The New NRV Mall
Tim Saunders | Staff Writer

The New River Valley Mall is ushering in a new age for shoppers. Gone is the food court that has been a mainstay at the mall since its opening in 1988. In its place are two new clothing retailers, Christopher and Banks and Pacific Sunwear.

“We’ve received a very positive response to the new stores,” said Cassandra Dove, marketing director for the mall. “Most of our complaints were about the construction rather than the removal of the food court.”

According to Dove, when deciding to eliminate the food court, mall officials considered several factors. One was the overall lack of popularity of the food court for both shoppers and vendors. In the food court model, vendors were required to pay an additional fee to operate their business in a food court setting, which discouraged many business owners from signing a lease in the court space. Mall officials also paid attention to the growth of the area and the demand for stores that appeal to local clientele, which called for the addition of more clothing stores. “We are in a growing sector,” said Dove. “This is a place that is attracting people in the way that Roanoke was attracting people six or seven years ago.”

One of the reasons Dove believes the mall has become so popular is its proximity to area colleges and the town of Blacksburg, which was recently highlighted as a “top 10 dream town” by Outside magazine.

With the mall’s proximity to several state colleges, Dove says stores that cater to college students, such as American Eagle Outfitters, have also been some of the most successful in the mall. “American Eagle showed one of the highest sales increases last year,” said Dove. “Store performance is a big selling point to leasers.”

Leases for stores such as American Eagle are marketed by the mall’s corporate owner, Crown American Reality of Johnstown, Pa. Larger chains typically sign ten-year leases.

On the local level, the mall offers temporary and specialty leases for local customers and other vendors who are interested in testing the market without opening a permanent store. “The specialty leases give vendors a chance to come in and operate at their convenience,” said Dove. “Our specialty leases sometimes lead to permanent leases if the vendor has been successful.”

According to Dove, the mall currently has space for 2 stores and 3 retail mobile units. All spaces have been leased out for the holiday shopping season in November and December.

While the mall is nearing full capacity, there are no plans to expand the mall at this time. “The mall map does give us space for expansion, but there are no formal plans for that in the near future,” said Dove. “All malls fill up during the Christmas season so we feel we are still meeting the space needs of our tenants.”