Stories of 2011: New Life on Plaza's Horizon?

It's been a little more than six months since Patch launched in Merrimack and it's been an eventful half a year. With 10 days left in 2011, we decided to count down 10 stories we think are worth another look.

Some are uplifting, some are not. Some mean big things for the future of Merrimack, others are simply a slice of life. Some stories are not over, they'll continue well into 2012 and we will continue to bring you updates.

Thank you for making our first six months better than we could have imagined. We are excited to see what is in store for 2012.

4. Silver Maple Shutters, But Plaza May See New Life

On Aug. 1, we brought you the story that Silver Maple, a popular Chinese food restaurant had closed its doors with little notice, leaving vacant yet another space in the former Shaw's Plaza at 356 Daniel Webster Highway and only three remaining businesses.

The last time that plaza was full was when Shaw's was a tenant of the building, Property Manager Mike Charron said at the end of July. In the five years since it closed, the building has seen the departure of two other larger business: CVS, which went into a new building just up the road, and Blockbuster, which has had its own financial woes forcing the closure of hundreds of its stores around the country.

Also leaving spaces in the plaza were a jewelry store, greeting card shop, and the New Hampshire State Liquor Store, all of which moved to the vicinity of the Shaw's on Continental Boulevard.

In researching the closure of Silver Maple, a detail was uncovered that may give that plaza new hope: Shaw's which has held onto the lease of the anchor store for the last five years, will relinquish that lease when it expires at the end of April, making way for the possibility of a new store to come in and help revitalize the plaza.

"The brokers are actively searching for a strong anchor tenant first to fill that space," Charron said of the gap left by the supermarket. "Once you can fill a space like that it obviously makes it an easier task to find some small businesses to fill those remaining spaces."

and check out what Patch readers the following day

Other stories that made our Top 10 list: