The History of The Cloverleaf Mall | The long-gone Richmond supercenter | NSTLKIA Malls S1E2
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- Опубликовано: 7 фев 2025
- I apologize for the late upload everyone! I am trying to get my video schedule back on track with school occupying a lot of time.
In this week's video I take a look at the history of The Cloverleaf Mall, in Richmond Virginia. Cloverleaf was a famous Virginia-based mall, the largest in Richmond at its time. At its peak it had a large variety of stores, mainly advertised towards upper-class women's fashion. The mall was very prosperous for decades on end, destroying its competition. However, massive socio-economic shifts coupled with rises in violence would eventually leave the mall deserted, and forgotten.
PLEASE NOTE: I never mentioned it in the video however in 2010-2011 the mall was demolished and replaced with a Kroger shopping center. My apologies!
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TIMESTAMPS:
1:16- History
4:20- Advertisements (1)
5:05- The fall of Cloverleaf
8:40- Advertisements (2)
9:22- Conclusion
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Retro, radio, store, abandoned, bankrupt, RadioShack, old, company, commentary, storytime, computers, technology, phone, wireless, old, history, research, moon, mall, tonight, enjoy, late night, mall, shopping
Richmond Virginia native: It more than anything the growth of the suburban sprawl down Midlothian Turnpike and the subsequent abandonment of the shopping district around that mall by high dollar consumers more than anything. The Chesterfield Town Center in the early 80’s was a very small Chesterfield mall, with just two department stores and very little else. It underwent a massive expansion right around the turn of the decade bringing its total square footage to over a million. It’s still the single largest shopping mall in the Richmond Area (and that has been surpassed in quality by newcomers).
Around the same time, Cloverleaf underwent a “early 90’s pastel” renovation that removed a lot of what made it interesting including the fountain chandelier. There was a new highway that bisected the middle of route 60. You no longer had to drive on Chippenham Parkway to go in and out of the northern parts of the city.- which was a huge part of the traffic draw. The southernmost region saw all of the new growth and the area surrounding Cloverleaf was left to rot.
The mall was already more discount focused even before the shooting.
Richmond native here and my family came here in the early 1900s. And yeah, when chesterfield town center happened then it killed clover leaf and now west Chester commons is going to kill chesterfield town center and it doesn't matter because no one in my neighborhood can reach either of these
I'm pretty sure the pastel renovation happened in the mid 80s, but yeah, everything moved west from the early 70s to the 80s. As a kid, Cloverleaf seemed so far away, but I now realize it was only about 7 miles from where we lived.
@@KingLarbearWestchester Commons isn't killing sh**. Their busiest store is a Wawa.
Thanks for making this! I'm a local in the area and remember my parents taking us to shop there as a kid in the 90s. It felt like it was already going downhill at that point so we frequented Chesterfield Towne Center more even though it was a little further out.
Fast forward to today, the area where the old Cloverleaf Mall once stood is thriving again! It's been completely redeveloped to what we now know as Stonebridge and it isn't even finished yet! The sketchy shopping center that used to be across the street from the mall is also seeing a huge mixed used redevelopment right now known as Springline at District 60.
The area has so much momentum going for it right now! Now if the same could be replicated on the Richmond side of Chippenham Parkway, this would be an absolute win for metro RVA!
My first job was at Susie’s Casuals when the mall first opened. I then moved on to LaVogue. My favorite store to shop, also! They would have art shows in the mall, which I was also featured in. So many fond memories of walking the mall on Friday nights holding hands with my boyfriend. 72-74 was the best time there.
I remember going to this mall - one time. As a girl, and it had been some time after the murders. It was - depressing. Sad. But I was excited because of all the new and different stores I hadn’t yet seen. I remember when Cloverleaf was torn down and now in its place is a shopping center with a Kroger, some little restaurants, and among other things a Krispy Kreme donuts.
Willow lawn went through a similar situation. It was an indoor mall and now it is an outdoor shopping center.
So when you said two women were murdered in 96 at cloverleaf... Why did you put an article about an incident at Tyson's corner??? That place is a two hour drive away in northern VA... Now the mistake has me questioning the rest of the video
I've been in Richmond since 1982, personally for me location and expansion and new roads and highways certainly contributed in ways of drawing me away initially... I simply didn't go that route anymore, and at one time I stepped foot back in that mall and immediately felt like it was a bad and scary place to be. The fact this video refers to gang activity highlights my unease at the time and I vowed that day to never return. I was then and am even today still surprised how many years it lingered in what had to be an agonizingly slow death. There were hardly people there, mostly just employees, it couldn't have been good for those companies financially, on the other hand I suppose it provided some sort of paid work...
There's definitely nostalgia, it used to be THE place to go.
Dude, get your facts right.. a bunch of your comments are completely wrong. You say “cloverfield”, its cloverleaf located in chesterfield. Thalhimers was not one story it was two like all of the end cap stores in the mall. The centerpiece of the mall constantly changed and was not just “crystal trees” do more investigative wok if your going to make a video on a particular subject.
3:45 man look a Midlothian! this was before the shopping center across was made. I remember there was a peaches music, a Best store and a builders square.
@Melanie Nelson oh those crates lol! I remember passing that place to get Richmond comix tucked away in the shopping center further back.
Are you talking about Spring Rock Green
@@KingLarbear yup didn't know it had a name, formerly called Beaufont Mall
YAAAAAAASSSSSS!!!! I was just thinking how Peaches Music was across the way when I saw that clip too!! I miss Peaches so MUCH!!! I use to love how it smelled, remember how it had a particular sweet smell to it when you walked in??? I'll always remember that smell and vibe when entering Peaches
I remember that, in fact I bought my first 15-speed at Best.
I grew up going to this mall! Also, you do not pronounce the H in Thalhimers. It is pronounced Tallhimers, with no H sound. And thank you for this video!
Ahh okay. That makes more sense I was really confused on how to pronounce it. And thank you for the kind words!
Wait until he finds out that no one agrees on how to pronounce the powhite
I grew up going to this mall too. I was very sad to see it shut down and ultimately demolished.
Yeah, that was my mall growing up, too
@@SkiSkillsMontana Don't you miss those days? I do!
Southside center mall doesn't exist, never did. It is called South side plaza and that's my stopping grounds. It is one of the most dangerous places in Richmond
I love this channel. Can you please do Thalhimers and Miller and Rhoades? I can't remember if you did Best Products but please do them too
Cloverleaf held its own until the mid 80s and then it slowly and sadly began to go down. By the mid 90s Chesterfield Mall, which became Chesterfield Town Center, began to take its place.
I used to go to this mall ALL THE TIME back in that the day, as well as the movie theater building.
I miss that movie theater so much.
@@mutantx2372 I know right. Many many memories. When I used to go the mall, it was actually pretty decent and nice--before the gross crime set in.
I remember seeing 2 movies there.@@msbcheet6041
@msbcheet6041 I remember seeing 2 movies there. I got sad when they tore it down. Also I when they were building Kroger and all those other stores I could've swore I heard that they were gonna build a new movie theater there in the same spot.
So sad, those were the days, my father worked for Sears Automotive from 1974-88 I used to go with him on the nights he worked and hang out, it was the place to be, once the anchor stores started making a break for it and going to the chesterfield town center, cloverleaf was a ghost town, and when the rif raf started to come in too, God I miss that place 😢😢
When I first saw this mall in 2007, it was already dead. I remember driving through the parking lot as a quicker way to get to my mom’s house. I would have liked to see it in its heyday. However it’s now a shopping center with a Kroger. Chesterfield Towne Center is such a nice mall. I had no idea it used to be really small and rundown I heard. It looks like it used to be a beautiful place.
I used to work at Chesterfield Mall while they were expanding it. Morton's Jeweler's. It was so dead, the stores would just close when they wanted to, if they weren't making any money that day. Still loved it.
My soon to be wife worked at Victoria Secret when the murders took place. Moved to Chesterfield Towne Center after that. Other than that, good times visiting the mall during my youth.
I worked around the corner in Babbage's, and made the same move.
I grew up in this mall my dad own doctor pet center was one of the originals stores.
Oh that's awesome! I'm so sad it's gone.
I worked at Doctor Pet in 1984
I grew up in that mall!!!!
Awesome! Got any neat experiences from it?
"Almost became a symbol of Richmond", that was where everyone on the Southside shopped. I hope you update this
Its crazy going to Kroger over there, and forgetting Cloverleaf was in the same spot. I learned to drive in that old parking lot.
@@thewavz7985did they take down the mall and put something in its place? I wanted to go there and idk if it's still standing
I want to correct you on at least three things in this video as a life long Richmonder. One you started talking about a murder at the mall while showing an article on screen from a mall in Tyson’s corner it seems. Tysons corner is in northern VA not Richmond. That could be an unrelated case and this video could have false statements. Two it’s Tall- Hi-mers. At least that how old people that I’ve assisted with call it. Never heard it pronounced they way you did. Three , it’s southside plaza just like in the corner of the photo. Not what you said.
First video of yours I’ve watched. I enjoyed it as you gave a lot of valuable info about the mall whist showing slides and clips. One thing I’d say that I found myself having to skip was the commercials and the “you’re watching” segments. I feel they are useless and come off as something annoying you need to skip. I feel a random period correct commercial in the beginning to set the mood would be better, and maybe one at the end, this way the actual content isn’t interrupted. Subscribed and good luck with the channel and success.
I grew up in Chesterfield Towne Center!
I missed Peaches when it closed...moved away from Virginia in 1994...went back last year...what a dump my home state turned into...born and raised in Richmond...Oregon Hill...all the charm is gone.
Cloverleaf Mall was in Chesterfield and was too close to Richmond. Unfortunately, it wasn't always a good area.
So I was an 80s mall rat. Mainly hung out at Chesterfield Towne Center when I was a teen but before then we would go to Cloverleaf as a kid. Also my parents shopped at JC Penney a lot so that was another reason to go there. Cloverleaf was wonderful for a time to be sure.. a pretty magical place. Just a note... It's Tall-High-Mers .. the TH is not pronounced. But you hit on the main causes for the mall's growth and downfall. That murder really was a huge turning point.. women didn't feel safe going there anymore.
It's an umbrella and it's CLOVERLEAF!!!
Is this Mall still up? Has it been demolished?
If so, are there any 80's malls left in Virignia?
Yeah unfortunatley it was demolished I believe around 2010. As for the second question, I have no idea but I can't imagine there are many left.
There are a few left: regency, Southside plaza and willow lawn
@@bustakitayancey7261 Sincerely thank you.
@@bustakitayancey7261 none of those are in Richmond and neither was this mall
Not in Richmond but Southpark Mall in Colonial Heights VA is about as close to the 80s as you can get. All though the mall is in its final death throes now. Since theres shopping centers all around the mall
Sounds like it closed the same time as Rolling Acres
Yeah I think most malls that really got it bad in the US all closed around the same general era
As a kid this was the only mall that existed to us on the southside. Does anyone know that a serial killer followed woman home from this mall and raped and killed them?
People in that area know what happened.
Lol this guy is a fraud. He looks at a couple of online photographs at his computer 500 miles away and “fills in the blanks” for fifteen minutes. Then on to the next couple photographs without any serious investigation of the communities he’s running his mouth about.
But also they didn't innovate, they wanted to be traditional and the smart phone Era was around. They didn't have an online presence.
Richmond don’t have no good malls anymore like they did in the late 90’s.