As the western terminus point of the GRTC Pulse bus route in Henrico County, the Willow Lawn station offers a variety of options for restaurants, retail and entertainment. Willow Lawn Shopping Center is one of the top destinations along the corridor.
PARKING: There is free on-street parking available on Markel Rd., Byrd Ave. and Fitzhugh Ave. within a few blocks of the Pulse station. Please do not park in the CVS lot directly behind the Pulse station, nor in Willow Lawn’s parking lots reserved for patrons and employees.
The Shops at Willow Lawn:
Willow Lawn Shopping Center, 1970 (The Valentine, Chamber of Commerce Collection)
A section of The Shops at Willow Lawn, 2019 (Photo by Tre Rockenbach)
Immediately east of this GRTC Pulse station is The Shops at Willow Lawn, Richmond’s first shopping center, which opened in 1956 as “The Willow Lawn Shopping Center.” During its early years, stores included Miller & Rhoads, JCPenney, G. C. Murphy, Woolworth, Peoples Drug, Fanny Farmer, Giant Food, Safeway and a number of small, family-owned businesses such as Cowardin’s Jewelers, which was founded by William H. Cowardin immediately after the Civil War and is still operated by Cowardin’s descendants in a nearby building. Part of Willow Lawn was converted into an enclosed mall in 1986, but after 20 years, the enclosed portion was demolished and Willow Lawn was returned to its original open-air format. Today the shopping center includes about 50 shops and restaurants. (<0.1 mile.)
Explore More of the Past for Willow Lawn!
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