Virginia Center Commons facts for kids
 |
|
| Location | Glen Allen, Virginia, United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 37°40′33.5″N 77°27′15.3″W / 37.675972°N 77.454250°W |
| Opening date | 1991 |
| Developer | Edward J. DeBartolo/Faison |
| Owner | VCC Partners LLC Shamin VCC LLC |
| No. of stores and services | 60 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 3 |
| Total retail floor area | 775,000 sq ft (72,000 m2) |
| No. of floors | 1 |
Virginia Center Commons (VCC) is a shopping mall located in Henrico County, Virginia. It was the third newest mall in the Richmond area when it opened in 1991. It was also the last indoor mall built there for a long time.
You can find VCC in northern Henrico County, close to U.S. Route 1 and Interstate 295. It was a convenient shopping spot for people in places like Mechanicsville, Ashland, and North Side Richmond. The main stores at VCC are American Family Fitness, Burlington, and JCPenney.
Simon Property Group used to own the mall. Then, in 2014, Washington Prime Group took over. In 2017, the mall was sold again to Kohan Retail Investment Group.
Contents
The Mall's Story
When Virginia Center Commons first opened, it was very popular. It attracted many shoppers who used to visit other malls nearby.
How VCC Changed Other Malls
- Azalea Mall: VCC took so much business from Azalea Mall that it became a "dead mall". This means it lost most of its stores and shoppers. Azalea Mall later closed down and was torn apart.
- Fairfield Commons: VCC also affected Fairfield Commons. It took away the Sears store, which was a big loss for that mall. Fairfield Commons eventually closed in 2015. It is now being rebuilt into a smaller, outdoor shopping area.
- Willow Lawn: VCC even took the JCPenney store from Willow Lawn. This made Willow Lawn change its focus. It became more of a local shopping center instead of a big regional mall.
New Plans for the Mall
In January 2021, big changes started happening at VCC. The old Macy's and Sears stores began to be torn down. This space is being cleared to build a new indoor sports center.
The JCPenney building was also bought in January 2021. The plan is to tear down the rest of the mall, except for the American Family Fitness store. In its place, a new area will be built with different types of buildings. This new area will have the sports center and a hotel owned by Shamin Hotels.
Stores Over the Years
Virginia Center Commons has seen many stores come and go since it opened.
Original and New Stores
- When the mall first opened, some of its main stores were Proffitt's and Leggett. Leggett was part of Belk.
- In 1997 and 1998, both Proffitt's and Leggett became Dillard's stores.
- In 2011, Dillard's closed the store that used to be Proffitt's. That spot then became a Burlington Coat Factory.
- Dillard's also changed the former Leggett store into an outlet store, but it closed later in 2011.
- Today, the space that used to be Leggett is now home to American Family Fitness.
Recent Store Closures
- In spring 2016, Macy's closed its store at Virginia Center Commons. This was part of a plan to close many Macy's stores across the country.
- On November 8, 2018, it was announced that Sears would close its store at VCC in early 2019. This was also part of a plan to close stores that were not doing well.
- In early 2020, Virginia Center Commons was sold for $8.3 million to VCC Partners LLC and Shamin VCC LLC.
Images for kids
-
The former Macy's store at Virginia Center Commons.
