In early 2022, the struggling shopping hub was sold to Vernet Properties, of Salem, Massachusetts. They embarked on a renovation and retenanting of the complex, renaming it BELKNAP MARKETPLACE. By early 2025, there were only five vacant store spaces.
Graphic from https://www.belknapmarketplace.com
BELKNAP MALL
Daniel Webster Highway / US 3 and Old State Road
Belmont, New Hampshire
Daniel Webster Highway / US 3 and Old State Road
Belmont, New Hampshire
One of many Zayre-anchored mini-malls in New England, BELKNAP MALL was built on 16 acres along the south shore of Lake Winnisquam. The mall site, located 1.5 miles southwest of downtown Laconia, was within the Town of Belmont, a political division of Belknap County. The first stores in the compact complex opened their doors in the summer of 1973.
BELKNAP MALL was developed by the Braintree Massachusetts-based Flatley Company. In its original state, the complex encompassed approximately 94,000 leasable square feet and was anchored by a 1-level (25,800 square foot) Shaw's supermarket and 1-level (46,000 square foot) Zayre discount mart. The Zayre store opened for business on November 15, 1973. Charter inline stores included Tiffany's Beauty Salon, Trow's News & Card Shop and Top Gas.
A northern addition was completed in mid-1988. It housed a new (81,000 square foot) Zayre. The old unit was rebuilt as an expanded mall concourse, flanked by several new inline stores. With these improvements, BELKNAP MALL encompassed approximately 182,500 leasable square feet.
Zayre closed soon after opening in its new location. The chain had been acquired by Connecticut-based Ames, who re-opened the store under their nameplate on October 26, 1989. By 1990, the mall was thriving, with tenants such as Decelle apparel, Foot Locker, Record Town and Radio Shack.
The demise of the Ames chain, in late 2002, left the major anchor space at BELKNAP MALL vacant. As a result, several of the national retail chain stores abandoned the center. To revitalize the shopping hub, a face lift was done in 2003. This changed some of the mall's "introverted" store configuration. Tenants on the south and east sides of the complex were given exterior entrances that were directly accessible from the parking area.
Moreover, the Shaw's supermarket was expanded by 13,000 square feet and the vacant Ames divided into four store spaces. The first, housing a (33,000 square foot), Ohio-based Big Lots, welcomed first shoppers on July 15, 2004. A (26,200 square foot), Virginia-based Peebles, accessible from the enclosed mall, opened for business on October 21, 2004. The remainder of the Ames building was sectioned into two spaces. One housed an (11,700 square foot) Planet Fitness gym.
Over the years, BELKNAP MALL was joined by three freestanding structures which encompassed a total of 35,800 leasable square feet. Small strip plazas had been built on the east and west ends of the mall, along with a stand-alone Dunkin' Donuts, which stood in the front parking area.
In March 2007, the Flatley Company sold the complex to a joint venture of the Boston-based Wilder Companies and New York City-based O'Conner Capital Partners. By this time, the mall was struggling to retain tenants. Peebles (which had morphed into a Peebles Clearance Outlet) closed in 2018, followed by Maurices. CVS went dark on March 1, 2020.
BELKNAP MALL was sold to a joint venture of Great Neck, New York's Namdar Realty Group and Mason Asset Management in April 2020. They flipped the property in March 2022, with the new proprietor being Vernet Properties of Salem, Massachusetts.
Vernet embarked on a 5 million dollar renovation and repositioning of the property, renaming it BELKNAP MARKETPLACE. As part of the indoor-outdoor refurbishment, the parking area was resurfaced and roof repaired. Likewise, new signage, landscaping and interior lighting were installed. New tenants included KES RV Supply, Kate's Candies, Club Piklbal! and Skin Therapy By Stephanie.
Sources:
The Laconia Daily Sun (Laconia, New Hampshire)
The Concord Monitor (Concord, New Hampshire)
Foster's Daily Democrat (Dover, New Hampshire)
http://www.geocities.com / "Zayre88"
http://www.datavisionappraisal.com / Belmont, New Hampshire Online Database
http://www.flatleyco.com / The Flatley Company
http://www.wilderco.com / The Wilder Companies
https://vernetproperties.com / Vernet Properties
https://namdarrealtygroup.com / Namdar Realty Group
https://rimarketplace.com
https://bostonrealestatetimes.com
https://vernetproperties.com / Vernet Properties
https://www.belknapmarketplace.com
"Zayre" and "Ames" articles on Wikipedia
