Pheasant Lane Mall: Is It a Dead Mall? Nope. Prove Me Wrong! Nashua, New Hampshire. 

This mall alongside the mall of new hampshire have been my childhood places and I will forever cherish these places and I still go to those malls to this day. I work at the manchester location now but these malls will always have a place in my heart.

For sure not a dead or failing mall! Nicest mall I've seen in a long time. Storefronts are filled and open, with only a few stores empty. Also stored are filled with merchandise unlike some malls that are failing! I love the cart escalators in Target. I've never seen them, though I knew they were a thing. Great video!! Just found your channel and I'm really enjoying it!

Shortly after this mall opened it was closed down, there was a vibration in the building, and the city of Nashua closed it down. The vibration was deemed okay by the engineers. A lot of people made the second floor vibrate. It was designed that way. To this day it still vibrates

Pheasant Lane Mall is doing quite well since it is located in Nashua, NH which is tax free. The mall draws lots of customers from Massachusetts who are looking to avoid paying sales tax. If you park on the southern end of the mall, you will be in Tyngsborough, MA.

Yes the old drive in screen was used as a "thanks for shopping..." Sign for years up on the hill on the Massachusetts border. I think it was taken down about 20 years ago to build the restaurant up there if I recall.

16:25 I remember that being a Quiznos many years ago, not sure if anything was ever there before or after. Also, in the food court, the restroom area and parts of the restaurants around it were a Dream Machine arcade.

used to go there quite regularly about 20 years ago when I was at college. Used to skip class just to get out and get an Auntie Annies pretzel lol. Ah those were the days....

❤🤍💙 Awesome video!!!!

The casino thing is horrible. I’ve seen that happen in a few malls… there’s big fanfare at opening, some initial flow of local drunk party folk that come in for a show if there is a small theater for bands to plays… then it dies off to the sad scene of old folks and the poor spending their monthly check at the casino. It’s just not what our country needs at this time in history.

Cool find w/ a quirky history. Thanks for posting!

Pheasant Lane was one of the first multi-story Target stores, and has a special cart escalator in the middle of the store. There was also a rumor that you could feel ground tremors while using the mall elevator, but this could never be confirmed.

This place was rockin' in '88. And Rockit Records across the street was the only place outside Boston that had good music.

I was here when it first opened. There was major concerns due to it shaking (still does). They did use one of the drive in screens as a billboard. That was there until the past decade or so.

Not a bad mall. Manchvegas mall is 5/10, Pheasant Lane is 7.5/10. Usually very busy on weekends. Close to tons of shopping on the main road so it will always do well. If I'm bored on a Sunday, my family and I will walk it for an hour or so.

The mall I went to during my childhood was the Mall of New Hampshire up in Manchester. Haven’t been there since Sears still existed. Now the former Sears location is shared space with Dicks Sporting Goods and Dave & Busters. Where I’m at now, I live about a mile from the Broward Mall (used to be known as Westfield Broward in Plantation, FL). The former Sears here closed back in 2018 and work began to have Golds Gym, Gametime, a bowling alley, and restaurants but ran out of money so that barebones construction site where all those venues were to be located is abandoned making the mall look run down.

My childhood mall was Steeplegate in concord (now closed) but I went to this one a few times too. Back in the 90s it had a really good arcade in the food court but of course that's gone. If I remember correctly, the arcade used to be in the corner where the vietnamese place and the restrooms are,if you were to push all that back a bit, and the thailand express was a Taco Bell.

I was in that mall once in fall 1993. It seems to have held on well even though a lot of stores have changed.

Another great video and dive into mall history. I never knew certain states didn’t have a sales tax, I assumed everyone did. (I’m up in Canada though). Thanks again for another great video. Also, FYE still exists?!

I worked at the PLM back in the late 80's; always very busy especially Friday & Saturday nights with the "mall rats". Looks like PLM is still doing pretty well, but all malls have slowed down or closed like FleaBitten said. Sad to see.

Yay my local mall is featured! Yeah this mall can get crazy busy on the weekends and around the holiday season. I do Uber eats and I will sometimes get orders from the mall food court, or get orders for packages to be picked up from the Apple Store or Sephora, finding parking at those times can be a PITA. During the pandemic the vacant Sears, I believe it was the upper level was used as a make shift clinic to administer the covid vaccine, I got my first shot there.

Casino is a bad idea IMO. But this is a very nice mall! Is the slide some kind of conveyor system designed to move products maybe?

Best days are behind it. I’m from thr area and this place was packed and traffic was bad getting in and out. Now it seems to have different stores come and go and never hard to find parking now. Dicks sporting goods is a good anchor though and they have better restaurants now than before. I think the casino is a good idea. This part of Nashua doesn’t have a lot of people actually living there,it’s a large shopping area but it needs some e new blood. Some of the plazas just north are losing stores and retail is kind of dying anyway.

Worked in this mall for about 3 years at Newbury Comics. Even after Covid-19, our sale numbers stayed the same. This mall always seems to be busy... at least on the Target side. You can thank the no sales tax in NH coupled with downtown Nashua having a ton of retail. And yes, the mall is never busy at 10:30 lol. Saturdays picked up heavily around noon.

I go there all the time always crowded on weekends and was busy black Friday

I remember going here as a kid in the late 90’s early 2000’s. Target had an escalator in between the people escalators that would transport your cart up or down. I remember my mother worrying something would fall out of the cart. I also remember KB toys being on the bottom floor, perhaps they moved at some point. Lastly Newbury Comics, funny to see them in the mall as they used to have a separate stand alone store just on the outskirts of the mall parking lot near Home Depot. I haven’t been there for years. Actually probably the last time I was there was when my wife and I bought our exercise equipment from the soon to be gone Sears. We keep it in great shape by not using it 😆

PLMall all is dead, empty stores, scarce customers. Desperate for revenue, a casino is going into the old Sears. What next, bring back the Tyngsboro drive in XXX screen?

I actually live not too far from the Pheasant Lane Mall. I'm in Massachusetts, but I'm up the road from the border to NH. I've been going there since I was a kid (over 30 years or so). Definitely changed a lot since the 90s, especially after the mall renovations. I agree with you, I kind of like the old style of the mall better. Maybe it's just the nostalgia of it? Some of it did look a little dated from when it opened back in the mid 80s, but I still prefer it over the bland modern color scheme and style today. Many stores have come and gone in that mall over the years. I don't think this is a dead mall yet though. A lot of people still shop there, most likely on the weekends and especially during the holiday season. I've gone in during the weekday in the morning and it is pretty quite, but most people are at work. It definitely isn't as busy as it once was though. I think once online shopping became popular, that really did take away some of the business. Oh, to answer your question about the stairway to the mall foodcourt, they did change the layout of that stairway. I remember some of the stores that used to be in the mall and the restaurants in the food court, if you are ever interested in wanting to know more. I'd be happy to share! 🙂

Phesant Lane I was there in October, there was nothing there that indicated that it was closing or dying. The place was pretty hopping on a Friday night.

@31:21 at the end of the video going past Target 🎯 is the enclosed emergency exit stairway from the second floor. It was originally opened after they built and Target than they realized an exterior emergency exit from the second floor was completely unsafe and useless in a four season climate that could lead people to a snow and ice covered nightmare during an evacuation, so it was enclosed and actually as a bonus looks much nicer.

Nice video 👋

I have not been in it since the Simon mess up of the structure, I recall I was in it back sometime in the late 80's the original interior was much better by far. I was more Salem and Manchester for shopping as family was close by both of those malls in general.

Pretty great walkthru. I kinda play a game like Where's Waldo while watching these vids except my version is "Where was Radio Shack?" Thanks for showing a pic of that.

You’d think Penney’s would be the next to close, but given they’re owned by Brookfield and Simon it gives them a LOT more leash than they typically would have. After all, if Penney’s goes, so does a whole bunch of anchor space you now have to find tenants to occupy. As for the casinos, Hudson Valley has one and we can see how much traffic that drives there.

I’m sure you’ll be checking out the Mall at Rockingham Park (should be renamed to the Mall at Tuscan Village) next.

as a local, a casino is absolutely the wrong fit for this location... if anything, it's more likely to turn away the slim remaining business from small families. This mall is being held up by Womens Fashion and a hodgepodge of small stores that have done well (Spencers, Game Stop*, Target, and Dicks are probably the main draws that are still going). Place is on the decline, and the turnover of tenants is insane. Most stores last maybe a year if that before they are gone and replaced.

Pretty sure the "slide" on the side of the building is there to help woth snow removal in the winters as it will slide down, but not 100% sure lol

Hey Tom, random question. Growing up I remember going to a cool store in Marlboro, MA called The Whiz or just Wiz (I think). I was wondering with all your New England travels if you've ever been to that place and if you might know the story of what happened to it? I moved back to MA about 7 years ago and was sad when I heard it was no longer around.

Putting a casino in the mall will increase the crime rate in the area. Looks at Springfield MA and Connecticut.

I hope J.C. Penney doesn’t shutdown anytime soon because that’s literally what is keeping my local mall open.

New candy store very good !

3:13 - The year 2006 is when Macy's took over The May Company department stores.

I believe next to the pretzel place was a chair massage area.

Hannoush Jewelers. The Hannoush family has their own sub division in West Springfield Mass - Hannoush Drive. Pretty sure at one time it was a private road. It looks public now. Some tacky looking houses. Spanish tile roofs in Massachusetts looks silly. No idea if these days they are all the Hannoush Family.

Seems like: w/ few exceptions, if you've seen one Simon mall, you've seen 'em all.

At one time my local mall (McKinley Mall, Blaisdell, NY) had an orange julies

They need to bring Dream Machine back

My family lives a few exits up the high from this mall. This mall still gets pack. Even during covid this mall was busy. Gamestop use to be on first floor towards back of mall.

The mall is nice and looks like it’s doing well for malls in 2023 anyway. I do like the older style better before renovations. It looks bland to me as well. That’s super interesting that the border for the 2 states is that close. I don’t know how well the casino will do especially with the economy being the way it is. I’m from around Atlantic City, NJ and I don’t know if the casinos there are doing well. It’s kind of weird being in a mall but maybe it will do okay.

I had my first two jobs here in the 90's when Lechmere was there. Auntie Anne's then CVS.

thats the mall from my childhood, havent been in there in yearrrrs

The stairs were changed. It was in the same location though

pretty nice mall

My first job in HS was in this mall. Early 90’s.

I did barricades there 1997-1999. Paul Yost was the manager then.

the south portland mall is so dead this dude would walk in and walk out because there isnt enough content lol

Economy is rolling people are spending like crazy. Are malls are packed

im in Massachusetts but i never knew nashua had a mall but tbh its not rlly a dead mall they have alot of stores ngl

Id credit a lot of its success to the fact that Lowell is 20mins away. So its the closest mall for two cities. Mall of NH in Manchester is much worse off.

This mall was packed to the gills in my day.

I will bet you the Vietnamese kitchen did not have any nuoc mam LOL

Met my wife at this mall many moons ago

I didn't see an IOU or County Seat lol

A Casino at a mall? Maybe in Las Vegas but otherwise it’s a horrible idea. You were at the mall very early but I bet a few hours later many more people would have been there. I shop at the mall when they open to avoid crowds. I think for now the mall is okay.

I moved here from CA back in 2005 and live in Nashua, NH and I've been in this mall a handful of times. I find it too over priced and really has nothing that I want or need that I can get by internet /mail order. Sorry....Tear it down for a huge multilevel housing complex where our young can live.

It looks OK.

I was at this mall this weekend, and it's not dead. This is the only mall that is on the border of New Hampshire and MA.

the mallllll

😅😊 me 😮too calendar

Seems like just another soulless mall now. 😢

Go to square one mall

I must be the only one who remembers this mall as "The Earthquake Simulator" when it opened, not my words for it. I remember less than 6 months after it opened, it was shut down (or it was planned to be, but heard it was) to be inspected, and/or fixed. I do remember when it reopened, it was a lot more stable, but you could still feel random shaking on any upper level, the mall itself, as well as the anchors. It was almost done in the early 90s, but if you stood very still, you'd still get an occasional shake. I'm not talking about normal deflection from passers-by, but randomly for no reason. You may have also noticed the mall jogs left again at the Sears, for the same reason JCPenney was redesigned, to avoid the Massachusetts border. For maybe months, the drive in was still there, as I remember seeing a movie play one time leaving the mall, but it was short-lived, and they did put the mall logo on the screen. Depending who you ask, this is doing fine, I think it's struggling a little, with several dead storefronts. Looks like a defunct barber shop became something else here. Some tell me it's dying because they lose stores left-and-right, but manage to refill most of them. Off-topic some, I did my 2023 Black Friday run of the Solomon Pond Mall, and it's recovered a bit. There's some dead stores, some big, especially the Sears area on the first floor, but many more empty spots are filled, only 2 vacancies in the food court (surprisingly the Philly cheese steak place died), and they now have "Suicide Cycles" you can ride in the mall along with the "Suicide Animals".

3:22 2011

Google maps has the state line going through the mall. A couple of minutes with street view on the Daniel Webster Highway shows they are off by about 40-50 feet. It looks like they measured from the end of the lawn of the State Line Veterinary Hospital. I doubt the stores on the NH side would play ball with getting taxed by Mass. Maybe if they were a chain with Mass. stores. But independents? "See you in court" would probably have been the response. You have to be careful buying stuff near a state border. Town + Country Liquors in West Springfield Mass. is right next to I-91 ramps. CT is only minutes away. Years ago, the State of Connecticut would send undercover cops there and they would stake out the parking lot. Then they'd call ahead about Connecticut cars that loaded up big time with booze. Remember you are supposed to declare out of state purchases. It's one of the reasons, internet sales now have sales tax. Let's say the W. Springfield and State of Mass. authorities were not amused. Kind of like the Porky's movies in the 80s. "Not your turf, not your jurisdiction".

it never was a dying mall. my parents would hate to go around christmas.

This is the mall I go to so that I can make sports bets in Mass. cause part of the mall is Mass :D

This is a MEH mall. Like purgatory. It’s not dead. It’s not thriving. It’s just there. It USED to be the best mall in NH imho. But the Mall of NH has breathed new life, and this mall has just sat there. Rockingham has also surpassed it. It’s not going to die soon. Fox Run is next to go unless you count the literally dead Steeplegate in Concord. But it does need new blood or problems could arise in a few years. The Casino is LATE 2024 or early ‘25. No date or specific timeline has been set.

I think it's OK for now, but it could start declining quickly. The Casino could help it, but it may not. Still pulling for JCPenney.

It seems to have bounced back a little bit in the last year or two. Late 80s through the 90s, this mall was definitely a place to go and spend some time with friends and family. But as Daniel Webster highway got further developed with more retail space to offer a business, the exclusivity took a hit over time. Pre-COVID, the mall was well on it's way to "dead" status. Lots of empty bays and bigger, more upscale mall franchises left the place. The low-rent flea market type business tried to give it a go and failed quite regularly. Those places crushed the image of the mall. Franchisees don't exactly love having gypsy types selling overpriced stones, fake gems, blacklight posters and incense for neighbors.The food court still suffers from many low-brow tenants. Many of the big, nationally restaurants left which I never understood but must have been a financial dollars-and-cents decision. I do remember Taco Bell being there and near untouchable on the weekends. Sbarro and Chik-fil-a (with the weirdest drive-thru I have ever witnessed kinda slapped onto the exterior of the food court which reeks of desperation) and DQ are pretty much it for recognizable names. This mall use to have everything that a mall this size could provide. Now it is just a shell of it's former self. The Burlington Mall 20 minutes south still shines with all the the thing you would expect.

Just barely holding on... slow and gradual dwindling over the last decade.

I live in Nashua. This mall is nothing compared to what it once was. Day and night this mall used to be packed! So many stores and specialty shops have been gone for years. And i work at that Target store.you won't find many people there anymore.

Looks Dead to me. Back in the 80's their would be 100's of people waiting for it to open and all of the vendors would already have been opened up. Maybe it's thriving for this era in time but not from the perspective of the 70's and 80's and even the 90's. But I'm still glad 😀 it is open and hopefully it will remain open and thrive for this era! Because with much of the people buying online it's a thrill for me just to see something like this again. Nothing like it here in Coastal south Carolina. Just a lot of open strip style so called malls!