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To many New Mexicans, the defunct outlet mall between sa国际传媒官网网页入口 and Santa Fe appears to be an abandoned property engulfed in dust, tumbleweeds and mystery.

Some know it as Budaghers. Some know it as Traditions. But in Netflix鈥檚 latest series, it鈥檚 The Boroughs 鈥� a seemingly perfect, picturesque retirement community holding dark secrets.

The former outlet mall was one of several New Mexico filming sites used in the series, also called 鈥淭he Boroughs.鈥� It鈥檚 an eight-episode supernatural mystery, which came out on Thursday. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 about a group of retirees in a retirement community fighting monsters (and) unlikely heroes that come together to save their community,鈥� said showrunner Jeffrey Addiss, who created the show鈥檚 concept with Will Matthews.

The story 鈥� starring Alfred Molina, Geena Davis, Bill Pullman, Alfre Woodard and Clarke Peters 鈥� is both set and filmed in New Mexico. For roughly six months in 2024 and 2025, the project filmed at more than 20 sites across the state and employed more than 300 local vendors and 350 cast and crew.

The project marked a return to the state for the show鈥檚 executive producers, Matt and Ross Duffer, often referred to as the Duffer brothers. They are the minds behind Netflix鈥檚 鈥淪tranger Things,鈥� which filmed its fourth season in New Mexico. But for Addiss and Matthews, it was their first time filming in the Land of Enchantment 鈥� an experience they said did not disappoint.

鈥淲e had a ball. We really wanted a desert location,鈥� Matthews said. 鈥淚t was absolutely the right place for the show. It feels like its own world.鈥�

Addiss agreed.

鈥淲e wanted this sense that The Boroughs (were) slightly isolated, its own world, this beautiful bubble, because bubbles can be beautiful, but they鈥檙e easily popped, and so there was some fun to be had there,鈥� he said.

One New Mexican who played a major role in shaping 鈥淭he Boroughs鈥� bubble is Shani Orona, who served as location manager for the project.

As location manager, it is Orona鈥檚 job to read the script for a film project and work closely with the showrunner or director and production designer to find places that could support the world they want to create on screen.

鈥淚t鈥檚 your responsibility to get into their heads, get their vision and then go out to the world and find it,鈥� said Orona, who has worked in film for 25 years.

Orona has come to learn that scouting film sites is a continuous process that isn鈥檛 bound by any particular project. It鈥檚 a constant heightened awareness of surroundings and seeing potential in unassuming places.

鈥淵ou never stop scouting,鈥� Orona said. 鈥淵ou鈥檒l be grocery shopping, you鈥檒l be on a road trip 鈥� you鈥檙e always looking for unusual locations, or even something as boring as an unusual dirt road that you know a cinematographer would love.鈥�

While some of the sites Orona offers up to films are ones she has on her running list of unique sites, others she finds on demand. At the request of 鈥淭he Boroughs鈥� showrunners, she had to find an east-to-west road in the middle of nowhere that would lead into the isolated Boroughs.

A location Orona had on her radar for quite some time, just waiting for the right project, was the old Ramada hotel 鈥� now Juniper Flats 鈥� at 25 Hotel NE in sa国际传媒官网网页入口. The property was dilapidated and being worked on when Orona first visited. But she looked past the lobby鈥檚 dust and broken doors and saw what could be an impressive entrance to The Manor, where new arrivals of The Boroughs are welcomed for the first time.

Netflix renovated the lobby with new light fixtures, murals and a front desk 鈥� all of which remained a part of the new multifamily apartment鈥檚 real-life setup after filming wrapped.

But one of the real stars of the show 鈥� and what Orona considers to be the show鈥檚 largest property transformation 鈥� is Traditions.

The property, located at 601 Frontage Road in Algodones, was an outlet mall from 1993 until 1999, when Heritage Cos. acquired it in an auction. Heritage, known for its portfolio of hotels and culturally distinct properties, reopened the site as a marketplace known as Traditions, which held events and sold artisanal crafts such as pottery, jewelry and art.

The marketplace closed in 2008, after a financial crash caused a sale to a California buyer to fall through, according to Heritage Founder and CEO Jim Long. The buyer wanted to turn the property into a film studio, inspiring Heritage to use it for short-term filming projects. The property, which is available for purchase, has hosted more than a dozen projects 鈥� 鈥淭he Boroughs鈥� is its longest production to date.

Because 鈥淭he Boroughs鈥� showrunners wanted the community to feel like an enclave in the middle of nowhere, Orona knew Traditions was right for the neighborhood鈥檚 vibrant town square the minute she saw it.

At that point, she put on her manager鈥檚 hat, because part of a location manager鈥檚 job is to negotiate contracts with property owners, secure permits with local governments and agencies, and make sure everything is compliant and built to code.

For 鈥淭he Boroughs,鈥� that meant working with Heritage to transform a portion of the defunct mall into a world where residents had all they needed. Netflix kept the mall鈥檚 traditional adobe style but outfitted it with fresh paint, parking spots for golf carts, a giant sombrero mounted onto the property, a pharmacy, soda fountain, shuttle waiting area and even a funeral home.

鈥淓verything feels self-sustaining. There was no reason to go to the outside world, and that was critical to the storyline,鈥� Orona said.

Today, portions of The Boroughs鈥� town square that were once filled with lush flowers and landscaping are stacked high with tumbleweeds and the funeral home鈥檚 coffins are long gone. But much of the set鈥檚 infrastructure remains standing in case the show is picked up for a second season 鈥� something Orona is hoping for largely because of the impact it has on the state鈥檚 local economy and film crew.

鈥淚t's massive, and that's one of the things about working with Netflix, is that they're here, they're dedicated to working within the community. Everything goes right back into the local economy,鈥� Orona said, citing the local snake wranglers the production hired and the elderly property owner who was able to pay off her mortgage because Netflix used her home as a film site.

One of the vendors supported by the project was sa国际传媒官网网页入口-based Maleko Grip & Rigging, which provided camera support, equipment and specialty rigging 鈥� infrastructure installation 鈥� for the series. Owner Mark Steinig said the timing of the project was crucial, as New Mexico faces a multiyear film slowdown spurred by SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023 and productions going overseas.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been a godsend,鈥� Steinig said. 鈥淚t was such a massive production in terms of its scope and scale. It really helped us stay in business.鈥�

The episodic format of 鈥淭he Boroughs鈥� and other ongoing Netflix projects in New Mexico, like 鈥淩ansom Canyon,鈥� have also made a difference. When renewed for another season, they provide New Mexico鈥檚 tight-knit local film crew a sense of stability, Steinig said.

鈥淭hose two shows alone have kept us going,鈥� Steinig said.

鈥淭he Boroughs鈥� also provided opportunities to local retirement-age actors who don鈥檛 come across gigs for their demographic very often. Because the show was centered around a retirement community, the project involved hundreds of local actors in their 70s and 80s.

鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting, I hope it gets picked up for another season and a third season because I know all the extras were so excited that they were finally able to work,鈥� said Jessica Garrett, an executive assistant with Heritage.

On set, Garrett had numerous conversations with extras, who told her that acting jobs are skewing younger. Some of them hadn鈥檛 had work in over a year.

鈥淭hey were like, 鈥極h my gosh, they鈥檙e using me every day. I鈥檝e worked (more) than I鈥檝e worked in the last 10 years,鈥� which is really neat to see,鈥� Garrett said.

For Orona, the neatest part of her role in 鈥淭he Boroughs鈥� was being asked to showcase the state鈥檚 Indigenous architecture, a first across all her projects. New Mexico often plays the role of other American locales 鈥� Phoenix, Texas, Cleveland, Washington, D.C., or Cincinnati.

But in 鈥淭he Boroughs,鈥� New Mexico got to play New Mexico 鈥� a state Orona sees as exuding film buzz even during a challenging time for the industry.

鈥淭here鈥檚 always been film in New Mexico. Some of the earliest movies were shot here and we know the history of making Westerns, so there is something about the history of filmmaking in New Mexico that we feel deeply, and we're dedicated to it,鈥� Orona said. 鈥淭here is this idea here of: It's always been here, it will always be here.鈥�

Kylie Garcia covers retail and real estate for the Journal. You can reach her at kgarcia@abqjournal.com.