Concord Shopping Center

Here follows an excerpt from "Post WW2 History of Springfield, Virginia and The Crestwood Construction Corporation" written by Robyn Carter:

In the spring of 1960, Vernon Lynch developed a large tract of land adjacent to the southern end of Yates Village and signed up two major retailers to occupy the larger sections of it. Now known as The Concord Shopping Center, it debuted on March 2, 1960 with a Drug Fair store occupying the western most spot with a great mid century “Ranch Style” Safeway on the eastern end. The Springfield Safeway was distinct with its very low pitched, wide roofline that gave it an appearance somewhat akin to a contemporary ranch home. In 1964, another of Springfield’s very long term businesses became a tenant, when The Pink Elephant Thrift Shop opened. Through the years additions to both ends of the center came along, as well as the parking lot has had additional retail structures added to it. As of this writing the Aldi grocery store occupies the spot (but not the original structure) of the former Safeway. The former Safeway structure (minus the fancy roof) was another (and the last) location for Fischer’s Hardware.

Springfield Oddity Note: In newspaper ads in 1960, the current Concord Center was being called “The Springfield Plaza Shopping Center” while later in the year, and up to the current day, the center that had Giant was also called the same thing. Until the current naming, the center on Backlick didn’t seem to have an official name outside of those early ads.)

One beloved, long term, root business in the Springfield community worth special mention started out in that first tiny section of stores (The Lynch's "Springfield Shopping Center" at the intersection of Brandon Avenue and Bland Street) in 1953. It was originally known as Springfield Hardware and Paint, Inc. As time went by, and due to the passing of the originator, Mr. Francis Burke on June 6, 1955, the business was inherited by his son in law and business partner, Mr. David Fischer.

For generations of Springfield residents, Fischer's Hardware was a welcome fixture that moved from location to location several times within the community but the service and useful merchandise stayed consistent. Even a major store-destroying fire on a cold night in January 1969, followed by a six month rebuilding, could not lessen the loyalty that Springfielders had for their beloved local hardware store. The business stayed in the family until it was sold in 2009 and then sadly it was shuttered permanently on August 31, 2012 after a controversial and ill-fated partnership with a major hardware retail chain.