The Birth of Brandywine Town Center

The Brandywine Town Center, located on Concord Pike in Wilmington, Delaware, was originally developed in the late 1990s by millionaire entrepreneur John Rollins. This shopping center replaced the Brandywine Raceway and came after a lengthy approval process with both county and civic leaders. Rollins initially proposed a fully enclosed shopping mall but, recognizing shifts in the retail landscape, he revised the plan. The final design featured a hybrid layout with a domed, two-story mall and a mix of big-box retailers, such as Target and Dick’s Sporting Goods. These anchor stores helped establish the center as a significant retail hub in the region, even though some of the smaller spaces struggled to attract tenants.

Acadia’s Ownership and Redevelopment

In 2003, Acadia, a real estate investment firm, purchased the Brandywine Town Center from Rollins’ group in a deal valued around $140 million. However, Acadia soon sold a majority stake in the center to a New York investment firm. Over the years, Acadia worked to buy back its ownership, eventually regaining full control of the property in 2020. This shift in ownership allowed Acadia to move forward with redevelopment plans. The company envisions several improvements, including a redesigned parking lot around the pond to improve access to both the Target and Regal movie theater sides of the center. The goal is to enhance the center’s functionality and accommodate potential new projects in the area.

Future Developments and Changes

Acadia’s plans for the Brandywine Town Center involve both retail expansion and community-focused projects. One major addition is a new community center, which would be located to the east of the shopping center, away from Naamans Road. While a proposal to add over 40,000 square feet of retail space has been made, the project doesn’t require County Council approval since a similar amount of space was previously approved but never built. This unutilized space, near the Tutor Time building, was approved in 2008 but never developed. As the redevelopment continues, Acadia aims to breathe new life into the center, which has seen struggles with filling some of its smaller retail spaces.

My Visit

Though it is perhaps something only a mall nerd could fully appreciate, there was something magical about stepping into Bob’s Discount Furniture, which occupies the space that would likely have been the central atrium and food court of the Mall That Never Was. The gorgeous glass ceiling, charmingly vintage elevator, and unique flooring all bear the traces of an upscale mall interior, and it is jarring to see a furniture store inside instead. Bob’s, God bless them, has fully leaned into it – walls are painted with loud 90s designs, despite the fact that the furniture itself is contemporary. It’s surreal in the best ways: it’s clear that the management at Bob’s realizes what a unique space they have and are celebrating it rather than hiding it. The staff I spoke to seemed to understand and appreciate just how cool I thought the juxtaposition was, which is a refreshing change of pace from many malls where the fact that the décor is retro is treated like something shameful that should be hidden. I’m not going to lie, I really like Bob’s Discount Furniture for this, and I hope you consider buying some home furnishings from them if you’re in the area as I found their salespeople very kind despite the fact that I was there for the old mall, not a purchase. It’s totally worth stopping by just to see the unique space, but obviously one needs sales as well to thrive as a retailer.

I also was charmed by the Regal Brandywine Town Center, which had all the best aspects of 90s mall theater excess: awesome neon lights, wild design, and a box office area that just has a magical Art Deco cinephile vibe that one rarely finds in theaters. I also recommend watching a movie there as I hope this theater stays open for many years to come. It is one of the cooler “modern” cinemas I’ve seen (in quotes because, honestly, the 90s are not exactly modern any more). Harkening back to the times when going out to a movie was an event and mixing classic movies in with modern ones, it’s a little hidden gem that I was delighted to find.