In September, a beauty brand opened its first Virginia store inside Lynnhaven Mall. A month later, a coffee chain with more than a thousand locations chose a lot down the road for its first Virginia shop. Last November, Free People's athletic-wear spinoff picked the same mall for its first store in the state. That's three Virginia debuts on one stretch of Virginia Beach road in about a year.
The company that runs Lynnhaven Mall has said it's actively going after "first market" retailers. At the same time, the city is putting $7.9 million into making the parkway a place people walk instead of just drive through. Taken together, the shopping strip near the I-264 exit is being set up as a place people make a trip for, not just a stop on the way somewhere else.
Three first-in-Virginia openings, one road
These are the openings that came billed as firsts, in order:
- FP Movement, last November. Free People's activewear sister brand opened near the Lynnhaven Mall food court. Channing Edwards, the store's assistant visual manager, told The Virginian-Pilot that it was "the first store in Virginia to just carry FP Movement clothing," and that its line isn't carried at the Free People store in Town Center.
- Miss A, September 2026. The Dallas-based cosmetics and accessories brand opened inside Lynnhaven Mall near Victoria's Secret. WAVY reported it as the brand's only Virginia store and its first in Hampton Roads.
- Dutch Bros Coffee, October 2026. The company set Friday, Oct. 16, as opening day for its first Virginia shop at 796 Lynnhaven Parkway, next to Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, according to WAVY. The Lynnhaven Parkway address now shows up in Dutch Bros' store locator.
Dutch Bros' scale explains why this one matters. On its investor relations site, the company reported 1,225 locations in 25 states as of June 30, 2026. When a chain that size finally opens in Virginia, it picks the first site carefully, and it picked Lynnhaven Parkway.
The mall has been asking for this
The leasing side backs that up. In February, Claudia Ilagon, global marketing manager for GGP, the company that owns and manages Lynnhaven Mall, told The Virginian-Pilot that GGP was in talks with several new "first market" retailers and that more leases were being negotiated. In that same email, she listed Miss A among the openings expected that summer. It arrived in September, so it opened about when GGP said it would.
The same article explained why brands choose this mall. Five Below opened at Lynnhaven Mall in February. Elizabeth Napolitano, a vice president at Divaris Real Estate and Five Below's exclusive representative for Hampton Roads, said the mall was a natural fit because of its strong co-tenancy and the wide range of shoppers it draws.
"The mix of national retailers and consistent foot traffic aligns perfectly with Five Below's value-driven, trend-focused customer base."
Co-tenancy is the key word in that quote. Every brand that signs makes the next pitch easier. In the months before that February report, the mall added Dry Goods, Garage, FP Movement, Amped, Swarovski, Kendra Scott, Red Truck Candy Co. next to Dillard's, Kelly's Cajun Grill and Miniso. Several of those brands are aimed at teens and young shoppers, the same customers Miss A and Five Below go after. That kind of overlap helps a leasing team convince a brand that hasn't opened in Virginia yet.
It also helps that the building is big. The Pilot has called Lynnhaven Mall the largest interior shopping mall in Hampton Roads, and Council member Michael Berlucchi has said it employs more than 2,000 people. That's a lot of people on site every day before any shopper shows up.
What the new arrivals actually sell
For anyone who lives within a few miles, these openings change what you can grab on a regular errand run.
Dutch Bros' published hours run from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. According to WAVY, the menu covers specialty coffee, smoothies, teas, freezes and lemonade, plus Dutch Bros' own Rebel energy drinks, Myst Energy Refresher and Nitro Cold Brew. A 5 a.m. opening is early enough for a pre-shift coffee on the way to the interstate.
Miss A sells on price. The Virginian-Pilot reported that most items cost between $1 and $1.88, and most are designed in-house under the company's own brands. The store carries cosmetics, beauty tools, jewelry, keychains and some popular Korean skincare brands. Store associate Terrinique Hepburn told the paper that customers "keep saying they get so much more for their money compared to other places." Founders Kenneth and Jean Baik started the company in Dallas in 2013, and it now has close to 100 stores nationwide.
FP Movement sells layering pieces, outerwear, workout basics and the brand's quilted carryall bag. Edwards described its prices to the Pilot as "more comfortable than Free People."
A local business on the same map
The same customer base that draws national chains is also open to local operators. In August, Coastal Beach BBQ opened a restaurant at 455 S. Lynnhaven Road near the mall after running as a food truck, The Virginian-Pilot reported.
A food truck moving into a permanent space a few blocks from the mall is a different bet from a chain's state debut. Both come from the same idea, though. Lots of people pass through this part of Virginia Beach every day, and there are enough of them to support a permanent business.
The road is being rebuilt for people on foot
The leasing push has public support. In July 2025, the city held a groundbreaking for a $7.9 million Lynnhaven Parkway improvement project that adds new sidewalks, a multi-use path, crosswalks, paver medians, lighting and landscaping. According to The Virginian-Pilot's coverage, the plan calls for:
- An 8-foot path with pedestrian lighting and bus waiting areas on the west side of the parkway.
- A 5-foot sidewalk with a bus waiting area on the east side.
- District signage at the Interstate 264 interchange.
"When you get off on 264, there will be a sense of arrival that you're now in Lynnhaven," Berlucchi told the paper. Coming from a council member, that's a statement about what the corridor is meant to become. He also said the upgrades should make it safer and easier for people who work nearby to walk to restaurants and shops on their lunch break. The city expects the improvements to make the area more appealing to new businesses and to employees of some of its largest employers, including STIHL, Busch Manufacturing and Kettler International.
The project took a long time to start. Berlucchi said it had been delayed over the previous eight years, partly because of the pandemic and rising construction costs. Former Council member Shannon Kane, who helped revive the Lynnhaven Business Association, was among those who pushed for it. When construction started, the city said to expect lane reductions but no full road closures, with the work scheduled to finish by the end of 2027.
That means the new stores are opening in the middle of construction. If your trip down the parkway has felt slower this year, it may be a mix of reduced lanes and new businesses pulling more cars.
What the next signing could look like
GGP hasn't named the brands it's still talking to. The pattern so far does tell you what to expect. Recent openings at the mall have mostly been national brands with a younger, trend-driven following, often in their first Hampton Roads or Virginia location, filling space next to tenants that serve the same customers. Rowan, which GGP had listed with Miss A as a summer arrival, now shows as open in the mall's directory.
The city's schedule calls for the parkway's multi-use path and new crosswalks to be finished by the end of 2027.
If you own a home a short drive from Lynnhaven Parkway and want to know how a corridor full of new openings fits into what your property is worth this fall, Robert Ramey can walk you through recent sales near you. Request a Free Home Valuation and Local Market Review, and you'll get a straightforward read on your street from a lifelong Virginia Beach agent.
