Since the 1960's suburban shopping centers and malls have substantially increased their share of the retail market.

You slap 11 pieces of art on a wall in the middle of a suburban shopping district, someone's not going to like something.

But by the 1950's, highways and suburban shopping malls had pulled people off the trains and into their cars.

Then, in the 1960's, suburban shopping malls proliferated and in time far surpassed the traditional downtown as metropolitan America's retail center.

And judging by the crowds, New Yorkers appeared eager to welcome the store, a staple of suburban shopping.

The new store is the latest change in the sprawling retail landscape that has made Paramus synonymous with suburban shopping and heavy auto traffic.

"What you're going to see is plenty of suburban shopping only 10 or 15 minutes from the shoreline," said Mr. Cohen, the retail analyst.

In the 1980's, department stores consolidated and cut budgets as Americans headed to the suburban shopping malls and windows received less attention.

Tensions have intensified in recent years, both because of the scarcity of available land and the evolution of suburban shopping.

Outside the city centre, the largest suburban shopping areas are Gosforth and Byker.