Belknap Marketplace

I was expecting a mall that was as empty as the mall in Concord. It is smaller and has a few empty outlets. It is, however, a bit more active and is more of a plaza. Shaw's and Convenient MD accesses the mall and there are a few independent businesses inside. Shaw's reminds me of the time when they were part of the old Newington Mall. 104.9 the Hawk has a radio 📻 station there. We visited Big Lots but they do not connect to the mall directly. They are part of the plaza complex. My kids liked walking around and "chillin'" on the seating that was provided. I don't know if the plants are real but it was a nice touch. There were a few people there getting their exercise by walking around and around and around.. It was a nice place to visit. I hope more businesses will move in.

The owners are missing opportunity here. I never see advertisements for the businesses. They should pipe the radio station that has space there throughout the mall. Cool to watch them! Did you know there is a salon, chiropractor, candle shop, RV store and more? Neither did I until walking through! Hopefully whoever manages the social media and website decide to acknowledge there are actually business there other than Shaws.

I mostly just go to Joann and Big Lots in this area, both of which are good. I occasionally go to the Shaws, which is a bit smaller than a typical standalone grocery store, so it has less of a selection than most, but it's still good for basic shopping. The mall itself is sort of a ghost of its former self, which can be a little depressing if you're old enough to remember how it used to be. Many of the storefronts are empty now.

I give this mall an A for effort because of its location but a C for the stores. I love the Clear Choice MD, urgent care , 603 candy, Planet fitness and Shaws .....there are a couple of other stores like CVS, a nail salon, Subway, kick boxing gym and Big lots etc... Oh and they have a child's play area too.

The mall has come a long way. It looks really nice now.