HADLEY, Mass. — The future of the Hampshire Mall is unclear, as the property is facing a foreclosure auction next month.

It's one of many malls in our area which have either closed or experienced financial hardship.

UMass Donahue Institute's Rod Motamedi says many malls which were built decades ago have become less appealing for shoppers.

"Consumer shopping habits have changed," said UMass Donahue Institute Assistant Director of Economic and Public Policy Research Rod Motamedi. "There's a lot of spending that has gone online. Anything that you can wait a day or two for. People are just shopping online. They're browsing from their couch. Anything that you need right now. That's the stuff you get from the grocery store."

He said consumers are more interested in newer development projects which in today’s world are typically outdoor based shopping plazas with smaller businesses mixed in. 

We recently covered the demolition of the Eastfield Mall in Springfield which is slated to become an outdoor shopping center.

"It's a street front," he said. "You can walk through the area. They're more dining and entertainment options. It feels more streetscape, more experiential and Those places are doing fine and are seeing a lot of growth as are high end malls.”

Motamedi said the mid to low-tier malls are the ones which are facing more challenges.

"They don't offer any goods that can't be obtained somewhere else," he said. "And they don't offer an experience that can't be had somewhere else so their competitive proposition is just more limited now." 

Motamedi said people are still shopping and spending money.

He believes malls will still be around in the future but the approach to developing a location to attract large crowds will be different.

"It'll be more shopping plazas and shopping centers and more streetside things," he said. "Versus an enclosed building with the same kind of stores and an Orange Julius. I think that's probably on its way out."

The auction for the Hadley Hampshire mall will be June 20. 

We reached out to Mall owner Pyramid Management Group who owns also owns the Holyoke mall and they did not have someone available for comment.