Big Star (later Harris Teeter) relocated to a newly built strip-style plaza, called "The Shops at Northgate", which also included a few locally owned businesses previously located in the original strip center.

Towards the end of the 20th century, educational assessment company Measurement Incorporated was based in the basement of the mall, but soon moved out to its own office space.

In the 2000s, the tenant mix of the mall began shifting from national chains to more mom-and-pop stores due to the opening of The Streets at Southpoint.

The demise of South Square Mall helped Northgate for a time since the competition was further away and didn't have too much direct impact on business.

[2] More changes were in store when Belk left the mall in 2005 and was replaced by a Phoenix Theaters cineplex (now Northgate Stadium 10),[3] while its wing was renovated into an outdoor plaza.

Local news reports say that the mall had five violent incidents during the late 2000s, including a fatal stabbing in 2007, many of these provoked by fights and teen violence.

[7] In June 2018, Sears sold its Northgate store to Northwood Investors, a real estate investment firm based in Colorado.