The Mall at Rockingham Park facts for kids
The mall food court as seen on January 1, 2014. The carousel has since been removed as part of a renovation.
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| Location | Salem, New Hampshire, United States |
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| Coordinates | 42°46′06″N 71°13′51″W / 42.76833°N 71.23083°W |
| Opening date | August 1991 |
| Management | Simon Property Group |
| Owner | Simon Property Group (28.2%) |
| No. of stores and services | 144 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 5 (3 open, 2 vacant) |
| Total retail floor area | 1,024,171 sq ft (95,148.6 m2) |
| No. of floors | 2 |
| Website | Mall at Rockingham Park |
The Mall at Rockingham Park is the biggest shopping mall in New Hampshire. It has over 1 million square feet of space for stores! This mall is in Salem, which is about 30 miles north of Boston. It's easy to get to because it's right next to Interstate 93.
The mall first opened in August 1991. It was the third shopping mall built in New Hampshire. Today, it has 144 stores. Some of its main stores, called "anchors," include Macy's, JCPenney, and Dick's Sporting Goods. Two other large spots are currently empty, where stores like Lord & Taylor and Sears used to be. The mall is managed by a company called Simon Property Group.
Contents
Why Shoppers Love This Mall
The Mall at Rockingham Park is very popular, especially with people from Massachusetts. This is because New Hampshire does not have a sales tax on most things you buy. This means shoppers can save money!
How the Mall Changed Other Stores
When the Mall at Rockingham Park opened in 1991, it was so successful that it caused other changes nearby.
- A mall across the border in Methuen, Massachusetts, called the Methuen Mall, closed down in 1997. It was later replaced by a different kind of shopping area.
- The older Rockingham Mall, which was right next to the new mall in Salem, also changed. It turned into a "big box" store area because Salem couldn't support two large malls.
Changes to Main Stores Over Time
Over the years, some of the big stores at the mall have changed.
- In 2006, the original Macy's store closed. This happened when other stores like Filene's became Macy's instead.
- In 2012, Lord & Taylor opened its first New Hampshire store in the space where the old Macy's used to be.
- In 2015, Dick's Sporting Goods moved into the second floor of the Sears building.
- Sears closed its doors in November 2018.
- Lord & Taylor also closed in December 2020.
- A new Cinemark Theatres movie theater opened in 2020 near where the Sears Auto Center used to be.
Mall Layout and Getting There
Inside the Mall
The Mall at Rockingham Park has a cool design.
- In the middle of the mall, there's a round walkway on both floors.
- A staircase in the center helps people go between the two floors.
- From this center, two main hallways stretch out.
- The longer hallway goes north and leads to Dick's Sporting Goods. JCPenney is also along this hallway.
- The shorter hallway goes southeast and ends at Macy's.
- The central area also connects to the food court, where you can grab a bite to eat.
Parking and Roads Around the Mall
The mall is surrounded by Route 38. There are many ways to enter the mall from this road.
- If you're driving north on Interstate 93, Exit 1 has a ramp that takes you right to the mall.
- There's a large parking lot on the east side of the mall with two levels. The top level lets you easily get to all parts of the mall.
- Smaller parking lots are on the southwest side and north of Dick's Sporting Goods. There's even a lot east of Route 38 that was once used for the old racetrack.
Images for kids
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The mall food court as seen on January 1, 2014. The carousel has since been removed as part of a renovation.
