Now, NordicTrack will make its first appearance outside of an enclosed regional mall, signing a lease for 6,300 sf at Harrow's Shopping Center here. This city's reputation as a shopping mecca apparently outweighed the need to be in an enclosed mall environment.

"To achieve the objectives of our corporate strategy, we want to open stores where we can best reach our target audience," according to David Packham, president of NordicTrack retail. "Paramus is a great area for us. It is the hub of retail activity in Northern New Jersey."

Matthew J. Gorman, based in Insignia/ESG's Midtown New York office, brokered the transaction on behalf of NordicTrack, while Anthony Cassano of New Jersey-based Hampshire Management Co. negotiated on behalf of the owner, the 17th Century Corp. Details of the lease were not disclosed, but asking retail rents along Route 17 in Paramus are running in the $30-35 per sf range.