In Springfield's Empty Storefronts, the Small Ones Are Filling First

Two of Springfield's long-empty storefronts reopened this fall, and both are small. ReMix Market moved into a 6,250-square-foot building on Old Keene Mill Road. Potbelly took over a space of about 2,000 square feet at the Festival at Manchester Lakes. Meanwhile the two largest vacancies in the area, roughly 28,000 and 30,000 square feet, still have no opening date and in one case no announced tenant.

The vacancies in between line up the same way. Between Loisdale Road and Manchester Boulevard, two of the three small spaces are open, the 12,000-square-foot space has permits moving through county review, and both spaces over 25,000 square feet are waiting on a lease or a named tenant. Heading into November, here is where each space stands, from smallest to largest.

The two you can walk into this weekend

ReMix Market is the most unusual of the bunch. In February, FFXnow reported that the secondhand retailer had signed a five-year lease on the two-story Springfield Executive Building at 6909 Old Keene Mill Road. The building had been vacant since its last retail tenant closed in 2019. Franchise owner Mark Harrington grew up in Springfield. Before the store opened, he told FFXnow the project was "about giving both the building and its contents a second life."

That second life works on two levels. ReMix gets much of its inventory through Harrington's Junkluggers business, which collects furniture, clothing and household goods that would otherwise go to a landfill. A portion of sales goes to the Sweet Julia Grace Foundation, a Northern Virginia charity that supports children with complex medical needs and their families. The Mount Vernon Springfield Chamber held the store's ribbon cutting on September 28. According to ReMix's Springfield page, the store is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Its stock of home furnishings and estate pieces changes daily and often includes high-end name brands. With that kind of turnover, a Saturday visit and a Tuesday visit can turn up completely different furniture.

Potbelly is the simpler story: one sandwich shop replaced another. FFXnow reported that the chain would open September 15 at 7011D Manchester Boulevard, in an approximately 1,998-square-foot space previously occupied by Jimmy John's. It's open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. most days. Until now, the closest Potbelly for Franconia households was the one at Springfield Plaza.

Both spaces were small and already built for retail. Each needed a renovation and one tenant ready to sign, which is why they were the first to reopen.

The small space that hasn't opened yet

Good Stuff Eatery doesn't fit the pattern, so it gets its own section. In February, FFXnow reported that the burger chain planned its first Fairfax County restaurant at 6418 Springfield Plaza. The 2,450-square-foot space sits between The Container Store and Music & Arts, and the target was "this summer." Summer has come and gone. Springfield Plaza's directory still lists the restaurant as "Coming Soon," and Good Stuff's own locations page names Capitol Hill, Georgetown and Crystal City but not Springfield.

A small footprint makes a reopening easier, but it doesn't guarantee one. There's still no posted opening date for Good Stuff, so the Plaza directory is the page to check.

Twelve thousand square feet, about halfway there

The former Party City at 6640 Loisdale Road sits in the middle of the size range, and its progress is in the middle too. In March, MOM's Organic Market CEO Scott Nash told FFXnow that the Rockville-based grocer planned a 12,000-square-foot store in Loisdale Center and was targeting a late-2026 opening. Nash told the outlet that Springfield "is a destination for shoppers, given its proximity to the major highways." The store will share the center with Barnes & Noble, DSW and Marshalls.

Converting a former party-supply store into a grocery takes real work, and the permits show it. The original county application covers new rear concrete pads, structural support for a rooftop unit and roof reinforcement. Fairfax County's permit record lists related plumbing, mechanical, sprinkler, fire alarm and electrical filings from August through early October. The fire alarm record currently shows a status of "Corrections Requested." Requests like that are a normal part of the review process. They also mean the store isn't finished. MOM's Virginia page still lists Alexandria, Arlington, Herndon, Merrifield and Woodbridge, but not Springfield.

So late 2026 is still the only public target. With about two months left in the year, MOM's is the one to watch for an announced date.

The biggest boxes are still on paper

Above 25,000 square feet, nothing has been settled. In October, Patch reported, citing the Washington Business Journal, that construction plans identify Ross Dress for Less for the 28,000-square-foot former Buy Buy Baby at 6398 Springfield Plaza. General contractors are bidding on the job, but it's unclear whether Ross has signed a lease. Patch called it the center's largest vacant storefront, empty since Buy Buy Baby closed in late 2024.

The same address shows up in another plan. In July, Northern Virginia Magazine reported that Teso Life, an Asian-inspired department store selling food, drinks, beauty products, home goods and toys, listed a Springfield Plaza store at 6398 Springfield Plaza as "coming soon." Patch describes Teso Life as a major new tenant at the center alongside Ross. Two retailers sharing one address could mean two separate units. Neither has announced an opening date.

The largest vacancy is across the parkway. When Amazon Fresh opened at the Festival at Manchester Lakes in 2021, it took about 30,000 square feet at 7005 C Manchester Boulevard, part of a former Shoppers space. In January, Amazon announced that all Fresh stores would close, with some converting to Whole Foods at locations to be named later. FFXnow reported the final operating day as Feb. 1. Franconia hasn't been named as a conversion site, and by September, FFXnow was describing Homesense as the center's anchor. Potbelly opened a few doors down, but the old grocery space next to it is still dark.

A 30,000-square-foot space takes longer for a reason. Few retailers need that much room, and those that do tend to plan new stores on long timelines. A former grocery space also has its own infrastructure needs. The same logic explains the gap between a sandwich shop and a department store.

What's open at the Town Center while you wait

Springfield Town Center has some new things you can see now without waiting on construction. Fairfax mixed-media artist Precious Burger's exhibit "Through Me: Where Wonder Finds a Way" opened at the mall at 6500 Springfield Mall in October as part of ArtsFairfax's local-artist series, and it runs through March 31, 2027. She told FFXnow that the large, colorful paintings came from "allowing it to emerge in a way that is more organic and fluid."

The holiday season starts soon after. The Town Center events calendar lists Santa photos in the Grand Court from November 13 through December 24, pet photos with Santa on Mondays from November 16 through December 14, and a Holiday Market from November 27 through December 20. You could easily pair a weekday trip to see the paintings with an early stop at ReMix on Old Keene Mill Road, which is open every day except Monday.

Changes on the commercial roads nearby can shape how a neighborhood feels long before they show up anywhere else. If you're watching storefronts like these and wondering what they might mean for your own street, The Seward Group is glad to talk it through with no agenda. Schedule a Concierge Consultation, and we'll share what we're seeing across Springfield.