Grand Central Mall

Grand Central Mall is a regional enclosed shopping mall in Vienna, West Virginia, near Parkersburg and within the Mid-Ohio Valley. Opened in 1972, it became the region’s principal enclosed retail destination and is described as the only enclosed mall within approximately 35 miles. The property has approximately 908,238 square feet of retail space and more than 90 tenants, including national department stores, off-price retailers, specialty stores, restaurants, entertainment businesses, and a food court. The mall’s original anchor lineup reflected the department-store and variety-store structure of American retail in the 1970s. Its early anchors included The Diamond, a division of Associated Dry Goods; JCPenney; Sears; and G.C. Murphy. The Diamond closed in 1983 and the space subsequently passed through Stone & Thomas and Elder-Beerman. Elder-Beerman later became one of the mall’s most recognizable department-store tenants, but its location closed in 2018. Sears also closed in December 2018 as part of the chain’s nationwide store-reduction program. Ownership and physical development have changed over time. Glimcher Realty Trust acquired the mall in 1993 and invested approximately $8 million in an expansion completed in the mid-1990s. The work added a food court, a movie theater, and a Proffitt’s department store. The Proffitt’s location was later operated under the Belk name. In 2023, Belk converted its full-line location into a Belk Outlet, changing the role of that anchor from a traditional department store to an off-price and outlet format. The mall has repeatedly re-used former anchor and large-store spaces as retail conditions changed. A former Phar-Mor location was later occupied by Steve & Barry’s, and the Steve & Barry’s space was subsequently converted to Dunham’s Sports after Steve & Barry’s closed in 2008. The former Elder-Beerman space was partly redeveloped for H&M, which became the first H&M store in West Virginia; H&M later closed in summer 2025. The Sears property was redeveloped into four stores: TJ Maxx and HomeGoods opened in March 2021, PetSmart opened later that month, and Ross Dress for Less opened in July 2021. The property’s surrounding retail area also includes freestanding restaurants and stores. Additions outside the mall in 2002 included Toys R Us, Olive Garden, Long John Silver’s, and Outback Steakhouse. Long John Silver’s was replaced by Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen in 2016, Toys R Us was replaced by Big Lots in 2019, and Ruby Tuesday was replaced by LongHorn Steakhouse in 2022. The Cafaro Company acquired Grand Central Mall in October 2025. In March 2026, Cafaro announced a multimillion-dollar renovation intended to modernize the property and add new attractions. The mall’s continuing role is that of a broad regional retail and entertainment center, with its tenant mix balancing department-store alternatives, discount and off-price shopping, sporting goods, pet supplies, home merchandise, dining, and cinema entertainment.

Grand Central Mall opened in 1972 in Vienna, West Virginia, as the principal enclosed shopping center for the Mid-Ohio Valley. Its location near Parkersburg positioned it to serve a broad regional trade area, and the mall was characterized as the only enclosed mall within roughly 35 miles. The original anchor lineup included The Diamond, an Associated Dry Goods store, along with JCPenney, Sears, and G.C. Murphy. These tenants represented the dominant American mall model of the period, combining department stores with a variety-store anchor and a collection of smaller specialty shops. The mall’s department-store history changed as retail chains consolidated. The Diamond closed in 1983. Its space was later occupied by Stone & Thomas, which became Elder-Beerman after Stone & Thomas was acquired in 1998. Phar-Mor was also added as a discount pharmacy tenant. In 1993, Glimcher Realty Trust acquired Grand Central Mall. During the mid-1990s, Glimcher invested approximately $8 million in an expansion that added a food court and a new movie theater. A second phase added a Proffitt’s department store, one of the first Proffitt’s locations in West Virginia. The Proffitt’s store later operated as Belk. Tenant turnover continued in the 2000s. Phar-Mor closed in 2002, and its space was eventually used by Steve & Barry’s. Outside the enclosed mall, the surrounding commercial area gained Toys R Us, Olive Garden, Long John Silver’s, and Outback Steakhouse in 2002. Steve & Barry’s closed in September 2008, after which the former anchor space became Dunham’s Sports. Long John Silver’s was replaced by Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen in 2016, while Toys R Us was replaced by Big Lots in 2019. Ruby Tuesday was replaced by LongHorn Steakhouse in March 2022. The mall experienced another major transition in 2017–2018. Elder-Beerman announced in November 2017 that its location would close on January 31, 2018. A 20,000-square-foot portion of the space was then converted into an H&M store, described as the first H&M location in West Virginia. H&M subsequently closed in summer 2025. Sears announced in September 2018 that its Grand Central Mall store would close under a nationwide closure plan; the store shut in December of that year. The former Sears property was redeveloped into four separate retail spaces. TJ Maxx and HomeGoods opened on March 11, 2021, PetSmart opened on March 27, and Ross Dress for Less opened on July 16. This redevelopment shifted the mall’s anchor profile away from traditional department stores toward off-price apparel, home merchandise, pet supplies, and value-oriented general retail. In June 2023, Belk also changed its format, converting its full-line store into a Belk Outlet. The Cafaro Company acquired Grand Central Mall in October 2025. In March 2026, Cafaro announced a multimillion-dollar renovation program intended to update the property and introduce new attractions. The project announcement included a ceremonial nail-driving marking the beginning of renovation work. Grand Central Mall therefore remains an active regional retail property whose identity has evolved through ownership changes, anchor replacement, adaptive reuse, and a continuing emphasis on value retail, dining, and entertainment.

• 2026

  Renovation project announced

  [1]Grand Central Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Cafaro announced a multimillion-dollar renovation and new attractions.

• 2025

  Cafaro Company acquired the property

  [1]Grand Central Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Cafaro Company became the mall’s owner.

• 2023

  Belk became a Belk Outlet

  [1]Grand Central Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The Belk anchor changed from a full-line department store to an outlet format.

• 2021

  Former Sears site redevelopment opened

  [1]Grand Central Mallen.wikipedia.org

  TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, PetSmart, and Ross Dress for Less opened in the former Sears area.

• 2018

  Elder-Beerman and Sears exited

  [1]Grand Central Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Elder-Beerman closed in January and Sears closed in December, creating substantial redevelopment opportunities.

• 2008

  Steve & Barry’s closed

  [1]Grand Central Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The former anchor closed and its space was later converted to Dunham’s Sports.

• 2002

  Surrounding retail area expanded

  [1]Grand Central Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Toys R Us, Olive Garden, Long John Silver’s, and Outback Steakhouse opened outside the mall.

• 1996

  Expansion added food and entertainment facilities

  [1]Grand Central Mallen.wikipedia.org

  A major expansion added a food court, movie theater, and Proffitt’s department store.

• 1993

  Glimcher Realty Trust acquired the mall

  [1]Grand Central Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Glimcher became the mall’s owner.

• 1983

  The Diamond closed

  [1]Grand Central Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The original Associated Dry Goods anchor closed; the space later became Stone & Thomas and then Elder-Beerman.

• 1972

  Grand Central Mall opened

  [1]Grand Central Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The enclosed regional mall opened in Vienna, West Virginia, serving the Mid-Ohio Valley.

A regional enclosed shopping and entertainment center serving Vienna, Parkersburg, and the wider Mid-Ohio Valley, with a tenant mix focused on practical family retail, value-oriented shopping, dining, and cinema entertainment.

• Shopping mall · 1972

  Regional shopping center

  Grand Central Mall provides an enclosed regional shopping environment with more than 90 tenants, multiple anchor and junior-anchor stores, specialty retail, food-service businesses, and a food court. Its tenant mix is designed for recurring local and regional visits rather than a single product category.

• Department and off-price retail

  Anchor and junior-anchor retail

  The mall’s current anchor lineup includes Belk Outlet, JCPenney, Dunham’s Sports, PetSmart, TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, Ross Dress for Less, and a Regal movie theater. Together, these stores cover apparel, home goods, sporting goods, pet supplies, general merchandise, and entertainment.

• Dining and leisure · 1996

  Food and entertainment

  The property includes a food court and a Regal cinema, while the surrounding retail area includes freestanding restaurant and food-service tenants. These offerings extend the mall’s role beyond shopping and support family and regional leisure visits.

• 2026

  Announced a comprehensive renovationStrategy

  Background

  After acquiring the mall, Cafaro announced plans to refresh the property and strengthen its attraction mix.

  Action taken

  Cafaro announced a multimillion-dollar renovation with property upgrades and new attractions, accompanied by a ceremonial nail-driving.

  Aftermath

  The announced project is intended to modernize Grand Central Mall; the available reference does not specify the final scope or completion date.

  Source

• 2023

  Belk changed to an outlet formatStrategy

  Background

  Belk’s full-line department-store format occupied one of the mall’s anchor positions.

  Action taken

  Belk downgraded the location to a Belk Outlet in June 2023.

  Aftermath

  The change increased the property’s emphasis on outlet and value-oriented shopping.

  Source

• 2021

  Redeveloped the former Sears propertyStrategy

  Background

  Sears closed in December 2018, leaving a large former anchor site available for reuse.

  Action taken

  The property was divided among TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, PetSmart, and Ross Dress for Less, which opened during 2021.

  Aftermath

  The redevelopment replaced a traditional department-store anchor with several value-oriented and specialty retailers.

  Source

• 1996

  Expanded the mall with food and entertainment usesStrategy

  Background

  Glimcher Realty Trust invested in the property after acquiring it and pursued an expansion to strengthen the mall’s regional appeal.

  Action taken

  The project added a food court, a movie theater, and a Proffitt’s department store.

  Aftermath

  The additions broadened the property’s offer beyond traditional department-store shopping.

  Source

1. 1Grand Central Mallen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Grand Central Mall official websitegrandcentralmall.com