VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — It’s the final countdown for stores inside Pembroke Mall in Virginia Beach. The mall is being redeveloped into a mixed-use destination with residential, shopping, and dining options.
Several small business owners told 10 On Your Side last month there wasn’t enough notice about the forced move. We found some who are still concerned about that as they prepare to leave by close of business Monday, Jan. 31.
“The headline is we are super excited about the re-development of the mall,” said Mall General Manager Mark Sandy.
Monday marks the end of one era and the beginning of another.
“We are in our final week of closing down the interior shops, the exteriors shops will stay open,” he said.
The mall will soon be home to a senior living center, a new hotel on property, and an apartment complex with retail shops on the ground floor.
That new development is moving out mom-and-pop businesses like Paul Shannon at ART’S UP.
“We got all this stuff from the 80’s. People come here, and a lot of people used to work here. Like we just had someone today who worked in the Athletic Attic,” Shannon said.
That someone is Trina Haj, who worked where the Customized Teez store is now.
“They used to call it the Athletic Attic, and I worked there for a while. We had a great time, and I had just graduated high school,” she said.
And then we found Raju Gurbuxani sitting in the middle of what is left of his business, T-Shirt Kingdom. His brother, Ravi, wishes he had more time.
“I’m OK with it. It was an original shock, and they didn’t give us enough time. We basically had 45 days’ notice, but we found another location, so we are ok with it,” he said.
Haj also remembers the movie theaters that attracted so many.
“Oh, I remember seeing ‘Grease’ and ‘Jaws’ back in the 70s. I grew up in this area and it is sad to see everything go,” Haj said.
“It is the end of an era. It is bringing up a new chapter, and I am hoping everything works out fine,” Ravi added.
Sandy emphasizes only the interior of the mall will be closed for redevelopment, and there is a sign up of the 14 businesses that will remain open during the new construction.
“You know, malls across the country have to do something different. Interior of malls are struggling. They have been struggling for a few years now,” he said.
We found Jean and Tom Vaughan walking down memory lane in the halls of Pembroke Mall.
“It is a sad thing that they are closing down so many small businesses. As I was walking through, I realized it is the end of an era, and the beginning of a new one,” he said.