If you park at the north end of the North Andover Mall at 350 Winthrop Avenue this week, the walk to the door looks different than it has for most of the past two years. The big red HomeGoods letters are up. Next to them, a 30,924-square-foot Marshalls sits against the side wall of the expanded Market Basket, according to the Eagle-Tribune. Both stores were scheduled to hold grand openings on Thursday, October 29, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The two stores fill the end of the strip that Market Basket left in 2025. The small shops that stayed open through every phase of construction have the most riding on that.
Three Moves in Two and a Half Years
The rebuild went in a sequence, and each step moved foot traffic somewhere new.
- Spring 2024. Kohl's closed its store in the middle of the mall, and the space was rebuilt for a larger Market Basket.
- Summer 2025. Market Basket moved from its old spot at the north end into the new middle space.
- October 2026. Marshalls and HomeGoods were set to open in the old Market Basket space, with the mall's spokesperson aiming for October 28 and the companies and North Andover Patch listing October 29.
Along the way, the site got new sidewalks, traffic islands, landscaping, lighting and drainage, plus upgraded electrical, water and sewer lines. The parking lot has more than 900 spaces.
Step two was good for the middle and south end of the mall and hard on the north end. Step three is about the north end.
What the North End Went Through
Wine and Beer at the Andovers has been at the north end for 18 years and once shared space with a CVS. Its manager, Steve Buco, told the Eagle-Tribune that business slowed during construction on that side, and that the store lost more foot traffic when Market Basket moved to the middle:
"It was just like this was the other end of the world."
With hundreds of HomeGoods and Marshalls shoppers expected every day, Buco said he hopes business gets back to where it was. He also said the store plans to stay put, since Market Basket has decided not to open a liquor store in the old Design Lighting space. An earlier Eagle-Tribune report noted that Fari's Diner and Wine and Beer at the Andovers were open for business despite the construction.
The new stores fill most of the gap between the liquor store and the middle of the mall. Construction plans show one vacant unit of 5,983 square feet still sitting between HomeGoods and Wine and Beer at the Andovers. No tenant for that space has been announced, and no restaurant pads or later phases have been made public.
The South End Already Had Its Turn
At the other end of the strip, Market Basket's move helped. The Purple Couch Bookshop picks up spillover shoppers from the relocated grocery store and from the TJ Maxx next door, the Eagle-Tribune reported.
Owner Kate Keisling told the paper her one concern is that Marshalls could pull away some of the traffic she gets from TJ Maxx, though she doesn't expect a big effect. A busier plaza overall could even help the bookshop.
With an off-price clothing store at each end, the mall is now laid out so people walk the whole length. TJX owns Marshalls, TJ Maxx and HomeGoods, and the Eagle-Tribune expects shoppers to go back and forth between the two clothing stores comparing racks. Market Basket sits in the middle. That puts Purple Couch on one end of the walk and Wine and Beer at the Andovers on the other.
Errands That No Longer Cross the River
Until now, North Andover shoppers had to leave town for home goods. Purple Couch bookseller Sean Maloney, who lives in North Andover, told the Eagle-Tribune that it will be nice "not have to, like, cross the river and go up to Salem to get pillows and sheets." Another resident in the same story said she had been driving to Beverly, Boxford and New Hampshire to shop at HomeGoods.
Merrimack College students are another source of steady traffic. The Eagle-Tribune noted that students in the new dorms get a mattress, frame, desk and wardrobe and buy the rest on their own. The new stores also mean jobs. Patch reported about 65 at HomeGoods and about 60 at Marshalls. Reported sizes for HomeGoods differ slightly, but both put it at roughly 24,000 square feet.
Besides the TJX stores and Market Basket, the mall's current tenants include BrightBridge Credit Union, Fari's Diner, Bollywood's Grill, Salon Vergados, Posh Nails & Spa, Gentle Dental, AT&T and Londis. A grocery run can now cover a lot more errands without moving the car.
What's on at Purple Couch Through Early December
The fall calendar at The Purple Couch Bookshop is the most specific reason to walk down to the south end this month.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Fri., Nov. 6 | Book Bedazzling craft event |
| Fri., Nov. 13 | Colleen Temple talks with her sister, then Q&A and signing; tickets include the book |
| Sun., Nov. 15 | Books and Brews, held in Lawrence |
| Mon., Nov. 16 | Cleo White author event |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | Sandhya Iyer signing |
| Thu., Nov. 26 | Closed for Thanksgiving |
| Mon., Nov. 30 | Cider Monday: $25 gets a cider, a reusable tote, a personalized pouch and 15% off purchases |
| Tue., Dec. 8 | Nicole Cubba author event, 7 to 8 p.m.; details and tickets to come |
Cider Monday falls on the Monday after Thanksgiving, the first holiday shopping weekend since the new stores' scheduled opening.
New anchors, a rebuilt parking lot and errands that stay on this side of the Merrimack change everyday life near Route 114. If the finished mall has you wondering where your home stands, Rebecca Curran Realty can start with a clear, data-backed number. Get Your Instant Home Valuation.
