Yahoo Front Page at it again: "Why Retailers are Fleeing Detroit"

[crawford]

Sure, Detroit has it's problems, but honestly, it is much better than being out in the suburbs with their identical strip malls, their soccer moms, and the like.

Detroit is just diff'rent

LOL, there are dozens and dozens of identical strip malls within Detroit city limits. The only major difference with suburban strip malls is that the proportion of party stores, liquor stores, and nail, hair and wig stores is considerably higher.

As for "soccer moms", you mean "moms involved in their childrens lives". Reminds me of none of the parents [[lets be real, moms) showing up for parent-teacher conferences when she taught in DPS.

[Downtown diva]

LOL, there are dozens and dozens of identical strip malls within Detroit city limits. The only major difference with suburban strip malls is that the proportion of party stores, liquor stores, and nail, hair and wig stores is considerably higher.

As for "soccer moms", you mean "moms involved in their childrens lives". Reminds me of none of the parents [[lets be real, moms) showing up for parent-teacher conferences when she taught in DPS.

that is a generalization!

there are planty of proud women in Detroit who take an interest in their children. We just dont feel like we have to take them to Soccer classes or ski lessons.

we just dont have to chauwfer them all over

[detroitjim]

Retroit you forgot one


Lotto

[Dustin89]

"Hundreds of buildings were left vacant by the nearly one million residents who have left."

Ha! Understatement of the year.

[Bearinabox]

Detroit does not have a retail shortage. This lie gets repeated over and over again. And it's citizens do not lack for amenities. Again, another lie repeated ad-nauseum.

If anything, I think it could be argued there is too much retail relative to population trends and income levels.

In addition to the retailers within city limits, there are millions upon millions of square feet of retail right beyond the city limits.

1. To the southwest you have Fairlane Mall [[1.5 million square feet) and all the nearby major power centers

2. Due west you have various smaller malls and shopping centers in Livonia.

3. To the northwest you have Northland Mall [[1.4 million square feet) and nearby retail.

4. Due north you have Oakland Mall [[1.5 million square feet) and many nearby power centers.

5. To the northeast you have Eastland Mall [[1.4 million square feet) and nearby retail.

Except for maybe Oakland Mall and Livonia, all of these retail corridors are dominated by Detroit shoppers.

So Detroiters leave Detroit to shop in sufficient numbers to "dominate" all the "retail corridors" you mentioned in your post, and yet you think Detroit has enough retail to fulfill the needs of all its residents? If Detroit has plenty of retail, why do Detroiters go to places like Northland and Fairlane?

[crawford]

So Detroiters leave Detroit to shop in sufficient numbers to "dominate" all the "retail corridors" you mentioned in your post, and yet you think Detroit has enough retail to fulfill the needs of all its residents?

Absolutely.

Are you arguing that retail needs can only serve people exclusively within the jurisdiction they live?

There is no retail in Bloomfield Hills, so therefore, Bloomfield Hills is underserved by retail? We should ignore downtown Birmingham and the Somerset Collection just beyond city limits?

If Detroit has plenty of retail, why do Detroiters go to places like Northland and Fairlane?

Detroit has plenty of retail BECAUSE they go to Northland and Fairlane. If you eliminated these centers, they would lack for retail, but not now.

There are six million square feet of retail in enclosed malls alone circling the city of Detriot. Undoubtedly millions more in power centers and strip centers. Not bad for a poor city of 800.000 [[and dropping).

Ask anyone in retail leasing or retail brokerage. There is no shortage of space in the core areas of the metro region. There's a horrible glut of space. The issue is how do we add demand, not how do we add supply.

[Bearinabox]

Absolutely.

Are you arguing that retail needs can only serve people exclusively within the jurisdiction they live?

There is no retail in Bloomfield Hills, so therefore, Bloomfield Hills is underserved by retail? We should ignore downtown Birmingham and the Somerset Collection just beyond city limits?



Detroit has plenty of retail BECAUSE they go to Northland and Fairlane. If you eliminated these centers, they would lack for retail, but not now.

There are six million square feet of retail in enclosed malls alone circling the city of Detriot. Undoubtedly millions more in power centers and strip centers. Not bad for a poor city of 800.000 [[and dropping).

Ask anyone in retail leasing or retail brokerage. There is no shortage of space in the core areas of the metro region. There's a horrible glut of space. The issue is how do we add demand, not how do we add supply.

The problem with the Bloomfield Hills/Birmingham analogy is that Bloomfield Hills has a tiny land area compared to Detroit. Surrounding a city the size of Detroit with retail is not the same as having retail inside the city. It's very far out of the way for people in the core areas of the city to go to the suburbs to shop. For someone living at Pembroke and Greenfield, it doesn't matter that Northland is on the far side of 8 Mile, but when 8 Mile is six miles north of you to start with, it does.

[Lorax]

Detroit and it's environs are better served by retailers than Miami is, and I know, because I live here!

I also live there, so I really do know.

If Yahoo's metric for Detroit was applied to Miami, Miami would be WORSE off than Detroit, since most department stores and restaruants are centered in suburban malls, while much of the city itself if devoted to warehouses, condo towers and little else. And most of them are vacant since the economic collapse.

The biggest regional mall in Florida, Aventura Mall is losing it's home furnishings stores to a local mall anchored by a casino/dog track [[Gulfstream), and is also losing it's Border's.

I am wedged in a gated condo tower development about 5 miles south of Aventura, and about 5 miles north of downtown Miami, and have to drive 18 miles to get to a California Pizza Kitchen [[my favorite chain restaurant), and 25 miles to the Container Store [[my favorite home store, yes, I'm a geek).

There is a Burdines, oh, sorry, Macy's in downtown Miami, but it's barely hanging on, and there is nothing else down there except latino fabric shops and cuban restaurants, which I don't really understand the draw. Rice, Beans & Plantains oh, my!

We couldn't even support a local Ruby Tuesday's, Macaroni Grill, Fuddruckers, and now Border's, amongst dozens of other establishments which have closed down recently.

The overrated MSG laden PF Chang's manages to hold on, since there are no other Chinese restaruants you'd even consider eating in within a dozen miles.

Detroit and it's burbs have more than ample shopping and other services compared with the backwater I live in.

Did I mention we have lousy pizza? Correction, one pizza place that is lousy. And one Pizza Hut that gives you uncooked pizza dough pizzas.

If it weren't for the Florida weather........

[detmich]

that is a generalization!

there are planty of proud women in Detroit who take an interest in their children. We just dont feel like we have to take them to Soccer classes or ski lessons.

we just dont have to chauwfer them all over

The green eyed monster is rearing its ugly head on this thread. Sounds like the Detroit women are the ones doing the generalizations. Because they are jealous of those "suburban" soccer moms perhaps?

Can someone instruct the proud Detroit women on the use of the spell checker, please?