Thruway Center
Thruway Center is a historic shopping center on Stratford Road in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Thruway Center is a historic shopping center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and one of the earliest planned shopping centers in the state. It occupies a site near Stratford Road and the Salem Parkway in the northern part of the Greater Hanes Mall District. The center originated in the early 1950s, when Merchants Development Co. proposed a retail complex on a 14-acre former farm. The development was associated with Ray Messick, Earl Slick, and W. B. Leverton, and was named Thruway because planners expected an east-west superhighway near the property to be called the Thruway. Although the highway ultimately received a different name, the shopping center retained its original identity. The original project represented a substantial investment for its time. Announced in 1953 and opened on October 13, 1955, it was developed at an estimated cost of $1.5 million. Its initial tenant mix combined everyday retail, food, services, and financial offerings. Planned and early occupants included a Food Fair grocery store, F. W. Woolworth, Eckerd Drug, a laundromat, bakery, toy and children's stores, barber and beauty services, a gift shop, shoe and women's apparel stores, and a bank. A nearby two-story building known as the Smoke House housed WTOB radio; construction required the station to move its landmark tower. Thruway Center expanded considerably in the 1960s. A $2.5 million addition completed in 1966 extended the property toward Knollwood Street, increasing the center to approximately 304,778 square feet on a roughly 30-acre site. The expansion added larger retail occupants, including Thalhimers, Roses, and Winn-Dixie. In 1972, B. F. Saul Real Estate Investment Trust acquired the center and later invested in improvements. Over subsequent decades, the tenant roster changed repeatedly as department stores, variety retailers, bookstores, supermarkets, and specialty chains entered or departed the property. The center’s later history illustrates the changing structure of American shopping-center retail. Thalhimers closed in 1992 and was followed by Stein Mart in the former department-store space. Harris Teeter opened a Winston-Salem location at the center in the same period, while Roses closed its location in 1993. The former Woolworth space became a Borders bookstore in 1999, but Borders closed in 2011 during the chain’s liquidation. Trader Joe’s then opened in that space in 2012, becoming an important anchor for the contemporary center. Sephora announced a 7,000-square-foot location in 2022, adding another prominent specialty retailer beside Trader Joe’s. After Stein Mart closed its store in 2020, O2 Fitness Clubs moved into the space in September 2023. Thruway Center also retains local historical associations. Dewey’s Bakery was described as the last remaining original tenant in 2019. That year, a time capsule buried when the Thruway Theatre opened in 1969 was opened, and another capsule was placed for opening in 2069. The property remains active and functions as a neighborhood-oriented shopping and service destination rather than as a single-product consumer brand. Its significance comes from longevity, continuity of location, adaptive reuse of retail space, and its role in Winston-Salem’s commercial development.
History
Thruway Center emerged from Winston-Salem's postwar suburban commercial expansion. In June 1953, Merchants Development Co. announced plans for a shopping center on a 14-acre former farm along Stratford Road. The development was associated with Ray Messick, Earl Slick, and W. B. Leverton. Its name referred to an east-west superhighway then being planned nearby, which developers expected would be called the Thruway. The road was eventually given another name, but the retail project kept the Thruway designation. The center opened on October 13, 1955, after an investment reported at approximately $1.5 million. It was described as Winston-Salem's first shopping center and the second shopping center in North Carolina. The original plan combined a supermarket, department and variety retail, drugstore, food and service businesses, and a bank. Food Fair, a grocery chain owned by Messick, was planned as a major tenant. F. W. Woolworth, Eckerd Drug, and a range of smaller merchants helped establish the center as a broad-based destination rather than a single-purpose retail property. Construction also affected the neighboring Smoke House building, where WTOB radio operated; the station's tower had to be moved. Thruway Center grew through a major 1966 expansion. The approximately $2.5 million addition extended the property toward Knollwood Street and brought the total size to about 304,778 square feet across roughly 30 acres. New or expanded tenants included Thalhimers, Roses, and Winn-Dixie. The center therefore developed a combination of department-store, discount, grocery, and service functions characteristic of mid-century American shopping centers. In 1972, B. F. Saul Real Estate Investment Trust, based in Chevy Chase, Maryland, purchased the property. The new owner later spent approximately $1 million on improvements in 1975. During the 1990s and 2000s, the property underwent successive tenant changes. Thalhimers closed in January 1992, and Stein Mart planned to use the former space. Harris Teeter opened its third Winston-Salem store at the center in 1992 and became an important grocery presence. Roses announced in 1993 that its Thruway location would close as part of a broader set of closures. In 1998, Borders announced a move into the former Woolworth space; its roughly 25,000-square-foot store opened in May 1999. Borders ultimately closed in 2011 when the chain liquidated its stores. The former Borders space was adapted for Trader Joe's, which opened a roughly 13,000-square-foot store in October 2012. This was the first Trader Joe's location in Winston-Salem and helped give the center a new specialty-grocery anchor. By 2019, Dewey's Bakery was identified as the last surviving original tenant. The same year, the center's historical connection to the Thruway Theatre was commemorated when a time capsule buried at the theater's February 1969 opening was opened. A new capsule was buried for opening in 2069. The property continued to evolve in the 2020s. Stein Mart closed its store in 2020 amid extensive company-wide closures. Sephora announced in May 2022 that it would open a 7,000-square-foot store next to Trader Joe's, adding a major beauty retailer and a second anchor tenant. O2 Fitness Clubs moved into the former Stein Mart space in September 2023. Thruway Center remains active near the Salem Parkway junction with Stratford Road, serving the northern outskirts of the Greater Hanes Mall District. Its long-term identity is based on adaptive reuse, a changing mix of national and local tenants, and continuity as one of Winston-Salem's oldest shopping centers.
- 2023
O2 Fitness Clubs opens
[1]O2 Fitness Clubs moved into the space formerly occupied by Stein Mart.
- 2022
Sephora announced as a new anchor
[1]Sephora announced plans for a 7,000-square-foot location next to Trader Joe's.
- 2019
Historic time capsule replaced
[1]A time capsule associated with the 1969 opening of Thruway Theatre was opened and replaced with a new capsule intended for 2069.
- 2012
Trader Joe's opens
[1]Trader Joe's opened its first Winston-Salem location in the former Borders space.
- 1999
Borders bookstore opens
[1]Borders opened a bookstore in the former Woolworth space after announcing the project in 1998.
- 1992
Department-store and grocery changes
[1]Thalhimers closed, Stein Mart prepared to take over its space, and Harris Teeter opened a major Winston-Salem location at the center.
- 1975
Property improvements made
[1]The owner invested approximately $1 million in improvements to the center.
- 1972
Acquired by B. F. Saul Real Estate Investment Trust
[1]B. F. Saul Real Estate Investment Trust acquired the shopping center.
- 1966
Major expansion completed
[1]A major addition toward Knollwood Street expanded the center to approximately 304,778 square feet on a roughly 30-acre site.
- 1955
Thruway Center opens
[1]Mayor Marshall Kurfees presided over the opening ceremony on October 13, 1955, establishing the center as one of North Carolina's earliest shopping centers.
Products and positioning
A long-established, community-oriented shopping center serving Winston-Salem with grocery, specialty retail, food, fitness, and personal services.
Retail property · 1955
Shopping-center retail and services
Thruway Center provides a multi-tenant retail environment rather than a proprietary product line. Its historical and current mix has included grocery stores, department and variety retailers, specialty shops, beauty retail, bookstores, bakeries, fitness facilities, and personal services. The center's tenant changes reflect adaptation to shifts in American retail, including the replacement of legacy department stores and bookstores with specialty grocery, beauty, and fitness operators.
Grocery and specialty food · 2012
Trader Joe's
Trader Joe's operates a roughly 13,000-square-foot store in space previously occupied by Borders. Opened in 2012, it was the chain's first Winston-Salem location and became one of the center's principal contemporary anchors.
Beauty and cosmetics · 2022
Sephora
Sephora announced a planned 7,000-square-foot store beside Trader Joe's in 2022. The location was described as a second anchor tenant for Thruway Center and represents the property's shift toward specialty retail and experiential shopping.
Bakery and food service
Dewey's Bakery
Dewey's Bakery is a long-standing local tenant associated with the center. By 2019 it was identified as the last remaining original tenant, linking the current property to its 1950s origins.
Fitness services · 2023
O2 Fitness Clubs
O2 Fitness Clubs occupies the former Stein Mart space. Its arrival in September 2023 converted a large legacy retail unit into a health and fitness offering, continuing the center's pattern of adaptive reuse.
Brand decisions
2023
Convert the former Stein Mart space to fitness useStrategyBackground
Stein Mart's Thruway Center store closed in 2020, leaving a large retail space available for reuse.
Action taken
O2 Fitness Clubs moved into the former Stein Mart space in September 2023.
Aftermath
The change diversified the center's offer with a fitness and wellness operator and continued its long-running pattern of adapting large units to new uses.
2022
Add Sephora as a second anchor tenantProduct launchBackground
The center continued to refresh its tenant mix around established anchors and specialty retail.
Action taken
Sephora announced plans for a 7,000-square-foot store next to Trader Joe's.
Aftermath
The announcement expanded the center's beauty and specialty-retail offering and was presented as adding a second anchor tenant.
2012
Replace the former Borders space with Trader Joe'sProduct launchBackground
The Borders bookstore closed in 2011 after its parent chain liquidated its stores, leaving a substantial vacant retail unit.
Action taken
Trader Joe's opened a roughly 13,000-square-foot store in the former Borders location.
Aftermath
The opening brought the specialty grocer's first Winston-Salem location to Thruway Center and established a new contemporary anchor.
1966
Expand the shopping center toward Knollwood StreetStrategyBackground
The original center required additional space to support larger retailers and a broader tenant mix.
Action taken
A major addition was constructed, increasing the property to approximately 304,778 square feet across about 30 acres.
Aftermath
The expansion added or accommodated tenants including Thalhimers, Roses, and Winn-Dixie and strengthened the center's role as a regional retail destination.
Expansion investment. $2.5 million (1966)
Sources1 sources
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