I found a Franklin/Smithfield city directory from 2000 that was about to be thrown away at the Windsor library today. This is the only information I could find in the book about the old abandoned shopping center. Here is what was left in 1999:
Goodwyn Services Unlimited
Radio Shack
Carrington & Associates
Clark’s Janitorial Service
Primerica Financial Services
Fastenal Company
Electrical Suppliers
Medical Concepts Unlimited
EDITOR’S NOTE: “You Asked” is a new feature of The Tidewater News. Curious about something in Western Tidewater? Send your anonymous question to youasked@tidewaternews.com and we’ll do our best to answer it.
BY EMILY COLLINS/CONTRIBUTRING WRITER
emily.collins@tidewaternews.com
FRANKLIN—The construction site for a shopping center at North College and Stewart drives has been deserted, said Franklin Community Developer Director Donald Goodwin.
“They pretty much have abandoned that project,” Goodwin said.
Activity began in September 2007. However, construction materials lay dormant and untouched at the site. A turning lane next to the site was completed, Goodwin said.
He said he saw workers there about a week ago, and they appeared to be taking inventory of the materials.
The Sewell Corp. was listed as the developer. Owner Chris Sewell said he decided about four months ago to give up on the project and relinquished control to the Bank of the Commonwealth.
Sewell said there was some hesitation to push the project because Franklin’s economy “has somewhat deteriorated.”
Al Woods, a special assets officer at the Bank of the Commonwealth, said the bank plans to move the materials from the site to a different location.
First, Woods said they have to find a contractor who is able to move the materials.
For the time being, the project has been postponed until the bank can find a developer interested in building on the property.
“The materials are beginning to get under some people’s skin, I think,” Goodwin said.
“We know that it’s an eyesore,” Woods said. “It’s on our list; it’s high on our list.”
This picture is from Decmeber of 2004 when Spongebob Squarepants first graced the roofs of Burger Kings. Although I live in Staunton now, I still read the local news from time to time. I found out that some of the Burger Kings in Smithfield, Suffolk, and Franklin closed due to issues with the franchiser.
I lived in Franklin for two years, and I never took a picture of the Burger King there, or anywhere near the Burger King, so no picture of that one.
I passed by this like last month-ish, and they had peeled all the KFC stuff off of the tub and now its just a huge KFC bucket skeleton.
So, the Farm Fresh FINALLY opened today. Two years in the making.
{photo I took in October of last year}
I was planning on being there right when they opened at 8 a.m., but I pulled up…NO parking spots. Line around the outside of the store. I honestly didn’t think people out here would take this opening that seriously. I was wrong!
So I came back at 9 a.m. — another bad time. People were just standing around waiting for the five $100 gift card drawings. I walked around, mainly around the beverage aisles, since I love the fact that Farm Fresh has a vast array of beverages. I took some iPhone photos:
Look at all that Honest tea!
The “Vitamin Water” cooler has … Life Water in it though. fail.
They had Nantucket Nectars half and half!!! I’ve never had that before! I’ve only heard about it in Babysitters Club books!
Look at all that Inkos tea too.
I’m surprised Enviga is still being made.
oooo Big Cranberry Nantucket Nectars and Jolt. Sorry that picture didn’t come out right. I took it in a hurry.
I was standing in LINE. HERE. I was in line for an hour. The line didn’t even more until the final 20 minutes I was in line. This was next to the makeup, and the lady in front of me started to play with this pump of glitter gel and she got it all over her hands. Farm Freshes aisle descriptions are always odd. Like the first three signs make sense, you know a general description of what is on the line, and then the last line is totally way too much detail — in this case, Vagasil.
You can see Starbucks in the distance. Ok, so after being in line for an hour, I went to Starbucks, where there was only one woman ahead of me. Boy, the baristas need more training. The “handlers” from other Farm Freshes had to help them with everything. You would’ve thought they would’ve handled this last week.
Which brings me to my second visit to Farm Fresh later on this day, at around 4 p.m. MUCH quieter than it was this morning. Like a normal day in a grocery store. I had more time to explore around the store. I found this!
This little guy used to be on the farm fresh logo back in the day when I was a little kid. I still remember vividly a jar of Peanut Butter we bought when I was like four, with a drawing of him on the label.
//edit, August 8, 2008//
Here is a blog entry about the making of one of these guys
So like I said, I went back to Starbucks after class and workstudy, because I wanted something to drink on my long drive home (50 minutes). They totally forgot about my order. One of the handlers had to make me my drink. I don’t think this Starbucks is going to be so great. We’ll see.
So like the article under the cut says, this store has NO plastic bags. I think this is a good idea because I used to be a bagger at The Fresh Market and I hated bagging in plastic, it was always so messy. I hate it when we go to Wal Mart and we have to put all our stuff in my Xterra, and its flopping around everywhere because its bagged in plastic. The store was giving away reusable grocery bags this morning, I got one. I don’t know how the general public is going to deal with no plastic bags. These paper bags are different than the usual ones Farm Fresh has, no handles, no logo.
Other than the iffy service at Starbucks, I can’t wait to shop in this store on a regular basis. It feels so nice to have a um, nice store in Franklin–and it was before I graduated. I always thought that Farm Fresh wasn’t going to open until after I graduated.
Tidewater News article:
{Photo I took in May of 2007. When I added this photo to Flickr back then, I put a note on the “Delta Farce” marquee, and in the note I said, “We can imagine what movie most of Franklin will be seeing.”}
I read in the paper a couple of days ago that this place closed unexpectedly. I’m not surprised. I went there to see The Simpsons Movie in July, and the place was falling apart, and the movie was out of focus for 20 minutes.
Franklin’s only movie cinema closes
By Paul McFarlane/Editor/paul.mcfarlane@tidewaternews.com
Tuesday, January 15, 2008 10:46 AM ESTFRANKLIN-Armory Drive Cinemas, the last existing movie house in the Franklin/Southampton area, has closed its doors.
The final weekend of showings was Jan. 12-13. The last movies playing were “I am Legend,” “National Treasure” and “Alvin and the Chipmunks.”
A greeting left on the business’ answering machine states: “We would to thank you for supporting our Armory Drive Cinemas during the last few years. We are now closed. Thank you for your efforts and time that you spent. And I hope you enjoyed your movies.”
See Wednesday’s print edition of The Tidewater News for more details.
A few weeks ago, I posted about the KFC/Taco Bell that was torn down in Franklin. I found the bucket near my house in this carwash that is being built:
When we first moved to Franklin in August of 2005, we ate at this KFC/Taco Bell a couple of times (mom was craving tacos for a week, so that’s why I say “a couple of times”) and this joint was so.nasty. A new KFC/Taco Bell will be put up in its place.
September, 2006
November, 2006 
June, 2007 
September, 2007 
May 2007 
June 2007 More coming soon when the conversion is finally finished.
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That Mall is sick and that Store is dead! 