Mountain Farms Mall
A shopping center on Route 9 in Hadley, Massachusetts, serving the Pioneer Valley.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Mountain Farms Mall is a shopping center at 335 Russell Street on Route 9 in Hadley, Massachusetts, between Amherst and Northampton. The property is positioned approximately five miles east of Interstate 91’s Exit 19 and forms part of Hadley’s major retail corridor. Its tenants and adjacent commercial uses serve residents, students, commuters, and visitors from the wider Pioneer Valley. The center opened on November 23, 1973, as an enclosed shopping mall anchored by Woolco and Almy’s. During its early years it contained roughly 40 stores, but the opening of the nearby Hampshire Mall in 1978 diverted business. By the early 1990s, Mountain Farms had acquired a reputation locally as a declining or “dead” mall, with only a small number of conventional stores remaining alongside uses such as a hot-tub retailer, a weekly flea market, and an AMC cinema. Its original store base had fallen from about 35 locations to four by spring 1994. A Wholesale Depot location that had opened in 1992 also closed after the company entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May 1994. The property’s major transformation began in the late 1990s. WS Development expressed interest in refurbishing the mall in 1997 and proposed allocating a substantial portion of the site to Walmart. The proposal generated opposition from local residents and some Hadley Planning Board members, who favored smaller and more distinctive businesses. Planning permission was ultimately obtained in 1998, and a lawsuit brought by a local citizens’ group challenging the approval was dismissed by Hampshire Superior Court in July of that year. On August 19, 1998, the property was sold by Henry Rosenberg, trustee of MFF Realty Trust, to W.S. Hadley Properties, a WS Development-related entity associated with S.R. Weiner and Associates. Redevelopment construction began in February 1999. The rebuilt center shifted from a traditional enclosed mall toward a hybrid shopping-center format. Walmart opened in February 2000, followed by Linens ’N Things in September and Old Navy in October. Barnes & Noble joined the tenant mix in 2001, and Michaels opened in 2002. The Bread & Circus supermarket began a 16,400-square-foot expansion in 2003 and was rebranded as Whole Foods Market later that year; the enlarged Whole Foods location opened in June 2004. Other retailers and food-service tenants associated with the revitalized center included Eastern Mountain Sports, Pier 1 Imports, Panera Bread, and Famous Footwear. Further changes included the construction of a 63-room Econo Lodge in front of the mall, the approval of adjacent large-format retail proposals, and the construction of a Planet Fitness at the rear of the property beginning in 2007. Planet Fitness opened in 2008. Linens ’N Things liquidated and closed its store in 2008, and Bed Bath & Beyond opened in the former space in November 2009. The site is no longer primarily experienced as a conventional enclosed mall; available descriptions indicate that interior access is limited, with vestigial doors remaining between Panera Bread and Eastern Mountain Sports. Mountain Farms Mall has also been a focal point in Hadley’s long-running debate over large-scale retail development. Walmart’s presence and later plans for a 212,000-square-foot Supercenter near the Hampshire Mall prompted organized opposition, negotiations, and discussion of a 75,000-square-foot limit on new retail buildings adopted by the town in 2006. An exemption for the proposed Walmart project was approved in November 2007, although the project faced continuing development and community constraints. Demonstrations have taken place at or near the Mountain Farms Walmart, including a May 2004 protest concerning corporate influence in health care and the need for national health insurance. These disputes illustrate the tension between retail-related employment, tax revenue, and consumer access on one side, and concerns about traffic, rural character, and the effects of large-format retailers on the other.
History
Mountain Farms Mall opened on November 23, 1973, as an indoor shopping mall in Hadley, Massachusetts. Its initial anchor tenants were Woolco and Almy’s, and the property eventually accommodated approximately 40 stores during its strongest early period. The opening of Hampshire Mall nearby in 1978 created direct competition and contributed to a decline in traffic and occupancy. By 1990, Mountain Farms was commonly characterized as a failing or “dead” mall. Its remaining activities included a hot-tub retailer, a weekly flea market, and an AMC theater, while the conventional store count continued to shrink. By spring 1994, only four of the mall’s original approximately 35 stores remained. Wholesale Depot, which had opened at the mall in December 1992, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May 1994 and closed its location. A redevelopment effort emerged in the late 1990s. In June 1997, WS Development expressed interest in renovating the property and proposed placing a Walmart store in about one-third of the available space. Some local planning officials preferred smaller and more distinctive businesses and questioned whether Walmart suited Hadley. Permission for the Walmart component was obtained in 1998. A local citizens’ group filed suit in April 1998 against WS Development and the Hadley Planning Board, seeking to overturn the site-plan decision, but the lawsuit was dismissed by a Hampshire Superior Court justice in July. On August 19, 1998, Henry Rosenberg, acting as trustee of MFF Realty Trust, sold the mall to W.S. Hadley Properties, a company connected with S.R. Weiner and WS Development. Construction on the redevelopment began in February 1999. The new retail configuration opened in stages: Walmart in February 2000, Linens ’N Things in September 2000, Old Navy in October 2000, Barnes & Noble in 2001, and Michaels in 2002. The center’s tenant base subsequently expanded to include Eastern Mountain Sports, Pier 1 Imports, Panera Bread, and Famous Footwear. The grocery component was also enlarged. Bread & Circus began a 16,400-square-foot expansion in 2003 and was rebranded as Whole Foods Market later that year. The expanded Whole Foods store opened in June 2004. A 63-room Econo Lodge was built in front of the mall and opened in 2003, adding a hospitality use to the surrounding commercial complex. Other nearby development proposals included a large Home Depot-related project, although the Hadley Corner retail project was shut down by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection in March 2006. The property continued to evolve after the main redevelopment. Construction began at the rear of the mall in 2007 for a Planet Fitness club, which opened in 2008. Linens ’N Things closed in 2008 following liquidation, and Bed Bath & Beyond occupied the former store space from November 2009. By the period described in available reference material, Mountain Farms was no longer functioning as a fully conventional enclosed mall: interior access was limited, with only vestigial doors reported between Panera Bread and Eastern Mountain Sports. The mall’s history is closely tied to Hadley’s debate over large-format retail. Walmart’s original arrival generated organized opposition, and a later proposal for a 212,000-square-foot Supercenter southeast of Hampshire Mall led to extended negotiations and controversy. In May 2006, Hadley voters approved a 75,000-square-foot cap on new retail buildings, effectively restricting additional large shopping-center projects on the Route 9 corridor. Previously initiated Walmart, Home Depot, and Lowe’s proposals were treated differently under the development process. On November 20, 2007, officials approved a subdivision plan that exempted the proposed Walmart Supercenter from the bylaw, subject to an eight-year period to secure site-plan approval. Activism continued at the Mountain Farms Walmart and nearby Route 9 property. On May 2, 2004, demonstrators picketed the store to criticize what they described as the growing influence of Walmart-style corporations in health care and to advocate national health insurance. Police were called after complaints that demonstrators blocked entrances or interfered with customers; the protest ended after a trespass order was issued. Additional demonstrations reportedly occurred later along Route 9. These events made Mountain Farms Mall a local example of the competing economic, environmental, transportation, and community-identity interests surrounding suburban retail development.
- 2009
Bed Bath & Beyond opens
[1]Bed Bath & Beyond opens in the former Linens ’N Things space in November.
- 2008
Planet Fitness opens and Linens ’N Things closes
[1]The fitness facility opens, while Linens ’N Things leaves the center after liquidation.
- 2007
Planet Fitness construction begins
[1]Work begins on a Planet Fitness facility at the rear of the mall.
- 2006
Hadley adopts a 75,000-square-foot retail cap
[1]Voters approve the Compatible Building Size Bylaw, restricting the size of new retail buildings in the corridor.
- 2004
Expanded Whole Foods Market opens
[1]The enlarged grocery store, formerly Bread & Circus, opens in June under the Whole Foods Market name.
- 2002
Michaels opens
[1]Michaels opens between Marshall’s and the Bread & Circus supermarket.
- 2001
Barnes & Noble opens
[1]Barnes & Noble joins the redeveloped Mountain Farms tenant lineup.
- 2000
Walmart, Linens ’N Things, and Old Navy open
[1]The redeveloped center gains Walmart in February, Linens ’N Things in September, and Old Navy in October.
- 1999
Redevelopment construction begins
[1]Construction on the redesigned retail project begins in February.
- 1998
Redevelopment approval and ownership transfer
[1]Permission is obtained for Walmart, a legal challenge is dismissed, and the property is sold to W.S. Hadley Properties, a WS Development-related company.
Products and positioning
A regional, convenience-oriented shopping center combining national big-box, grocery, specialty retail, restaurant, and fitness tenants. Following its late-1990s redevelopment, it evolved from an enclosed mall into a largely open-air or hybrid retail destination serving the Hadley and wider Pioneer Valley market.
Commercial real estate and retail services · 1973
Shopping-center retail space
Mountain Farms Mall provides a multi-tenant retail environment rather than a manufactured consumer product. Its tenant mix has historically included national department and specialty retailers, grocery, books, apparel, home goods, food service, and fitness. The property’s post-1999 configuration emphasizes exterior-access and large-format destinations over the fully enclosed shopping-mall model used at its 1973 opening.
Grocery · 2004
Whole Foods Market
The grocery anchor began as Bread & Circus and was rebranded as Whole Foods Market in 2003. A 16,400-square-foot expansion began in 2003, and the enlarged Whole Foods location opened in June 2004. It represents the center’s role as a grocery-led destination as well as a conventional retail property.
Mass merchandise · 2000
Walmart
Walmart became the principal large-format component of the redevelopment and opened at Mountain Farms Mall in February 2000. Its proposed presence was a major factor in the property’s planning history and in local debates about traffic, employment, taxes, community character, and the scale of retail development.
Fitness services · 2008
Planet Fitness
A Planet Fitness facility was developed at the rear of the mall beginning in 2007 and opened in 2008. The addition broadened the property beyond shopping and dining, adding a recurring service and fitness use to the tenant mix.
Marketing campaigns
- 2004Anti-Walmart health-care protest
Hadley, Massachusetts
Activists picketed the Mountain Farms Walmart on May 2 to criticize what they called the Walmartization of health care and to advocate a national health-insurance system. The demonstration generated complaints from customers and nearby businesses, and police issued a trespass order before the protesters dispersed.
Outcome. The protest ended after police intervention; the broader local debate over Walmart and large-format retail continued.
- 1997Walmart redevelopment proposal
Hadley, Massachusetts
WS Development promoted a renovation plan that would devote about one-third of Mountain Farms Mall to Walmart, positioning the retailer as a catalyst for the property’s recovery.
Outcome. Approval was obtained in 1998 after local opposition and planning controversy, and redevelopment construction began in 1999.
Brand decisions
2006
Adopt a retail building-size bylawOtherBackground
Hadley residents and officials were debating the effects of large-format retail on the town’s rural character, traffic, and future development pattern.
Action taken
The town adopted a 75,000-square-foot limit on new retail buildings. Projects that had already entered the planning process, including proposed Walmart and Home Depot developments, were treated separately.
Aftermath
The bylaw constrained future large retail proposals while a separate Walmart subdivision exemption was approved in November 2007.
2003
Expand the grocery anchorStrategyBackground
The Bread & Circus supermarket was an important component of the revitalized center and required additional space to support the property’s grocery-led positioning.
Action taken
A 16,400-square-foot expansion began in 2003, while the store transitioned to the Whole Foods Market name.
Aftermath
The expanded Whole Foods Market opened in June 2004, strengthening the center’s role as a regional shopping destination.
1998
Approve Walmart-centered redevelopmentStrategyBackground
The original enclosed mall had suffered substantial tenant and traffic losses after nearby Hampshire Mall opened. WS Development sought to reposition the property through a major refurbishment and a large-format Walmart component.
Action taken
Planning approval was obtained for the Walmart-related redevelopment despite objections from some local officials and residents. A citizens’ lawsuit challenging the approval was dismissed.
Aftermath
Construction began in February 1999, and Walmart opened in February 2000 as the redeveloped center’s principal anchor.
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