Retail in Richmond

[Cityplanner]

That's really too bad because while I went there in maybe 2006, it was a stunningly beautiful property.  I'd certainly go there just to enjoy being there, and it had really nice stores in it.

[Icetera]

13 hours ago, Brent114 said:

SPTC is looking really rough lately.  Probably 25%or more  is vacant now (and some of the shops near Dillards are pretty low budget, no disrespect to those shop owners intended). 

Henrico has a presentation tonight involving the condition and future of SPTC.

https://richmondbizsense.com/2021/02/22/henrico-spotlights-short-pump-town-center-with-virtual-planning-sessions/

14 hours ago, skinsfan said:

A little update for Winding Brook up in Ashland/ Glen Allen area. Oh what could have been. 

Outlet centers tend to develop around Casino Resorts so there may be a chance of a similar development to what was proposed but in, or near, the City limits instead.  Granted, half of the casino proposals are on the Chesterfield border so any retail development would likely go on the county side rather than the City.

[Cityplanner]

Out of curiosity, what went wrong with Stony Point Fashion Park?  It's clearly a failed center, and with sales much lower than at Short Pump, I would expect Saks and the other high-end stores there to close.  (I see that Dillard's will keep low-productivity stores and just doesn't spend much money to run them.)  Really too bad, given how attractive it is.

[wrldcoupe4]

Stony point was definitely the higher end, smaller mall. It was a bit more unlucky than Short Pump.  Many of the retailers there originally have filed for bankruptcy l, gone under, or significantly reduced footprints. It is also a bit of an island to itself with poor connectivity to other deman drivers. That worked as a high end destination, but harder to deal with when repositioning. The other thing that hurt was Taubman selling to Starwood. Taubman would leverage their best properties to drive retailers to Stony Point (Tiffany - you want to be in this upmarket mall in LA of Dallas? Need you to open a store in Richmond). 

It’s too bad because I always preferred the aesthetic of Stony Point.

I had always kind of hoped it could be repositioned as an outlet center with additional density added, but not sure if that’s remotely possible in the near term retail environment. 

[DowntownCoruscant]

5 hours ago, wrldcoupe4 said:

Stony point was definitely the higher end, smaller mall. It was a bit more unlucky than Short Pump.  Many of the retailers there originally have filed for bankruptcy l, gone under, or significantly reduced footprints. It is also a bit of an island to itself with poor connectivity to other deman drivers. That worked as a high end destination, but harder to deal with when repositioning. The other thing that hurt was Taubman selling to Starwood. Taubman would leverage their best properties to drive retailers to Stony Point (Tiffany - you want to be in this upmarket mall in LA of Dallas? Need you to open a store in Richmond). 

It’s too bad because I always preferred the aesthetic of Stony Point.

I had always kind of hoped it could be repositioned as an outlet center with additional density added, but not sure if that’s remotely possible in the near term retail environment. 

All of that, plus SPFP is kind of blah (near the river but not ON the river), plus SPTC built where the population was moving.

[Richmonopoly]

Hey all, 

I did a little walking this morning after a Pulse ride into downtown.

I know the stats are obviously not there yet, but I so wish that the stretch of Broad in the Arts District was filled with a mix of local and chain retailers.  
 

I also wish the area around the canal (from Riverside on the James to Shockoe Slip around 14th Street) we’re much of the same/if not higher end.

Wishful thinking, but it seems the residents, students, and visitors alike would be drawn.

 

Thoughts? 

[I miss RVA]

3 hours ago, Richmonopoly said:

Hey all, 

I did a little walking this morning after a Pulse ride into downtown.

I know the stats are obviously not there yet, but I so wish that the stretch of Broad in the Arts District was filled with a mix of local and chain retailers.  
 

I also wish the area around the canal (from Riverside on the James to Shockoe Slip around 14th Street) we’re much of the same/if not higher end.

Wishful thinking, but it seems the residents, students, and visitors alike would be drawn.

 

Thoughts? 

It could happen at some point. What's needed, however, is the critical mass of population living downtown. My urban planning professors in undergrad (at VCU) long since held that for downtown RVA to once again become a viable place for retail - and a true 24-7 location, it needs a residential population of -- MINIMALLY -- 30,000 people actually living right in downtown. Not just near downtown ... but IN downtown. As late as the 1950s-60s, downtown's population maxed out at somewhere between 28,000 and 29,000 - things changed with the development of the interstate highways, etc. But to get the kind of retail district re-established along Broad Street that you describe (I say "re-establish" harkening back to the amazing retailing district the Broad/Grace Street corridor -- particularly from 1st to 9th streets -- was until the1970s) - there MUST be significant population growth right in downtown itself. And it's definitely happening.

If you haven't seen it, check out the series of posts I put on the Richmond off-topic thread with photos of what downtown retailing in the Broad/Grace corridor used to look like. It was AMAZING back in the day!

https://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/topic/20234-richmond-off-topic-postings/?do=findComment&comment=1762090

https://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/topic/20234-richmond-off-topic-postings/?do=findComment&comment=1762174

I saw numbers during this past year - I'll have to go back and do some research - but downtown has been enjoying a reasonably robust rate of growth over the past decade - but there's a long way to go. Since downtown is landlocked - building vertically is the surest and best way to dramatically boost the population there. And we've seen it at work - buildings such as the old F&M Building at 9th and Main... the Hotel John Marshall ... the old CNB building - (among others) - all buildings with considerable size to them - have been converted into residential buildings, particularly as the primary core Financial District (and thus the primary non-state government "office district") has shifted south and now goes from Cary Street to the river. Old legacy highrises that have lost office tenants have been (and are) ripe for conversion to residential space - and boosting downtown population density in buildings that have relatively small footprints but that rise vertically is a real boon for downtown.

Look at some of the new residential construction announced for downtown (including Shockoe Bottom) - 15-story apartment building at 321 W. Grace in Monroe Ward... a 12-story apartment building at 2nd and Marshall in Jackson Ward... a 13-story "Locks 7" apartment building on the canal front (and its corresponding 7-story "Locks 8" building directly across the canal from it)... a 12-story apartment building in Shockoe Bottom at 17th and Franklin.  The owner of the lot at 18th and E. Main wants to develop an 11-story apartment building on that corner (the latter three buildings would go a long way to what you envision for higher-end retailing around and long the canal toward 14th. There are new 5 to 8 story apartment buildings that have been popping up on Canal Street at and around 1st Street. Add to it any residential development on the eastern side of VCU's academic campus (I believe there is a 12-story residence building planned for Laurel and Grace - and  yes, college kids do shop retail!)

And let's throw in something downtown RVA has now that it didn't have back in the Broad Street retailing heyday - a BOOMING residential district right across the river. Manchester's population growth has been off the charts over the past decade. Given the sheer number and size of residential construction projects that have been or are being built - and/or have been announced and approved and are in the pipeline for development over the next several years, expect to see Manchester's population growth to continue apace. While there is certainly need for retailing in Manchester proper (and there will be retailing there as the population continues to grow) it's not at all unreasonable to expect folks from Manchester to simply pop across the river to downtown if/when downtown re-establishes some kind of good retail district.

Retailing can return to downtown in the future - but it will take that critical mass of people living there to make it viable. 

Edited October 11, 2021 by I miss RVA

[upzoningisgood]

5 hours ago, I miss RVA said:

It could happen at some point. What's needed, however, is the critical mass of population living downtown. My urban planning professors in undergrad (at VCU) long since held that for downtown RVA to once again become a viable place for retail - and a true 24-7 location, it needs a residential population of -- MINIMALLY -- 30,000 people actually living right in downtown. Not just near downtown ... but IN downtown. As late as the 1950s-60s, downtown's population maxed out at somewhere between 28,000 and 29,000 - things changed with the development of the interstate highways, etc. But to get the kind of retail district re-established along Broad Street that you describe (I say "re-establish" harkening back to the amazing retailing district the Broad/Grace Street corridor -- particularly from 1st to 9th streets -- was until the1970s) - there MUST be significant population growth right in downtown itself. And it's definitely happening.

If you haven't seen it, check out the series of posts I put on the Richmond off-topic thread with photos of what downtown retailing in the Broad/Grace corridor used to look like. It was AMAZING back in the day!

https://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/topic/20234-richmond-off-topic-postings/?do=findComment&comment=1762090

https://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/topic/20234-richmond-off-topic-postings/?do=findComment&comment=1762174

I saw numbers during this past year - I'll have to go back and do some research - but downtown has been enjoying a reasonably robust rate of growth over the past decade - but there's a long way to go. Since downtown is landlocked - building vertically is the surest and best way to dramatically boost the population there. And we've seen it at work - buildings such as the old F&M Building at 9th and Main... the Hotel John Marshall ... the old CNB building - (among others) - all buildings with considerable size to them - have been converted into residential buildings, particularly as the primary core Financial District (and thus the primary non-state government "office district") has shifted south and now goes from Cary Street to the river. Old legacy highrises that have lost office tenants have been (and are) ripe for conversion to residential space - and boosting downtown population density in buildings that have relatively small footprints but that rise vertically is a real boon for downtown.

Look at some of the new residential construction announced for downtown (including Shockoe Bottom) - 15-story apartment building at 321 W. Grace in Monroe Ward... a 12-story apartment building at 2nd and Marshall in Jackson Ward... a 13-story "Locks 7" apartment building on the canal front (and its corresponding 7-story "Locks 8" building directly across the canal from it)... a 12-story apartment building in Shockoe Bottom at 17th and Franklin.  The owner of the lot at 18th and E. Main wants to develop an 11-story apartment building on that corner (the latter three buildings would go a long way to what you envision for higher-end retailing around and long the canal toward 14th. There are new 5 to 8 story apartment buildings that have been popping up on Canal Street at and around 1st Street. Add to it any residential development on the eastern side of VCU's academic campus (I believe there is a 12-story residence building planned for Laurel and Grace - and  yes, college kids do shop retail!)

And let's throw in something downtown RVA has now that it didn't have back in the Broad Street retailing heyday - a BOOMING residential district right across the river. Manchester's population growth has been off the charts over the past decade. Given the sheer number and size of residential construction projects that have been or are being built - and/or have been announced and approved and are in the pipeline for development over the next several years, expect to see Manchester's population growth to continue apace. While there is certainly need for retailing in Manchester proper (and there will be retailing there as the population continues to grow) it's not at all unreasonable to expect folks from Manchester to simply pop across the river to downtown if/when downtown re-establishes some kind of good retail district.

Retailing can return to downtown in the future - but it will take that critical mass of people living there to make it viable. 

Question: how do you define downtown? I used your examples of new developments construct a polygon overlaying "downtown and Shockoe bottom" (bounded by Belvidere, Marhsall, the Expressway and 95, and with Shockoe bottom bounded to the north by Broad and east by 21st ) and got an area of .76 square miles. If you need 30000 people in downtown, that would mean a population density of 39,500,000/sq. mile, Essentially, you would need the entire downtown to have a density just short of midtown Atlanta. That seems really, really high. What did I miss?

 

[I miss RVA]

4 hours ago, upzoningisgood said:

Question: how do you define downtown? I used your examples of new developments construct a polygon overlaying "downtown and Shockoe bottom" (bounded by Belvidere, Marhsall, the Expressway and 95, and with Shockoe bottom bounded to the north by Broad and east by 21st ) and got an area of .76 square miles. If you need 30000 people in downtown, that would mean a population density of 39,500,000/sq. mile, Essentially, you would need the entire downtown to have a density just short of midtown Atlanta. That seems really, really high. What did I miss?

 

I think generally we define "downtown" as bounded by: Belvidere on the west; I 95-64 on the north and east (although extending it to 21st street to include the Bottom is certainly reasonable) - and the river on the south. 

When accounting for the 28K-29K from 70 years ago, I'm not sure how downtown was defined border-wise. Belvidere Street - in its current iteration running north from Broad past the interstate -- did not exist. It T-boned at Broad. The interstate didn't exist.  It would be reasonable to think that the boundaries were perhaps somewhat fluid. Was Carver included? Was Gilpin? Was the lower Fan/VCU area? Was there much of a residential component in Shockoe Bottom? I'm not sure. 

To play devil's advocate regarding the population density figure: Why should we consider it "high"? Why could not 30,000 people live downtown (or with slightly more forgiving boundaries - "greater downtown") with sufficient development?  Okay - so let's assume we were to have a downtown population density just shy of midtown Atlanta... How would that be a bad thing? The Richmond 300 plan places specific emphasis on increasing density at every opportunity. Why cap it? I don't believe the master plan calls for density limits.

I figure there was a reason my undergrad professors threw out that 30K figure to make downtown a viable 24-7 place. I was in undergrad in the early-mid 80s - and they were suggesting this figure back then - nearly 40 years ago. when the city was in the midst of a precipitous decline. But now that the city is booming? I don't think it's unreasonable.

[upzoningisgood]

Expanding the boundaries yields about 1 sq. mile, so 30,000 per sq. mi. That's like the densest part of Charlotte.

Anyway, I didn't mean "really high" like in a bad way. A huge downtown would be sick.

I meant that seemed like a super high figure to be the critical mass to generate sustainable retail.  Like, if you told me you needed a downtown to look like the densest part of America's, what, 7th largest metro to sustain retail, I would tell you you're saying there's almost no viable urban retail in the country. I suppose you could define "viable place for retail" in such a way that it becomes true--if you mean "elite, dense shopping corridor," well, there aren't Magnificent Miles around--but I would say Buckhead, University Park, and Carytown are all viable places for retail in their own, different ways and none of them have densities that high. That being said, I don't know what research your professors had access to, so I'm not saying you or them are necessarily wrong. That 30,000 figure just sort of jumped off the screen.

Edited October 12, 2021 by upzoningisgood

[ancientcarpenter]

7 hours ago, upzoningisgood said:

Expanding the boundaries yields about 1 sq. mile, so 30,000 per sq. mi. That's like the densest part of Charlotte.

Anyway, I didn't mean "really high" like in a bad way. A huge downtown would be sick.

I meant that seemed like a super high figure to be the critical mass to generate sustainable retail.  Like, if you told me you needed a downtown to look like the densest part of America's, what, 7th largest metro to sustain retail, I would tell you you're saying there's almost no viable urban retail in the country. I suppose you could define "viable place for retail" in such a way that it becomes true--if you mean "elite, dense shopping corridor," well, there aren't Magnificent Miles around--but I would say Buckhead, University Park, and Carytown are all viable places for retail in their own, different ways and none of them have densities that high. That being said, I don't know what research your professors had access to, so I'm not saying you or them are necessarily wrong. That 30,000 figure just sort of jumped off the screen.

I think you're both hitting the nail on the head here, except you're both working on different constructions sites...to say the least.

30k for just that one area makes sense IF we are only talking about bringing the designated RVA old "shopping" area back.

However, RVA has changed dramatically since then. There is Carytown, Manchester, bigger VCU, bigger VUU, Jackson Ward cut in half, etc. Time has changed so much that it's become apples and oranges. There is Pulse which can help connect more people together (which is great, but needs to get better of course!), we have more cars, we have more students, we just have more city now. 

I'm all for getting some actual retail on broad st... for the past decade I have never even thought about going into any of the retail in that area. There was seafood, tax prepper, oversized suit store, and pawn shops. Nothing of actual interest to me. Looking forward to more density therefore more retail and restaurants in the area. 

Homes in Jackson Ward have gone up by 10-20% in tax assessed value. Monroe Ward is getting rid of those ghost parking lots. Both are building 12+ story residential buildings. This is a good sign for what's to come. 

Edited October 12, 2021 by ancientcarpenter

[I miss RVA]

10 hours ago, upzoningisgood said:

Expanding the boundaries yields about 1 sq. mile, so 30,000 per sq. mi. That's like the densest part of Charlotte.

Anyway, I didn't mean "really high" like in a bad way. A huge downtown would be sick.

I meant that seemed like a super high figure to be the critical mass to generate sustainable retail.  Like, if you told me you needed a downtown to look like the densest part of America's, what, 7th largest metro to sustain retail, I would tell you you're saying there's almost no viable urban retail in the country. I suppose you could define "viable place for retail" in such a way that it becomes true--if you mean "elite, dense shopping corridor," well, there aren't Magnificent Miles around--but I would say Buckhead, University Park, and Carytown are all viable places for retail in their own, different ways and none of them have densities that high. That being said, I don't know what research your professors had access to, so I'm not saying you or them are necessarily wrong. That 30,000 figure just sort of jumped off the screen.

Okay - that makes sense! I'm going by what my undergrad urban planning profs said more than 35 years ago - and I can only speculate that they threw out the figure of 30K because historically just shy of that lived downtown(-ish? - maybe with expanded boundaries?) until the 1950s, when things began unraveling when I-95 sliced Jackson Ward in half and took a sizeable chunk out in doing so. Thing is, I go back to when retailing downtown was exactly as depicted on those photos - I was a little kid in the mid-to-late '60s and I remember what it was like. Broad Street was generally quite crowded with both foot and vehicular traffic most of the time.  Grace Street could get pretty crowded at times - particularly during the run-up to the Holidays. Given how low the downtown population got even as recently as 15 or so years ago, there's no way a decent retail district could survive -- and I would suggest that even now, there are still not enough people living downtown to properly support a good, lively, robust retail district.

True - Carytown is a fantastic - and viable - retailing district. And it certainly doesn't have that kind of density within a square mile boundary (if you put Carytown in the middle) - but what it does have is several reasonably large and somewhat dense residential neighborhoods immediately adjacent to it from which to draw. Plus - it can be described as a "residential retailing district" - if that makes sense - meaning, not the kind of retail core you'd see within a central business district. I lived in the Fan and in the Museum District for years way back when - and I went to high school and a portion of grade school in the Museum District -- the proximity of Carytown makes to the Museum District makes for population base well within walking distance for a lot of shoppers. Yes - I know folks drive - but there are plenty who don't - and I lived in the northern part of the Museum District and walked to and from Carytown all the time and took the bus if it was raining. The only time I'd drive is if I had to schlep groceries from Ukrops.

I agree with you - a huge downtown would be sick! I've been saying for years how much I would like to see a thick forest of high-rise residential buildings sprout in Monroe Ward. That would be transformative for downtown.

[I miss RVA]

3 hours ago, ancientcarpenter said:

I think you're both hitting the nail on the head here, except you're both working on different constructions sites...to say the least.

30k for just that one area makes sense IF we are only talking about bringing the designated RVA old "shopping" area back.

However, RVA has changed dramatically since then. There is Carytown, Manchester, bigger VCU, bigger VUU, Jackson Ward cut in half, etc. Time has changed so much that it's become apples and oranges. There is Pulse which can help connect more people together (which is great, but needs to get better of course!), we have more cars, we have more students, we just have more city now. 

I'm all for getting some actual retail on broad st... for the past decade I have never even thought about going into any of the retail in that area. There was seafood, tax prepper, oversized suit store, and pawn shops. Nothing of actual interest to me. Looking forward to more density therefore more retail and restaurants in the area. 

Homes in Jackson Ward have gone up by 10-20% in tax assessed value. Monroe Ward is getting rid of those ghost parking lots. Both are building 12+ story residential buildings. This is a good sign for what's to come. 

I agree with you 100%.  Especially as we see 12-plus story residential buildings begin to rise - not just in Monroe Ward and Jackson Ward - but also in the bottom (17th and Franklin - 12 stories, 18th and Main - 11 stories) and along the canal (13 stories - plus 7 stories right across the canal) - there are lots of projects either under way, approved and announced or planned and in the pipeline that will help create critical residential mass downtown. And in truth, we're only scratching the surface. Even with new construction going at the pace it has been going, there is still a sea of parking lots to be converted just in Monroe Ward alone. And, as you said, Manchester, a bigger VCU and VUU - all immediately nearby to downtown. It occurred to me that no fewer than FIVE projects were rising in Scott's Addition simultaneously - the four buildings for which Capital Square has construction web cams set up to view the progress - PLUS -- the 12-story building behind the Summit (Coupe mentioned yesterday that the 12-story building just recently topped out!!)  Given all the projects in the cue for Manchester, it's highly likely we will see a number of cranes popping up there in the very near future - and could see four or five projects all being built simultaneously. VERY exciting times for RVA!

[Brent114]

I expect to see more national retailers pop up around Lombardy and Broad.  I don’t see downtown getting anything other than “specialty” shops and services  (like a chain eyeglass place, more drug stores).

There  is already a pretty good retail base between Lombardy and Robinson.   Foot locker just renovated the old Dollar Tree and didn’t do it on the cheap.  It joins Starbucks, Downtown Locker Room, Whole Foods, Lowe’s, Kroger and Verizon. I believe the Opus building has some retail spots.  I can see a Bath and Body Works (small cheap items that feel like a luxury to students and  workerbees just starting out) working there (if they aren’t on the verge of bankruptcy, not sure what retailers are viable any more).   If we can just get Sauers to sell the old Sears then a Target  or Walmart could easily go in. 

[123fakestreet]

2 hours ago, Brent114 said:

 If we can just get Sauers to sell the old Sears then a Target  or Walmart could easily go in. 

I was anticipating one going in the diamond redevelopment, hadn't thought of this, but yes please!

[Richmonopoly]

8 hours ago, ancientcarpenter said:

I think you're both hitting the nail on the head here, except you're both working on different constructions sites...to say the least.

30k for just that one area makes sense IF we are only talking about bringing the designated RVA old "shopping" area back.

However, RVA has changed dramatically since then. There is Carytown, Manchester, bigger VCU, bigger VUU, Jackson Ward cut in half, etc. Time has changed so much that it's become apples and oranges. There is Pulse which can help connect more people together (which is great, but needs to get better of course!), we have more cars, we have more students, we just have more city now. 

I'm all for getting some actual retail on broad st... for the past decade I have never even thought about going into any of the retail in that area. There was seafood, tax prepper, oversized suit store, and pawn shops. Nothing of actual interest to me. Looking forward to more density therefore more retail and restaurants in the area. 

Homes in Jackson Ward have gone up by 10-20% in tax assessed value. Monroe Ward is getting rid of those ghost parking lots. Both are building 12+ story residential buildings. This is a good sign for what's to come. 

I feel the same way.  

I was in Norfolk recently and envied the Downtown retail there (though, it has been declining steadily in recent years and it is very in your face).  I rode the Tide to get around and was shocked how few people were on board (I also envied the light rail).    
 

Regarding the Pulse, I rode on Sunday and it was literally standing room only from front to back.  I saw a few riders choose not to squeeze onboard.  My thoughts riding through a boarded up arts district lingered on just how bustling this area would be if we had the retail that the area is longing for… 

[I miss RVA]

3 hours ago, Richmonopoly said:

I feel the same way.  

I was in Norfolk recently and envied the Downtown retail there (though, it has been declining steadily in recent years and it is very in your face).  I rode the Tide to get around and was shocked how few people were on board (I also envied the light rail).    
 

Regarding the Pulse, I rode on Sunday and it was literally standing room only from front to back.  I saw a few riders choose not to squeeze onboard.  My thoughts riding through a boarded up arts district lingered on just how bustling this area would be if we had the retail that the area is longing for… 

Re: PULSE being packed - front to back. GOOD!! We need a LOT more of that! Hopefully this is a trend that will continue and grow.

Re: boarded up retail in the Arts District: It won't happen overnight - but every residential building (particularly the larger ones) that goes up downtown, particularly in Jackson Ward and Monroe Ward, helps get us closer. I'd like to see Broad Street downtown get something other than specialty shops, Lenscrafters and drug stores. But that's going to take people living there to bring bigger, better retail. The reason Lombardy and Broad is seeing that kind of retail popping up - proximity to a large university. Ready-made consumers - right there. And VCU is building (or planning to build) even more housing up along Grace, Marshall, etc., in that area. Not to mention the Opus rising there. So... lots of positives that can/will bring the kind of retailing to that part of Broad Street that we want to see.

[Richmonopoly]

I noticed work being done at the (Old Sears?) building next to the Lowe’s on Broad Street.  
 

This would make a great location for an urban Target with other retail chains within the complex.  (Thinking Target on Georgia Avenue in DC).  

[I miss RVA]

3 hours ago, Richmonopoly said:

I noticed work being done at the (Old Sears?) building next to the Lowe’s on Broad Street.  
 

This would make a great location for an urban Target with other retail chains within the complex.  (Thinking Target on Georgia Avenue in DC).  

Yes, it would. And that building has sat vacant for God-knows how many years now?

I actually remember going with my parents shopping there many, many times when I was a kid. It was really old-school Sears. A very cool place to shop - and it was one of my favorite places to go -just because I really liked the way it looked, smelled, and the vibe of the place.

Edited October 15, 2021 by I miss RVA

[wrldcoupe4]

It’s under lease for a time but an awesome redevelopment opportunity. 

[ancientcarpenter]

10 hours ago, I miss RVA said:

Yes, it would. And that building has sat vacant for God-knows how many years now?

I actually remember going with my parents shopping there many, many times when I was a kid. It was really old-school Sears. A very cool place to shop - and it was one of my favorite places to go -just because I really liked the way it looked, smelled, and the vibe of the place.

[Icetera]

10 hours ago, I miss RVA said:

Yes, it would. And that building has sat vacant for God-knows how many years now?

From my understanding it has not been vacant, as Sauer's uses it as a warehouse, but it certainly has been underutilized.

[I miss RVA]

1 hour ago, ancientcarpenter said:

 

Yes indeed! There she was in all her glory. By the looks of the cars, I'd think this was late '60s or very early '70s. Just the size of the building gives an indication of just how large a store this was. Whenever we went to Sears, we usually shopped at this store, even though I seem to recall there being a smaller Sears over near or in Southside Plaza and we lived closer to that one. But this Sears was the best!

Thanks, ancientcarpenter, for finding and posting this wonderful picture!

[Shakman]

I say tear it down and replace it with an urban Target and residential above.

[majors2410]

Build an urban target downtown where the Charles store was with residential above. We need retail in the main commercial area of downtown.