Can Settlers Green Outlet In North Conway, NH Keep Reinventing Itself?

Settlers Green sits in North Conway, part of Carroll County in New Hampshire. It is an open-air shopping complex near a gateway to the White Mountains region.

It lines Route 16, the main road running north to south through the Mount Washington Valley. That spot places it right in the path of heavy tourist and seasonal traffic.

At 375,000 square feet, the center acts as the main retail destination for the area. Locals and visitors come for outlet shopping, restaurants, groceries, and shared community spaces.

The development opened in 1988. It was the first outlet shopping center in the state, built on land that once served as an airport. Its sales-tax-free advantage helped it grow into the area's leading retail hub.

Settlers Green outlet in North Conway, NH

From White Mountain Airport to Settlers Green Outlet Village

Somewhere under the parking lot of North Conway's biggest shopping complex, the outlines of an old airfield are still there.

White Mountain Airport once occupied the flat, open land that would become Settlers Green - 140 acres that had also served, earlier still, as fairgrounds and a horse racing track.

Robert Barsamian and his sister Lisa Green bought the airport property in 1985. They broke ground on the first retail buildings two years later.

Few outlet centers in New England have the room to grow the way Settlers Green has grown.

That room came directly from the airport's footprint. The first phase - about 80,000 square feet - barely touched the available land.

There was space for eight more buildings, then more again after that, all without the demolitions and land assemblages that constrain most urban retail projects.

As late as 2023, the original hangar building was still standing, with no confirmed plan for its future use.

A monument to aviator Wylie Apte survives on the property.

The outdoor village format and walkable scale between buildings became defining features of Settlers Green, while the capacity for phase after phase of new construction across four decades came from the large former airfield property.

Settlers Green Opens Its Doors on February 12, 1988

Settlers Green opened on February 12, 1988, with a much smaller footprint than originally planned. Early plans included specialty shops, a hotel, 200 condominiums, and a nine-hole golf course.

Instead, the opening featured about 80,000 square feet of retail space, with estimates ranging from 10 to 30 stores, built on flat land that had previously been used as an airport.

Dot Seybold joined the organization as marketing director in 1989 and became general manager in 1991.

She later explained that the project was first intended to focus on specialty retail rather than outlet stores.

That direction changed when local demand in North Conway favored outlet shopping, and when the early 1990s downturn in the condominium market made the residential part of the plan impractical.

The hotel and golf course were also removed from the plan.

By the early 1990s, Settlers Green had been intentionally reshaped into a discount outlet center. That decision set its course for the next thirty years.

The center developed as an outdoor, walkable outlet destination in a region already popular with visitors to the White Mountains.

At the time of its opening in 1988, enclosed shopping malls were still the main format across the United States.

How Settlers Green Expanded Beyond Its First Phase

By the time the center had been operating for about a decade, it bore little resemblance to its February 1988 opening.

Phase II of the Outlet Village was completed in 2000. By 1998, the property had already reached approximately 200,000 square feet.

The 2004 rebrand from "Settlers' Green OVP" to "Settlers' Green Outlet Village" came with figures that showed how far the property had traveled.

More than 50 brand-name stores. Over $70 million in annual retail sales. More than 300 employees, including more than 50 professional retail managers. Over $200,000 donated to local nonprofits since 1988.

Nike Factory Store, Banana Republic Outlet, Brookstone Outlet, J. Jill Outlet, Stonewall Kitchen, and Lindt Chocolate had all arrived at Settlers Green before comparable centers in the region had them.

Settlers Green was New Hampshire's first outlet shopping center. The tax-free advantage was structural - a built-in advantage over retail locations in New England that collected sales tax.

Combined with a tourist corridor that brought consistent seasonal traffic, that edge was compounded with every new brand that signed a lease.

Settlers Crossing Opens in Phases as Settlers Green Turns 20

Settlers Crossing came online in 2006, opening in phases rather than all at once. By 2007, leasing activity was still ongoing.

At the same time, the original Settlers Green Outlet Village was fully leased, with eight buildings covering about 235,000 square feet.

The new section added between 85,000 and 87,000 square feet across eight buildings, built for $8 million.

Its main anchors were Eastern Mountain Sports at 18,000 square feet and L.L.Bean at 14,400 square feet.

These retailers focused on outdoor gear and drew customers making longer, more planned visits, rather than quick purchases typical of fashion outlets.

By 2008, marking 20 years since February 1988, the center had grown to 60 stores and 245,000 square feet, with about $25 million invested in construction.

That year, sales on the Friday before Veterans Day weekend were almost twice those of Black Friday.

This showed how much the Bring A Friend event had expanded since starting as a single-day promotion in 2001.

The $1.4 Million Purchase That Led to Streetside

In 2014, OVP paid $1.4 million for the former L.L.Bean plaza on Route 16. L.L.Bean had already moved from that plaza to its newer location inside Settlers Crossing, leaving the old site largely vacant.

The purchase gave OVP contiguous ownership of three adjacent properties along the Route 16 corridor - the former Timberland site, the former White Mountain Plaza, and Settlers' Corner.

Without controlling all three sites, a coherent new retail district along that stretch of road would have been difficult to assemble.

Construction on Streetside Phase I broke ground in November 2016 at a cost, including acquisition and site work, of more than $15 million.

Streetside Phase I opened in 2017, bringing 50,000 square feet of new retail and 10 new brands.

The opening lineup included Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Store, LOFT Outlet, Skechers Outlet, and Think Kitchen.

Barley & Salt Tap House and Kitchen followed in mid-September 2017, adding a full-service restaurant to a property that had previously been almost entirely retail.

By 2018, Settlers Green was approaching $90 million in annual sales.

Public Art, a New Identity, and the Shift Beyond Outlets

In 2016, Settlers Green launched its Public Art Walk by selecting six artists from more than 20 submissions.

Two of those artists were local. New works were added every year, and by 2023, the property had more than a dozen installations.

Streetside was built to be different from the Outlet Village. Its architecture and mix of tenants were not the same.

A full-service restaurant, Barley & Salt Tap House and Kitchen, opened there in mid-September 2017.

Retail spaces were filled by Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Store, LOFT Outlet, and Skechers Outlet.

The outdoor areas were designed for people to spend time in, not just walk through.

Bring A Friend started as a one-day event in 2001. By its 25th anniversary in 2025, it had become a multi-day promotion that brought traffic similar to Black Friday, with 1,000 giveaway bags handed out on the main day.

In December 2020, Michael Mitchroney became general manager, taking over from Dot Seybold after her 31 years of leadership at the center.

Market Basket Opens as Streetside Phase II Reshapes Settlers Green

OVP broke ground on Streetside Phase II in March 2022. The centerpiece was a 70,000-square-foot Market Basket grocery store.

Site work included Barnes Road Extension and a roundabout on North-South Road. The projected cost was $30 million.

An additional 4,600-square-foot building next to Barley & Salt was also part of the phase.

Market Basket had originally been projected to open earlier, but delays pushed the opening into the fall of 2023.

Market Basket opened on October 27, 2023, at 7 am, at 80 Barnes Road. Outlet shoppers do not need a 70,000-square-foot grocery anchor. Residents do.

Old Navy expanded to 14,300 square feet that year. J.Crew grew to 5,900 square feet and added a Crewcuts section.

Cotopaxi opened its first outlet location at 3,300 square feet. Swix opened a 3,200-square-foot store - its first U.S. operation.

Mountain Moose Asian Noodle opened at 2,350 square feet. Streetside Phase II brought Settlers Green's commercial retail footprint to 375,000 square feet, with expected annual sales of $125 million.

Six New Retailers and the 2026 Repositioning Push

In December 2025, Settlers Green announced that Books-A-Million would move into a new 9,000-square-foot space, more than triple its earlier size at the center, with an opening planned for April 2026.

Ulta Beauty, at 7,150 square feet, and Lululemon, at 5,000 square feet, were part of the same announcement, scheduled for summer and spring 2026.

By April 3, 2026, three more brands had been added: Marathon Sports at 4,400 square feet, Aéropostale, and Perfume Outlet.

The first wave of openings was planned to coincide with the center's second annual Mother's Day Stroll.

Nine years earlier, Streetside Phase I had added 50,000 square feet and 10 brands. This group added six more tenants across beauty, activewear, books, running, and apparel.