EDITOR’S NOTE: The original story said incorrectly that Old Navy was coming to Capitol Shopping Plaza, but no lease was ever signed. The story has been corrected to say that Boot Barn will occupy the space.

 

Space formerly occupied by half of the Burlington store in the Capitol Shopping Plaza may soon be filled by three stores – Ulta Beauty, Five Below and Boot Barn – as the renovation of the city’s downtown shopping center continues.

Leases have been signed with the three companies, according to a spokesperson for  Brixmor Capitol, which owns the shopping center on Storrs Street. Approval for such things as outdoor signage must still go before the city Planning Board, with Ulta slated to be heard this week.

The stores would be located in the left half of what has been the Burlington, formerly Burlington Coat Factory, store. The 77,000-square-foot space is being reduced to 23,000 square feet because of changes in people’s shopping habits. Burlington is making similar changes throughout the country.

Ulta Beauty is a health and makeup retailer, Five Below is a specialty discount store and Book Barn specializes in Western wear. All three are national chains with hundreds of stores. Ulta and Five Below  have several locations already in New Hampshire, Boot Barn has one in Nashua.

The arrival of these retailers comes as another store in the plaza is preparing to depart. Joann, a national crafts and fabric chain, says it will close seven of its eight New Hampshire stores as part of bankruptcy proceedings.

Under plans presented to the city previously, another 23,000 square feet is available on the back side of the building, facing I-93. A gym was once slated to lease the space, which isn’t visible from Storrs Street and so would be a poor fit for retail, and no tenant is signed up at the moment, Newman said.

Capitol Shopping Center was built in the early 1960s. It replaced the Concord Railroad Depot, a huge brick building that fell into disrepair after passenger rail stopped coming here. The first expansion in decades happened in 2022   with a stand-a lone building  housing 110 Grill, Starbucks and Playa Bowls restaurants and two retailers. 

The city’s long-term hopes  for the area is for a mix of multi-story retail, service and housing that would be more pedestrian-friendly and l ess dependent on cars.

David Brooks can be reached at dbrooks@cmonitor.com