NJ’s American Dream Mall saw losses quadruple in 2022 on sluggish traffic

NY Post ^ | 9-20-23 | Shannon Thaler

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The American Dream Mall, New Jersey’s behemoth shopping destination located in the Meadowlands, saw its losses quadruple in 2022 to $245 million as it struggled to attract retail tenants amid sagging customer traffic and expenses soared amid a heavy debt load, according to recent filings.

In the years since its opening just five months before the pandemic struck in 2020, the 3.5 million-square-foot mall — which is home to an indoor ski slope, the Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park, and a whopping 450-plus stores — hasn’t caught a break.

Aside from coronavirus-driven shutdowns and construction delays, the mall has been slammed by a series of one-off events, such as when a decorative helicopter figurine came crashing down into a pool full of children back in February. In December, a 24-year-old Air National Guard member died snowboarding after hitting his head in a freak accident at Big Snow American Dream.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Another sure way to kill a mall is to add public transit bus stops.

[minnesota_bound]

I visited my home state of Minnesota in 2003 and went to the Brookdale mall where I had shopped many times in the 1970’s and 80’s. It was nearly empty and it looked like a flea market selling cheap stuff. The mall went downhill according to newspaper accounts and comments when the city had a bus line from Minneapolis stop at Brookdale. Lots of crime came and honest people left.