So a friend and I visited the Staunton Mall, a few minutes from Mary Baldwin College. We walked in it expecting that it would be dead, but its actually somewhat full, mostly mom and pop stuff, but its full, so I can’t really call it a dead mall. More like a small mall.
Here are some pics I took with my iPhone:
This store was awesome. It was stuck in about 1982.
Steve & Barrys is closing down shop. There was a lot of t-shirts left.
There were a LOT of vending machines here since there are only three tenants in the food court.
Old style Bath & Body Works. I love this design.
///edit, September 21st, 2008///
The Books a Million moved away about a week after I posted this.
//edit, January 27, 2009//
//edit, March 21, 2009//
I have a Category for Staunton Mall now.
A video from let’s say five, six year ago when Staunton Mall went by the moniker of Colonial Mall
This is one mall I’ve never been to, even though it’s fairly close to me. Interesting place, by the pictures, it seems.
Comment by Steven Swain — September 15, 2008 @ 6:10 am |
goddess i remember going there when i was going to college there was a waldenbooks right near penneys & where steve & barrys is (for the time being) their used to be wards store i swear that place gave me the creeps, & where book a million is there used to be an indie record store (yep a place that actually sold records)
Comment by kris-alyx devereux — September 17, 2008 @ 5:46 pm |
[...] Filed under: Staunton, dead stores — Anita @ 11:37 pm Ok, so you know last week I visited Staunton Mall for the first time? Well, the girl across the hall from me wanted to find a [...]
Pingback by Books a Million, Moved September 2008, Staunton, VA « That Mall’s Sick And That Store’s Dead! — September 20, 2008 @ 11:37 pm |
Back in the early 1990’s I was a radio talk show host for Staunton’s ( long defunct ) WSKO 105.5 FM. And even back then this mall had problems. At the time I was with WSKO I believe the mall was known as Colonial Mall and come to think of it I think around 1992 the owners of this mall actually filed bankruptcy.
Anyway one thing I do remember about this mall was that it was very very “anti-radio” !! As in for the longest time not only did they not allow the local radio stations to do live broadcasts from the mall ( they may have changed that rule later on )but for a time the stores were not allowed to play the audio from local radio stations on their sound systems ( this was long before retail stores started using some satellite service to pipe in music ). Also Country Cookin had ( still do have one ) a location inside the mall. Back then the restaurant wanted me to tape their commercial inside their mall location but the mall said “No..no radio”. I never did understood that bit of logic.
At one point the even refused to allow nearby WHSV-TV channel 3 to do some story on mall property. The last time I was at Staunton Mall ( December 2006 ) I noticed that WHSV at the time was sponsoring some kiddie display in the mall so I guess the mall and WHSV over the years had kissed and made up.
Comment by Cathy Jones — October 4, 2008 @ 10:33 pm |
i feel that Staunton Mall is pretty wack. The mall is losing more buisness, and before u know it, the whole mall will be empty, just like this town, a ghosttown. There is nothing here for anyone to do or go anymore.
Comment by brandi wilkinson — October 7, 2008 @ 10:22 am |
>>There is nothing here for anyone to do or go anymore.<<
Maybe its because I just got here, but I totally disagree with this. There is more here than there ever was in the town I just moved away from.
Comment by Anita — October 7, 2008 @ 11:02 am |
I lived in the area for fifteen years, and Staunton Mall has gone from bust to boom to bust again. When I first moved to the area in 1992, the mall had four anchors: JCPenney, Leggett, Woolworth’s, and FOCUS Montgomery Ward. Then in 1997, the mall got an update and a lot of new stores. Hibbett’s replaced a large food court that only had one tenant. Stone and Thomas replaced Woolworth’s. Will’s opened. The food court relocated to the movie theater. KB Toys moved across the way from its original location. Waldenbooks went out of business. A store called “Fine’s” opened just off the center court. Leggett became Belk. JCPenney remodeled. The mall ceiling was changed from black to white (the black ceiling tile rails are left over from the original ceiling after the tiles were changed).
Then in two years, it was back to bust, as Wards closed, Fine’s closed, and Stone and Thomas became the more downscale Peeble’s with only minor signage changes. Will’s became Books A Million and didn’t remodel. Since then, Steve and Barry’s opened and closed, and Belk and Peebles have never seen a renovation or remodeling. Likewise, Steve and Barry’s never renovated the Wards space, instead building their store right over the existing Wards space, which created an interesting look, though it looked like they didn’t bother to remodel the space. Then Goody’s came and went, having been kicked out of their space in order to have a Gold’s Gym.
This mall seems to have very little redeeming value left, and one has to wonder if the time has come for Staunton Mall to ride off into the sunset, with all the new shopping centers that have come about.
Comment by Ben Schumin — October 30, 2008 @ 2:04 pm |
It appears that the Steve & Barrys had some sort of makeover right before they shut down. It looked pretty fresh in the inside.
Comment by Anita — October 30, 2008 @ 3:20 pm |
No, they always looked like that. The store only opened in 2004, and if a store gets next to no traffic in its four years in business, it’s still going to look just like new when it closes.
Comment by Ben Schumin — November 9, 2008 @ 6:20 pm |
I asked my parents and they can still remember when this mall was first “Staunton Plaza” and was an open-air shopping center. It had all of the popular stores like Montgomery’s and Woolworth’s plus the “happening” Leggett’s. The mall was a popular place to shop until it started to die in the mid-1990’s. The Will’s moved out and Book’s A Million moved in. You have to admit, the Books A Million space never even looked anything like one of their stores. The wooden panelling and green flooring tile never looked quite right. When Steve and Barry’s came in 2004, it seemed a miracle to Staunton shoppers alike. The brand name celebrity clothing lines at Walmart prices made it the coolest place to shop at the mall. Sure, the mall had a few store’s that Valley Mall in Harrisonburg had, such as Maurice’s, Radio Shack, Bath and Body Works, JC Penny, Belk and (at one time) Peebles. But the Staunton Mall has never gotten any of the COOL teen stores like Aeropostale, American Eagle, Hollister, Victoria’s Secret and Pac Sun. Please, STAUNTON MALL, I REPEAT, PLEASE GET AT LEAST ONE OF THE FOLLOWING STORES: Aeropostale, American Eagle, Hollister, or Pac sun. But, I guess the place is alright. The floors and parts of Steve and Barry’s look almost BRAND new.
Comment by Clinton — November 29, 2008 @ 9:17 pm |
Peebles is still open, but its lame.
Comment by Anita — November 30, 2008 @ 8:10 pm |
I disagree with Brandi’s comment that the (down)town is dead. Restaurants open on Saturday night are a good sign. In addition to endless antique stores, there are more interesting places like Pufferbellies toy store. Two functioning movie theaters. Renowned local playhouse. Great parks. Lots of cultural events. And, downtown Staunton is a hundred times more interesting than nearby Waynesboro.
The mall, however, needs some love. Great location, but no substantial remodels evident in recent history. I’d love to see it completely redeveloped into a mixed-use center with residential apartments and retail.
Comment by Jeremy Fretts — December 29, 2008 @ 1:57 pm |
In response to Cathy’s post – my sister works at a TV station in Charlottesville and tells me horror stories about dealing with the Simon-owned Fashion Square Mall there in town. About how anytime they try to do a story there, they’re constantly bullied by the mall security cops who will not under any circumstances allow them to film inside the mall. I think they even tried to tell the Charlottesville police chief that he had to leave to premesis – which went over like a tin balloon. I don’t understand the arrogance or the logic behind that. It’s not a top secret government facility, it’s a public shopping mall.
Comment by Stuart — January 15, 2009 @ 7:53 am |
we were at this mall the weekend before Thanksgiving. At that point, Steve and Barry’s was open only in order to sell their fixtures. There wasn’t a thread of clothing left in the store. While it did, indeed, look new, a closer look clearly identified the building as a former Montgomery Ward. Having never had the opportunity to be in a Peeble’s before [and I have visited many department store in fifty years], I quickly decided a visit to another Peeble’s wasn’t something I would go out of my way for. If there was any upscale ambience to the store when it was Stone and Thomas, Peebles stripped it away. Because we had parked outside Belk, we were required to go in there twice. What a depressing place! Dark, dingy, and foreboding, it seemed as if the ceiling was going to mash you in the head before you got out the door. Penney’s was in about the same shape, and it seemed as if perhaps at some point in time the store had been chopped in half and a fake wall built to hide the extra space. I could be wrong about this, but I have never walked in the mall entrance of a Penney’s and be able to see the back wall from the front of the store.
A trip to downtown Staunton, however, was totally different. On a Friday afternoon, the streets were crowded, parking was somewhat hard to find, and the stores were doing a great business. This was great thing to see…and while downtown Staunton will definitely still be there the next time we go [and we definitely will], I can’t say that it would surprise me to see bulldozers in action…hopefully building something to replace the current hallway of retail neglect.
Comment by Jim — January 24, 2009 @ 1:35 am |
This was originally an outdoor mall that had been converted in the 1970’s sometime. I actually remember the record store in that mall. I think I bought a cassette of the third album by The Nice there (Keith Emerson’s pre-ELP band).
Comment by Kevin MacNutt — February 4, 2009 @ 5:12 pm |
Jim, the Peebles in Staunton Mall is not representative of what Peebles should look like. As you pointed out, that store was previously Stone and Thomas. As Stone and Thomas, it was never as upscale in appearance as the former Stone and Thomas in Charlottesville, which had a sunken center section, floor-to-ceiling columns, and used a large amount of stone in the building of the store. The Stone and Thomas in Staunton looked cheap by comparison with no stonework and no sunken center section. The only change that Peebles made to the space when they took it over was to wall in a gift-wrap counter near where the restrooms are, and change the wall signage. Otherwise, the space is exactly as it was built for Stone and Thomas. If you want to see a Peebles the way a Peebles should look, go to the store in Waynesboro (in Willow Oak Plaza), which was built and opened as a Peebles.
The Penney’s is original to the mall’s construction as an open-air plaza, and was remodeled in the mid-1990s. I believe the reason you can see all the way to the back wall in that store and not in most other Penney’s locations is because the ceiling is so much higher than in other stores. When they remodeled, I was surprised that they didn’t bring the ceiling down to match their more recent stores.
Belk has never been remodeled ever since I first became acquainted with the mall in 1992. It really would not surprise me if that store has not seen a remodel in more than twenty years. I remember in the 80’s, department stores were a bit darker, but now, such stores go out of their way to make things really bright.
Also, Anita – Staunton Mall still has its Peebles, but the Peebles in Valley Mall closed a few years ago, and that’s what I believe the person was referring to with their “at one time”. The Peebles in Harrisonburg, by the way, was also not purpose-built as a Peebles. It was a Watson’s before it became Peebles, and as in Staunton, Peebles did almost NO remodeling when taking over that space.
Comment by Ben Schumin — March 8, 2009 @ 3:02 pm |
I lived in Staunton most of my life, until 1981, and remember the old outdoor mall when it was called Staunton Plaza. The anchors were Montgomery Ward, JC Penney, Woolworth, and the Plaza Cinemas. When it was enclosed in the mid-90s, Belk was added along with a dog-leg promenade down in front of the old Wards (now Steve & Barry’s). The mall and the skating rink behind it, Skatetown USA, were the few places in addition to Gypsy Hill park where us kids could hang out. It was the age of Disco, Star Wars, and Jaws, and no one complained about our loitering around. The pet shop and lunch counter inside Woolworths was a favorite of mine. You could smoke, cigarettes and other things, outside on the brick planters and not get harrassed.
When I returned in the mid-90s for a visit, WalMart and Lowes had taken hold in the area, and I knew it was a matter of time before the mall died. As a side story, Walmart started in one place a half-mile up the road, abandoned it for the site across the mall a few years later, then abandoned it yet again for Richmond Road, an adjacent arterial that attracted more shoppers from Waynesboro and Fishersville. In the process there was left several abandoned big-box stores. I’m surprised the Staunton Mall is still in existence, since everything they sell can be bought cheaper at local Walmart and Target. Most people in Staunton who shop malls are on fixed income, or low income (blue-haired old ladies and other very politically conservative folk that don’t have much value for downtown). They don’t frequent the downtown shops, as that is reserved for the liberal college students, professors, and recent transplants with plenty of money looking for that quaint Victorian town where they can afford a $15 lunch at the bistro, or a $5 tomato at the Farmer’s Market.
In my opinion, the revival of downtown Historic Staunton is the best thing that ever happened to that town, even though it might not serve the socioeconomic needs of most town residents. The mall should be demolished, leaving stand-alone anchors like Belk, Penny’s, and maybe a Sears or Best Buy, in an open area mixed with restaurants and small shops, like has been done at North Hills Mall in Raleigh, or South Square in Durham. Both have seen an incredible renaissance. You have convenient access to parking, but with a much more pleasant atmosphere than being trapped inside a faceless and sterile enclosed space. Without the anchor department stores, the site has little to no value as a shopping destination. It could end up being a dining and entertainment destination with bigger cinema and a few more casual restaurents like Outback.
Another reason for this mall’s demise is the improved shopping in nearby Waynesboro. They have a new Target and Home Depot (I believe), so they complement Walmart and Lowes whereby most shoppers get all they ever want or need, in a clean and modern suburban environment. They don’t need to drive down the road another 5-10 miles to shop in their sister city. Folks in Waynesboro were alway jealous of Staunton anyway, and folks in Staunton aren’t all that friendly either.
Comment by M Critzer — July 3, 2009 @ 11:51 am |