New year, new shops coming to Barracks Road

Whether it’s running shoes, pizza or a blowout you’re after, the newest tenants at Barracks Road Shopping Center will have you covered.

The arrival of an Appalachian Running Company store, Emmy Squared pizzeria and Drybar salon next year will not only offer a variety of new products and services but also indicate an economic turn at the outdoor mall.

In July, a Charlottesville Office of Economic Development report on the six major shopping districts in the city found that Barracks had lost two more retailers since January, reaching a total of nine vacancies.

Since that study was released, two new businesses — UVa-branded merchandise retailer Alumni Hall and the women’s designer boutique Monkee’s — have opened in previously vacated real estate at Barracks.

With three more on the way, Barracks should be only four tenants away from full capacity, a figure the shopping district hasn’t posted since 2018.

“We are proud to bring in these new businesses that align with Barracks Road’s commitment to offering something special,” Deirdre Johnson, senior vice president of asset management at Barracks landlord Federal Realty Investment Trust, said in a statement. “These additions not only enrich our diverse merchant lineup but also introduce exciting new options to the Charlottesville community and visitors.”

Here’s what to know about Barracks’ newest tenants:

Though it will be the first Appalachian Running Company in Virginia, the Tyrone, Pennsylvania-based footwear retailer already has a Charlottesville connection. It will be opening up next door to its parent company, Shoe Fly, which came to Barracks in 2020. Appalachian Running Company promises to work with every pair of feet that walks through its doors to find the right style and size of athletic shoe with brands including New Balance, Nike, Hoka, Saucony and Brooks. The store plans to open in early 2025 in the old Fink’s Jewelers at 1025 Emmet St.Brooklyn, New York-based Emmy Squared specializes in square-cut slices inspired by the dueling pizza styles of New York and Detroit. Founded in 2016 as a part of the Pizza Loves Emily restaurant group, Emmy Squared will also be opening its first Virginia location in the Barracks Road strip that includes AT&T, Smoothie King and Ralph Sampson’s American Tap Room. The pizzeria plans to open in spring of 2025 in the former Zoe’s Kitchen at 973-D Emmet St. N.Drybar products can be found in a number of beauty stores all over the world, and now Charlottesville residents can have their hair styled and blown out by those same tools wielded by a professional. The store will open in the former Lily Pulitzer at 2136 Barracks Road adjacent to Monkee’s sometime in early 2025.

Source: www.dailyprogress.com