2023’s Top 10 Retail Experiences: No. 2 Tuscan Village

A mixed-use project has brought new energy and excitement to Salem, N.H. 

Through the entire 20th Century, Salem, N.H., was a popular entertainment destination for Bostonians who regularly made the 30-mile trip to its famed Rockingham Park Race Track, where Seabiscuit once galloped to glory. That changed when the track closed in 2016. 

But just seven years later, the burg is bustling once again. Tuscan Village, a 170-acre mixed-use project with multifamily housing, a lake, the first Mass General Brigham medical center in New Hampshire, and tenants like Arhaus, Nike, Pottery Barn, and the Sam Adams Beer Garden bringing crowds back to Salem.

“I could pretty easily say that there are 2,000 to 3,000 people walking around on the property every day,” said Tuscan Village’s senior VP of leasing Mike Powers, who previously performed the same role at Top 10 alumni Easton Town Center and Crocker Park. “And at full build we expect to have 5,000 people living here.”

In the meantime, crowds continue to pack the site for a calendar-crowding series of events such as the Summer Wine Fest, Fourth of July fireworks, The Tiki Takeover, Spritz O’Clock, Trivia Tuesday, and paddle-boarding and kayak demos at the L.L. Bean store on the lake.

During the summer, Tuscan Village’s activation strategy does not limit itself to one-off special events. Its Summer Concert Series runs every Thursday through Sunday, presenting popular Boston metro bands, live DJ’s, and themed programs such as The Italian Music Festival. It’s a known happening, and people throughout the Boston area check the lineup on a weekly basis.

During the holidays, Tuscan Village presents an outdoor Winter Market featuring 40 to 50 booths for crafts sellers.

“Our events calendar keeps building on itself.  It started out very experimentally and exploded into a packed 12-month program,” Powers said. “We’ve become a destination for people who make 40-to-60-minute drives from Boston and Portsmouth.”

Powers and Tuscan Village's owner, local food product manufacturer and restaurateur Joe Faro, have been busy building on the project’s success in planning Phase 3 of the project. Twenty tenants have been signed that include The Artisan Hotel, West Elm, and Shake Shack.