After a quarter-century on Storrs Street, Marshalls department store has moved to a much newer shopping center by Exit 17.
The store in Capitol Shopping Plaza shut last week, Oct. 23, and the new Marshalls in the Merchants Way development opened just before Halloween, with a blue banner reading “Now open” hanging beneath the fascia sign.
Among Monday’s shoppers was a woman who traveled to the new store from nearby Contoocook in search of supplies for her daughter’s imminent move. She liked the old location, but she lives closer to the new one.
Eight miles south in downtown, the former Marshalls location at the Capitol Shopping Center was closed and dark. The large blue logo spelling the store’s name was removed, and paper signs taped on the glass doors say “this location will be closing for good” and encouraged customers to visit the new location at 14 Merchants Way.
Marshalls, a discount department store, moved into the Capitol Shopping Plaza in 1999, part of many changes that have taken place in and around the plaza since it was built in the 1960s, replacing a Boston and Maine train station.
The closed Marshalls anchored the left side of the center’s main plaza, and at 28,000 square feet, it was the second-largest retailer, slightly smaller than the Market Basket supermarket that anchors the right side. The Marshalls at Merchants Way is 23,500 square feet, according to city developers.
Last year, the Burlington Coat Factory location on Storrs Street dramatically downsized, and owner Brixmor Capital brought in an Ulta, a Five Below and a Boot Barn to the freed-up space.
“We are actively pursuing opportunities for the former Marshalls space at Capitol Shopping Center and look forward to sharing updates as plans progress,” wrote Maria Pace, spokesperson for Brixmor.
Marshalls is owned by the TJX Companies, Inc., which also operates T.J. Maxx, HomeGoods and Sierra. There are about 1,200 Marshall stores in the U.S.; the company has been closing some and opening others as part of a restructuring. It has 12 stores in New Hampshire; the closest to Concord is in Bedford.
Concord also has a T.J. Maxx and a Sierra store in the shopping plaza at 10 Loudon Road.
