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

It's not. I just kinda miss it is all. Caption would be relevant for any Black Friday for the last decade or so. :(

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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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.

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.

That's not recent

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.

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.

I got my COVID shot at the old Sears in the Pheasant Lane mall. Until I saw it empty I had no idea just how big those stores actually are.

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.

Yea they have my local library in a mall as well as a senior center.

I took a few pictures before they wouldn’t allow access any longer. I completely understand your wanting to post here.

Correct. It was intended as a sad joke. :(

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.

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.

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?

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.

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

I think I went to that same show. The sloth was really cool.

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

It's a great way to make weird money look legit.

That mall always depressed me. Even in the 90s

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.

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

That mall was always slow

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.

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

treasure those memories! haha
as a Gen-X from Nashua I have this
I was at Pheasant Lane on opening night - can still go there and reminisce.
edit: found a vid of Steeplegate

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

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.

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.

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"

Once Old Navy left it was like a snowball picking up both mass and speed as it rolled down hill, and store after store closed. It's still hard to believe how quickly everything left.

almost as if it was designed for that!

Yeah I would hit Hot Topic, GameStop and then FYE. One by one they left.

The one consistency the nation over; Spencer’s remains the one true anchor store.

Great links, thanks!

I thought I saw a tumbleweed.

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

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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?

yessssss

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

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.

Gotta let the homeless live there.

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

Right. Not understanding this is probably the reason I'll never be wealthy.

Oh man... that's (potentially) depressing...

I miss roller skating rinks!

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.

Ayyy don't disrespect 60% of the malls income like that!!

Edit:I have a shitty phone

if there could be an H mart closer than burlington that would be great

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.

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!

The owners won’t sell. Every time it’s sent an offer , they up the price. Looks like someone needs a loss on their books.

r/deadmalls

It’s a loss to off set the profits of other places they sold.

Yeah.. it’s called doing nothing. .

Here come the downvotes…but what is H-mart?

It’s an Asian food market.

Thank you!

It doesn't generate revenue, but they can claim depreciation on these properties and reap a tax benefit.

Amazon's eating everybody's lunch

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.

Big second. Always wanted something like that.

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.

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.

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.

My local mall has the DMV in it... one day a week.

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.

There's a mall in the UK, London I think? That basically concerts into a whole ass zombie survival sim experience. It's wild.

I didn’t know it was still open

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.

I’m 35, that place used to be hoppin!! So much fun back in middle/high school

It looks like the Fox Run Mall.

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

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

there arent even any stores

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.

I was gonna say, last I heard, it was closed to the public inside, only stores with exterior access stayed open.

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.

I keep saying they should turn these malls into massive skate parks.

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.

Is there an h-mart in NH?

This is one of the most fucked up things we incentivize here. Letting real estate sit empty and rot for tax purposes is such bullshit.

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.

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.

I’m convinced they are kept afloat by having the only H&M in the state

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

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.

No fooling? I wonder if that's what I saw yesterday afternoon. I was headed west on Loudon Road and saw what looked like a smallish red tailed hawk, but it was almost dark out. 🤔

You aren't wrong.

But that mall was dead when Amazon was still just an online bookstore.

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!

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

I’m here for it! It’s such a waste just sitting there empty.

Housing. Turn it into housing.

You should stop putting importance on down votes and upvotes because they don’t matter and instead care about having a productive conversation don’t let social media condition you

Downvoted.

makes repost and instantly gains 1000 upvotes

> Is there an h-mart in NH?

No. Burlington, MA is the closest one. It's usually jammed

Man, the new Warzone 2.0 map looks amazing!!

Was wondering about that mall recently. Thanks for the update, I haven't been to Fox Run in over 15 years.

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

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.

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.

Why do you hate America?

/s

Yeah, I always wanted to go to the bigger and better Mall of NH in Manch but my parents didn't want to drive that far. Now even that one's on its way out :(

Interesting article on the state of NH malls https://www.nhbr.com/can-nhs-shopping-malls-survive-covid-19/

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.

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?

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

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.

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

I really want to know what they're planning on doing with it. Unless they're going to sell or redevelop, they're just sitting on land and losing money.

cues the somber, acoustic cover of "America, Fuck Yeah"

I never thought of it that way, but that makes a *lot* of sense with what I've seen.

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.

Yeah, I saw those comments after posting mine (hooray for suggesting sorting by new instead of best...) and they need to come up with a better plan than that tax loophole. Will they? Doubt it.

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.

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.

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

Haha it's funny you mentioned the airbrush shirts. My little league coach owns Mugshots

I think the Runnings in Claremont is actually in an old Lowe's

Yep! You're totally right! That explains it!

https://www.yelp.com/biz/lowes-claremont

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.

Interesting. I haven't actually been in one. I'll have to stop in next time I'm in town. I thought they were similar to Tractor Supply.

It's not.