ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – Valley View Mall has undergone several changes in recent years, with new businesses opening and established stores closing. Documents now show plans to bring a Dave & Buster’s to the mall.
CBL Properties, which operates the mall, has lease plans on its website showing Dave & Buster’s slated for the old Macy’s Home and Children’s location. The City of Roanoke also confirmed it received a business license zoning verification form from Dave & Buster’s in October.
The form submitted by Dave & Busters states that if the project becomes a reality the existing space will be remodeled to create the restaurant. Dave & Busters has no plans to expand the space so no site work is proposed.
The mall said it could not comment on the potential tenant.
Children shopping at the mall said they welcomed the news.
“I think it would be an awesome thing for the Valley View Mall. It would bring in a lot of people, and I think it’d be cool,” said Silas Mayhew, a child shopper at the mall.
“I think it will bring more people into the mall. I’ve always liked Dave and Busters, I’ve always called it the grownup Chuck-E-Cheese,” said Elijah Bernard, a child shopper at the mall.
“I think it’d be really cool to have an arcade in the mall, kind of like a little bit of everything in the mall,” said Hope Lay, a child shopper at the mall.
Xavier Nowlin, who works at the mall, said he also expects the addition to draw more visitors.
“I think it will be a good thing. It will bring business to the mall. It will bring a lot more people to the mall, including families, to have fun. Which is good, especially on days like Mondays when the mall is a little slow. So I think it will definitely bring a lot of business here,” Nowlin said.
No timeline has been announced for when Dave & Buster’s will move in. However, other changes are already in progress at the mall.
Salem’s Big Daddy’s BBQ is slated to open a location at Valley View later this year. Nowlin said he is looking forward to that addition as well.
“I am excited for it. Definitely having more restaurants plus the Dave & Busters will bring a lot more families here, and I think that will be really good,” Nowlin said.
A number of locally owned stores have also opened at the mall in recent years, including the Galactic Arcade, which opened in October 2024. Co-owner Kenneth Collins said the first year and a half of operations has gone well.
“It’s been great. And the mall has been great to work with. We’ve had a tremendous 18 months,” Collins said.
Kenneth Collins, co-owner of the Galactic Arcade, said he believes the mall leaning into more local businesses is a good thing.
“I think the mall is in very good shape. Again, they work with us very well. They’ve always welcomed the local businesses, which, you know, the big box stuff is probably gone forever. It’s great to see them work with locals. Again, with some new restaurants coming in, the barbecue place and everything. It’s great for them all. It’s great for business,” Collins said.
Collins said he is not concerned about Dave & Busters moving in. He added that gaming promotes gaming and said he welcomes the competition.
“I think we’ve got an excellent family entertainment center here. It’s a good value. Kids love it. Adults love it. I think we’ve got a great mix of games, you know, from pinball, which you don’t see too much of around here except for the Pinball Museum. We’ve got pinball. We’ve got the driving games. We’ve got a full line of products,” Collins said.
Francesca’s and Eddie Bauer are both closing at the mall. The mall said it does not have new tenants lined up for those spaces yet.
The former Sears location has been closed for five years. The mall does not own that storefront and said it has heard nothing from Transformco, which owns Sears, about future plans for the site.
WDBJ7 reached out to Dave & Buster’s and Transformco for comment. Neither company provided a response.
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