Stony Point Fashion Park is seeking an ABC permit that would allow its restaurant tenants to serve to-go alcoholic beverages, which visitors could carry around at the mall and drink. (Jack Jacobs photo)
Stony Point Fashion Park is eyeing booze as a means to bring more energy to the mall.
The South Richmond mall submitted an application last week for one of the ABC’s commercial lifestyle center licenses, which would allow Stony Point’s restaurants to serve to-go alcoholic drinks that customers could take with them and consume as they walk around.
The move at Stony Point comes as the latest effort by Second Horizon Capital, the mall’s relatively new owner, to turn things around after the center has struggled to retain tenants in recent years.
Second Horizon co-founder Howard Levine said the company is pleased with how things are going at Stony Point thus far, and that the open-container permit would build on efforts to attract new tenants at the mall and offer event programming.
“We’re excited by how well things are progressing on site and this is a natural next step,” Levine said.
Stony Point seeks to join what Levine called a growing trend among shopping centers and malls to introduce open-container policies to attract visitors.
“It’s happening at centers like this across the country,” he said.
Locally, Short Pump mall is also pursuing an open-container permit. The Henrico mall had intended to roll out its program this spring; however, a spokeswoman on Monday didn’t provide an updated timeline on when it would be introduced.
If Stony Point’s permit is approved, people would be able to drink alcohol in the mall’s public areas, but not in the parking lots. Shoppers could only drink beverages purchased from the mall’s tenants that have ABC licenses. The mall itself wouldn’t sell alcoholic beverages.
The mall’s tenants wouldn’t be required to participate in the program. Participating restaurant tenants would have to sell the beverages in to-go cups branded with the establishments’ names or logos.
Restaurants at Stony Point that sell alcohol include P. F. Chang’s, Latitude Seafood Co. and Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Winebar.
Levine said they hope to receive word on whether the ABC application is approved later this summer, and the open-container program would be rolled out at some point after that.
In recent months, tenants such as Verseau Bistro and women’s fashion store Travian Vann have opened at the center. Vineyard Vines shuttered its Stony Point outpost and relocated to Short Pump in early June.
The pending open-container program comes as Second Horizon rolls out a focus on events at Stony Point, with recent programming such as an ongoing exhibition by Art on Wheels, a Richmond Animal League pet adoption event in May and blood drives put on by the American Red Cross.
“Since our acquisition we have been active in looking for events and activities that are compatible with the needs and wants of our customers, tenants and community, and we look forward to growing those offerings,” Levine said.
Anchor tenants at the mall are Dillard’s and Saks Fifth Avenue. Florida-based real estate investment firm Second Horizon bought Stony Point for $14.6 million in April 2022.
Stony Point Fashion Park is seeking an ABC permit that would allow its restaurant tenants to serve to-go alcoholic beverages, which visitors could carry around at the mall and drink. (Jack Jacobs photo)
Stony Point Fashion Park is eyeing booze as a means to bring more energy to the mall.
The South Richmond mall submitted an application last week for one of the ABC’s commercial lifestyle center licenses, which would allow Stony Point’s restaurants to serve to-go alcoholic drinks that customers could take with them and consume as they walk around.
The move at Stony Point comes as the latest effort by Second Horizon Capital, the mall’s relatively new owner, to turn things around after the center has struggled to retain tenants in recent years.
Second Horizon co-founder Howard Levine said the company is pleased with how things are going at Stony Point thus far, and that the open-container permit would build on efforts to attract new tenants at the mall and offer event programming.
“We’re excited by how well things are progressing on site and this is a natural next step,” Levine said.
Stony Point seeks to join what Levine called a growing trend among shopping centers and malls to introduce open-container policies to attract visitors.
“It’s happening at centers like this across the country,” he said.
Locally, Short Pump mall is also pursuing an open-container permit. The Henrico mall had intended to roll out its program this spring; however, a spokeswoman on Monday didn’t provide an updated timeline on when it would be introduced.
If Stony Point’s permit is approved, people would be able to drink alcohol in the mall’s public areas, but not in the parking lots. Shoppers could only drink beverages purchased from the mall’s tenants that have ABC licenses. The mall itself wouldn’t sell alcoholic beverages.
The mall’s tenants wouldn’t be required to participate in the program. Participating restaurant tenants would have to sell the beverages in to-go cups branded with the establishments’ names or logos.
Restaurants at Stony Point that sell alcohol include P. F. Chang’s, Latitude Seafood Co. and Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Winebar.
Levine said they hope to receive word on whether the ABC application is approved later this summer, and the open-container program would be rolled out at some point after that.
In recent months, tenants such as Verseau Bistro and women’s fashion store Travian Vann have opened at the center. Vineyard Vines shuttered its Stony Point outpost and relocated to Short Pump in early June.
The pending open-container program comes as Second Horizon rolls out a focus on events at Stony Point, with recent programming such as an ongoing exhibition by Art on Wheels, a Richmond Animal League pet adoption event in May and blood drives put on by the American Red Cross.
“Since our acquisition we have been active in looking for events and activities that are compatible with the needs and wants of our customers, tenants and community, and we look forward to growing those offerings,” Levine said.
Anchor tenants at the mall are Dillard’s and Saks Fifth Avenue. Florida-based real estate investment firm Second Horizon bought Stony Point for $14.6 million in April 2022.
If the previous owners had wanted to infuse more life into the mall they should have not put the residential behind a gate on the outside of the ring road. I think better incorporating residential into the fabric of the mall would have helped with foot traffic a lot more. At the very least the restaurants would likely do better.
I went to school in California and lived and worked in Texas for several years and in those states it is completely normal to build apartments over retail/restaurant spaces. I find it a little bizarre how little housing is built into shopping centers in Virginia.
Same.
Same.
No issue with the idea at either mall but why has it been almost nine months for Short Pump and the only news for them is that they have no timeline at this time. Have they not gotten the actual ABC permit? I mean based their timeline, I am guessing before Christmas 2025 (maybe for October 2025) open drinking will be allowed in the center.
I want to see Stony Point succeed and I neglect to understand what progress Levine is happy with today. Allowing for open containers sounds fine, and for it to work you’d need enough stores/a reason to spend time at the mall. The restaurants do well, but the setup should be more similar to west broad village with shops and apartments integrated into the same buildings. Related: I’ll never understand how the city didn’t require a connection between Stony Point Road and Stony Point Parkway. The mall is so disconnected from the area, Stony Point Road is .17 miles from the… Read more »
I am certain that the lack of access from Stony Point Road was deliberate on the part of local residents getting the road stopped.
cant wait to open drink shop at a Spirit Halloween store when they come to Stony Point.
SNAP!
In my opinion Stoney Point needs a Regency Square type of makeover. This alcohol request is a bandage at best, for a mall that’s dying.