Charlottesville Fashion Square
Map
LocationCharlottesville, Virginia, United States
Coordinates38°4′36.9″N 78°28′30.3″W / 38.076917°N 78.475083°W / 38.076917; -78.475083
Address1600 Rio Road E.
Opening dateMarch 5, 1980; 43 years ago (March 5, 1980)
DeveloperLeonard L. Farber Company
ManagementJones Lang Lasalle
No. of stores and services40+ stores
No. of anchor tenants2
Total retail floor area572,000 square feet (53,100 m2)
(GLA)
No. of floors1
Websitecharlottesvillefashion.com

Charlottesville Fashion Square is a shopping mall in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It is anchored by two Belk stores. It is a regional mall located about one mile (1.6 km) north of the Charlottesville city limits on U.S. Route 29 in unincorporated Albemarle County.

History

Construction was started on the mall, by the Leonard L. Farber Company, by early 1979, with an opening date set for March 1980.[1][2] By February 1980, Miller & Rhoads, J. C. Penney, Sears, and Leggett had been announced as anchors, with 75 other interior tenants already confirmed.[3] The mall opened on March 5, 1980, drawing a crowd of 4,000. At opening, the mall had only two anchors, with Leggett not set to open until March 26, and J. C. Penney not expected to open until March 1981.[4]

In January 1990, Miller & Rhoads closed its location at the mall, with merchandise being shipped to other stores recently purchased by The May Department Stores Company.[5] The mall was renovated in 1990, coinciding with the opening of several new tenants such as Gap Kids, Victoria's Secret, and Express.[6][7] In 1996, the mall was purchased by Shopping Center Associates, from previous owners CFS Associates Limited.[8]

The mall was renovated again, beginning in 1999 and finishing in 2002. The $8.5 million renovation improved lighting and seating within the mall, as well as new decor intended to give the mall a more modern feel, including the removal of umbrella motifs dating to the mall's opening.[9]

On December 28, 2018, it was announced that Sears would be closing as part of a plan to close 80 stores nationwide. The store closed in March 2019.[10] In February 2020, it was reported that the mall was facing "imminent default" on $45.2 million of loans. This came following an increasing number of store closures in the mall, as well as the mall being downgraded to a "non-core" property by owners Washington Prime.[11]

On August 20, 2020, it was announced that J. C. Penney would also be closing in November 2020 as part of a plan to close 155 stores nationwide which left the two Belk stores as the only anchors.[12]

On June 13, 2021, Washington Prime Group, the owners of Charlottesville Fashion Square, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, citing the COVID-19 pandemic as the main reason.[13] The mall was later auctioned to a local lending company a few days later.[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Farber Co. Names New Executive". Fort Lauderdale News and Sun-Sentinel. January 13, 1979. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  2. ^ "Mayor Awards Mall Builder". Charlottesville Observer. July 26, 1979. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  3. ^ "Marketing director hired". The Staunton Leader. February 20, 1980. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  4. ^ "Farber Co. opens 35th shopping center". The Staunton Leader. March 19, 1980. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  5. ^ "Sunday, January 7". The Observer. January 11, 1990. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  6. ^ "Victoria's Secret among shops to move into mall during spring & summer". The Observer. April 12, 1990. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  7. ^ ""Fashion Square"". The Observer. July 12, 1990. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  8. ^ "Business Briefs". The Observer. May 30, 1996. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  9. ^ Hasson, Ron (November 13, 2002). "Face Lift". The Observer. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  10. ^ Thomas, Lauren (2018-12-28). "Sears is closing 80 more stores in March, faces possible liquidation". CNBC. Retrieved 2018-12-28.
  11. ^ Wrabel, Allison (February 1, 2020). "Fashion Square mall facing 'imminent default,' analysts say". The Daily Progress. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  12. ^ "Fashion Square J.C. Penney's to close".
  13. ^ Jordan Valinsky. "Major US mall owner files for bankruptcy". CNN. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  14. ^ Hammel, Tyler. "WATCH NOW: Fashion Square mall auctioned to lender for $20.2 million". The Daily Progress. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
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