Charlottesville Fashion Square

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Charlottesville Fashion Square
Charlottesville Fashion Square
Location Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
Coordinates 38°4′36.9″N78°28′30.3″W / 38.076917°N 78.475083°W / 38.076917; -78.475083
Address1600 Rio Road E.
Opening dateMarch 5, 1980;45 years ago (1980-03-05)
Closing dateJanuary 31, 2025;6 months ago (2025-01-31) [1]
DeveloperLeonard L. Farber Company
Management JLL [1]
No. of stores and services40+ stores
No. of anchor tenants 4 (1 open, 3 vacant)
Total retail floor area 572,000 square feet (53,100 m2)
(GLA)
No. of floors1
Website charlottesvillefashion.com

Charlottesville Fashion Square is a defunct regional shopping mall in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, located about one mile (1.6 km) north of Charlottesville city limits on U.S. Route 29 in unincorporated Albemarle County. Fashion Square opened in 1980 and was renovated in 1990 and 1999. In 2021, its owners filed for bankruptcy, and in January 2025, the mall's management terminated the leases of all interior stores, leaving only a Belk anchor and a yet-unopened Home Depot anchor.

Contents

History

Construction of the mall by the Leonard L. Farber Company began in early 1979, with an opening date set for March 1980. [2] [3] By February 1980, Miller & Rhoads, J. C. Penney, Sears, and Leggett had been announced as anchors, with seventy-five other interior tenants already confirmed. [4] The mall opened on March 5, 1980, drawing a crowd of four thousand. [5] 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. [5]

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. [6] The mall was renovated in 1990, coinciding with the opening of several new tenants such as Gap Kids, Victoria's Secret, and Express. [7] [8] In 1996, the mall was purchased by Shopping Center Associates from previous owners CFS Associates Limited. [9]

The mall was renovated again, beginning in 1999 and finishing in 2002. [10] The $8.5 million renovation improved lighting and seating within the mall, added decor intended to give the mall a more modern feel, and removed umbrella motifs dating to the mall's opening. [10]

Decline

On December 28, 2018, Sears announced plans to close its Fashion Square anchor. [11] The store closed in March 2019. [11]

In February 2020, analysts reported that the mall was facing "imminent default" on $45.2 million of loans. [12] This followed 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 Group. [12] On August 20, 2020, J. C. Penney announced plans to close its anchor that November, leaving the two Belk stores as the only anchors. [13]

On June 13, 2021, Washington Prime filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, citing the COVID-19 pandemic as the main reason. [14] The mall was auctioned to a local lending company that July for $20.2 million. [15]

In August 2024, Home Depot acquired and began redeveloping the former Sears building, [16] announcing plans that November to open July 24, 2025. [17] On September 16, 2024, Belk announced the September 20 opening of a Belk Outlet in the former location of its Men's and Home Building. [18] Three months later on December 16, they announced that the outlet would close in January 2025. [19] The main Belk store was not affected, and the outlet was supposed to be replaced by a Hobby Lobby. [19]

In January 2025, Fashion Square's management terminated the leases of the few remaining interior store owners and ordered them to leave by January 31, 2025. [20] [1] As of February 2025, Belk continues to operate its anchor. [1] The Home Depot is delayed until August 28, 2025. [17]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Spencer, Hawes (February 9, 2025). "The fall of Fashion Square" . The Daily Progress . Archived from the original on May 21, 2025. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Farber Co. Names New Executive". Fort Lauderdale News and Sun-Sentinel . January 13, 1979. p. 53D. Retrieved May 10, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ "Mayor Awards Mall Builder". Charlottesville Observer. July 26, 1979. p. 3. Retrieved May 10, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Marketing director hired". The Daily News Leader . February 20, 1980. p. 18. Retrieved May 10, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
  5. 1 2 "Farber Co. opens 35th shopping center". The Daily News Leader . March 19, 1980. p. 16. Retrieved May 10, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Sunday, January 7". The Observer. January 11, 1990. p. 3. Retrieved May 10, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Victoria's Secret among shops to move into mall during spring & summer". The Observer. April 12, 1990. p. 9. Retrieved May 10, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ Siler, Jeanne Nicholson (July 12, 1990). "Fashion Square Gets A Facelift". The Observer. Photographs by Mary Ann Glynn. pp. 4–5, 18. Retrieved May 10, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Business Briefs". The Observer. May 30, 1996. p. 6. Retrieved May 10, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
  10. 1 2 Hasson, Ron (November 13, 2002). "Face Lift: Charlottesville Fashion Square Now Open for Business". The Observer. p. 3. Retrieved May 10, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
  11. 1 2 Thomas, Lauren (December 28, 2018). "Sears is closing 80 more stores in March, faces possible liquidation". CNBC . Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  12. 1 2 Wrabel, Allison (February 1, 2020). "Fashion Square mall facing 'imminent default,' analysts say" . The Daily Progress . Archived from the original on August 8, 2025. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Fashion Square J.C. Penney's to close" . Archived from the original on August 8, 2025.
  14. ↑ Valinsky, Jordan (June 14, 2021). "Major US mall owner files for bankruptcy". CNN . Retrieved April 10, 2022.
  15. ↑ Hammel, Tyler (July 16, 2021). "Watch Now: Fashion Square mall auctioned to lender for $20.2 million" . The Daily Progress . Archived from the original on May 14, 2022. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
  16. ↑ Barnabi, Rebecca (August 22, 2024). "Albemarle County: Home Depot acquires former Sears building at Fashion Square Mall".
  17. 1 2 Hemphill, Emily (July 26, 2025). "Charlottesville Home Depot opening delayed" . The Daily Progress . Archived from the original on July 26, 2025. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
  18. ↑ Mitchell, Amaya (September 16, 2024). "New Belk Outlet Store coming to Albemarle County". WVIR-TV . Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  19. 1 2 "The Belk Outlet Store at Fashion Square Mall in Albemarle County will close its doors next month" (video). WVIR-TV. December 16, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  20. ↑ Nuechterlein, Kate (January 24, 2025). "Leases terminated for store owners at Fashion Square Mall". WVIR-TV . Retrieved January 25, 2025.
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