River Ridge Mall
An enclosed shopping mall in Lynchburg, Virginia, combining traditional department stores, specialty retail, restaurants, entertainment, fitness, and an outdoor shopping area.
Last updated August 24, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
River Ridge Mall is an enclosed shopping mall in Lynchburg, Virginia, United States. Opened in 1980, it has developed from a conventional department-store-led regional mall into a mixed retail, dining, entertainment, hospitality, and event destination. Its major tenants and anchors have changed substantially over time as department-store chains consolidated and the property was redeveloped. The mall originally opened with Miller & Rhoads and Thalhimers. Sears and Leggett, the predecessor to the current Belk store, joined in 1981, while JCPenney opened in 1983. Subsequent changes reflected broader shifts in American department-store retailing: Miller & Rhoads was replaced by Montgomery Ward in 1990, that store closed in 1997, and the space later became a Value City location. Thalhimers was converted to Hecht's in 1992 and subsequently became Macy's in 2006. Ownership and physical planning also evolved. CBL & Associates Properties acquired the mall from Faison in 2003. Liberty University later purchased the former Sears property after the store closed in 2013 and announced a 75 percent ownership position in the mall in 2016. The university subsequently became the mall's owner, while Jones Lang LaSalle, commonly known as JLL, manages the property. A proposed civic-center conversion of the former Sears building was not pursued after engineers determined that the site was unsuitable for that use. The property has increasingly used redevelopment to replace obsolete large-format retail space. The former Value City building was demolished after the store closed in 2008, making way for a new movie theater; the existing cinema complex was later converted to a Planet Fitness. Macy's announced in 2017 that its River Ridge store would close, and both the former Macy's and Sears buildings were demolished in 2019. The former Sears site was replaced by an outdoor retail section, while the former Macy's site gained a grassy event area and additional exterior-facing stores. Dick's Sporting Goods opened in the outdoor section in 2020, strengthening the mall's active-lifestyle and sporting-goods offer. Food and convenience-oriented uses have also become important components of the property. Jo-Ann Fabrics opened in 2012 and TJ Maxx followed in 2013. The refurbished food hall opened in October 2021 with seven restaurant concepts, including Chick-fil-A, Farmers Garden, Auntie Anne's, Cinnabon, ZaZa Stone Fire Pizza, Mein Bowl, and Grounded. Several of the newer food-hall units are operated by Sodexo under its dining-services relationship with Liberty University. Additional restaurants and outparcels include Red Lobster, Taco Bell, Shakers, Duck Donuts, and Papa Gallo Cocina Mexicana. A 7 Brew drive-through coffee location was planned for a further outparcel, with an anticipated opening in 2025 according to the cited reference material. River Ridge Mall also expanded beyond retail through the development of a Residence Inn by Marriott on the former Montgomery Ward Tire & Auto site. Described as the first hotel built on the mall property, the hotel adds an overnight-stay component to the center's regional and university-linked role. Current primary anchors include JCPenney, Belk, Dick's Sporting Goods, TJ Maxx, and Regal Cinemas, with HomeGoods and Planet Fitness serving as secondary anchors. The mall's present positioning is therefore that of a locally significant, multi-format commercial destination rather than solely a traditional enclosed department-store mall.
History
River Ridge Mall opened in Lynchburg, Virginia, in 1980 with Miller & Rhoads and Thalhimers as its initial department-store anchors. Sears and Leggett, which later became Belk, opened in 1981, and JCPenney joined the center in 1983. These early tenants established the mall as a conventional regional shopping center serving Lynchburg and the surrounding area. The anchor lineup changed as department-store ownership and retail formats shifted. Miller & Rhoads closed and was replaced by Montgomery Ward in 1990. Montgomery Ward later closed in 1997, and the space became a Value City store in 1999. Thalhimers was converted to Hecht's in 1992, and the location became Macy's in 2006. Value City closed in 2008; its former building was demolished and replaced by a new movie theater. The existing theater complex was subsequently converted into a Planet Fitness location. CBL & Associates Properties acquired River Ridge Mall from Faison in 2003. Later, Liberty University became increasingly involved in the property's ownership and redevelopment. Sears closed its River Ridge location in 2013, and Liberty University purchased the building with an initial plan to convert it into a civic center. Engineers later determined that the building was unsuitable for that purpose. In March 2016, Liberty University announced that it had acquired a 75 percent ownership position in the mall. The university ultimately became the mall's owner, with JLL managing the property. The property began adding more varied uses during this period. Jo-Ann Fabrics opened in November 2012, followed by TJ Maxx in April 2013. In 2016, Marriott announced a Residence Inn on the site of the former Montgomery Ward Tire & Auto building, which had remained vacant. The hotel became the first on-site hotel at the mall and expanded the property's role beyond shopping. Macy's announced in January 2017 that its River Ridge store would close as part of a broader group of store closures. Liberty University said it would acquire the Macy's building and was discussing a replacement tenant. The university also described plans to remove the former Sears building and create an outdoor shopping experience. In 2019, both the former Macy's and Sears structures were demolished. The Sears site became an outdoor mall section, while the former Macy's site was redeveloped with a grassy event venue and exterior-facing stores. Dick's Sporting Goods opened in the new outdoor area in 2020. Dining and leisure became increasingly prominent in the mall's format. In October 2021, the refurbished food hall opened with seven restaurant units. Chick-fil-A and Farmers Garden had been present before the renovation, while Auntie Anne's and Cinnabon operated together near the food-hall entrance. ZaZa Stone Fire Pizza, Mein Bowl, and Grounded were added as new concepts, with the latter three operated by Sodexo under an extension of its dining-services contract with Liberty University. In 2023, Duck Donuts and the local Mexican restaurant Papa Gallo Cocina Mexicana opened in the outdoor redevelopment area. The mall's cited tenant mix includes JCPenney, Belk, Dick's Sporting Goods, TJ Maxx, and Regal Cinemas as primary anchors, with HomeGoods and Planet Fitness as secondary anchors. Restaurant outparcels include Red Lobster, Taco Bell, and Shakers. A 7 Brew location was being developed on another outparcel and was expected to open in 2025 according to the cited reference material. Through these changes, River Ridge Mall has shifted from a department-store-centered enclosed mall toward a hybrid property combining enclosed retail, outdoor shopping, food service, entertainment, fitness, lodging, and event programming.
- 2023
Duck Donuts and Papa Gallo open
[1]Duck Donuts and Papa Gallo Cocina Mexicana opened in the outdoor redevelopment area.
- 2021
Refurbished food hall opens
[1]The renovated food hall opened in October with seven restaurant concepts.
- 2020
Dick's Sporting Goods opens in the outdoor section
[1]Dick's Sporting Goods opened as an anchor in the new outdoor portion of the property.
- 2019
Former Sears and Macy's buildings are demolished
[1]The two obsolete department-store structures were removed to support outdoor retail and event-oriented redevelopment.
- 2016
Liberty University takes a majority ownership position
[1]Liberty University announced a 75 percent ownership position in the mall.
- 2013
TJ Maxx opens and Sears closes
[1]TJ Maxx opened in April, while Sears closed its location during the same year.
- 2012
Jo-Ann Fabrics opens
[1]Jo-Ann Fabrics opened at the mall in November.
- 2003
CBL acquires the mall
[1]CBL & Associates Properties acquired River Ridge Mall from Faison.
- 1992
Thalhimers becomes Hecht's
[1]The Thalhimers store was converted to Hecht's.
- 1990
Miller & Rhoads space becomes Montgomery Ward
[1]Miller & Rhoads closed and its space was converted to Montgomery Ward.
Products and positioning
A regional Lynchburg shopping and entertainment destination that blends enclosed-mall retail with outdoor stores, dining, fitness, cinema, hospitality, and community-event space.
Shopping center · 1980
Enclosed retail mall
The original enclosed portion of River Ridge Mall houses department stores, off-price retail, home goods, specialty shopping, restaurants, and entertainment. Its anchor mix has changed over time, but the enclosed center remains the property's core shopping environment.
Open-air retail · 2019
Outdoor shopping section
Created during the redevelopment of the former Sears site, the outdoor section adds exterior-facing retail and a more contemporary mixed-format component to the property. Dick's Sporting Goods became a principal anchor, and additional food and specialty concepts were added over time.
Dining · 2021
Food hall
The refurbished food hall opened in 2021 with seven restaurant concepts. The offering combines established tenants such as Chick-fil-A and Farmers Garden with Auntie Anne's, Cinnabon, ZaZa Stone Fire Pizza, Mein Bowl, and Grounded. Several units are operated by Sodexo in connection with Liberty University dining services.
Entertainment
Regal Cinemas
Regal Cinemas provides movie exhibition and entertainment within the mall's tenant mix. The cinema replaced the former Value City building after that store closed and was demolished, while the older theater complex was later repurposed for Planet Fitness.
Hospitality
Residence Inn by Marriott
The Residence Inn by Marriott is the first hotel built on the mall property. Developed on the former Montgomery Ward Tire & Auto site, it adds lodging capacity and supports the center's broader retail, university, and regional-destination functions.
Brand decisions
2021
Launch of the refurbished food hallProduct launchBackground
The mall sought to strengthen dining as part of its post-redevelopment tenant and visitor experience.
Action taken
River Ridge Mall opened a renovated food hall with seven restaurant concepts, including three new Sodexo-operated units.
Aftermath
Dining became a more prominent component of the mall's offer, complementing retail, entertainment, fitness, and event uses.
2019
Replace obsolete department-store buildings with mixed-format usesStrategyBackground
The former Sears and Macy's buildings had become surplus to the mall's evolving tenant strategy after both department stores closed.
Action taken
The buildings were demolished. The Sears site was redeveloped as an outdoor shopping area, while the Macy's site received an event lawn and exterior-facing retail spaces.
Aftermath
The redevelopment diversified River Ridge Mall beyond its traditional enclosed department-store format and enabled Dick's Sporting Goods and additional food and specialty tenants to enter the property.
Recent events
- 2021
River Ridge Mall reopened its refurbished food hall[1]
Product launch
The mall opened a refurbished food hall with seven restaurant concepts, including established tenants and new units operated in connection with Sodexo's dining-services relationship with Liberty University.
- 2020
Dick's Sporting Goods opened in the outdoor section[1]
Product launch
Dick's Sporting Goods became an anchor tenant in the newly developed outdoor portion of the mall.
- 2019
Former department-store sites were demolished for redevelopment[1]
Other
The former Macy's and Sears buildings were demolished as part of a broader renovation. The Sears site became an outdoor shopping area, while the Macy's site was adapted for an event lawn and exterior-facing retail.
- 2017
Macy's announced the closure of its River Ridge location[1]
Leadership change
Macy's identified the River Ridge store among a group of underperforming locations scheduled for closure. Liberty University indicated that it would purchase the building and seek a replacement tenant.
- 2016
Liberty University announced a 75 percent ownership position[1]
M&A
Liberty University announced that it had purchased a 75 percent ownership position in River Ridge Mall, beginning a period of university-led redevelopment.
- 2016
Residence Inn development announced for the mall property[1]
Product launch
Marriott announced plans for a Residence Inn on the former Montgomery Ward Tire & Auto site, adding the first hotel constructed on the mall property.
- 2003
CBL & Associates Properties acquired River Ridge Mall[1]
M&A
CBL & Associates Properties acquired the mall from Faison, placing the property under a major shopping-center operator before its later ownership transition.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/river-ridge-mall · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled