Waynesboro Outlet Village
- Part 1 -
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 The Waynesboro Outlet Village opened on Shenandoah Village Drive in 1987 with much fanfare. However, over the course of nearly twenty years, it moved from boom to bust. Boasting nearly full occupancy in its heyday with numerous outlet stores, by 2006, it was down to five stores and a few non-traditional tenants - clearly a "dead mall" by most definitions. Of the five stores remaining, only one, Liz Claiborne, was an outlet store. The complex also had a small identity crisis, as some signage listed it as "Waynesboro Outlet Village", while other signage listed it as simply "Waynesboro Village".
2006 also saw the end of the Waynesboro Outlet Village, as it closed for good on May 31. The complex was demolished, and redeveloped into a new modern shopping center called "Waynesboro Town Center". It was a shame to see the old Outlet Village go, but they say that everything has its season, and for the Outlet Village, the season has unfortunately passed.
Come with me today, and see what once was...
Perhaps the most visible aspect of the Outlet Village was the sign. This sign was visible from a great distance on Interstate 64 and US 340.
At the time of my photo set, a "for sale" sign was posted along Shenandoah Village Drive. Before the Outlet Village closed, this sign was replaced with a sign advertising the new Waynesboro Town Center.
This sign greeted visitors entering through the main entrance. After hours, the sign could be changed to read "CLOSED".
Parking at the Outlet Village was on the outskirts of the property. In order to reach a storefront, customers had to walk from their car in the parking lot across a road encircling the complex, and then past the buildings themselves to the walkway - a rather long walk. With only two exceptions, there were no outward-facing storefronts.
At each entrance, visitors were greeted by a sign. The name was written at the top, a map was located in the middle, and a directory was at the bottom. The state of the directory was indicative of this facility being a "dead mall". In the Outlet Village's heyday, this directory was full.
 
 
These welcome signs also illustrated the Outlet Village's identity crisis. Some signage, like the tall sign and some of the welcome signs, used the older "Waynesboro Outlet Village" logo. Others used the newer "Waynesboro Village" logo. The newer name, however, never caught on with the local community.
 
These signs helped visitors navigate the Outlet Village, by indicating which stores were right around the corner. In the facility's heyday, all of these signs were six-tiered. Over the years, some signs were shortened. This was also the only place where "labelscar" (markings left over after signs were removed) could be found, indicating former tenants.
 
 
The Outlet Village's "signature" building was Building 1. Building 1 was the only two-story building, and the only one to have a brick exterior. While one would think it would house a large anchor store, it never did. In earlier years, it housed a small eatery. Later, as stores left and non-traditional organizations began leasing space, this building housed the Artisans Center of Virginia. The Artisans Center has since moved to Willow Oak Plaza in downtown Waynesboro.
The smallest of all the buildings was Building 18, which formerly housed a tourist information center.
Building 3 was one of the more noteworthy buildings in the Outlet Village, due to its barn-like appearance and adjacent silo. This building originally was home to a Gitano outlet, and later was an early home for the Artisans Center of Virginia. Most recently, the left side of the building housed offices for One Child At A Time, which provided academic assistance to high-school students.
The silo originally was painted to advertise the Gitano outlet. After the Gitano outlet left, the silo was repainted to say "Waynesboro Village" in a similar style as the old paintwork. While the Artisans Center occupied the building, the red band said "Artisans Center" in white letters. This was painted out when the Artisans Center relocated to another building in the facility.
In this section of the Outlet Village, a gazebo existed to allow patrons to have a seat.
 
Building 5 was somewhat unique in its appearance, as it was taller than most of the other buildings, and lacked a cupola. This building once housed a store called "Petal Pushers" in one of its three spaces. At the time of the facility's closing, Building 5 housed offices.
A look through a window in Building 4 revealed an empty store. It is unknown who occupied this space.
Building 4 was built in the typical style for the Waynesboro Outlet Village. Most buildings were covered with vinyl siding of varying colors, had dormers, and contained a cupola. Additionally, as you can see, the facility was quite well-maintained right to the end.
 
Building 7 was blue-gray in appearance, with typical styling. One non-traditional tenant to occupy a space in this building was Borg-Warner Services, which was a staffing firm that provided employees for CFW Information Services, which had its office further down Shenandoah Village Drive.
 
7F, the former Borg-Warner office, is now empty and devoid of life. The only indication of this space's use as an office is a small mailbox on the right wall.
As mentioned earlier, most buildings contained some type of cupola, either with or without a weather vane. Based on the appearance, the cupola's purpose appears to have been for ventilation.
The Schumin Web - Photography - Waynesboro Outlet Village - Menu
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