The Future of Macomb Mall (Sears to Close)

It's going to be difficult to recover from this loss.

This is amongst the largest Sears stores in the country [[2nd or 3rd largest in Metro Detroit, behind Oakland Mall and maybe Livonia Mall). Also, the space was built specifically for Sears.

I was at Macomb Mall the other day, and while the wing with Dick's Sporting Goods is doing somewhat better than before because of the money poured into it, the rest of the mall is a ghost town, especially in/around Sears. It reminds me of how things were during the final days of Universal Mall.

http://www.freep.com/story/money/bus...lle/423092001/

just saw this too. went into sears a few days ago and they were remodeling it. rumor is that an "At Home" will be going in there.

I think they've done a great job renovating the mall from what it used to be. Dick's and H&M are really nice. I also wouldn't describe it as a ghost town. Maybe not the busiest mall in the area, but certainly not a ghost town.

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Originally Posted by Maof

just saw this too. went into sears a few days ago and they were remodeling it. rumor is that an "At Home" will be going in there.

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If that's true it's great news. At Home is a highly profitable, rapidly expanding big box retailer moving into MI.

Honestly, I think Gratiot in lower Macomb looks awful, esp. in Roseville. If they get At Home that's a huge win for all of South Macomb, and probably ensures Macomb Mall won't become Eastland anytime soon.

I'm excited about an At Home going in there too but also sad about that Sears closing. I live half way between Macomb Mall and Lakeside and always prefer going to the Macomb one. Not a big fan of Lakeside at all.

Sears and Kmart drag down every shopping center they're in, nowadays. In the long run, the sooner they close them all, the better. Which, by the way, I think will happen by Dec 31, 2018. They're bleeding money, and it costs more per store to operate as they close more stores.

Meanwhile, I am a bit surprised that the Westland Sears will remain open. Had they ended up on that closing list, that'll only add to the big blow that mall had after they lost Macy's earlier this year.

Also, referring to Sears store sizes in the Detroit area, the Lincoln Park store is pretty big, so much so that it is one of the largest in the entire chain and was actually the highest-grossing store in the entire chain for a short time in the 60's.

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Originally Posted by mtburb

Meanwhile, I am a bit surprised that the Westland Sears will remain open. Had they ended up on that closing list, that'll only add to the big blow that mall had after they lost JCPenney earlier this year.

Also, referring to Sears store sizes in the Detroit area, the Lincoln Park store is pretty big, so much so that it is one of the largest in the entire chain and was actually the highest-grossing store in the entire chain for a short time in the 60's.

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Don't forget, Westland also lost Macy's earlier this year.

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Originally Posted by 313WX

Don't forget, Westland also lost Macy's earlier this year.

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That's in fact what I actually meant, unless Westland actually lost JCPenney recently too.

I was just looking at the merchandise on At Home's website. Their stuff actually makes the crap at Art Van look like quality merchandise.

Most of At Home's garbage looks like it will be in the landfill inside of two years after purchase.

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Originally Posted by SyGolden48236

I was just looking at the merchandise on At Home's website. Their stuff actually makes the crap at Art Van look like quality merchandise.

Most of At Home's garbage looks like it will be in the landfill inside of two years after purchase.

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sometimes i like "crap". :) housewares, storage, organization, outdoor. if it's inexpensive and you get tired of it after a few years, you don't feel so bad getting rid of it.

when it comes to furniture, not everyone can afford well made, long to last. maybe it's geared toward single, young couples just starting out, etc.

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Originally Posted by mtburb

That's in fact what I actually meant, unless Westland actually lost JCPenney recently too.

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JCP is still there, was in it last week.

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Originally Posted by catch22

JCP is still there, was in it last week.

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JC Penney may or may not be around in 10 years, but unlike Sears/Kmart, they're trying. Sears has been on a decade-long unwinding of the company, choosing to sell or sublet all their assets: physical property, intellectual property, etc. There has been no discernible attempt to fix the [[very many) things wrong with the company or try to relaunch either chain into something that might work in a modern retail world. It's sad because it didn't have to happen. At one time they were both reputable stores with distinct identities. No longer. Sears and Kmart, as late as the early 2000s, were fixable. Now we are just awaiting the official announcement [[which will take a year or two, peppered with more store closings, store shrinkage and brand spin-offs in the meantime).

Are any of these malls doing well? I can't make it a week through the business news without reading about another retailer either biting the dust or closing a bunch of stores and they always seem to point out that they are or were in malls.

On malls in general ....

There were a few threads on this board a while back about the Westland area. I remember checking Street View and seeing how deserted it all seemed compared to how I remembered it in the late 90s.

Has any of that recovered?

Since Sears is closing its Macomb Mall Store next year. Bring in Shopper's World.

Sears was the anchor store at Macomb Mall and that's why Dicks moved in. When Sears goes, I don't know how the rest of the mall will fend. Kohls is the only busy business there.

My brother just sent me a link to someone's facebook page that works at that Sears. Apparently, that Sears is one of the highest producing stores and they lease that space. At Home came in and made them an offer they couldn't refuse. Not sure if that's the case but still pissed though.

Kohl's?

I've walked through one a couple of times. Never saw a thing worth even looking at closely, let alone buying.

Kohl's is a bit scary in regards to clothing. Seems like they changed buyers a bit back and they style got really corny cheap looking. Sears was far better.

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Originally Posted by cla1945

Sears was the anchor store at Macomb Mall and that's why Dicks moved in. When Sears goes, I don't know how the rest of the mall will fend. Kohls is the only busy business there.

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Originally Posted by Meddle

Kohl's?

I've walked through one a couple of times. Never saw a thing worth even looking at closely, let alone buying.

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Kohls at Macomb Mall is usually pretty busy. They offer sales, Kohls cash back and a diverse stock. I'm not telling you where to shop and if you don't like Kohls, don't walk through the doors. Macy's would do well at Macomb Mall and I would consider it more high end than Kohls.

I would not mind the Sears at Oakland to close so it can become an At Home.

I'll miss Sears, and agree that Macy's at Macomb Mall would make a lot of sense on some level.

I guess its good that At Home will move into the space, so the mall can continue on.

1953

Kohls does have alot of coupons and incentives. It just seems they've gone downhill a bit. Carsons is similar but better merchandise!

I've been getting emails for a Macy's overstock/outlet. If I'm not mistaken, at Oakland Mall.

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Originally Posted by SyGolden48236

I was just looking at the merchandise on At Home's website. Their stuff actually makes the crap at Art Van look like quality merchandise.

Most of At Home's garbage looks like it will be in the landfill inside of two years after purchase.

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I went in there once and was shocked by how cheap everything was. Rickety chairs, uneven tables, watery stain on paper thin veneer over cheap press board. A horrendous waste of resources.

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Originally Posted by SyGolden48236

I was just looking at the merchandise on At Home's website. Their stuff actually makes the crap at Art Van look like quality merchandise.

Most of At Home's garbage looks like it will be in the landfill inside of two years after purchase.

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Well the clientele around Macomb Mall can't exactly always afford to go to Pottery Barn or Williams Sonoma, unlike you godly Grosse Pointers.

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Originally Posted by Maof

I've been getting emails for a Macy's overstock/outlet. If I'm not mistaken, at Oakland Mall.

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Definitely not a good sign when a location has become an "outlet."

i stand corrected. It's at the Fairlane Mall inside the existing Macy's and they're call it Macy's Backstage.

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Originally Posted by dtowncitylover

Well the clientele around Macomb Mall can't exactly always afford to go to Pottery Barn or Williams Sonoma, unlike you godly Grosse Pointers.

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I don't even know what or where a Pottery Barn is. I've never been to one let alone heard of it. I've never been to a Williams Sonoma either. I have a disdain for shopping malls in general.

But the schlock on that At Home website looks far inferior to the furniture that Sears itself used to sell. We furnished our son's college apartment with furniture from Sears and it has held up well to this day. He now has it in the basement of his house.

There is nothing Godly about us folks in the Pointe, son. Were just normal people, no different than anybody else.

I am not all that impressed with At Home based on the Utica store. Wide variety of tchotchke things, but of questionable quality and surprisingly high priced. Looked at some planters there, found same ones at Home Depot for 15% less.

Yeah I purchased a few cup coasters and lamps there but was not impressed with their furniture. Seemed dreadfully cheap!

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Originally Posted by Shai_Hulud

I went in there once and was shocked by how cheap everything was. Rickety chairs, uneven tables, watery stain on paper thin veneer over cheap press board. A horrendous waste of resources.

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Originally Posted by pocketchange

I am not all that impressed with At Home based on the Utica store. Wide variety of tchotchke things, but of questionable quality and surprisingly high priced. Looked at some planters there, found same ones at Home Depot for 15% less.

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I agree. Never been to one but browsing their website, it looks like cheap Asian imports, photographed nicely, and marked up for millennial purchase.

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Originally Posted by 313WX

Definitely not a good sign when a location has become an "outlet."

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Originally Posted by Maof

i stand corrected. It's at the Fairlane Mall inside the existing Macy's and they're call it Macy's Backstage.

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Backstage is Macy's attempt to compete with Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Ross, Nordstrom Rack, etc which have been stealing increasing market share from their mainline department stores for quite some time. Most retail analysts view this as a can't-win for Macy's on the basis that [[even if it's successful) they will ultimately cannibalize their own struggling business.

The whole appeal of pawing through random "marked-down" high-end designer merchandise at these 'off-price' retailers is that: a) it's not an option as easily replicated online and b) the customer believes they are getting Nordstrom or Saks cache at a Target price.

Generally Macy's quality, merchandising [[endless "sales"), and overall condition of their stores has declined so dramatically over the past 30 years, they're basically already a discount store. Not much victory for hard core bargain-hunters in getting cheapy merchandise cheap.

http://www.freep.com/story/life/shop...ane/337089001/

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Originally Posted by Bham1982

If that's true it's great news. At Home is a highly profitable, rapidly expanding big box retailer moving into MI.

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They may be expanding, but they moved into Michigan many years ago. They were formerly known as Garden Ridge. The location on Hall Road has been there since at least 2005, if not earlier than that.

Meanwhile the elephant in the room stomps forward...

Amazon gets $5 million state grant for new $140 million facility in Romulus
Online retailer promises 1,600 new jobs

In other words they will create a faction of the jobs they are displacing.

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Originally Posted by courtney

They may be expanding, but they moved into Michigan many years ago. They were formerly known as Garden Ridge. The location on Hall Road has been there since at least 2005, if not earlier than that.

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There is also a Garden Ridge / At Home at Fairlane North.

Went to sears today. Already demolishing the area where the tools department was.

That exactly what it is. Well photographed indeed! There's a whole business [[B2B, B2C) and increasingly online culture of flipping cheaply made stuffs made in China for US consumption. Even marketed as get-rich quick schemes [[you buy in bulk and resale individually) for those who want to turn-stile the stuff.....

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Originally Posted by Honky Tonk

I agree. Never been to one but browsing their website, it looks like cheap Asian imports, photographed nicely, and marked up for millennial purchase.

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Apparently, only half of the store will be occupied by At Home. Stopped in today and one of the managers said he wasn't sure what they were going to do with the other half. Should have just kept Sears as i was told that's what they did at the Oakland Mall store. Another sales person was very upset. Had worked there 20 years and "they lied to us until the last minute". They haven't even offered them positions at another store.

I have just the plan for that other half: tear it down and replace it with a movie theater like how they did the former Southland Mervyn's.

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Originally Posted by Maof

Another sales person was very upset. Had worked there 20 years and "they lied to us until the last minute". They haven't even offered them positions at another store.

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It is silly to think that while the company is an ever-accelerating death spiral that they would be hiring at any location whatsoever. And although I genuinely feel bad about anyone losing their job, it has been so blatantly obvious for at least five years that the company was actively winding down, so it should not be a shock to receive a pink slip. Eddy Lambert took 2 sick but salvageable retail icons and decided to sell and shrink them to death, rather than fix and improve. He's both a horrid person and a failure professionally.

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Originally Posted by MikeyinBrooklyn

It is silly to think that while the company is an ever-accelerating death spiral that they would be hiring at any location whatsoever. And although I genuinely feel bad about anyone losing their job, it has been so blatantly obvious for at least five years that the company was actively winding down, so it should not be a shock to receive a pink slip. Eddy Lambert took 2 sick but salvageable retail icons and decided to sell and shrink them to death, rather than fix and improve. He's both a horrid person and a failure professionally.

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Not everyone follows business trends as intensely as you and I.

No matter how you spin things, it is still management's obligations to be up front and honest with their employees about their plans. Sears failed to do so in this one instance we know of, thus shame on them.

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Originally Posted by 313WX

Not everyone follows business trends as intensely as you and I.

No matter how you spin things, it is still management's obligations to be up front and honest with their employees about their plans. Sears failed to do so in this one instance we know of, thus shame on them.

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I am not attempting to defend Sears in the slightest. They have been a-holes to employees, creditors, suppliers, landlords, customers and everyone else for years. Their actions are both unethical and immoral. Your use of the word "shame" is appropriate. But that doesn't mean that having your own Sears or Kmart shutter relatively suddenly should be a surprise. THEY ARE ALL CLOSING, AND SOON. Any staffer who was surprised was willfully blind to the obvious. My best wishes, though, to all those affected. Advice to current employees at other locations: look to get out now. No benefit in staying, and they won't be offering you a generous severance.