Photographed is the abandoned JCPenney in what used to be Cloverleaf Mall in Chesterfield, VA.
With its grand opening in 1972, Cloverleaf Mall was once a popular shopping destination with 750,000 square feet and was home to Thalhimers (later Hecht’s), JCPenney and Sears. As a child, I remember my parents taking me to see Star Trek at Regal Cloverleaf Cinemas.
The mall was dealt a serious blow in 2000, when the JCPenney closed and moved to Chesterfield Towne Center. The following year, the mall’s cinemas closed and, in 2003, the Sears and Hecht’s stores closed.
What were once packed parking lots with people fighting over spaces soon became a concrete desert. My dad taught me how to drive on these empty parking lots.
Chesterfield acquired the mall and 37 adjacent acres in a series of deals in 2004 and bought the remaining 46 acres in 2008. Crosland LLC, a Charlotte, N.C.-based developer, agreed to buy the entire property from the county and build what now is called Stonebridge.
A 123,600-square-foot Kroger Marketplace grocery store, which anchors the development, opened in 2012. Since Kroger opened, Stonebridge has attracted other businesses. Where this photo was taken now stands a Subway and Great Clips.
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