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Maldonian t1_iy4zc1s wrote

I thought the interior of the mall wasn’t publicly accessible anymore?

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PremierBear05 t1_iy53j5h wrote

Dang, I went earlier this year and it's one of the saddest malls I've been to. Not surprised it looks this way right now.

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Dasmer t1_iy59hc0 wrote

My only memory from this mall is the old SEARS being taken over by the military to administer COVID19 shots. Was the strangest vibe walking in there, very apocalyptic/World War-like.

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Feisty-Shopping6326 t1_iy5aln4 wrote

So sad, I have so many memories from my middle school years (2011-2013) in this place, especially growing up in concord, now I see it every night when I go to the gym, and it stings to say the least.

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NHGuy t1_iy5cn0c wrote

That's not recent

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Killbro_Fraggins t1_iy5cudd wrote

I started going there around 2018 and I liked it. Plenty of stores I was into. Man they dropped like flies soon after. Was kind of neat they started renting out space to shows. Caught a live animal show once.

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[deleted] t1_iy5duwz wrote

It’s too bad it can’t be used. In some places they are moving city offices, libraries etc into malls. The inside is perfect for people to walk in the winter.

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ANewMachine615 t1_iy5e7fo wrote

I got mine on college campuses (one in Plymouth, one in Manchester) and had the exact same thought. Both done by the National Guard. Just the most surreal experiences.

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AMC4x4 OP t1_iy5hsqb wrote

Yeah, my folks got their shots there and said it was bizarre. I got mine at the Javits Center in Manhattan, and my only previous exposure to the site was for the annual New York International Auto Show. Was really freaky and other-worldly seeing it completely reconfigured for COVID vaccine rollouts.

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Dasmer t1_iy5ivfa wrote

Right? You could build a good sized block or two with full sized buildings inside a lot of them. So weird that a company could go from that to dissolving in less than a generation.

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AMC4x4 OP t1_iy5iyp2 wrote

I suppose it's all about the money and what kind of configuration can bring in revenue.

There was a recent article talking about how the interior was being "reconfigured." https://www.concordmonitor.com/steeplegate-mall-concord-nh-45122695

>"Management did recently ultimately make the decision to close its interiors in pursuit of an exciting potential project that would include the space currently leased to in-line tenants,” Jelson Santos, director of operations at Namdar Realty Group, the New York-based firm that owns the mall, said in a statement. “Those with public access will continue to operate as usual while we explore the future of Steeplegate Mall from within. Exactly what is in store for Concord’s largest retail space isn’t clear yet. “Unfortunately, we cannot share more details or specifics at this stage, but we look forward to doing so down the line," Santos wrote."

There are two malls on Long Island near my house that have been announced to be undergoing "reconfiguration" using the same cryptic language. I wonder if these mall owners have come up with some tactic to recoup their investments?

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Dasmer t1_iy5jbxj wrote

Yeah my fiancée and I went to a convention (PAX) in Boston right before lockdown, and seeing a place we had walked so casually and had this great time just a few weeks earlier turn into a field hospital was unsettling. Other-worldly is a good description for sure. I think we all have those images that will stick with us from that time.

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ryandarr1979 t1_iy5mw1j wrote

Help me understand. What’s the point of owning a mall with zero tenants?

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Alternative-Cry-4667 t1_iy5oavx wrote

I’m 30 and this was butts to nuts walking through here 22 years ago! So sad.

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superman154m t1_iy5pn7a wrote

That mall always depressed me. Even in the 90s

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Tanuvdarie t1_iy5pvoi wrote

We got ours at a old jcpenny... we commented how weird it felt and one of the military guys checking us in says yep nothing to worry about here.... just the military lining up the public to get shots in an abandoned store.... no sir... nothing apocalyptic about this scenario.... if you see any zombies let us know! 😅 We were in kinda of a lull for them so it was pretty empty there and he and his buddies talked to us for quite a while. They had a great sense of humor about everything.

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FelangyRegina t1_iy5qk8n wrote

r/deadmalls is calling but no one is at Spencer’s to answer.

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Skoota42 t1_iy5qvpw wrote

That mall was always slow

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FelangyRegina t1_iy5r8e2 wrote

I got my vax at a similar situation at an old mall near Laconia. It was very zombie apocalypse-y in a dead mall with army dudes forming and checking lines. Vivid memories of the weirdness of that.

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Dasmer t1_iy5u1kj wrote

Was it in a weird like, bookstore place? I originally was going to get mine there and drove all the way from Manchester… and realized I forgot my wallet at home and missed my time.

Legit cried in the parking lot lmao

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darnicantfindaname t1_iy5ugpb wrote

I've only been there twice, both times made me feel uneasy

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AMC4x4 OP t1_iy5v7iv wrote

Ugh. I remember how desperate I was to get myself, my family, and my folks and in-laws vaccinated. It was like preparing for an SAT and if you missed your opportunity, you knew it was going to be a while before you'd get another. I can totally see having that reaction. Sorry you went through that. The feels were real.

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foodandart t1_iy5wg2l wrote

Same thing happened to me at the Newington Sears. Went in to get our first round of Covid shots and used the old tool department entrance. Was weird seeing the space totally gutted and empty.

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HikeEveryMountain t1_iy5xmd8 wrote

I feel like this could be as great as "mixed government office, retail, public office, and residential spaces", or as bad as "private prisons inside malls and the inmates run the stores for $0.12/hr"

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geodudejgt t1_iy63o5v wrote

I thought I saw a tumbleweed.

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lolalove95 t1_iy656w9 wrote

I’d love to see a roller skating rink pop up in the mall!

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b1ack1323 t1_iy683iv wrote

Yeah I thought about this, as far as housing and public offices I like the idea of malls quite a bit. How cool would it be to have an indoor court for kids to play in in the dead of winter?

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Smirkly t1_iy6bp2g wrote

That is cruel. really, is all hope lost? Oh, it is? Okay, never mind.

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ctbeagle18 t1_iy6bv37 wrote

Namdar Realty Group which owns the mall is bad news. They buy distressed malls and do absolutely nothing with them except let them decay. I don't know how that generates revenue for them, but something is strange about it.

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odat247 t1_iy6hk06 wrote

Some mid term elections were held in malls this year. Plenty of parking and an indoor area to que up.

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TrotskyTMBO83 t1_iy6lf8x wrote

My feeling is that the City of Concord should buy it for redevelopment and bring in H-Mart, outlets, and some sort of Hotel with a conference venue.

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BobbySwiggey t1_iy6orc9 wrote

Elderly housing would prob be relevant considering our state is #2 for oldest population, as well as its proximity to still-standing shopping centers. The malls-to-housing concept has been implemented in other parts of the country too. I don't think forcing more retail into a place where it already failed is the way to go... NH residents are hungry for services that actually benefit and enrich their lives. It's no coincidence that two of their only existing tenants are a gym and a trampoline park lol.

Fun fact, the rooftops of the Steeplegate Mall is an ornithologist observation site for endangered nighthawks.

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InuitOverIt t1_iy6qb4l wrote

Everybody is ready for more experiences and less retail. There's a place called Level 99 in Natick that is a bunch of puzzles and physical challenges - I've been a couple times and it was always packed. The internet means we can buy things from our phones on the toilet - give me something to pay for that I can't do at home. Roller skating is 100% included in this!

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tylermm03 t1_iy6xto0 wrote

I think it would make an awesome place for air soft. I’ve never been nor have I ever played airsoft but I think a mall would be a fun place to play.

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AMC4x4 OP t1_iy6zdja wrote

Was at the Claremont Walmart over the weekend and couldn't believe how huge it was. I had never had occasion to go inside. I'm kind of shocked that the town can support a Home Depot, a Runnings, a Walmart, a Harbor Freight, and a Tractor Supply. I know they all have their niches, but it seems like a lot of warehouse stores for a couple square miles, especially when Amazon is still a day or two delivery away for all but the largest items.

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eyeoxe t1_iy7036j wrote

Unpopular view but here goes: Libraries should not go into malls because they are renting that space from private corporate entities. Same for any public funded service, including food banks, charities city offices, gov, etc. I'd rather see cities buy land and build, or convert suitable buildings that can be fully owned.

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AMC4x4 OP t1_iy70s43 wrote

Was looking online this weekend to see if any stores were still active in Steeplegate. Most of the corporate stores haven't updated their sites to remove the mall. I joked with my 80yo dad that probably the only thing left would be Spencer's.

I then had to explain to him what Spencer's was. LOL.

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Agile-Cherry-6002 t1_iy7gcdb wrote

To be fair Steeplegate has always been on the quieter side. When I worked there 17 years ago it was the dirt mall that only townies shopped at.

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mydeskissawdust t1_iy7osvi wrote

The town gets lots of shoppers from the VT side of the river including Springfield, which is nearly as populous as Claremont. Also Newport and other smaller surrounding towns.

I've found that Prime can't hit two day delivery out in the boonies. It used to bother me, but that's what I get for living in the sticks.

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ThePencilRain t1_iy7u007 wrote

It looks like the Fox Run Mall.

Except there isn't enough car storage in this photo.

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encaseme t1_iy7v1k1 wrote

Ah man this used to be the place to go. I remember when it opened. Was good times.

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QAgirl94 t1_iy7vbao wrote

there arent even any stores

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[deleted] t1_iy7wrkz wrote

I used to work in a mall library. The space was given at a huge discount. AKA tax deduction. In that city the bus system didn’t go to the main library. It did go to the mall.

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Tullyswimmer t1_iy7xjx7 wrote

Also, Tractor supply and Runnings carry a lot of stuff you can't get on Amazon. The Home Depot is the only big box hardware store between Lebanon and... Probably almost to Keene, honestly, and then I have no idea how far east.

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ThatWerewolfTho t1_iy81xlt wrote

Fox Run Mall is the same. There's a couple of big stores still open but most of the place is empty and the places that are still open are, like, airbrush tee shirt places that still shirts with Cartman smoking weed.

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poindxtrwv t1_iy85lrr wrote

Thankfully, the mall in my town is still doing very well. I can't think of one empty store front. There isn't another shopping center like it for at least a 60+ mile radius.

The mall in my wife's hometown shares a story similar to this one, though. No anchor stores left unless you count Dunham's. There's a Jo Ann Fabric, a Bath and Body Works, a few local shops, and a Radio Shack. You read that right. The only place left in the food court is a pretzel joint.

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sqwunk t1_iy85wu0 wrote

The Lebanon/Claremont region is the largest micropolitan region in the country. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micropolitan_statistical_area

This wikipedia article talks about the population sizes during the 2010 census so its a little different now - at that time both Claremont and Lebanon had populations of about 13k each but the region surrounding them was 218k people. As of the 2020 census the region is 221k people.

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glitteryunicornlady t1_iy8ayn4 wrote

Aw I spent so many awesome shopping trips there as a kid. We'd go visit my older sister, then go shopping.

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NotARobotDefACyborg t1_iy8bqae wrote

The property owners booted all the interior stores out more than a year ago. Literally all that is still active is JCPenney. Damn shame. That was a great mall in its day.

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lolalove95 t1_iy8cz48 wrote

Same! I went a few times at the ice hokey rink in Concord this summer when they had roller skating for a few weeks. I loved it so much I bought my own pair! I don’t have a problem skating outside, but with snow and ice coming I’d love a place locally to skate inside for the winter!

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lolalove95 t1_iy8d9c4 wrote

Wow I’ll have to check that place out! I’m interested in those kind of places for fun, interactive date nights. Every time I go roller skating inside at Roller Kingdom it’s FILLED with children and birthday parities lol not my preferred vibe

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captnfapin t1_iy8iq3i wrote

Man, the new Warzone 2.0 map looks amazing!!

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PollutedRiver t1_iy8m413 wrote

Mega-malls were bad to begin with. What goes up must come down.

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AMC4x4 OP t1_iy8nl9e wrote

For some reason I thought there was a Lowes nearby, but I see the closest one is in Concord, or Tilton in the other direction. Looks like they're all on the 93 corridor, with Bedford and Gilford being the ends. Seems like it would be worth putting one over by 91 but I'm sure they have their reasons.

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AMC4x4 OP t1_iy8oldp wrote

That's really interesting! Did not know that. It's interesting how the two zones are separated as well - with Claremont being on its own in Sullivan, and the other zone in Lebanon consisting of Grafton, Orange, and Windsor counties.

Also kind of puzzling how the median income is just under $41K and we all know what the price of housing is in the same area.
Also didn't know that Claremont has been losing population since the 1970's-80's when I lived there. I always was told it was around 13K so I looked it up - turns out it peaked in the 1980 census at 14,557. Today it's 12,949.

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bellelap t1_iy8v8sn wrote

Mall of NH isn’t doing great either. I went there to walk (I’m on maternity leave with a newborn and it was too cold to walk outside with him) while I was visiting my parents in Manchvegas. I had worked at Sears as a teenager and actually had nice memories there. It was sad to see the empty storefronts. Macy’s still felt vibrant, Old Navy was busy, and there were some nice new stores, including one featuring the work of local craftspeople, but overall, the place felt run down. I was still happy to be able to have a place to walk indoors, but seeing the place where I learned how to have a real job be so sad was bittersweet.

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AMC4x4 OP t1_iy8w2yi wrote

I was there maybe in August? (EDIT: actually, it was the last week in June - I just realized I was there to pick up a suit at Men's Warehouse for my mom's funeral) It seemed super active. The food court was nuts, and the stores seemed busy. My wife had never been and she said it was the busiest mall she had seen in decades, almost like we had stepped back in time.

Maybe it was just the time you went? Or the time we went I guess?

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Money-Task5872 t1_iy8zeby wrote

Hahah I took a video one day walking through there. There was 59 empty stores last time I counted. But I think everything is gone now that it got sold

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opperior t1_iy91mqu wrote

A lot of it is from the loss of a major tax loophole that was closed up. In short, in order to encourage new large scale construction projects, congress in the 50's allowed building owners to claim multiple years of depreciation on the building, allowing them to essentially pay no taxes for a long time. Once that was changed back to straight-line depreciation, malls could no longer be used a tax havens and started shutting down.

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DecalMidnightRunners t1_iy937jk wrote

Walking into a bustling and lively Northshore mall in mass this year after growing up in NH with quietly dying steeplegate and belknap was such a surreal experience. It’s truly sad how these giant buildings which could do so much as housing, businesses, or community spaces are just left empty

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NotARobotDefACyborg t1_iy9ae22 wrote

If you've read some of the other comments on this post, they're looking to lose money against their tax liability. Jerks. I thought Homart Development were bad, but these current owners got 'em beat by a mile. The place adds zero value to the community, unless you consider hosting Spirit Halloween once a year to be adding value.

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jimberley t1_iy9b7yj wrote

I worked at Things Remembered there in the late 90s. I remember that place being jammed with humans day and night. Look what Bezos and the Waltons did to (this tiny part of) NH.

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NotARobotDefACyborg t1_iy9bvev wrote

It's looking less and less likely as time goes on. Kind of pisses me off, honestly. Kids have very little to do unless they play some kind of sportsball, and I include hockey and lacrosse in that. There's small community centers in town like the one by the police station, plus the new one by Walgreens (and the Y, of course, but geeze they're pricey). But since the plague, it's difficult to find staff and volunteers. :/ Something's gotta give.

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User_Anon_0001 t1_iy9o5fw wrote

I remember going here on weekend trips with my prep school. Crazy to see it so empty

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Tullyswimmer t1_iycot2w wrote

I love runnings, though. And that store isn't super busy normally, but I did often see (and do know) people who will drive several hours to get there, just to stock up for their homestead once a month or once every few months, and drop several hundred dollars, or even more. They fit in a VERY nice niche.

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