Richmond Virginia Grows Up and Has Some Decent Shopping

I moved to Richmond Virginia from White Plains, NY back in late 1977. Seeing what this area called shopping was very disappointing: Regency Mall, Cloverleaf Mall, and Willow Lawn. I felt like I took a step back in time from what we had in Westchester County.

Not a lot changed in Richmond over the years. When we moved to Orlando about 11 years ago, Richmond was on it's way to being a "bit" more cosmopolitan but not a whole lot.

While we were living in Orlando, the Short Pump Town Center was built. I couldn't believe my eyes when we came back here a few years ago to escape Hurricane Francis in Orlando. We actually got so home sick for Richmond that we decided during that mini-trip to move back.

Just so you know Short Pump is (was) a tiny town which actually has a Richmond mailing address. There used to be a joke about heading out to Downtown Short Pump. The only downtown was a gas station/general store. The rest was pasture and farmland. Now there's the Short Pump Town Center, strip malls, and condos which start in the upper $440k range. $800k to well over $1 million houses are not difficult to find in this area.

The Short Pump Town Center is a 2 level OPEN AIR shopping mall with about 200 stores. The anchor stores are Macy's, Nordstrom, Dillards, and Dick's Sporting Goods. You'll find all the other big name stores as well such as Victoria's Secret, Abercrombie & Fitch, Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, and the list goes on. There's also some large local stores like Saxon Shoes which has been a Richmond institution for many many years. There's no shortage of eateries, both an indoor fast food court to restaurants such as Maggiano's Little Italy, Copper Grill Lobster and Steak House, Cheesecake Factory, and others. There's also Funny Bone Comedy Club and Restaurant which the Mall says is the largest comedy club network in the country.

There is literally something for everyone. Best of everything right? What else can you say about a mall?

A Mall is a Mall, right??
I'm a guy!! I hate shopping. When I go to a mall I like it well planned out so I can go to where I need to, buy what I need and get the heck out as quickly as I can. No can do at this mall.

This is one of the worst planned out malls that I've ever seen. I cannot ever seem to find my way around that place. It is huge and sprawled out over a big area. Now, just so you know, I'm not the only one that has commented on this. There are signs that point you the way around. But they're not right! I went to go to Orvis one day to exchange a shirt my wife got me. I dutifully followed the sign to Orvis. All of a sudden, I've hit a wall. The sign pointed straight ahead, but there was no place to go. There was a wall and Orvis was not on the other side!

The mall is also an open air mall. That would have been fine in locations that have decent weather year round. But who wants to be walking from store to store with packages in the wind, rain, and cold?

There's plenty of parking, but the mall does get crowded, so parking close to the stores can be a problem as well.

The mall is easily accessed and is right off I-64 and West Broad Street.

Address: 11800 West Broad Street; Richmond, VA 23233
Mall Hours:
Mon-Sat 10 AM - 9 PM
Sun 12 PM - 6 PM
Department Store and Restaurant hours may vary