"I'm sure they're going to have to do a lot of interior renovations," Mayor Chris Vergano said at the July 15 Township Council meeting, "'cause I don't think the books fit on the wine shelves." TAPinto Wayne reported the remark when he told the council that Barnes & Noble was taking over 1308 Route 23, the building Gary's Super Buy Rite used to occupy.
That store is now set to open November 18. It is one of two changes coming to Route 23 this November. The other is Willowbrook opening an hour earlier, starting November 1. The Wonder food hall at 1627 Route 23 already serves food until 11:30 p.m., so the late end of the day was already open. By Thanksgiving week, the corridor will have an earlier morning at the mall and a new bookstore, along with the late food hall it has had since March.
Willowbrook moves the start of the day
Willowbrook's change applies to the morning only. The mall's posted schedule has been 11 a.m. opening every day, with closing at 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 7 p.m. Sunday. Starting Sunday, November 1, 2026, the mall opens at 10 a.m. every day and keeps its closing times.
| Day | Hours through October | Hours from November 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Monday to Thursday | 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Friday and Saturday | 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. |
| Sunday | 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
That works out to seven more hours a week, from 64 to 71, all before 11 a.m. Willowbrook's notice calls these year-round hours, not a holiday schedule. The mall has not posted Black Friday or extended holiday hours for 2026 yet. Anyone planning late-December evenings should check its site again closer to the date.
One seasonal date is already on the mall's calendar. Photos with Santa is listed for the JCPenney Courtyard, and the booking page shows appointments starting November 7, 2026, beginning at 11 a.m. Those first Saturday appointments come one week after the earlier opening takes effect. Before that, Willowbrook's Think Pink event for survivors and caregivers is on October 18 in the Bloomingdale's Exhibit Court.
The Gary's building becomes a bookstore on November 18
The Barnes & Noble store locator lists the Wayne store at 1308 Route 23 with the line "Opening November 18th." Store hours are not posted yet. The locator gives a phone number, (973) 692-7362, and the events page did not show an in-person grand-opening event or a local author signing as of mid-October.
The building's last tenant explains why the mayor joked about wine shelves. TAPinto reported that Gary's Super Buy Rite closed its Route 23 location on May 25 and planned to move to 201 Berdan Avenue, near Outback Steakhouse and the Atlantic Health building, under the name Wayne Buy Rite. As of that July report, the store expected to finish the move by late July or early August. The store's own move FAQ has the latest status for anyone looking for the Berdan Avenue shop.
The bookstore's timeline lines up with Willowbrook's. Vergano said Barnes & Noble got its zoning permits from the township in mid-July. Four months later, the store opens about two and a half weeks after the mall's new schedule starts. For the second half of November, Route 23 will have both changes at once.
Wonder already covers the late night
The far end of the day was already covered. Wonder's Wayne food hall at 1627 Route 23 held its grand-opening event on March 5, NJBIZ reported. Its location page lists daily hours of 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., with dine-in, pickup and delivery.
Compared with the mall's new schedule, Wonder opens 30 minutes after Willowbrook's 10 a.m. start. It stays open three and a half hours after the mall's 8 p.m. weekday close and four and a half hours after its 7 p.m. Sunday close. Starting November 1, the mall and the food hall together cover about thirteen and a half hours a day on Route 23, from Willowbrook's opening to Wonder's last order.
A November Saturday on Route 23, by the clock
Here is what is open on a Saturday after November 18, based on the hours posted so far:
- 10 a.m. Willowbrook opens, an hour earlier than its Saturdays through October.
- 10:30 a.m. Wonder at 1627 Route 23 starts serving dine-in, pickup and delivery.
- 11 a.m. Photos with Santa appointments begin at Willowbrook's JCPenney Courtyard, based on the booking page's earliest listed time.
- 9 p.m. Willowbrook closes on Saturday, the same as before.
- 11:30 p.m. Wonder closes.
Barnes & Noble at 1308 Route 23 is left off the schedule because its store hours have not been posted. The locator phone number, (973) 692-7362, is the direct line to ask. On Sundays, the mall closes at 7 p.m., so Wonder runs four and a half hours past it, the widest gap of the week.
Off Route 23, the dated evening events are at Dey Mansion
The new hours on Route 23 apply every day. Wayne's dated evening events this fall are mostly at Dey Mansion, 199 Totowa Road. Between now and early December, the calendar looks like this:
- Thursdays, October 15, 22 and 29. Dey After Dark lantern tours, with two tour times each night and a lantern walk to the family cemetery, as listed by See Passaic County.
- Friday, October 30. Brokedown Palace at 95 Mountainview Boulevard is advertising a Haunted Hoedown with Halloween-themed line dancing, a DJ and country music, according to a venue-written item on TAPinto.
- Sunday, November 1. Willowbrook's 10 a.m. opening takes effect.
- Saturday, November 7. Photos with Santa bookings begin at Willowbrook.
- Wednesday, November 18. Barnes & Noble opens at 1308 Route 23.
- Friday, December 4, 6 to 8 p.m. A Colonial Christmas Concert with Linda Russell & Company at Dey Mansion. It is free, but registration is required.
The lantern tours end on October 29, three days before Willowbrook's new hours start. After that, the next dated evening event at Dey Mansion is the December 4 concert, sixteen days after Barnes & Noble opens.
Fast Track Real Estate Company tracks changes like these on Route 23 because a new tenant or new hours at a nearby anchor can affect how buyers see a Wayne address. If you'd like to know where your home's value stands as the corridor changes, Fast Track Real Estate Company can prepare a valuation for you. Get Your Home Valuation.
