American Dream mall opens luxury retail wing, including NJ’s only Saks Fifth Avenue location

The upscale retail and dining wing of New Jersey’s American Dream mall finally opened last week after a pandemic-related delayed. Dubbed “The Avenue,” the 300,000-square-foot hall is anchored by a two-level Saks Fifth Avenue, now the only location in the Garden State. Other stores now open at American Dream include Dolce & Gabbana, Hermès, Mulberry, Johnny Was, and renowned Italian restaurant, Carpaccio, the first location of the establishment in the Northeast.

“There are few moments that make me as proud as unveiling The Avenue at American Dream,” Don Ghermezian, CEO of American Dream, said. “The addition of luxury shopping from the most sought-after fashion brands to our world-class attractions and contemporary retail has solidified American Dream as a destination not seen anywhere else.”

The mall’s Saks Fifth Avenue, which temporarily left New Jersey after closing its Short Hills malls location in 2016, measures 110,000 square feet across two levels. Carpaccio will offer a 114-seat dining room, a 24-seat bar area, and an indoor dining patio with space for 67 patrons.

Additional stores will open in this section of the mall in the coming weeks including Alexander Wang, Anne Fontaine, a champagne bar Brüt, Gentle Monster, Jonathan Adler, Zadig & Voltaire, and more.

In addition to the new retailers, The Avenue includes sculpture gardens designed by Jonathan Adler and a new art exhibit called Intersection: art meets fashion, which features collections available for purchase through October 1.

It’s not all high-end fun at American Dream. The 3 million square foot complex in the Meadowlands has a DreamWorks Water Park, the largest indoor water park in North America, a Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park, an indoor ski and snow resort, LEGOLAND, an aquarium, mini-golf, and the first-ever Oreo cookie cafe.

This latest opening points to a slow recovery for the $5 billion mall, which took nearly two decades to construct and faced financial problems even before the coronavirus pandemic hit. American Dream officially opened its doors in 2019, closed nearly six months later in March 2020 because of Covid-19, and then reopened partially on October 1 last year.

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All photos courtesy of American Dream