SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – The Fashion Outlets of Santa Fe is going up for auction. The mall has been standing for 30 years, but business closures over the years have left the mall more than 50-percent vacant. Now some locals are concerned for its future.

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Sweet Santa Fe has called the Fashion Outlets of Santa Fe home for the last five years and won local Scovie Awards for their treats. “They have been working so, so hard to create and grow this business, and it is really doing well,” said J.J. Sutton, kitchen manager and son of the owner of Sweet Santa Fe.

Sweet Santa Fe made it through the global pandemic but now is concerned they may not make it through what’s coming next. “If it was to be sold, and transition to something else through a rebuild, [my mother] would probably just close [her] business,” said Sutton.

The Fashion Outlets of Santa Fe, a 124,735-square-foot property, saw its popularity boom in the 90s and early 2000s. The outlet used to be home to some bigger brands like Under Armor and Nike, but those stores have been long gone with Nike’s closure in 2016.

Sutton said foot traffic at the outlets did pick up slightly .“Eye Associates was a really nice tenant that did create foot traffic for us and I think they have also created foot traffic for other tenants in the mall as well,” said Sutton.

Business owners are concerned about a total shutdown of the mall, but are hopeful that someone will try to bring in new life, which some patrons agree with.

“My impression of the south side is that mostly it’s big-box and bigger stores and a place that is more to human scale would be terrific,” said one shopper.

The mall will go on auction from Sept. 11-13. The opening bid is $1.5 million.