L.L. Bean among new retailers, restaurants coming to Short Pump Town Center

The Boathouse, Children’s Museum of Richmond, and Lily Rain are among those joining the outdoor retailer this year.

May 15, 2015; 9:00 AM • by Trevor Dickerson

L.L. Bean, one of the nation’s leading merchants of outdoor gear and apparel, announced Thursday it will be opening its first retail store in central Virginia at Short Pump Town Center during the fourth quarter of 2015.

The forthcoming store will occupy the space where the Short Pump Food Court is currently located, eliminating the food court–which was already halved in size with the opening of Rock Bottom Brewery and Restaurant last June.

Several of the current food court tenants will be relocated. Chick-fil-A will operate one of their smaller ‘Express’ concepts on the lower level of the mall until a full-service Chick-fil-A opens this fall near Macy’s.

Pretzel purveyor Auntie Anne’s will re-locate to an in-line space on the upper level of the mall in addition to a cart, which will be located outdoors in the main plaza.

Joining L.L. Bean are several other retailers and restaurants, all of which will open later this year.

The Children’s Museum of Richmond, which is relocating its Short Pump satellite location from West Broad Village to the mall. CMOR should open in July.

Lily Rain, primarily a clothing store, will open a store at the mall and feature an assortment of women’s apparel and accessories as well as original home gifts. Inspiration for the product offerings come from obscure European emporiums, open air markets, museums and “best-kept-secret boutiques,” according to the company.

Local restaurant The Boathouse will open its third Richmond location (its fourth if you count its sister restaurant, Casa Del Barco), offering its well-known coastal-inspired cuisine, with a heavy emphasis on its sushi bar at the Short Pump location. The Boathouse plans to open in early June under the Hyatt House Hotel, at the rear of the mall.

Zumiez, a store offering “cutting edge clothing, shoes, accessories, and gear for skateboarding, snowboarding and surf,” will open sometime in 2015 as well.

“We are always looking for ways to enhance the overall experience and we feel that the addition of L.L. Bean will allow us to continue to do that,” said Kem Blue, Vice President and General Manager of Short Pump Town Center.

The 12-year-old mall, which encompasses 1.3 million square feet, underwent extensive renovations and upgrades in 2014.