The Corner continues to undergo retail changes as new chains take the place of historic storefronts

The Corner has experienced multiple business turnovers in the past few years, including the closures of Sheetz and Sammy’s as well as the recent Cohn’s buyout by 7Day. Students have shared mixed emotions about the change in makeup of the Corner — some excitement for new openings and some disappointment following the closure of longstanding staples.

A January vacancy report by the Charlottesville Office of Economic Development — which included the Corner — found that vacancies across the city’s six main shopping centers have slightly decreased over a year-long period of observation. The report compares vacancy numbers from July 2022 to January 2023 and is meant to provide data on the economic health of the city. The OED does, however, expect an increase in retail vacancies from rising cost of rent.

While the report found a decrease in vacancies, there is a history of locally-owned and staple businesses disappearing from the Corner. Coupe’s suffered a kitchen fire September 2022 and still has not reopened, despite plans to do so by this past summer. Other businesses that have closed in the past few years include the College Inn, Armando’s and Littlejohn’s.

Second-year College student Chloe Renken described how she missed some of Cohn’s — another long-standing convenience store staple — unique features and other subtle but important changes she’s seen under the new management.

“I used to get Diet Cokes at Cohn’s all the time from their famous soda machine before all my exams,” Renken said. “The machine was incredible and it tasted like magic, but now I can’t do that because it’s replaced by a vape display.”