I'm a year older, Marna is completely unhinged, malls are closing everywhere, eggs are expensive, and taxes suck...but I have all of you lovely subscribers who watch my content, and I appreciate you all for it. If you aren't subbed, you can make it my birthday present, it's free. Also...stay tuned to www.salvatoreamadeo.com for MERCH UPDATES! Mall leaf bookmarks are nearly ready to ship, and I'm going to start 3D printing Mall Dioramas :)
Born and raised in New Hampshire. I grew up about 25 minutes Northwest of Concord, and now I live in Concord. The mall was the lifeblood of the region. Most towns around Concord have fewer than 5,000 residents and there isn’t much to do, so going to Concord was a huge part of your childhood. The Steeplegate was an important part of my childhood and it really sucks to see it like this.
From Mass but been in NH for 12 years. I live in Andover NH now, so just 20 mins from Concord. Going to Steeplegate makes me sad; I still go to JCPenney from time to time and it’s always dead.
honestly, good riddance. concord has done an amazing job revitalizing it’s downtown and I’d much rather spend my day there supporting local businesses than chain stores
@@iact1 Yeah downtown is great. There are now over 200 homeless people who live in the downtown area doing all sorts of drugs leaving related items behind for kids to find, starting fires and leaving trash everywhere. The most recent mayor killed this town and I am moving the hell out as soon as my Mom passes on. So yeah downtown sucks and I will not shop there at all or risk getting mugged.
@@iact1 downtown sucks😂. No parking. You have to pay to park on saturdays and can only do so for 3 hours or you get a $15 ticket. Downtown dies after 3pm. The traffic signals literally operate illegally. Not 1 store downtown replaced what the mall offered.
I live local to the Steeplegate Mall. JC Penney, Talbots, The Zoo gym, and an indoor trampoline park is all that is open now. The mall is closed to any inside access. These businesses remain because they have exterior door access. Not sure what the owners have in store for the mall going forward.
Hahaha the gentleman at 3:57 describing the snow surfers.....we have a lot of these smart alecks now a days. 😂 "its going to be more hassles" and "we would like to say we dont want them at all". 😂❤😊
This died one year younger than the Greendale Mall in Worcester, MA (1986 - 2020). I livestreamed my last video there, not knowing it was 6 days before it's demise (due to a bug going around, you know, that bug).
I’m a Concord native and have a lot of ties to this mall. My mother was pregnant with me working at the Regis Salon, we got my first dog Blue at the pet store that used to be there, I had my first kiss outside JCPennies on a picnic table, I walked my first and only runway when Maurice’s opened, I remember getting my first cell phone case at one of the kiosks, I remember when Limited Too closed and because my mom and I were frequent shoppers we managed to get one of the big leather chairs from the store… I always thought as a teenager I’d be working there for sure, but alas, the mall died down just as I was entering high school 😢 I miss that place. I can still hear the sounds of my heels clicking against the tile and can imagine looking up at the skylights to check the weather outside.
I’ve lived a few towns away from Concord all my life, it’s been sad to see this mall degrade so much over the years. It used to be so lively, but not anymore.
I actually got to walk around Steeplegate's interior in the last few days before it closed. Was a spooky experience; all the remaining tenants were already gone, and it was _just_ me and a thoroughly disinterested security guard back in the former food court. It's been almost a year, and nothing seems to have been done with the property. The city government is _pissed,_ as it's a prime commercial building sitting empty, and Namdar basically refuses to communicate with them. The exterior tenants are all still going, although at this point I don't think they're long for this world. Namdar's pattern seems to be to buy a mall, slowly kill it, then demolish it and sell the land it was sitting on; I'm really hoping the city steps in to prevent that. There was talk of turning the building into mixed residential-commercial space, which would be cool!
Always there in High School, then I worked there for 2 years in college at NHTI…I can still remember the empty stores…Two moon traders, Kay’s azalea, White Hall, foot locker, structure things are cookin etc. was a fun place in the 90s…
Many christmas shopping ventures as a kid with my mom in this mall. I still remember how they used to decorate it with a giant wreath hanging below the center glass sky tower, and fancy decor throughout while playing holiday music with the soft lighting proving a warm/inviting glow in the late evening. Sad to know those memories won't be passed down to my own kids.
Another splendid reflection of a well conceived facility which met its demise before its due. As always, appreciated your weaving in local cultural themes as in this case, the skiers vs. snowboarders conflict which I hope has since achieved a détente which seems to be the case here in Colorado.
With the news that Walmart is closing a number of stores, mostly in urban areas, times are a changing. In my travels, I've seen shuttered Walmart Super Centers and even a Lowe's. I don't visit malls anymore like I did before Covid. For some reason Covid changed my shopping habits for good. I have to admit I use online shopping now, except grocery shopping., And trips to Home Depot. I do love watching your mall videos a lot, and look forward to each and every on, although they make me sad.
Hi Sal, We enjoy watching your videos on dead malls We live in Australia and we are starting to get dead malls here! Keep up the great work 😃 Cheers Lee xx
I can't wait for this one! This mall looked really cool at one point. I really enjoy your videos, and I am always eager to watch the next episode! Thank you for all you do and keep up the good work!
I grew up about 40 minutes south of Concord - props for pronouncing it correctly! Visited this mall as a preteen/teen around when it first opened in 1990. Even then, it wasn't my first choice of mall to go to - I preferred the Mall of NH in Manchester or Pheasant Lane Mall in Nashua, which were bigger and had more to offer.
I live approximately 1-1/2 miles from this mall. I remember it's grand opening in August 1990 1 month before I turned 14. Even back when it was new, some people were basically saying it's 'small apples' compared to the Mall of NH about 25 miles away in Manchester but yes I remember when Steeplegate Mall was a thriving bustling Mall back in the 1990's
I watched this podcast last night; today I watched some other people's dead/dying mall videos. The real difference I am seeing is you do your homework and give a narrative history of a mall and what led to its demise. Whereas other people pumping out these videos are just walking through a mall, filming and then leaving without any history or explanation why the mall is closing.
SAL! Holy crap man, this mall gives me the hometown mall vibes which opened in 1997, a year before I graduated. The developer was GGP and uses very similar trusses that was designed for Steeplegate. Even the directory signage and tile is the same. The Spokane Valley Mall is now owned by Brookfield properties. Two senior anchor stores remain, JCP and Macy's. Kohan purchased our Northtown Mall from Brookfield in February 2022, over a year ago with big promises as always.
I worked in the mall during the pandemic in the abandoned Old Navy for the state. The main area is abandoned with the excecption of a Verizon store. The surrounding area has a successful gym, a trampoline park, and a small play theater. I wish they would turn the inside into a distribution center or something. They did that with an old BJ's in Hooksett.
That artifact in the ski video near the center of the screen is because it was shot on a camera where the video sensor is a tube. The tube has been damaged in that spot (probably from sun exposure.) So cool to see in the wild. Thanks for your video!
Oh man, As a non-skier, I vaguely remember that weird rivalry between skiers and boarders playing out on TV. Everything we saw in the media then portrayed snowboarders as these crazy, drunken heathens knocking people down and being completely carless jerks.
Thank you sir for this video....I have asked for this a few times...I drive by this every day to my job....the mall itself may be almost dead....but the area around it is busy as hell...
I live 5 minutes from this mall, and it's always been such a depressing place to be around. we always end up making the trip to manchester to the mall of new hampshire. over the past year all the vending machine food is crazy expired and gross, the entire food court is closed and blocked off by chains, theres only been a few stores inside and theres just an entire dead wing of the mall. The day before christmas I went inside because I know there is a cool place that sells tapestries and incense. Some lights weren't even on, there was like 4 stores left, and me & my dad were the only people shopping on christmas eve. the stores left were that cool incense store, bath and body works, a closing spencers, talbots, and that JCPenney entrance. That's it. The only good thing that mall has is the trampoline park and that doesn't even have a mall entrance. Also, all along Loudon Road is a lot of stores that moved out of the mall and got their own location. Burger king, the candy store, Kay jewelery, CVS, LensCrafters, all these stores are frequently shopped at too, somehow the mall just kinda killed them. I will seriously miss this place despite its vibe and lack of entertainment, its still something to do in a small town. edited 4/29/24: only stores left are JCPenney and Altitude, the plan is to demolish the mall (with the exception of JCP & Altitude) and turn it into apartments.
I live in NH, a town right next to concord. I remember going here a lot as a kid and it was absolutely my favorite. The only stores left now are a JC Penny, a Bon Ton, and a few others I forget. Theres a trampoline park in one of the ends of the mall, and it’s by far the most popular place still open in it. It’s surprisingly really busy, even though the main mall interior is completely dead.
I definitely remember coming to this place in the early and mid 1990's when I was a kid. Basically what I remember of it was that it was very nice and clean but small; a fraction of the size of the Mall of New Hampshire in Manchester. My family lived pretty much equidistant from both malls, so even at the tike there wasn't much reason to go there. It never seemed very busy there.
I am so very sad to hear of its closing and now to be torn down for apartments. I opened a Radio Shack store in that mall back in August of 1990. I out in a lot of OT getting it ready for day one. It was so worth it though. The grand opening of the mall was a huge celebration. The place was packed and full of life. After a few months, weekdays became stagnant for walk in traffic, but still crazy busy on weekends. It was a beautiful mall with so much going for it. After about 18 months, I was promoted to run the Shack in the Pheasant Lane Mall in Nashua NH. I loved Concord, reminded me of my hometown, Portland, Maine. I actually ran the other two Radio Shacks in Concord during my tenure with them. The store's location in Steeplegate looks like it was shown about 12:17 in your video. It was on the right, two stores up from the anchor. It still had the metal roof over the storefront, copper in color when I was there. It now looks pewterish in color. I'd love to see if you have any clips or pic of the storefront that hit the editing floor. That blueish wall on the right with shadows - that was a pet store back then. Happy to answer any questions, but after 34 years, I might have some details a bit fuzzy. LOL! Cheers!
They were not business friendly.10 years ago, I was looking to open a small business there and they were so demanding that I went to do something else.
Premiered my play 'Learning Man' at the Hatbox Theatre, located in the Steeplgate, in '17. It's still there, and it's nice having a venue 'overcode' with power and power locations.
That ski / snowboard footage was classic! The court area with the cupola reminds me of a railroad roundhouse. In fact, the whole mall gives me sort of train station vibe. I find this mall very cold and uninviting.
Looks like the last call for the Colonial Mall in Harrisburg. Will be auctioned to the highest bidder in July since the owners owe $250k to the township for sewer and storm water fees. Sears, Bon Ton, CVS are all gone. Buffalo Wild Wings left recently. Food court pretty much deserted.
It's weird, some malls are as busy as ever. Within 30 miles of this mall there are 3 that are at the smallest twice the size and always packed, albeit in much larger urban areas. The Mall of NH, Pheasant Lane and the Rockingham Park Mall.
That part in the beginning with the snowboarders vs skiers on the slopes thing reminds me of the all other skateboard types, scooters, ripstix, "hoverboards", and rollerbladers vs skaters (on traditional skateboards) in skate parks and at skate spots thing. To add to GGP's acquisitions at that time besides Rouse they also bought/acquired Howard Hughes corp. GGP buying out both is most likely the straw that broke the camel's back by 2018/2019. I know this because my mom had GGP stock and we wound up also getting some shares of HH around that time. In regards to their ownership stakes here, they didn't do too bad, besides the railing incident where two young men broke the railing (later found to be rusty) and fell through with one death and one survival (I'm not sure of the 2nd dude's disability status). I think that caused a lawsuit. They actually managed to keep the longest and oldest tenant around (as much as people didn't like the result) as long as possible, until Brookfield took control and probably along with the department store's main office (it was a Japanese department store), without the manager and the booth renters knowing, pulled out not the shopping center. If you're wondering why there's a wall instead of a railing on the Target wing side leading to a walkway from the parking lot the railing story explains it. Aside from the Shirokiya thing Brookfield managed to fill out most of the Target wing again, the shops in that concourse (both upstairs and downstairs) were empty for a while after Brookfield took over.
I live in Concord and grew up in Concord. What many younger people do not realize it's when the mall opened it destroyed main St. When I was growing up everything was on main St. There was Sears, JC Penny, Woolworth's, Newbury's, Radio Shack, as well as many independent stores that were locally owned. There were plenty of restaurants and smaller places to eat. Every building was packed with stores including the second floor, etc... and all the side streets around main Street had plenty of businesses. I'm not saying things are great now, don't get me wrong but our economy seems to go down this road every 30-50 years. Something new or a new way of buying things comes along and destroys his it was before hand. I use to enjoy going to the Steeplegate Mall back in its day. It was a fun place to bring my kids to on a Saturday or Sunday. Even when the weather was bad outside you knew you could always walk around inside at the mall. I knew people who worked at various locations there and always ran into an old friend or two when walking around there. Unfortunately by 2006/2007 I rarely went to the mall anymore due to the higher prices items were there. I still liked JC Penny because I could get nice button up long sleeve shirts and a pair of Levi jeans. Can you even buy a pair of Levi's jeans in Concord anymore? We do need housing in Concord and I heard they will be building quite a few units there after it is torn down. Lack of housing is a major problem in the Concord and surrounding areas so at least they are using the property for something we are in desperate need of.
Checking the pay phone for returned coins.. ...A simple pleasure Gen Z will never appreciate, along with the special relationship between a cassette tape and a #2 pencil.😉 Also..1985: Achille Lauro sinks? TWA Flight 847 hijacked? Columbian terrorists execute 100 people? No...let's gripe about snowboarders interfering with our ski holiday....🤦♀ More motivated than ever now to invent a time machine just so I can go back and slap some New Hampshire skiers....
In 1990 I worked for Tropical Design Interior Landscape and we put 22 trees that had 200 gallon root balls, etc and all sorts of planters in steeple gate Mall. I wonder if anyone remembers those.
Wow, just happened upon this video of yours Sal! I am a native NH gal at the young old age of 67. My husband and I raised both of our girls here in Concord and I remember so well when the mall was first built here in Concord. Our very first thought when it was first constructed was that this was never going to fly. The Concord demographics were just all wrong from the get go. Not enough of a financial income base and certainly not surrounded by enough of a population with a sufficient financial income to support this high stakes endeavor. Both my husband and I predicted it's demise before they had laid the first brick. I now live 5 minutes from the mall and the last time I was actually inside it was about 6 or 7 years ago when a friend of mine had to make a stop at the Verizon store. Verizon has since just opened their new storefront elsewhere in Concord. It is very sad to drive by the mall now, as I so often do on my way to Walmart. Right now, I am not even sure what is open there and I am not sure if the bus stop is still active as it once was on the back side main entrance door. I must say, kudos to you Sal for doing such fantastic research on the financial background! I never knew what a horrific tangled mess it was but had always wondered what the back story was that had led up to this disaster. Thank you for satisfying my own curiosity! And now the question remains. What do we now do with this very sad aging white elephant?
I forgot about the skier v snowboarder fued 😂. My dad was a high level skier and instructor at Bretton Woods in the 80s and told me about all about it. He didnt mind them himself, as he was in his 20s, but said it was like the apocalypse at a lot of ski resorts to the older guys.
I have been into that Steeplegate Mall in Concord, NH in 2010/2011. What I was surprised was that it did not have a supermarket (Target or Market Basket) and CVS or Walgreens in it. In Poland or in Europe almost every mall has one supermarket and drug store. This helps to increase daily foot traffic. This is why this mall should have a supermarket and drug store/pharmacy added. In 2010/2011 I recall seeing still open Hollister with JCP, Sears and The Bon Ton all open and with some amount of clients walking around. Although, back then it looked already like 50/50 occupied/vacant space. Amazon and new shopping habits have changed the malls in the USA into dead malls. Back in Europe malls are doing just fine.
I love the boomer hysteria of skiiers vs snowboarders. I remember ditching skis in favor of a snowboard when I was in high school. Have you ever visited any malls in neighboring VT?
I sure hope those smart aleck snow boards don't continue to cause trouble. I'm sure snow boarding won't become mainstream and end up in the Olympics. Skiing is becoming so much more popular, ya know. 😉
Was that a legit ...pay phone...? Only in a dead mall! I thought you'd hear the ghost of Ferris Buehler, but alas it was Marna. Loved the commercials, and that stuck-up ski manager's porn 'stache.
JCPenny, The Trampoline Park and a fitness center are the last ones standing. The inside is in complete disrepair thanks to vandals. I'm not sure how long the Mall is going to last. I got my first job working at the Christmas and Festive food store in the Steeplegate Mall 1997. I did a few overnights as a security guard while Lenscrafters was getting renovated back in 2005. Really sad to see everything I loved as a kid die. Bear Right the giant burger King off 93 in Concord was another of my childhood go to places. I still remember the animatronic bears singing in the Cavern Critter Review. I have yet to find any video or still images of the old Bear Right before they closed it down to build a college out of it.
Unfortunately for the already financially struggling cities and towns of America the continued post pandemic economic downturn isn't helping at all with the ever increasing crime rate and declining economic activity thus deteriorating downtowns and uptowns. This does not bode well with the Classic American Shopping Mall concept.
I was in there about a month before they closed their doors the walls were starting to peel due to water damage and their were so many broken floor tiles.
I’d love to see you do an expedition down to the charlottesville fashion square mall, was down there back in december about a week and a half before xmas and it was totally dead.
I hear that a Costco might be built there...cool beans...Don't understand why they want to tear down the corridors though....nice to have them in the wintertime.....Also that skier snowboard video is from Canada not NH...
Today a lot of crooked mall owners only see their malls as cash cows to be slaughter. Still there are the malls owners who are doing their best to help their malls. The future of msot of the surviving malls is to include focusing as the father of malls have intended them to be. A mix used place which serves as a Third Place.
Another company has made a proposal to the city council to tear down Steeplegate and build a 650 unit apartment complex. They are offering JC Penney a stand alone store and have plans for other retail space as well. It's in the hands of the city as to whether they will approve these changes.
The last I heard about this mall is that half of it will be stores again and the other half is to be torn down to make way for housing. Probably expensive housing. But you know what? New Hampshire has a homeless problem. Shhhhh. They don't like for anyone to know. They sweep them off the main streets and toss them out of whatever place they can find. And here we have this empty mall with tons of natural light for hydroponic gardens and enough room for housing, adult education, a soup kitchen and a clinic right here in the capital of NH. But no. Even at the bargain basement going-out-of-business price of ten million, they would much rather reopen more stores and build more high end apartments (probably) because there is no profit in caring for the poor.
I know that my brain is going wild. That space would make for a good athletic center with a gigantic pool AND an indoor mountain and BMX bike park. What do some of you think?
I'm a year older, Marna is completely unhinged, malls are closing everywhere, eggs are expensive, and taxes suck...but I have all of you lovely subscribers who watch my content, and I appreciate you all for it. If you aren't subbed, you can make it my birthday present, it's free. Also...stay tuned to www.salvatoreamadeo.com for MERCH UPDATES! Mall leaf bookmarks are nearly ready to ship, and I'm going to start 3D printing Mall Dioramas :)
Happy birthday sal! Thanks for the great content over the years, these vids are one of my favorite things on this site ❤
Happy Birthday🎉
Happy birthday! /kazoo
I used to go to that mall a lot. It was a fun place. I miss Steeplegate mall so much.
Happy Belated Birthday Sal.
Born and raised in New Hampshire. I grew up about 25 minutes Northwest of Concord, and now I live in Concord. The mall was the lifeblood of the region. Most towns around Concord have fewer than 5,000 residents and there isn’t much to do, so going to Concord was a huge part of your childhood. The Steeplegate was an important part of my childhood and it really sucks to see it like this.
From Mass but been in NH for 12 years. I live in Andover NH now, so just 20 mins from Concord. Going to Steeplegate makes me sad; I still go to JCPenney from time to time and it’s always dead.
honestly, good riddance. concord has done an amazing job revitalizing it’s downtown and I’d much rather spend my day there supporting local businesses than chain stores
@@iact1 Yeah downtown is great. There are now over 200 homeless people who live in the downtown area doing all sorts of drugs leaving related items behind for kids to find, starting fires and leaving trash everywhere. The most recent mayor killed this town and I am moving the hell out as soon as my Mom passes on. So yeah downtown sucks and I will not shop there at all or risk getting mugged.
Aladdin’s Castle 🎉
@@iact1 downtown sucks😂. No parking. You have to pay to park on saturdays and can only do so for 3 hours or you get a $15 ticket. Downtown dies after 3pm. The traffic signals literally operate illegally. Not 1 store downtown replaced what the mall offered.
Damn smart alecs on the slopes!
Smart Alec!
I absolutely love how you put these videos together! The history, narration and other vintage ads etc. Really well done! ❤😊
Looks like everyone in NH came out to see you film the mall.
I work nearby & drive by this mall everyday....the area nearby is thriving even though the mall is dead....08-18-23
I live local to the Steeplegate Mall. JC Penney, Talbots, The Zoo gym, and an indoor trampoline park is all that is open now. The mall is closed to any inside access. These businesses remain because they have exterior door access. Not sure what the owners have in store for the mall going forward.
Wow you found a payphone in the wild haven't seen one in years
Our local courthouse has one
Hahaha the gentleman at 3:57 describing the snow surfers.....we have a lot of these smart alecks now a days. 😂 "its going to be more hassles" and "we would like to say we dont want them at all". 😂❤😊
This died one year younger than the Greendale Mall in Worcester, MA (1986 - 2020). I livestreamed my last video there, not knowing it was 6 days before it's demise (due to a bug going around, you know, that bug).
I’m a Concord native and have a lot of ties to this mall. My mother was pregnant with me working at the Regis Salon, we got my first dog Blue at the pet store that used to be there, I had my first kiss outside JCPennies on a picnic table, I walked my first and only runway when Maurice’s opened, I remember getting my first cell phone case at one of the kiosks, I remember when Limited Too closed and because my mom and I were frequent shoppers we managed to get one of the big leather chairs from the store… I always thought as a teenager I’d be working there for sure, but alas, the mall died down just as I was entering high school 😢 I miss that place. I can still hear the sounds of my heels clicking against the tile and can imagine looking up at the skylights to check the weather outside.
I’ve lived a few towns away from Concord all my life, it’s been sad to see this mall degrade so much over the years. It used to be so lively, but not anymore.
I actually got to walk around Steeplegate's interior in the last few days before it closed. Was a spooky experience; all the remaining tenants were already gone, and it was _just_ me and a thoroughly disinterested security guard back in the former food court.
It's been almost a year, and nothing seems to have been done with the property. The city government is _pissed,_ as it's a prime commercial building sitting empty, and Namdar basically refuses to communicate with them. The exterior tenants are all still going, although at this point I don't think they're long for this world. Namdar's pattern seems to be to buy a mall, slowly kill it, then demolish it and sell the land it was sitting on; I'm really hoping the city steps in to prevent that. There was talk of turning the building into mixed residential-commercial space, which would be cool!
Yeah Namdar is shit. Almost as bad as Kohan...
Will be developed. You can look it up
@@stewybagodonuts817 That hadn't been announced back when I made this post.
Always there in High School, then I worked there for 2 years in college at NHTI…I can still remember the empty stores…Two moon traders, Kay’s azalea, White Hall, foot locker, structure things are cookin etc. was a fun place in the 90s…
Many christmas shopping ventures as a kid with my mom in this mall. I still remember how they used to decorate it with a giant wreath hanging below the center glass sky tower, and fancy decor throughout while playing holiday music with the soft lighting proving a warm/inviting glow in the late evening.
Sad to know those memories won't be passed down to my own kids.
Another splendid reflection of a well conceived facility which met its demise before its due. As always, appreciated your weaving in local cultural themes as in this case, the skiers vs. snowboarders conflict which I hope has since achieved a détente which seems to be the case here in Colorado.
I spent my teens growing up in NH, and I spent so much time at that mall! It feels like a bit of my youth had disappeared
Thanks for the upload. I love DEAD MALLS, with all my heart. ♥️
With the news that Walmart is closing a number of stores, mostly in urban areas, times are a changing. In my travels, I've seen shuttered Walmart Super Centers and even a Lowe's. I don't visit malls anymore like I did before Covid. For some reason Covid changed my shopping habits for good. I have to admit I use online shopping now, except grocery shopping., And trips to Home Depot. I do love watching your mall videos a lot, and look forward to each and every on, although they make me sad.
Hi Sal,
We enjoy watching your videos on dead malls We live in Australia and we are starting to get dead malls here!
Keep up the great work 😃
Cheers
Lee xx
Hey Lee, cheers!
I can't wait for this one! This mall looked really cool at one point. I really enjoy your videos, and I am always eager to watch the next episode! Thank you for all you do and keep up the good work!
I hope you enjoy!
I grew up about 40 minutes south of Concord - props for pronouncing it correctly! Visited this mall as a preteen/teen around when it first opened in 1990. Even then, it wasn't my first choice of mall to go to - I preferred the Mall of NH in Manchester or Pheasant Lane Mall in Nashua, which were bigger and had more to offer.
Happy Birthday! Wish you and the Mall well. Wish all Malls well.
NH girl, excited to see this!
I’m from NH too!
Me too
I live approximately 1-1/2 miles from this mall. I remember it's grand opening in August 1990 1 month before I turned 14. Even back when it was new, some people were basically saying it's 'small apples' compared to the Mall of NH about 25 miles away in Manchester but yes I remember when Steeplegate Mall was a thriving bustling Mall back in the 1990's
Oh my gosh! I live about 30 minutes from there! Now I want to check it out. New subscriber, hooked.
This mall was 10x more alive in 2019 than it is now. I think there's like 4 or 5 stores even open
Ha, I can't believe lift operators refused to let snowboarders on the lifts. Different times indeed.
I can't believe this was only a year ago. You should see it now. It's dystopian. I worked at the Old Navy here in my 20s. Miss this tiny mall.
Yay! I love seeing the NH malls! Shame they are shuttering. ;(
No shortage of dystopian movie sets.
I watched this podcast last night; today I watched some other people's dead/dying mall videos. The real difference I am seeing is you do your homework and give a narrative history of a mall and what led to its demise. Whereas other people pumping out these videos are just walking through a mall, filming and then leaving without any history or explanation why the mall is closing.
The mall is fully closed now
Good to see you again Sal very sad seeing such a beautiful mall close down.
SAL! Holy crap man, this mall gives me the hometown mall vibes which opened in 1997, a year before I graduated. The developer was GGP and uses very similar trusses that was designed for Steeplegate. Even the directory signage and tile is the same. The Spokane Valley Mall is now owned by Brookfield properties. Two senior anchor stores remain, JCP and Macy's. Kohan purchased our Northtown Mall from Brookfield in February 2022, over a year ago with big promises as always.
I worked in the mall during the pandemic in the abandoned Old Navy for the state. The main area is abandoned with the excecption of a Verizon store. The surrounding area has a successful gym, a trampoline park, and a small play theater. I wish they would turn the inside into a distribution center or something. They did that with an old BJ's in Hooksett.
That artifact in the ski video near the center of the screen is because it was shot on a camera where the video sensor is a tube. The tube has been damaged in that spot (probably from sun exposure.) So cool to see in the wild. Thanks for your video!
Oh man, As a non-skier, I vaguely remember that weird rivalry between skiers and boarders playing out on TV. Everything we saw in the media then portrayed snowboarders as these crazy, drunken heathens knocking people down and being completely carless jerks.
Thank you sir for this video....I have asked for this a few times...I drive by this every day to my job....the mall itself may be almost dead....but the area around it is busy as hell...
So glad your back🫶🏼
Use to visit this mall from the mid 90s to 2010. They had a dope dinosaur exhibit one time when I was like 5 years old
I live 5 minutes from this mall, and it's always been such a depressing place to be around. we always end up making the trip to manchester to the mall of new hampshire. over the past year all the vending machine food is crazy expired and gross, the entire food court is closed and blocked off by chains, theres only been a few stores inside and theres just an entire dead wing of the mall. The day before christmas I went inside because I know there is a cool place that sells tapestries and incense. Some lights weren't even on, there was like 4 stores left, and me & my dad were the only people shopping on christmas eve. the stores left were that cool incense store, bath and body works, a closing spencers, talbots, and that JCPenney entrance. That's it. The only good thing that mall has is the trampoline park and that doesn't even have a mall entrance. Also, all along Loudon Road is a lot of stores that moved out of the mall and got their own location. Burger king, the candy store, Kay jewelery, CVS, LensCrafters, all these stores are frequently shopped at too, somehow the mall just kinda killed them.
I will seriously miss this place despite its vibe and lack of entertainment, its still something to do in a small town.
edited 4/29/24: only stores left are JCPenney and Altitude, the plan is to demolish the mall (with the exception of JCP & Altitude) and turn it into apartments.
I haven't stepped foot in Steeplegate in over 8 yrs. I really hope something comes from the supposed project that the mall owners have planned.
I live in NH, a town right next to concord. I remember going here a lot as a kid and it was absolutely my favorite. The only stores left now are a JC Penny, a Bon Ton, and a few others I forget. Theres a trampoline park in one of the ends of the mall, and it’s by far the most popular place still open in it. It’s surprisingly really busy, even though the main mall interior is completely dead.
Bon Ton closed in 2018 due to bankruptcy.
Glorious Orbital Anniversary, Sal! Thanks for helping me get through COVID without losing my mind.
thanks Sal, great video
LMAO AT THE GUY CALLING THE MASS PEOPLE MASSHOLES! Glad that saying goes way back @3:04
I definitely remember coming to this place in the early and mid 1990's when I was a kid. Basically what I remember of it was that it was very nice and clean but small; a fraction of the size of the Mall of New Hampshire in Manchester. My family lived pretty much equidistant from both malls, so even at the tike there wasn't much reason to go there. It never seemed very busy there.
Happy Birthday - love your mall series... you include lots of work into the background and I love it.
I am so very sad to hear of its closing and now to be torn down for apartments. I opened a Radio Shack store in that mall back in August of 1990. I out in a lot of OT getting it ready for day one. It was so worth it though. The grand opening of the mall was a huge celebration. The place was packed and full of life. After a few months, weekdays became stagnant for walk in traffic, but still crazy busy on weekends. It was a beautiful mall with so much going for it. After about 18 months, I was promoted to run the Shack in the Pheasant Lane Mall in Nashua NH. I loved Concord, reminded me of my hometown, Portland, Maine. I actually ran the other two Radio Shacks in Concord during my tenure with them. The store's location in Steeplegate looks like it was shown about 12:17 in your video. It was on the right, two stores up from the anchor. It still had the metal roof over the storefront, copper in color when I was there. It now looks pewterish in color. I'd love to see if you have any clips or pic of the storefront that hit the editing floor. That blueish wall on the right with shadows - that was a pet store back then. Happy to answer any questions, but after 34 years, I might have some details a bit fuzzy. LOL! Cheers!
They were not business friendly.10 years ago, I was looking to open a small business there and they were so demanding that I went to do something else.
Happy birthday Sal 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Happy Birthday Sal! I hope the economy is treating you well recently post-pandemic.
Premiered my play 'Learning Man' at the Hatbox Theatre, located in the Steeplgate, in '17. It's still there, and it's nice having a venue 'overcode' with power and power locations.
from nh and grew up here my whole life, I loved going to the staplegate mall as a child its sad to see where it's at nowadays
That ski / snowboard footage was classic!
The court area with the cupola reminds me of a railroad roundhouse. In fact, the whole mall gives me sort of train station vibe. I find this mall very cold and uninviting.
Looks like the last call for the Colonial Mall in Harrisburg. Will be auctioned to the highest bidder in July since the owners owe $250k to the township for sewer and storm water fees. Sears, Bon Ton, CVS are all gone. Buffalo Wild Wings left recently. Food court pretty much deserted.
Not sure what will happen to Boscovs or shoe carnival. They are about the only things left in it.
@@chrispa9573 According to PennLive the Boscov's building is not part of the sale so maybe it will stick around for a while.
It's weird, some malls are as busy as ever. Within 30 miles of this mall there are 3 that are at the smallest twice the size and always packed, albeit in much larger urban areas. The Mall of NH, Pheasant Lane and the Rockingham Park Mall.
That part in the beginning with the snowboarders vs skiers on the slopes thing reminds me of the all other skateboard types, scooters, ripstix, "hoverboards", and rollerbladers vs skaters (on traditional skateboards) in skate parks and at skate spots thing.
To add to GGP's acquisitions at that time besides Rouse they also bought/acquired Howard Hughes corp. GGP buying out both is most likely the straw that broke the camel's back by 2018/2019. I know this because my mom had GGP stock and we wound up also getting some shares of HH around that time.
In regards to their ownership stakes here, they didn't do too bad, besides the railing incident where two young men broke the railing (later found to be rusty) and fell through with one death and one survival (I'm not sure of the 2nd dude's disability status). I think that caused a lawsuit. They actually managed to keep the longest and oldest tenant around (as much as people didn't like the result) as long as possible, until Brookfield took control and probably along with the department store's main office (it was a Japanese department store), without the manager and the booth renters knowing, pulled out not the shopping center. If you're wondering why there's a wall instead of a railing on the Target wing side leading to a walkway from the parking lot the railing story explains it.
Aside from the Shirokiya thing Brookfield managed to fill out most of the Target wing again, the shops in that concourse (both upstairs and downstairs) were empty for a while after Brookfield took over.
I live in Concord and grew up in Concord. What many younger people do not realize it's when the mall opened it destroyed main St. When I was growing up everything was on main St. There was Sears, JC Penny, Woolworth's, Newbury's, Radio Shack, as well as many independent stores that were locally owned. There were plenty of restaurants and smaller places to eat. Every building was packed with stores including the second floor, etc... and all the side streets around main Street had plenty of businesses. I'm not saying things are great now, don't get me wrong but our economy seems to go down this road every 30-50 years. Something new or a new way of buying things comes along and destroys his it was before hand. I use to enjoy going to the Steeplegate Mall back in its day. It was a fun place to bring my kids to on a Saturday or Sunday. Even when the weather was bad outside you knew you could always walk around inside at the mall. I knew people who worked at various locations there and always ran into an old friend or two when walking around there. Unfortunately by 2006/2007 I rarely went to the mall anymore due to the higher prices items were there. I still liked JC Penny because I could get nice button up long sleeve shirts and a pair of Levi jeans. Can you even buy a pair of Levi's jeans in Concord anymore? We do need housing in Concord and I heard they will be building quite a few units there after it is torn down. Lack of housing is a major problem in the Concord and surrounding areas so at least they are using the property for something we are in desperate need of.
Oh hey, I was working at this mall at the time of this footage. That’s neat.
Checking the pay phone for returned coins..
...A simple pleasure Gen Z will never appreciate, along with the special relationship between a cassette tape and a #2 pencil.😉
Also..1985: Achille Lauro sinks? TWA Flight 847 hijacked? Columbian terrorists execute 100 people?
No...let's gripe about snowboarders interfering with our ski holiday....🤦♀
More motivated than ever now to invent a time machine just so I can go back and slap some New Hampshire skiers....
It was a kneejerk reaction after pressing the coin return thing lol
Tribalism is hilarious…especially in the context of skiing and snowboarding
In 1990 I worked for Tropical Design Interior Landscape and we put 22 trees that had 200 gallon root balls, etc and all sorts of planters in steeple gate Mall. I wonder if anyone remembers those.
Wow, just happened upon this video of yours Sal! I am a native NH gal at the young old age of 67. My husband and I raised both of our girls here in Concord and I remember so well when the mall was first built here in Concord. Our very first thought when it was first constructed was that this was never going to fly.
The Concord demographics were just all wrong from the get go. Not enough of a financial income base and certainly not surrounded by enough of a population with a sufficient financial income to support this high stakes endeavor. Both my husband and I predicted it's demise before they had laid the first brick.
I now live 5 minutes from the mall and the last time I was actually inside it was about 6 or 7 years ago when a friend of mine had to make a stop at the Verizon store. Verizon has since just opened their new storefront elsewhere in Concord.
It is very sad to drive by the mall now, as I so often do on my way to Walmart. Right now, I am not even sure what is open there and I am not sure if the bus stop is still active as it once was on the back side main entrance door.
I must say, kudos to you Sal for doing such fantastic research on the financial background! I never knew what a horrific tangled mess it was but had always wondered what the back story was that had led up to this disaster. Thank you for satisfying my own curiosity!
And now the question remains. What do we now do with this very sad aging white elephant?
I forgot about the skier v snowboarder fued 😂. My dad was a high level skier and instructor at Bretton Woods in the 80s and told me about all about it. He didnt mind them himself, as he was in his 20s, but said it was like the apocalypse at a lot of ski resorts to the older guys.
Had many memories from that place. Sad to walk-around the outside of that place.
I like how you use reverb on the telephone voice based on where you are in the mall.
I have been into that Steeplegate Mall in Concord, NH in 2010/2011. What I was surprised was that it did not have a supermarket (Target or Market Basket) and CVS or Walgreens in it. In Poland or in Europe almost every mall has one supermarket and drug store. This helps to increase daily foot traffic. This is why this mall should have a supermarket and drug store/pharmacy added. In 2010/2011 I recall seeing still open Hollister with JCP, Sears and The Bon Ton all open and with some amount of clients walking around. Although, back then it looked already like 50/50 occupied/vacant space. Amazon and new shopping habits have changed the malls in the USA into dead malls. Back in Europe malls are doing just fine.
I love the boomer hysteria of skiiers vs snowboarders. I remember ditching skis in favor of a snowboard when I was in high school. Have you ever visited any malls in neighboring VT?
I worked in this mall for seven years I was the we re on grand opening day it never became a good mall it always struggled.
I went to this mall frequently, it was jamming for a long time.. Started to die down in 2011-12 early 2000's the place was packed.
steeple gate might be smaller then some indoor malls but has alot of great design and layout. i hope it can be preserved its a great building.
I sure hope those smart aleck snow boards don't continue to cause trouble. I'm sure snow boarding won't become mainstream and end up in the Olympics. Skiing is becoming so much more popular, ya know. 😉
Was that a legit ...pay phone...? Only in a dead mall! I thought you'd hear the ghost of Ferris Buehler, but alas it was Marna. Loved the commercials, and that stuck-up ski manager's porn 'stache.
JCPenny, The Trampoline Park and a fitness center are the last ones standing. The inside is in complete disrepair thanks to vandals. I'm not sure how long the Mall is going to last. I got my first job working at the Christmas and Festive food store in the Steeplegate Mall 1997. I did a few overnights as a security guard while Lenscrafters was getting renovated back in 2005. Really sad to see everything I loved as a kid die. Bear Right the giant burger King off 93 in Concord was another of my childhood go to places. I still remember the animatronic bears singing in the Cavern Critter Review. I have yet to find any video or still images of the old Bear Right before they closed it down to build a college out of it.
Happy birthday sal 🎉
The description at 20 minutes is me on a normal day.
If you ever want to visit a non-dead mall. Our mall is still thriving down here in Mobile, AL.
Unfortunately for the already financially struggling cities and towns of America the continued post pandemic economic downturn isn't helping at all with the ever increasing crime rate and declining economic activity thus deteriorating downtowns and uptowns. This does not bode well with the Classic American Shopping Mall concept.
Drove by today, there's a fence around most if not all of the mall. Big demo signs everywhere. I guess it's history now.
Nice video
Is that a sears in there? I thought they were all gone it’s good to see one still open.
I was in there about a month before they closed their doors the walls were starting to peel due to water damage and their were so many broken floor tiles.
I’d love to see you do an expedition down to the charlottesville fashion square mall, was down there back in december about a week and a half before xmas and it was totally dead.
Guy with the mustache is now 70 years old at least.
I hear that a Costco might be built there...cool beans...Don't understand why they want to tear down the corridors though....nice to have them in the wintertime.....Also that skier snowboard video is from Canada not NH...
Today a lot of crooked mall owners only see their malls as cash cows to be slaughter. Still there are the malls owners who are doing their best to help their malls. The future of msot of the surviving malls is to include focusing as the father of malls have intended them to be. A mix used place which serves as a Third Place.
There will be discussions regarding demolishing this mall this month - turning it into housing and adding a Whole Foods and Costco
I missed the premiere. I hate myself for that. :)
I heard a rumor that the mall may be torn down to put a Costco there, but wouldnt happen for a long while
Always amazes me these deadbeats buying the malls hoping they'll go up in value, and doing absolutely nothing but holding them.
I like the video.
Another company has made a proposal to the city council to tear down Steeplegate and build a 650 unit apartment complex. They are offering JC Penney a stand alone store and have plans for other retail space as well. It's in the hands of the city as to whether they will approve these changes.
The last I heard about this mall is that half of it will be stores again and the other half is to be torn down to make way for housing. Probably expensive housing. But you know what? New Hampshire has a homeless problem. Shhhhh. They don't like for anyone to know. They sweep them off the main streets and toss them out of whatever place they can find. And here we have this empty mall with tons of natural light for hydroponic gardens and enough room for housing, adult education, a soup kitchen and a clinic right here in the capital of NH. But no. Even at the bargain basement going-out-of-business price of ten million, they would much rather reopen more stores and build more high end apartments (probably) because there is no profit in caring for the poor.
I’ve knew steeplegate was a GGP property. Might have a brochure of it in my collection.
What’s the music playing in the background in the video beginning?
My Mom was the Manager at Hallmark
Malls start closing because one the towns/cities get ridiculous on taxes. And two, the mall owners get crazy on the rent for the retail space!
What was going on with that kid being pushed and pulled by parents on bench?
I've watched Steeplegate slowly die as I live in Concord
I know that my brain is going wild. That space would make for a good athletic center with a gigantic pool AND an indoor mountain and BMX bike park. What do some of you think?