Garden State Plaza expects to finish 2026 with more than 15 new stores. The additions people will talk about are brands that were new to New Jersey this year, or that had only ever had one location. Blue Bottle Coffee opened its first New Jersey café on Level 2 near Nordstrom. Edikted opened its first New Jersey store nearby. In early November, Liv Breads, which opened in Millburn in 2018, plans to open its second location near Kura Sushi.
The fall additions open one after another on a single floor. The first opened October 3, and five more follow from late October into early December. For someone who lives ten minutes away, the rest of 2026 at the Plaza is a dated sequence along Level 2, and the dates are worth knowing.
The firsts came before the fall roster
Several of the brands now drawing traffic opened earlier in the year. In its October 16 roundup, ROI-NJ listed three of them as recently opened retailers "attracting strong customer traffic":
- Blue Bottle Coffee, the Oakland, California, roaster's first New Jersey location, serving its coffee and espresso drinks plus a selection of food, on Level 2 near Nordstrom.
- Edikted, the Israeli women's fashion brand popular with Gen Z shoppers, in its first New Jersey store, also on Level 2 near Nordstrom.
- DIGISO, the New York–based retailer of Korean beauty, Japanese lifestyle goods, gifts, collectibles and Asian snacks, on Level 1 near the Food Court District.
Before that, Patch reported in June that the bakery Sweet Kitchen, the Korean-style corn dog shop Kong Dog, and the Vivaia and Hoka stores had recently opened.
Taken together, that is a coffee bar, a bakery and a snack counter before fall began. The fall list keeps going in the same direction.
The fall calendar, in order
BINJE reported on October 19 that six more additions would open this season, all on Level 2. One opened on a confirmed date. For the other five, the mall has given a window, so expect those to move.
| Opening window | Store | What it is | Level 2 landmark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opened Oct. 3 | MINISO | Global lifestyle and variety store: household goods, cosmetics, stationery, toys | Near E.A.K. Ramen |
| Late October | ThirdLove | Female-founded intimates and activewear brand with personalized fitting | Near Neiman Marcus |
| Early November | Liv Breads | Millburn artisan bakery and coffee bar, second location | Near Kura Sushi |
| Mid-November | Escapology | Private escape rooms, including seasonal holiday-themed games | Near AMC Theatres |
| Late November | Paul Fredrick | American menswear and custom-fit shirts | Near H&M |
| Early December | Levi's | Full-line Levi's store | Near Macy's |
Sue Newsom, vice president of shopping center management at the Plaza, described the year this way in the BINJE report:
"By the end of this fall, we'll have welcomed more than 15 new stores in 2026, including nationally recognized brands and standout New Jersey businesses."
The "standout New Jersey businesses" in that quote applies most clearly to Liv Breads. ROI-NJ reports that the bakery opened in downtown Millburn in 2018. It takes its cues from European bread and pastry, and it makes wild-yeast sourdough, laminated pastries, buns, cakes and cookies from scratch. BINJE adds seasonal sandwiches to that list. Until early November, Paramus residents who wanted those loaves had to drive to Essex County.
Escapology, opening in mid-November, is the other addition that brings people to the mall without a shopping list. Players are put in a themed room and have to find hidden clues, crack codes and solve puzzles before time runs out. BINJE notes that holiday-themed games are part of the plan, and the venue's position next to AMC Theatres makes a movie and a game an easy pairing.
One floor, mapped by the anchors you already know
Every fall addition is described by the anchor or tenant it sits beside. Arranged that way, the openings make a Level 2 route, listed here in opening order:
- MINISO, beside E.A.K. Ramen, is already open.
- ThirdLove sits on the Neiman Marcus side of the mall.
- Liv Breads sits by Kura Sushi, so the food stops on Level 2 are clustered.
- Escapology sits at the AMC Theatres end.
- Paul Fredrick sits near H&M.
- Levi's sits near Macy's and closes out the sequence in December.
Blue Bottle Coffee and Edikted are already open near Nordstrom. That puts something new beside nearly every major Level 2 anchor by December. DIGISO, on Level 1 near the Food Court District, is the one recent arrival on the other floor.
The holiday calendar starts on a Sunday
Every Paramus driver knows the Plaza's retail floors close on Sundays. NorthJersey.com explained in March that Bergen County blue laws ban most retail activity that day. The Plaza's posted hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and closed Sunday.
Some of the mall does open that day. Westfield keeps an Open Sundays page under the line "Eat. Drink. Play." for the restaurants, entertainment venues and other selected businesses that do open.
That is the background for the Plaza's biggest holiday event. The Paramus Mayor and Council agenda for October 6, 2026 lists a request from Westfield Garden State Plaza to hold its annual Big Santa lighting on Sunday, November 22, 2026. It is a request on a council agenda, so the date depends on the borough's action and on Westfield's own announcement. The agenda gives no start time and names no performers.
For comparison, last year's event was on a Saturday. ROI-NJ reported that the 2025 Big Santa celebration ran November 8. Danielle Monaro hosted, country singer Dylan Schneider headlined, and local performers and a drone and light show filled out the program. Festivities began at 5 p.m. and the official program at 6 p.m. Patch's listing described it as free, with RSVP encouraged.
If the November 22 date holds, the lighting will fall between Escapology's mid-November opening and Paul Fredrick's late-November arrival, the week of Thanksgiving. Westfield's holiday page advertises Photos with Santa and extended holiday hours. Until the extended schedule is posted, plan around the regular hours above.
What follows the mall's fall run
The next addition at the Plaza is a full-service restaurant. NorthJersey.com reported in September that Yard House plans to open next summer in the former Pinstripes space. Pinstripes closed last year.
Two other Paramus additions are close by but outside the mall:
- Raising Cane's is planned as a drive-through at 55 Route 4 West, the chain's first Bergen County location. NJBIZ reported in August that the Paramus Planning Board approved it 6–0. No opening date had been announced as of that report.
- Haven Fit Club at 121 Gertrude Avenue, Suite B, a few minutes from the Plaza, offers coach-led classes, small-group training and strength work. The Bergen County Girl's fall roundup listed it as open in September.
Back inside the mall, the dated stretch ends in early December, when Levi's opens near Macy's. By then, Level 2 will have six new tenants added since October 3, along with the Blue Bottle and Edikted stores that brought their brands to New Jersey earlier this year.
When a Paramus amenity this close to home keeps adding new names, homeowners want to know whether that shows up in what their own house is worth. The Collective tracks that question block by block. To see how your Paramus home is positioned this season, ask The Tony Nabhan Collective for a private valuation. Request Your Free Home Valuation.
