Paterson looking to overcome obstacles, eyes becoming a tourist destination

PATERSON, N.J. (PIX11) -- Paterson, N.J., known as the Silk City – is working to spin the fabric of its future into something people will feel good about.

It’s a delicate balance, threading the needle between the reality of the city’s blight and poverty and its potential as a tourist hub and dining destination.

“Paterson is a work in progress, and progress is a process,” said Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh.

Sayegh fashions himself as Paterson’s biggest cheerleader. He took office in 2018.

“Two of my predecessors went to jail, so essentially, what I had was a startup enterprise,” said Sayegh. “[We] had to balance our budget, find new streams of revenue. Clearly, the police department had issues with rogue officers.”

Paterson is New Jersey’s third-largest city. It is home to Great Falls National Park, Hinchliffe Stadium, and more than 50 distinct ethnic groups.

Alexander Hamilton founded Paterson, in part, as the first planned industrial city in the United States. Paterson produced everything from textiles and trains to beer and firearms. But by the 1980s, Paterson was one of the poorest cities in the country, and it’s still working to rebound.

“As a result of divestment, the white flight, suburbanization, we were never really able to recover,” said Sayegh.

Unlike Newark and Jersey City, Paterson has not seen a major economic renaissance. It lacks the large corporations of its counterparts, including Prudential and Panasonic in Newark and Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase in Jersey City. There are also fewer transit options and colleges.

“That brings a crowd of itself,” said Sam Ishage, who lives in Jersey City, graduated from NJIT in Newark, and frequents Paterson with her Sudanese family. “It brings people that want to come during their college career, but then they may stay and work as well. And you really don’t see too much of that in Paterson, New Jersey itself.”

Ishage said she enjoys spending time in Paterson.

“Paterson actually has a lot of our culture and a lot of restaurants that kind of appeal to us there,” said Ishage. “So whether it’s supermarkets, clothing stores, you want quick dessert or coffee or a full-blown meal with your family, you can find it in Paterson.”

Sayegh wants to attract small businesses—not necessarily major corporations—to Paterson. He envisions Paterson as a top-notch tourist destination for its diverse food and the Great Falls. A riverwalk will open in September, just steps away from Hinchliffe Stadium, part of a $100 million investment in Paterson’s parks and fields. Plans also include a visitors center and more.

“I just got the renderings for the corridor leading to the Great Falls, the gateway to the Grate Falls, which would include restaurants, a brewery – potentially – so that we can create a nightlife in the city,” said Sayegh. “And that’s what we’ve been missing out on, being able to attract tourists to the City of Paterson."

One of Paterson’s newest businesses is Mokafe, a Yemeni coffee shop on Market Street.

“It’s a great place to do business,” said owner Abdul Mubarez. “I think Paterson is up and coming. A lot of middle-class people over there.”

Perhaps the biggest business betting on Paterson’s success is the Art Factory. The 21-building campus was once a rope manufacturer. It is now a creative playground for filmmakers including Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorcese and Aaron Sorkin, as well as hundreds of artists.

“Bon Jovi shot three music videos here,” said David Garsia, general manager of the Art Factory. “50 Cent [shot] six music videos [here],” said Garsia, who described the venue as a creative hub for the Northeast. “People are starting to realize what we’re doing here and they’re coming."

Several of its spaces also serve as wedding venues.

“We figure within the next year or so, we’ll be doing 600 weddings a year,” said Garsia.

The Art Factory is certainly one of Paterson’s blockbuster businesses, but behind the scenes, the city’s struggles remain. Sayegh faces an ongoing opioid crisis and issues reintegrating formerly incarcerated residents back into society.

He says he’s slowly working to change the perception of Paterson and weave a different narrative for the once-thriving Silk City.

“We’re not trying to be Newark,” said Sayegh. “We’re not trying to be Jersey City. We’re trying to be Paterson and the best Paterson we can be.”