Monster Mini Golf features glow-in-the-dark courses as well as monster-themed animatronic creatures and decor. (Photos courtesy Monster Mini Golf)
Regency’s newest non-traditional mall tenant has made its debut.
Monster Mini Golf recently opened in a 10,400-square-foot space at the western Henrico mall’s Quioccasin Road entrance.
The new venue is part of a franchised chain and offers an 18-hole, glow-in-the-dark mini-golf course and animatronic creatures, as well as an arcade, two event rooms and two lanes of duckpin bowling.
The Monster at Regency is located across from virtual reality venue Pelagos VR and near Twin Hickory Tavern. The golf venue has both its own exterior entrance as well as an entry that is within the mall.
Local franchisee Nick Cumba said his Monster location has a 10-year lease on its space at Regency, and around $1.3 million was spent to get it open.
Cumba said business has been good since opening in late December and that the party rooms, where people can hold birthdays and corporate events, have been a particular draw.
Rounds of mini golf cost $11 to $14, and five frames of bowling is $5, according to the company website. The Regency location doesn’t serve food but allows catering and for people to bring their own food with some limitations, Cumba said.
The Regency location is open noon to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and noon to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Cumba planted his flag at Regency to be part of the multiyear redevelopment of the mall, which is owned by Rebkee Co. and Thalhimer Realty Partners, into a mixed-use, mixed-attraction development. Those plans have included a shift away from shopping and toward experience-based businesses.
“Something about getting into a place while it’s being rebuilt and growing with it attracted me,” Cumba said.
The opening of Monster followed other experiential tenants to open at the mall in recent years, including anchors Surge Adventure Park, NOVA Aquatics and Performance Pickleball. Regency added its first apartments on its grounds in 2022, and a new phase of residential units is under construction.
The local outpost of Monster Mini Golf features two party rooms in addition to an 18-hole mini-golf course and arcade.
Monster Mini Golf was founded in 2004 and lists nearly 50 locations in the United States and Canada on its website. The Regency location is its first in the Richmond region. Its other Virginia locations are in Stafford and Chantilly.
Cumba was introduced to Monster while living in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he ran a dog daycare business. Cumba’s family would often spend time at Monster, and he was impressed with the business. Later Cumba moved to the Richmond area to be closer to family in Northern Virginia.
He felt like there was an opportunity to bring Monster to the local area, and that Richmond’s reputation as an artsy city paired well with the Monster concept, which decorates its locations with individualized murals that reference the local community.
“Once you see the artwork, people always say, ‘This is so Richmond.’ The artwork on the walls is very creative and immersive,” he said.
Cumba said he would like to open at least two more Monster locations in the Richmond area, and has been considering Powhatan, Mechanicsville and Chester for expansion.
“There are so many areas that are growing, it depends on finding that perfect location,” he said.
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