Waynesboro Outlet Village

Waynesboro Outlet Village was an outdoor factory-outlet shopping complex in Waynesboro, Virginia. Opened in 1987, it represented one of the city’s early efforts to establish itself as a regional shopping destination. The center operated as a purpose-built outlet environment, bringing together branded factory stores and specialty retailers in a village-style outdoor setting rather than a conventional enclosed mall. During its most active period, the complex hosted a broad selection of outlet and discount-oriented businesses. Retail tenants included Bannister Shoe, Bass Shoes, Bugle Boy, Capacity, Christmas Goose, Corning-Revere, Crafters Corner, Fannie Farmer, L’eggs-Hanes-Bali, Liz Claiborne, Petal Pushers, Sam’s Factory Outlet, The Paper Factory, The Ribbon Outlet, Royal Dalton, Tile Visions, Virginia MetalCrafters, and Westport Ltd. The tenant mix covered apparel, footwear, housewares, gifts, specialty products, and factory-direct merchandise. In its later years, the property became less exclusively retail-oriented and also accommodated offices and facilities for nonprofit, technology, and other organizations, including the Artisans Center of Virginia, Borg-Warner Services, Computer Redistribution Team, Dance Augusta, Northrop Grumman Information Technology, and One Child at a Time. The property was later known as Waynesboro Village. By the mid-2000s, the outlet center had closed as a retail destination. Existing tenants were required to leave by June 19, 2006, and the complex was demolished in August of that year. Some structures were dismantled through conventional demolition, while the Waynesboro Fire Department used other buildings for controlled fire-training exercises before their removal. The arrangement reduced demolition costs for the redevelopment project while providing practical training for firefighters. The site was redeveloped as Waynesboro Town Center, a newer retail project intended to replace the aging outlet complex with a more conventional shopping-center format. City officials identified Target and Kohl’s as anchor tenants in 2006. Target opened on October 9, 2007, marking the first phase of the replacement center’s retail activity. Waynesboro Outlet Village therefore belongs to the history of American outlet malls and dead malls: it began as a local and regional shopping attraction, broadened into a mixed retail-and-office property, and ultimately gave way to a new-generation shopping center.

Waynesboro Outlet Village opened in 1987 in Waynesboro, Virginia, as an outdoor outlet mall designed to strengthen the city’s appeal as a shopping destination. Its format reflected the period’s growing interest in factory-outlet retail, in which manufacturers and specialty retailers sold discounted, excess, or factory-direct merchandise from clustered stores outside a traditional enclosed mall. At its height, the property contained a diverse group of outlet tenants. Shoe retailers included Bannister Shoe and Bass Shoes, while apparel and intimate-apparel businesses included Bugle Boy, L’eggs-Hanes-Bali, Liz Claiborne, and Westport Ltd. Other tenants represented gifts, food, housewares, crafts, paper goods, cookware, tile, and specialty merchandise. The center also hosted businesses such as Christmas Goose, Fannie Farmer, The Paper Factory, The Ribbon Outlet, Royal Dalton, Corning-Revere, Crafters Corner, Tile Visions, Virginia MetalCrafters, and Sam’s Factory Outlet. The property’s identity changed over time. Although it remained associated with outlet retail, its later tenant base included offices and nonprofit or institutional users. The Artisans Center of Virginia, Borg-Warner Services, Computer Redistribution Team, Dance Augusta, Northrop Grumman Information Technology, and One Child at a Time were among the nontraditional occupants reported at the site. This shift from a focused outlet destination toward a mixed-use commercial property suggested that the original retail model had weakened by the 2000s. The center was subsequently rebranded Waynesboro Village. In preparation for redevelopment, tenants had to vacate their spaces by June 19, 2006. The buildings were demolished in August 2006. The Waynesboro Fire Department used some structures for controlled fire-training exercises, allowing firefighters to practice in real buildings while helping the redevelopment project avoid some conventional demolition costs. The former outlet property was then cleared for a new shopping center. The replacement development was named Waynesboro Town Center. In June 2006, city officials confirmed that Target and Kohl’s would serve as anchors. Target opened on October 9, 2007, as the first of several planned tenants. The transition illustrates the replacement of an older outlet-village format with a more broadly anchored retail-center model. Today, Waynesboro Outlet Village is a defunct retail property remembered as an early shopping-development initiative in Waynesboro and as an example of an outlet center that ultimately disappeared through redevelopment.

• 2007

  Replacement shopping center begins opening

  [1]Waynesboro Outlet Villageen.wikipedia.org

  Waynesboro Town Center replaces the former outlet site, with Target opening on October 9 as its first reported tenant.

• 2006

  Retail operations end

  [1]Waynesboro Outlet Villageen.wikipedia.org

  The property, also known as Waynesboro Village, closes for redevelopment, with existing tenants required to leave by June 19.

• 2006

  Complex is demolished

  [1]Waynesboro Outlet Villageen.wikipedia.org

  The outlet village is removed during August. Several buildings are used by the Waynesboro Fire Department for training exercises before being destroyed.

• 1987

  Waynesboro Outlet Village opens

  [1]Waynesboro Outlet Villageen.wikipedia.org

  An outdoor factory-outlet shopping complex opens in Waynesboro, Virginia, as one of the city’s early efforts to attract shoppers and establish a larger retail destination.

A regional outdoor outlet destination offering factory-store merchandise and specialty retail in Waynesboro, Virginia. In its later years, the property also functioned as a mixed retail-and-office complex before being replaced by a conventional shopping center.

• Apparel · 1987

  Factory-outlet apparel

  The center’s apparel offering included outlet stores associated with brands such as Bugle Boy, Liz Claiborne, L’eggs-Hanes-Bali, and Westport Ltd. These stores contributed to the property’s original positioning as a destination for discounted branded clothing and related merchandise.

• Footwear · 1987

  Footwear outlets

  Bannister Shoe and Bass Shoes were among the reported footwear tenants. Their presence gave the outlet village a dedicated shoe-retail component alongside its apparel and specialty stores.

• Home and specialty retail · 1987

  Housewares and specialty goods

  The property also offered housewares, cookware, gifts, crafts, paper products, tile, and other specialty merchandise through tenants including Corning-Revere, Crafters Corner, Christmas Goose, The Paper Factory, The Ribbon Outlet, Royal Dalton, and Tile Visions.

• 2006

  Redevelop the outlet village as a conventional shopping centerStrategy

  Background

  The aging outlet property had shifted toward a mix of retail and office users, while the city and developers pursued a newer retail destination for the site.

  Action taken

  Operations were ended, tenants were required to vacate, and the buildings were demolished to make way for Waynesboro Town Center, planned with Target and Kohl’s as anchor stores.

  Aftermath

  Waynesboro Town Center replaced the former outlet complex, and Target opened there on October 9, 2007.

  Source

1. 1Waynesboro Outlet Villageen.wikipedia.org