Richmond Shopping: Southside Plaza

Growing up on Hull Street not far from Chippenham Highway and the border of Chesterfield County, we were not far from any shopping centers or even the newly built Cloverleaf Mall.  Even so, I remember that we frequently shopped at Southside Plaza.  From the 1950’s through the late 1970’s, Southside Plaza was one of THE shopping centers on the south side of Richmond.  The plaza featured retailers like JC Penny, Sears, Giant Food, Miller & Rhoads and Woolworth’s.  When Cloverleaf Mall opened in 1972, the big tenants like JC Penny and Sears abandoned Southside Plaza for the new mall, which was an enclosed shopping center.  The closing of these two retailers began the slow slide of the plaza.  The store that housed the former JC Penny went through a variety of tenants including a Dart Drug.  Dart did not last long and the store would see use as ‘Santa’s Workshop’ and other temporary uses.  Southside Plaza, for years, held a Christmas ‘parade’ and other holiday events.  The retailers would frequently have sidewalk sales and the plaza was generally busy all year long.  The outlots contained an upscale retailer, Miller & Rhoads,  and a couple of fast food restaurants and a White Tower.  I remember having many lunches with my dad at the White Tower.  In fact, I seem to recall my first cup of Sanka was at that White Tower. 

Most of the retailers that I remember being there are either gone, as in out of business, or morphed into other companies.  There was a ‘Wards Loading Dock’ which was a forerunner to Circuit City, which is now liquidating itself and should cease to exist very soon.  Woolworths, GC Murphy, S&W Cafeteria, Giant Food (which is still around, just no in the Richmond market) are all gone or exist in some other form.

Also on the complex property was a drive-in theater.  The Plaza Drive in had this really cool and very 50’s sign.  The sign towered over the entrance with the word PLAZA in colorful diamond shaped appendages on the sign.  The drive in made into the mid 1980’s before it closed.  An attempt to reopen the drive in failed.  A used car dealer was the last occupant of the drive in property.

Today, the plaza is nearly fully full, but it is a shadow of it’s former self. In its heyday, the plaza was a vibrant place to shop.  It’s luster may be gone, but the memories go on.