AZALEA MALL
Azalea Avenue / US 1 and Brook Road
Henrico County, Virginia

Virginia first interior mall came inline in August of 1962. It occupied a 39.3 acre land parcel located 6 miles northwest of Richmond's Central Business District.

The mall site was south of the original northern terminus of the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike, which had opened to traffic July 1, 1958. The bulk of the highway was designated as Interstate 95 in August of the same year.

AZALEA MALL encompassed 314,000 square feet. The single-level, community complex was anchored by a 1-level (79,000 square foot) Woolco; one of the earliest locations outside of Columbus, Ohio (where the very first stores had opened).

The mall also included an F.W. Woolworth 5 and 10, Food Fair supermarket, Peoples Drug, Thom McAn Shoes and The Home Shop. A 1-level (30,000 square foot), Richmond-based, Thalhimers opened in 1963 and was eventually expanded to 50,000 square feet.

Competing shopping venues in the "Northside" area included WILLOW LAWN CENTER / SHOPS AT WILLOW LAWN (1956), Richmond's first suburban retail complex, which was renovated into an enclosed mall in 1986.

There was also REGENCY SQUARE MALL (1975) and VIRGINIA CENTER COMMONS (1991), both in Henrico County. The opening of VIRGINIA CENTER COMMONS resulted in the decline and fall of AZALEA MALL during the early 1990s.

Store rebrandings began when Food Fair became a Pantry Pride, in 1981. Woolco was shuttered in 1983 and reopened as a Rocky Hill, Connecticut-based Ames in October 1984. Thalhimers held on till May 1991. Two years later, Ames closed, followed by Pantry Pride, which became a Superfresh supermarket.

With its two primary anchors sitting vacant, the mall eventually went under. Its owner, Holland-based DBA Associates, defaulted on their loan. The mall was auctioned off in May 1995 and razed in 1998. The site was never redeveloped and remains vacant to this day.

Sources:

B1Bob / Nat Atkins' Azalea Mall memories
Deadmalls.com Azalea Mall article / Brad Berry and David McGrann comments www.roadstothefuture.com
Henrico County, Virginia tax assessor website
Ames Fan Club website