New Garden State Plaza Manager Has Jersey Roots

Deborah Mattes has managed four malls for Westfield, most of them in the Chicago area.

But none of them compare to her fifth mall, the Garden State Plaza, Westfield's largest U.S. shopping center, where Mattes was named senior general manager in September.

Mattes says she's ready for the challenge, and is even looking forward to Black Friday, when shoppers from miles away make a pilgrimage to Paramus to start their Christmas shopping.

"I'm looking forward to that energy and seeing the holiday season kick off that way," Mattes said.

Her move to New Jersey is in some ways a return home. Though Mattes grew up in the Chicago area, she was born in the Garden State and has some family in the area.

She's still getting used to the traffic, but the October snow was probably a familiar sight.

Her leadership isn't the only change at the Garden State Plaza. Mattes said the mall is sprucing up in advance of the holiday season, with new furniture and plantings.

The mall is redoing the pedestrian crosswalks from the outer ring road to the interior of the mall lot and is working to reroute the ring road to improve traffic flow. The mall also added floor space on the upper level, and customers can expect improved lighting both inside and outside.

The Planning Board recently approved a new parking guidance system for one of the mall's parking decks that will tell customers where and how much parking is available within.

Mattes said that despite the slow economy the mall is making its way back to the highs of 2007, when the mall made a reported $358.6 million in retail sales on the year, according to Westfield's annual reports. That number dipped to $308.5 million in 2009, but climbed back to $344.1 million last year.

The mall has seen an increase in spending from luxury customers and gotten more visitors from New York City, just 8 miles away, Mattes said.

Mattes said she tries to cultivate relationships with each store manager in the mall, communicating about any issues and working together on marketing strategies. The collaboration helps drive sales and traffic, she said.

The Garden State Plaza has a broad appeal that made it less vulnerable to the downturn than other businesses, Mattes said.

"You really have enough of an offering that appeals to everybody," she said.

The Garden State Plaza is about to increase those offerings with several new stores like C Wonder, a women's fashion accessory boutique; Aroma Espresso Bar, an Israel-based chain; Skagen Design, a designer of high-end watches; Naanoosh Mediterranean Grill, a fast-casual restaurant; and many others.

"I'm really excited," Mattes said. "It's a big honor to be running the Garden State Plaza, so I'm just thrilled that Westfield chose me to do that."