I hope the merchants in Merrimack Outlets can pay the rent and hire local employees, but if I owned stock in Simon Prop. someone would be out the door.
This concept is foolish for New England. In a real mall you can shop in a carefree controlled enviroment. In a normal plaza or downtown you can park near the stores you wish to visit. In Merrimack, when its minus-10 degrees – or 90 degrees in the shade – you have to park far away from most of the stores, then walk and figure out where you want to go. I'm sure Timberland is paying a premium for its location; it may be the only store I will visit again. On a cold December day the stores in the middle of the center may not see much traffic, especially from a mom with children. I would think the cost of a roof would be cheaper than the cost of removing snow from the common area.
See you in Tilton next week on my trip up north.
