Willowbrook Open for Business

People were at Willowbrook Mall right when the facility opened at 10 a.m. Saturday morning.

People lined up for a cup of coffee in the food court as workers made some last-minute touches to stores as the mall welcomed its first customers in a week. The mall closed early Saturday in anticipation of Hurricane Irene hitting the North Jersey area.

"We're very happy it is open. We usually come every Saturday," Ellen Penkol said. 

Workers said they were glad to be back on the job.

"It is nice to be able to clock the hours again," Karen Porter said while she walked into the mall. "I don't know what the store looks like though."

One worker at Lids said he was only told yesterday that the mall was going to open today.

"They didn't give us much notice," he said as he put hats on display.

The mall looked and smelled clean. No apparent water damage was visible. 

Security guards yesterday said that very little water got into the mall; water reportedly only seeped in through one entrance, which was quickly sealed up and the water removed. They said piles of dirt and hundreds of sandbags were stacked in front of entrances and windows to prevent water from seeping into the mall.

The mall will closed at 7 p.m. tonight.