The Dulles Town Center is a two-level enclosed shopping mall in the Dulles community of unincorporated Loudoun County, Virginia, United States, located five miles north of the Washington Dulles International Airport. The retail center gives its name to the census-designated place within which it is located. It encompasses of GLA and is the largest enclosed shopping center in Loudoun County. The mall caters to the burgeoning and affluent population of eastern Loudoun and western Fairfax counties. Dulles Town Center is anchored by Dick's Sporting Goods, JCPenney, Macy's, and Sears and features an eclectic mix of upscale retailers such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Banana Republic, and LOFT. In addition, the mall has been a launch pad for international retailers emerging into the U.S. market. High-end New Zealand children's store Pumpkin Patch opened its second U.S. store and German restaurant chain Vapiano opened its third U.S. location at Dulles Town Center in 2007 however it is now closed. In 2015, Vapiano closed down and its former spot is now a Los Toltecos Mexican Restaurant in the mall. The other anchors were Lord & Taylor and Nordstrom with no current occupier of their former spaces.
History
Approval, delays, and construction (1987–1998)
In December 1987, Loudoun County officials approved the jurisdiction's first regional shopping mall. The mall was originally planned to be named the "Windmill Regional Shopping Center" but was later renamed to Dulles Town Center in 1988. The original expected opening was set for 1993. Dulles Town Centers developer was announced as Lerner Enterprises. The mall was put on hold in 1994 due to the downturn in the local economy. It wasn't until March 1994 that the mall announced it would start construction that spring with plans to be open 1996. Construction was never started in 1994, and it wasn't until the summer of 1996 that Dulles Town Center broke ground. With construction starting in 1996, it was announced the mall would open in Spring of 1998, but that was later pushed back to November 1998.
Opening and expansion (1998–2002)
The mall opened its first two anchor stores on November 18, 1998. The ribbon-cutting ceremony for Dulles Town Center took place at 10 am on August 12, 1999, where the mall became anchored by Albuquerque East, JCPenney, and Sears. A new wing to the mall was completed in 2002, adding Nordstrom as well as Hollister Co., JoS. A. Bank Clothiers, The Sharper Image, and a number of other specialty retailers. On June 30, 2017, it was announced that Nordstrom would be closing its store at the mall on September 8, 2017. At this time it is unknown what company will take over Nordstrom's place. On September 25, 2019, Lord & Taylor announced that this location. This store closed in January 2020, leaving no more of the original anchors left.
