Now What? An ode to Henrico County

I was recently thinking about the fact that I have lived the majority of my life in Henrico County. For the first eight years of my life, I lived in the East End, and from 22 to the present I’ve lived in the West End. These thoughts led me down a path of comforting nostalgia, the likes of which most folks who grew up in the Richmond region during my generation and older share.

Some of my youngest and fondest memories were our weekly pilgrimage to Eastgate Mall (which is how I'll always refer to it) every Saturday morning. My sisters, Nana and I would walk to the mall, which was only about a half a mile from our neighborhood. In my mind’s eye, I can feel the summer sun peering through the trees on our faces as we anticipated the regular rounds in the mall. No matter which variables changed – the time of year or who came with us – the constants were the same.

Starting at Mayberry’s Ice Cream Shop, we each would get a cake cone with a scoop of whatever we wanted – which was the biggest decision of my life at the time.

Behind the glass might as well have been the entire Wonka Factory, as I, Charlie Buckets, tried to take it all in. My flavor of choice was always strawberry cheesecake. Both of my sisters preferred chocolate and peanut butter combined, aka Charlie Brown.

On special occasions we were allowed to get two scoops. My Nana would take out her change purse and count out the extra cost. We sat at the counter and took in every taste with focus and didn’t take for granted the fact that this weekly cost was a staple in her budget. Before the days of looking at our phones, texting or taking selfies of our group, we actually chatted with our grandmother and each other; money well spent.

Then it was off to Thalhimers, Woolworths and Gary’s records, where we delighted in flipping through vinyls or checking out the newest cassette tapes. Although the landscape of that mall as well as the name have changed, the place it holds in the tapestry of my childhood is frozen in time.

Even when we moved to Hanover County in the mid-1980s, our family still turned to Henrico for certain entertainment. Today, everything is at your fingertips but in the late ’80s and ’90s when Hanover teenagers (like myself) wanted to hang out at the mall, there was one option: Regency Square.

When you wanted to go to the movies, it was Ridge Cinema or West Tower Theater. More restaurants, shops and theaters popped up and the options became almost limitless.

The memories of my teenage outings were a different type of exciting from my Saturday mornings at Mayberry’s but no less vibrant. The first time I was allowed to ride in a car with a boy to a dinner date was all the more exciting due to the fact we drove out to Regency for dinner. I think almost 30 years removed I can admit that being in Chris’s truck for the extra 20 minutes was super exciting!

The countless shopping trips with my cousin, who I idolized, and my first job at St. Mary’s Hospital both required a half-hour commute, which was never a chore. I loved growing up in Mechanicsville and stayed until I got married, in fact. But, when it was time to decide where to settle and start a family, Henrico County was the clear choice for comfort and convenience for me.

Even though pre-pandemic Henrico had changed significantly because of retail market saturation, the depth of what it means to so many of us in 2020 remains the same. I purchased my first house in Henrico. My son was born in Henrico, he was educated and will graduate from Henrico County Public Schools. My marriage license and declaration of divorce were both issued through Henrico County.

So here I am. . . a woman born in New York, raised in Mechanicsville and thriving in Glen Allen. Ultimately, I am a Henrico citizen.