The rise of online retailing in recent years has kept people at home and away from the malls. But that may soon change. The New Jersey Meadowlands mall dubbed "American Dream" has been in construction since around 2003 but experienced various developer swaps and delays before finally landing on Triple Five. There is even a final release date set for American Dream, Friday, October 25th, which is just in time for Black Friday and the holiday shopping season.

According to American Dream president Don Ghermezian, the mall will be a "one-of-a-kind property that will reshape the way people think about entertainment, theme parks, and shopping." Included in the October 25th launch will be a Nickelodeon-themed park, a Dreamworks water park, Angry Birds mini golf, an ice rink, and a ski and snowboard park among the 500 various retailers like Tiffany & Company, Dolce Gabbana, and Barneys New York. If you don't like to shop or don't want to make the trip down to Six Flags, American Dream provides that plan B.

An ordinary store-by-store mall in 2019 is just not going to cut it any longer. There needs to be more of an incentive involved. How about an indoor amusement park for the younger kids in the household and stores for the adults? People have moved on. A decade ago, a mall in New Jersey with an indoor water park, amusement park, and indoor skiing would be virtually unheard of. But now, when technology is advancing by the hour and malls are no longer the priority of public conscious, this is what may be needed to reinvigorate interest.

When consumers want the next big thing, it allows developers to get creative and bring innovative new ideas like American Dream to the table. In order to get the goodwill of the people back, you can't just appeal to the shoppers with the credit cards, but with the most valuable resource... children. Word-of-mouth brings in more shoppers and great business. Like most projects as expansive as American Dream, only a portion of the mall will be completed in time for the October 25th opening while the rest will come in time.

On the other hand, American Dream could be too much of a good thing. Hundreds of stores and indoor amusement parks are a lot of ground for anyone to cover, let alone a whole group of devoted shoppers. If you plan on making your way to American Dream, have a plan ready. The mall is likely going to be a traffic nightmare the first opening months; any shopper would be lucky to even get in. Not to mention the mall being fixed in the center of the Meadowlands right next to Giants Stadium. It could give the Jersey Shore a run for its money this summer traffic-wise.

A luxury movie theater, "Sea Life Aquarium", "Legoland", Munchies Food Hall, and many other establishments will be a part of the second wave of mall attractions. But, with a mall that has taken this long to get off the ground, all eyes will be on American Dream to deliver.

If the years of hard work and secrecy truly paid off, this will be one for the history books.