Children’s dentistry chain opens in refurbished restaurant building in western Henrico

Children’s Dentistry of Virginia owners Jo Cronly and John Flowers. The local practice recently reopened its Henrico outpost in a larger location at John Rolfe Commons. (Courtesy Children’s Dentistry of Virginia)

A local dentistry practice that caters to kids has taken a bigger bite out of western Henrico with its latest location.

Children’s Dentistry of Virginia opened at 2160 John Rolfe Parkway in the John Rolfe Commons shopping center last month. The new office is in a refurbished former restaurant building and is a relocation of the chain’s office that formerly operated two miles away on Gayton Road.

Co-owner John Flowers said the dental practice had been on the lookout for a larger space that could accommodate more patients in that part of town.

The 6,300-square-foot building is twice as big as the former office at 12205 Gayton Road, which Children’s Dentistry had operated after it acquired an existing dental practice there in 2020.

“It was an older practice prior to us getting it, and it needed an update in terms of aesthetics and ability to see patients,” Flowers said.

The new location has six private treatment rooms and eight exam rooms. It also has X-ray and laser dentistry equipment as well as a dedicated sedation room for the practice’s pediatric patients.

The former restaurant building has been transformed to make way for the dentist office. (BizSense file photo)

Build-out and equipment expenses for the new location totaled more than $2 million. Flowers said it was the largest investment in a location that the business has made to date.

Sterling-based Arminco was the project’s general contractor and handled the design of the space.

The building had been home to a series of restaurants in recent years, mostly recently Autentico’s Kitchen and before that Hayashi Sushi & Grill. The free-standing outparcel building is situated on the corner of Ridgefield Green Drive and John Rolfe Parkway, next to an AutoZone and stands to benefit from the foot traffic at the Publix-anchored development.

“It’s a great spot with a lot of visibility. We love being here with the Publix on the corner and the Tuckahoe Little League (complex) next door,” co-owner Jo Cronly said.

Other tenants at John Rolfe Commons, which is owned by The Wilton Cos., include Ironclad Coffee Roasters, All Star Orthodontics, Dynamic Taekwondo and Marco’s Pizza.

After opening its first location at 2400 Colony Crossing Place near Brandermill in 2008, the practice has grown to a total of four locations. Flowers founded Children’s Dentistry with a different business partner who has since left the practice. Cronly came on as an owner in 2014.

An office opened in 2014 at 3600 Festival Park Plaza in Chester, the Henrico location followed in 2020 and an outpost at 11321 Polo Place in Midlothian opened in June 2023. The company isn’t actively looking further expand its footprint at this time.

Flowers said the company’s growth has been strong and it has benefited from the work-from-home trend, which in the practice’s experience has made it easier for parents to get kids into the office.

“In the post-COVID environment, the dental business has been active. A lot of families are valuing dentistry a little differently, and with the work-from-home (trend) parents have more flexibility to bring kids to appointments,” Flowers said.

Children’s Dentistry has more than 60 employees. The company has seven doctors, including the two owners.