It ranks right up there with popular Virginia tourist attractions like Colonial Williamsburg and Mount Vernon, but now, the gigantic outlet center Potomac Mills Mall is growing and getting a face-lift.

One woman said the news of Potomac Mills getting even more stores is "an answer to [her] prayers." The massive outlet mall is one of Virginia's largest tourist attractions. It's adding 50,000 more square feet of retail space, including a Neiman Marcus Last Call store and more restaurant space.

"There's a great deal of interest and we're looking forward to making an announcement sometime soon," said Gregg Goodman with Potomac Mills.

During a time when Prince William County (web|news) has been at the forefront of stormy economic times, most who live and shop there said it's a great time to have more discount shopping. "I just can't stand to pay shopping mall prices so it really helps me a lot," said shopper Nancy Wolski.

With the tens of thousands of shoppers visiting the mall, more stores could also mean more traffic. "It's great that they are expanding, but gonna cause a lot more traffic though," said shopper Teresa Stephens.

A jump start to retail may be good for the image of the entire community. "If we get all the nice stores and cleanup the area, then it will be like Woodbridge," said shopper Candace Bruns.

Email To A Friend