Kempsville Marketplace has a wide variety of businesses & eateries. It includes my "go to" market…read morefor Korean Pears, which I cannot have a breakfast without. There are two eateries that are currently relatively new customer favorites. Mixed in are neighborhood essentials, such as insurance agent, fast food, hair salon & even a dance studio. An out parcel contains an additional fast food choice. The International Food Store is located in the building once occupied by the now defunct Farm Fresh. The shopping center anchors the northeast corner of the intersection on Baxter Road & Princess Anne Rd. The location isn't just convenient for Kempsville. It's an easy drive from the Shore Drive corridor via Independence Blvd. And it's a must for me to get my staple of Korean pears.

I had forgotten how beautiful Town Center is at night. After the stores and most of the restaurants…read moreare closed, street parking is available. You can walk to one of the remaining restaurants and enjoy the beauty of the lit, tree'd streets with lights hung over the street. It almost felt like Christmas except with white lights and the humid heat of summer. Lights shine from the urban apartments in the buildings where one can live and walk to just about anything. The Plaza is a wonderful focal point. The vision of a planned Uptown, miles from the lights and glitter of the oceanfront, was a wonderful one. Upscale shopping, restaurants, housing and theaters abound. Grocery shopping is now available in the form of Trader Joe's, which occupies a space in the same area of Regal Cinemas. Town Center is a vision that became reality and continues to grow throughout the years.

Our most favorite time of the year is during Summer Fest at Town Center Fountain Plaza. We love the…read morelive music and variety of bands that perform Friday - Sunday nights from 5 - 9 PM. This is a free concert that brings out all ages. The shade of the trees and lights in the plaza make the events a fun and festive opportunity to enjoy the warmer evenings at no cost. We always make a point to enjoy a nice meal at a neighboring restaurant and then set up chairs to get a great view of the band and everyone dancing to the music.

This place gets a 5 because... TARGET. Lol…read more Seriously, a small but great shopping center. For years I've been checking into Red Mill Commons, but this shopping center, although beside it, it actually separate from them. Red Mill Walk is off of Upton Drive, which is off of Nimmo Parkway in the Red Mill area of Virginia Beach. It is the home of Target, Homegoods, Office Max, NFCU, ChowBoy Cantina, Flip Flops, Burger King, Back Bay Gourmet, Once Upon a Child, AT&T, 17th Street, Leslie's Pools, SuperCuts, Pearl Vision, Cycle Bar, a pizza place, nail place, and new additions - The Dry House and Brooklyn Bagels. Home Depot is also across the street. It doesn't have everything but I bet there's nothing you can't find at Target. That's everything enough. *Insert winking emoji* *Review #5 of 2020.

Pembroke Meadows has been a strip shopping area visited sporadically by my family. Lately we have…read morecome back with the remodel of Food Lion. However, it has suffered the fate of others and has several vacancies. Located off Independence Blvd in the Bayside area of Virginia Beach this late 60's, early 70's retail area has seen better days and is due for a facelift like others around town are undergoing. The lot has typically been tidy, it just needs new blacktop. The asphalt roofing is worn and missing shingles. Parking is plentiful and has never been an issue. The main anchor is Food Lion and Cafe Cinema. Both of those businesses have renovated. There are several vacancies including a bank. I do frequent Five Guys burgers. I hope the Harvey Lindsay group that manages is recommending a total upgrade of its facade. It's not that large and would be a draw to new tenants.

Kempsville Crossing is a neighborhood shopping center at the intersection of Kempsville Road and…read moreCenterville Turnpike. Entrance & exit are most convenient from Kempsville Road. The shopping center is anchored by a large WalMart & is adjacent to Woods Corner Shopping Center. Kempsville Crossing is quite a distance from my house. But a tenant is my favorite ice cream store, Sundae Scoop. Believe me, it's worth the drive. There is plenty of parking but no handicapped spots close to the stores entrances. Clean and with a modern facade, it gives the appearance of a pleasant place to shop. Joining WalMart & Sundae Scoop the center houses fast food spots Subway & Pizza Hut, Kelly's Tavern, China Kitchen and neighborhood necessities such as hair and nail salons, a dentist, bank and more. I particularly love the ease of finding a business while walking along its sidewalk. The name of each business is listed on a small sign below the sidewalk awning. The simple signs are identical in style and very helpful. This is a shopping center I'll most definitely return to for my ice cream fix, being certain to take home extra pints for later.

Things aren't looking great over here. There's an entire block of closed clothing stores, it looks…read moreterrible. There's no high end stores anymore. It's exactly like the coliseum mall that was here before right before it shuttered in 2007.

I've had to reevaluate my opinion on PTC - mainly because it's the best thing around without having…read moreto drive a while to get to Norfolk, Upper Newport News or VB - or even Williamsburg. So with that in mind, here goes; The Good: The food options are pretty awesome. If you haven't tried First Watch, Park Lane Tavern or Monsoon - where have you been!? The cinema really isn't the worst, the matinee prices are great and they accept military discount so Tuesdays are a great excuse to catch a movie for 5 bucks. You can walk around and go in and out of the shops as you please; Victoria's Secret, H&M, Francesca's, Bath & Bodyworks, Barnes & Noble and Finish Line (which is grand for fitting you with the correct running shoes for YOU in mind, and offers 20% military discount). The Bad: Shops don't seem to be able to stay open around here. I've seen a few come and go over the years and it sucks. And don't get me started on the additional PTC tax... but that's a story for another day. So overall, not bad Peninsula Town Center, still plenty of work to be done though!

Very beautiful building in downtown Norfolk. Very old too - built in 1907 per website. Definitely…read morehistoric! A bunch of businesses are housed inside - and as of 11/29/2018, here are a few (not listing all,): CHARTREUSE BISTRO CLOUD SCIENCE PRAXIS CREATIVE SMOOTH (Skin & Waxing Boutique) The hours for the main Monticello Arcade building are: M-F 7:30 AM - 6 PM Sat 9 AM - 6 PM Sun closed Check it out, the full listing of businesses inside are on their website. It's very nicely and classically structured so the main hall makes for great pictures! Another bonus - its across the street from MacArthur Mall (on the City Hall side,) and across the street from Selden Market (Plume Street side.)

This is a stunning architectural gem in Norfolk. The arcade first opened as a retail center in…read more1907. There are some offices inside, but no general interest retail. It's such a shame. It's still very much worth a walk through the arcade. It helps me imagine how beautiful and amazing downtown Norfolk must have been in its heyday.

Birchwood owners invested thousands into updating their facade and even adding a new brick tower in…read more2012. It looks a whole better than it ever has. This is an area my family visits at least twice a week, so we are very familiar with all the stores. The strip is located off of Virginia Beach Blvd and houses anchors BJ's, The Mattress Factory and Burlington Coat Factory. However, these stores were not involved in the renovation. The grocery anchor Food Lion among others to the North reaped the benefit of the new face lift. Behind the big box Burlington is Wilkin's Dance and another store that sales tactical gear. This is a great place to park when going to BJ's too. With around 40% renovated a like more work could be done, starting with a coat of paint on BJ's. Another issue arose the other day with bags of trash floating around behind Burlington Coat Factory. There dumpster was over flowing. I call mall management and left a message. A nice touch would have been a return call. The money put into Birchwood has really paid off in the front and looks great.