Planning and Launch of the Mall
By the late 1990s, Henrico County sought a large upscale shopping project, and Queensland Investment Corporation stepped in to take the lead on development plans.
Short Pump Town Center was designed as an open-air mall with four anchors and more than 140 stores arranged across two levels.
Construction finished along West Broad Street, and on September 4, 2003, the mall opened with Dillard's, Hecht's, Nordstrom, and Dick's Sporting Goods as anchors.
Queensland Investment Corporation owned and operated the center from the start, positioning it as a new hub for regional retail.
The mall arrived in the same month that Stony Point Fashion Park opened, creating a direct rivalry between the two upscale developments.
The site quickly filled with restaurants, boutiques, and specialty shops, expanding the retail footprint beyond traditional department stores.
Short Pump Town Center's format as an open-air lifestyle complex set it apart from enclosed malls of earlier decades, and its debut aligned with Henrico County's broader effort to establish the corridor as a commercial destination tied to many of the things to do in Richmond, VA.
Expansion and Early Adjustments, 2004–2010
Circuit City opened a two-story location just outside the mall in 2004.
The red letters on the sign were visible from Broad Street. It was busy early on.
People came in for laptops, TVs, and car stereos. By 2009, the company was gone.
The building sat empty for months until hhgregg moved in. Same kind of store, more appliances. Fewer staff on the floor.
Inside the mall, Hecht's kept its name until 2006. Then the Macy's signs went up.
It was part of a national rollout, not a local choice. Dick's stayed on one end.
Nordstrom and Dillard's held the other sides. Most of the smaller shops stayed full.
A few restaurants closed, but the leases turned over quickly. In 2007, a trackless train started running outside.
It was called the Short Pump Express. Kids lined up near Nordstrom. Three dollars a ride. The cars were painted dark green and navy.
Short Pump Town Center Woody21390, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Replacements and Anchor Shifts, 2011–2019
Hhgregg lasted a few years in the old Circuit City building. By 2017, it was gone.
The box was split in half. Arhaus took one side with furniture showrooms.
The Container Store took the other with shelving, bins, and organizers stacked floor to ceiling.
The corner that once sold electronics was reworked into home goods without changing the structure.
Macy's, Nordstrom, Dillard's, and Dick's Sporting Goods kept their anchor spots through the decade, pulling the same mix of shoppers who moved between the department stores and smaller boutiques along the walkways.
National chains filled most of the inline stores: clothing, jewelry, and a rotating set of restaurants.
The changes showed up in the details: one sign down, another going up, but no long gaps.
Between 2011 and 2019, the mall remained unchanged in size. It shifted, one tenant at a time, while the anchors and layout held steady.
Closures and Market Challenges 2020–2023
In early May 2020, Nordstrom said it would shut down its store at Short Pump Town Center.
The announcement wasn't dramatic, just a line in a broader list of national closures.
By midsummer, the doors were locked. The two-story space sat empty in a corner near the entrance to the covered parking deck.
It had been there since day one in 2003, and once it was gone, the void was hard to miss.
Macy's, Dillard's, and Dick's Sporting Goods stayed open.
But traffic around the mall didn't move the same way. Some days were quiet, even during peak hours.
Clothing chains like J.Crew and Banana Republic cut locations.
Others like Lululemon leaned harder on their websites and kept the storefronts minimal: fewer racks, fewer staff.
Some restaurants went to takeout-only. Others shortened hours or pulled certain menu items when suppliers couldn't deliver.
Between 2020 and 2023, the mall didn't collapse, but it didn't hold steady either.
It worked, but less confidently. The missing anchor wasn't just a space to fill.
It shifted how people moved, where they entered, and which stores they passed on the way.
The change wasn't loud, but it settled in.
Renewal and Reinvestment 2024–2025
In February 2025, Henrico County held a design charrette focused on Short Pump Town Center, inviting planners, residents, and business leaders to talk through ideas for the property's future.
The sessions floated possibilities ranging from mobility hubs to mixed-use redevelopment, with sketches showing how surface lots and common areas might be reshaped.
It was the first formal step toward reimagining parts of the mall since its 2003 debut.
Inside the mall, the most visible announcement came on June 16, 2025.
Dick's Sporting Goods confirmed it would transform the former Nordstrom box into a House of Sport, a two-level store with batting cages, climbing walls, and outdoor fields planned alongside traditional aisles of equipment.
Just days earlier, in June, a Lego store had filed permits for a 3,700-square-foot buildout.
By August 20, a barricade branded with the Lego logo covered the old Fink's Jewelers and Everything But Water spaces, confirming another new tenant on the way.
Restaurants continued to turn over.
In January, Eat Restaurant Partners said it would open Lucky AF, a sushi spot, in the old Baker's Crust location near the mall entrance.
Baker's Crust had been there since the center opened in 2003. Lucky AF is set to open in early 2026, marking another swap in a high-visibility space.
Current Position and Future Outlook
By 2025, Short Pump Town Center carried a tenant list that showed how it had evolved from its 2003 opening into a full retail corridor.
Anchors like Macy's, Dillard's, and Dick's Sporting Goods remained the core, but the storefronts around them reflected a wide mix of national names and local concepts.
Apple, L.L.Bean, and Crate & Barrel drew steady traffic.
At the same time, fashion chains such as Anthropologie, Lululemon, Athleta, Free People, and Zara's rivals like H&M and Hollister Co. filled the concourses with seasonal displays.
Dining spread across quick-service and sit-down formats.
Shoppers lined up for Chick-fil-A, Chipotle, Auntie Anne's, and Cold Stone Creamery, while larger footprints were taken by Perry's Steakhouse & Grille, The Cheesecake Factory, Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, and Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant.
Draftcade and Red Door Escape Room added entertainment to the mix, standing alongside Build-A-Bear Workshop and the Short Pump Express train as family-oriented stops.
Together with tenants like Sephora, Warby Parker, and Capital One, the mix underscored how Short Pump Town Center was balancing traditional retail with dining, fitness, and experience-based uses during this phase of reinvestment.