several free standing retail establishments are located within the town. The largest is the Garden State Plaza, a beautifully enclosed mall with over two million square feet of retail space. The Garden State Plaza features 280 establishments including Nordstrom, JC Penney, Lord and Taylor, Macy’s, and Nieman Marcus. Other nearby malls include the Bergen Mall,, Paramus Park, and the Fashion Center. Smaller malls include The Mall at IV and Thirty Five Plaza plus free standing retail establishments like home furnishing giant, IKEA.
Tax Free
In New Jersey, there is no tax assessed on clothing purchases. For nearby New Yorkers, this is an attractive reason why a trip to one of Paramus’ many retail destinations is so desirable. New Yorkers pay 8.25% tax on clothing, so the savings can be significant especially when purchasing back to school clothing, a uniform, a fur coat, etc. New Jersey’s sales tax rate is 6% for most other items.
Closed on Sundays
Perhaps the biggest reason why Paramus is such a success is that most retail establishments must remain closed on Sundays. Blue laws are still in effect and the trade off that residents have made over the years was to allow all the stores in, but with one caveat: your business must be done in six days.
Paramus isn’t for everyone, indeed Saturday traffic can be stifling and the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas can bring regular and constant traffic jams. Still, zip code 07652 – Paramus, New Jersey – is the second highest performing retail district in the nation, wedged between two popular New York City zips: 10022 and 10001. Visit the U.S. Census Bureau’s site at www.census.gov for their Economic Census Report by Zip Code report for more information.
