Chesterfield Towne Center opened in 1975 on Midlothian Turnpike near Richmond, Virginia. Built as an enclosed mall with Miller & Rhoads as its only anchor, it struggled in the early years to bring in traffic.
A major expansion in 1987 added Hess's, Leggett-Belk, a food court, and a nine-screen theater, giving it a more complete layout and pulling shoppers from across the region.
The name changed, the corridors extended, and the mall shifted toward national brands.
Over time, it also added Sears, JCPenney, Macy's, Dillard's, At Home, and T.J. Maxx, making it the largest enclosed shopping center in the Richmond area.
Tenants came and went, but the mall avoided the steep drop-offs that hit others nearby. In 2024, a sale flyer went public. By mid-2025, the listing was still active but with an under-contract status.
Early Years and Local Doubt (1975-1986)
When Chesterfield Mall opened in 1975, its only anchor was Miller & Rhoads.
The building sat off Midlothian Turnpike in unincorporated Chesterfield County, still surrounded by undeveloped parcels and smaller roadside businesses.
The mall's single-level layout and limited tenant list left much of the space quiet during the early years.
Walkways stayed open but underused, and many storefronts cycled through short-term leases or stood vacant.
Traffic patterns didn't support heavy volume.
There was no food court, no cinema, and few national retailers to anchor the corners or drive repeat visits.
With only one department store and no second draw, mall circulation stayed low, especially during weekday hours.
The absence of a second anchor limited foot traffic in the longer stretches of the corridor.
Some locals gave it the nickname "Chesterfield Morgue," a reference to the low crowds and long, echoing hallways.
The lack of momentum persisted through the early 1980s.
Other retail developments near Broad Street or Willow Lawn drew higher attention from chains expanding into the region.
Chesterfield's early concept hadn't matched how the surrounding area was growing.
It remained a destination mall in name more than in practice, useful for quick errands or specific department store trips, but rarely a place for extended visits.
Renovation plans began moving forward by the middle of the decade.
Expansion and Rebranding (1987-1993)
The mall's first major expansion began in 1987. Construction crews added Hess's and Leggett-Belk as new anchors.
A nine-screen movie theater was built alongside a new food court, and a second long corridor extended the floor plan.
The changes turned a one-anchor mall into a multi-anchor property with internal flow designed for cross-traffic.
At the same time, the name changed from Chesterfield Mall to Chesterfield Towne Center. Design updates included a diamond and palm motif, visible in the mall directory and entry signage.
The project aimed to reposition the property toward a more upscale profile, in line with mid-tier suburban centers opening across the Southeast.
New tenants began to move in, and vacancies became less frequent.
In 1990, Miller & Rhoads rebranded as Hecht's, giving the oldest anchor a new name while retaining its location and footprint.
Hess's sold its location to Proffitt's in 1993, which then sold to Dillard's in 1996.
That same year, Dillard's also acquired the Leggett-Belk store and operated both as separate locations within the mall.
The layout allowed for it, and both entrances remained open.
These changes gave Chesterfield Towne Center an unusual configuration: two separate Dillard's stores, each with full departments and signage.
By the late 1990s, the mall's overall scale and tenant mix were expanding in step with regional demand.
Growth and Dominance (1994-2005)
In 1994, The Macerich Partnership acquired Chesterfield Towne Center.
That same period saw retailers begin pulling out of Cloverleaf Mall, about five miles away, and shifting toward newer properties.
By 1997, Sears opened a full store at Chesterfield, filling one of the remaining large parcels.
JCPenney followed in 2001.
These additions changed the mall's traffic flow and solidified its status as a regional anchor corridor.
Hecht's undertook an addition project in the early 2000s.
Between the dual Dillard's locations, the rebranded Hecht's, Sears, and JCPenney, the mall operated with five full anchors.
The second Dillard's remained open, retaining both the former Hess's and Leggett-Belk spaces.
Each storefront stayed active, with distinct departments and entrances.
As competitors like Stony Point Fashion Park and Short Pump Town Center prepared to open, Chesterfield still drew steady volume.
It held a wide mix of national apparel stores, seasonal kiosks, and a food court that had become central to daily foot traffic.
Storefront turnover was regular, but vacancies rarely lingered. Tenants ranged from Gap and Bath & Body Works to GNC and American Eagle.
By 2003, it was the largest enclosed shopping mall in the Richmond region, both in square footage and anchor count.
Adjustments and Resilience (2006-2013)
In September 2006, the Hecht's name came down. The department store was converted to Macy's as part of a national rebrand.
This kept the space active without disrupting the anchor mix.
Then in 2008, both Dillard's locations closed within months of each other.
The exits left visible gaps, but the mall repurposed them in a few years.
Later that year, Barnes & Noble relocated from its freestanding building across Huguenot Road into the space formerly occupied by the movie theater.
The old cinema had already shut down by mid‑2008, and the interior was reworked to accommodate a bookstore layout.
The food court facade was updated during that project, adding more open glass panels to highlight the new tenant. A Red Robin opened beside it.
The North Entrance received a cosmetic renovation around the same time. In November 2010, Garden Ridge took over the larger of the two closed Dillard's spaces.
The following year, the second former Dillard's became home to a combined TJ Maxx and HomeGoods.
Smaller renovations followed, including a new Rue 21 store, updated layouts for American Eagle and Old Navy.
In December 2013, Macerich sold the property to Rouse Properties.
The handoff occurred ten years after predictions that Chesterfield would lose ground to newer centers.
Sales remained within 3% of their 2003 levels.
Anchor Loss and Ownership Shift (2014-2020)
In 2015, H&M moved into a vacated space formerly occupied by Coldwater Creek.
The mall still held a full lineup of national retail brands, but more spaces were being reshuffled between shorter-term tenants.
That same year, Garden Ridge officially changed its branding to At Home.
The large-format home décor store remained in the same footprint that had once belonged to Dillard's.
On November 7, 2019, Sears confirmed it would close its Chesterfield Towne Center store as part of a nationwide plan to shutter 96 locations.
The store stayed open through the holiday season and closed for good in February 2020.
Its exit left one of the mall's main anchor spots empty.
The Sears sign on the exterior wall stayed up for most of that year.
Brookfield Properties took over ownership and management in 2016 after acquiring Rouse Properties through a merger.
The mall's tenant mix leaned toward discount fashion, home goods, and mall standards such as Bath & Body Works and Foot Locker.
The food court retained a mix of quick-serve restaurants and mid-tier options.
Market Tests and Uncertain Ground (2021-2025)
In August 2024, PopUp RVA opened a permanent indoor market at Chesterfield Towne Center.
The group, known for hosting weekend vendor events across Richmond, leased a 9,000 square foot space inside the mall.
Unlike its usual Saturday-only format, the new location operated seven days a week.
The storefront was configured for multiple rotating vendors, drawing small business traffic and walk-ins from the mall interior.
In late February 2025, PopUp RVA permanently closed its Chesterfield location.
The market had operated for about seven months.
A few weeks later, local business press reported that a developer had submitted plans for 450 apartments on the adjacent Midlothian Athletic Club site.
The proposal included age-restricted housing and plans to redevelop 10.6 acres along the edge of the mall property.
On October 23, 2024, a flyer from brokerage Newmark confirmed that Chesterfield Towne Center had been formally listed for sale.
The marketing materials described a retail property with over 130 stores, five anchor slots (four filled), and more than 1 million square feet of enclosed space.
As of August 2025, the Chesterfield Towne Center was still listed for sale on LoopNet.
The listing showed the site as "under contract," but no closing date had been confirmed.