Windy Motor Mall [[WARNING: NOT REAL!)

[mtburb]

Earlier this month, I thought up of a large mall that would feature many anchors, including a couple from Detroit. Well, I decided to place it at the southeast corner of I-94 and M-66 near Battle Creek, near the exact midway point of an "as-the-crow-flies" line between Campus Martius [[in Detroit) and State and Madison Streets [[in Chicago). It became the location of the fictional mall, which I named the "Windy Motor Mall." I decided it would start as a one-level, four-anchor mall.



It would serve as a "merchandise hybrid" of stores from Detroit and Chicago. It would be 118 miles from the downtown areas of either city.

Here's a map of the environs of the Windy Motor Mall as it would look when it opened:



It would be anchored by Sears, Montgomery Ward [[both with auto centers), Marshall Field's and of course, Hudson's. In the outparcel, to the north, there would be an attached Kmart and Kroger stores. The Hudson's and Marshall Field's stores would be right across from each other, divided by a spacious court area, featuring a fountain. The mall would also include about 70-to-100 inline stores, a Woolworth store and a single-screen theater. On the south outparcel, there would be a McDonald's and a Standard gas station.

Now please note, do not Google search the Windy Motor Mall, as it's fictional!


In 1971, that piece of land where the mall would sit on would be part of Emmett Township, in Calhoun County. If the Windy Motor Mall was built, Battle Creek would annex that land immediately.

Tell me what you think of this mall I made up. Include suggestions for the future of the mall.

[rb336]

what are you going to do with the empty hudsons, marshall fields and wards stores?

[jjw]

It's a waste of space

[401don]

I sometimes have weird dreams too. Never thought to put them down on paper.

[Brich]

1971 mall walkers wore short shorts and had big hair-doos.

[Wheels]

Not from round here he?

[canuck]

I sometimes have weird dreams too. Never thought to put them down on paper.

There's a buck to be made here, but you have to turn it into an adventure type place.

How about a biker's mall at the halfway point between Detroit and Cleveland.;
"The Maul Mall".

Lots of death's head and hoghead logos all over the place, pool halls, tattoo parlors and greasy spoons, leather goods stores and massive smoke shops as anchors.

A dreamland for the whiskers, pigtails and bigbelly types and their chicks.
The kiddies would have a pirate village with your mandatory pirate's ship à la West Edmonton mall. You would have an admission to get in just so your bikers could tell the nerdy security guads to stick it; any biker caught paying would get an unsollicited haircut.

A special smokey environment as per your casinos. No garbage pails, and no recycling bins. Heaven for Hell's Angels and Banditos.

[Jimaz]

After picking my jaw up off the floor, the first thought that went through my mind was Zombie Kid Likes Turtles.

But what the heck. It's Saturday.

[cramerro]

Why not maximize the defunct stores and swap out KMart for Farmer Jack?

Some other things that would be fun would be an American Coney Island and a Chicago Pizzeria... the American could also serve Chicago-style dogs and the Pizza place could serve mini Hot-and-Ready pizza. A bar in the middle with some Strohs, 312 Ale, and Bells to balance things out would be fun. I'm assuming you'd have to come up with about 100 more of these catchy ideas if you're planning to fill 4 floors :-)

[Scottathew]

Well, since it's smack dab in the middle of the Great Lakes and also on one of the busiest crossings, you could instead call it "Great Lakes Crossings". That is unless you want to put outlet stores there, then you could call it "Great Lakes Outlets".

[antongast]

I think it needs more parking.

[DetroitPlanner]

I think it needs more parking.

I agree if this is hoping to be the mall FOR Detroit and Chicago, it will need lost of it, or moved N of the freeway so it can access rail easier. Incidentally, lots of smaller cities will be drawn to it like South Bend, Ft Wayne, Lansing, Grand Rapids, Jackson.... Only Lansing and Jackson have goood rail connectivity to BC.

Where is the family dollar?

[cramerro]

Where is the family dollar?

I think the basement should be the dollar store row... Dollar General, Family Dollar, etc... and let's throw in a Wireless TOYZ in for good measure.

[DetroitPlanner]

I think the basement should be the dollar store row... Dollar General, Family Dollar, etc... and let's throw in a Wireless TOYZ in for good measure.

great idea! Thats where I go to cash my checks and get payday advance loans too!

[mtburb]

Thanks for the comments!

Anyways, let's head to the year 1975, a year before the United States turns 200. By then, a new two-level, "T"-shaped wing that ends in a new JCPenney store has just been built, branching out by the Montgomery Ward store. A Penney's Auto Center was built to compliment this addition. Also, a Massachusetts-based Turn Style discount mart was built in the northern parking lot and a Ponderosa Steakhouse was built in the outlot, between the existing McDonald's and gas station on Beckley Road. In addition, a non-stop bus route is now operating between the mall and the Amtrak station in downtown Battle Creek. Meanwhile, back in the mall itself, the theater has just been twinned the year before. Now can you just imagine the lines in that theater on the opening night of "Jaws", especially since it might continue out into the mall...

Here's what the mall area looked like by then:



You are free to continue commenting on this mall, including suggestions for it's future. For example, by 1975, the mall would've drawn people travelling from Detroit and Chicago as well as those coming from South Bend, Fort Wayne, Lansing, Grand Rapids and Jackson. Because so many people come here, another expansion and the addition of a parking garage is on the horizon, plus a potential rival might never be built because it's right across M-66...

[DetroitPlanner]

Penny's auto center!! LOL Wow thats a blast from the past! In the mid-70's Penny's was trying to be carbon copy of Sears and its larger stores would have the auto center, appliances [[like stoves and washing machines), sporting goods, and toys. The one at Fairlane even had a bar and grille in it.

What are you doing to serve the large amish community that can be found on M-66 south of town? http://rivercountry.com/things-to-do...sh-meandering/

In some parts of the U.S. Walmart has sheds and watering stations for the horse and buggies!

[Hermod]

It was around 1975 that JC Penney got out of everything but dry goods and kitchenware. I had a JC Penney clothes dryer, a JC Penney television, and still have a JC Penney brand "dremel tool". The JC Penney auto centers all got sold or leased to Firestone or Goodyear tire centers. Anytime you find an old mall with a JC Penney look for a Firestone or Goodyear on an outparcel.

[DetroitPlanner]

Fairlane had all of those departments yet it was not opened until probably 1977. Prior to the Fairlane store we would shop at the Penny's at Grand River/Greenfield where they had none of those departments.

[Pickford-Bentler]

I think having Elvis sing Kentucky Rain at the Windy Motor Mall would expand its appeal as our great country heads for the 1980s.

[Hermod]

OK, 1983 was the year that JC Penney phased out their hardware and large appliance sales and concentrated on clothing and dry goods. They also sold all of their auto centers to Firestone in a package deal.

[mtburb]

We now travel eight years ahead to the year 1983. Big events happen that year. A major one is the construction of a new wing extending westward from the 1975 wing, next to the two-level JCPenney. It is also two-level and runs west until it meets a new two-level Jackson-based Jacobson's store, then turns north, then becomes one-level so it could cross over Mall Drive, then becomes two-level again and continues past the shuttered Turn Style store [[which is not part of the expansion) and ends in a second theatrical venue.

As for JCPenney itself, it's Auto Center had just been sold to Firestone since JCPenney wants to be more akin to the higher-end department stores [[such as Hudson's and Marshall Field's) and less akin to Sears and Montgomery Ward by selling mostly clothing. At the south end of the mall, a parking garage dubbed the "Michigan" garage has been built. The outparcel Kmart and Kroger stores have been torn down. The original theater inside the mall had just been triplex-ed just in time for "Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi" and becomes the Windy Motor Cinema I-II-III, while the newer theater is named the Windy Motor Cinema IV-V-VI-VII.

But most importantly, a potential retail rival is never built. Lakeview Square Mall would've been anchored by Hudson's, JCPenney and Sears, but it was directly across M-66, way too close for competition for the more-established Windy Motor Mall. Therefore, it continues to prosper with six anchors, two movie theaters and no competition in it's immediate vicinity. By then, the closest malls to the Windy Motor Mall would be Maple Hill Mall [[25 miles west, in Kalamazoo), Gull Crossing [[18 miles west-northwest, also in Kalamazoo), Crossroads Mall [[22 miles west-southwest, in Portage), Southland Shopping Center [[22 miles west-southwest, also in Portage), Paka Plaza [[38 miles east, in Jackson) and Westwood Mall [[38 miles east, also in Jackson).



You may now continue to comment about the mall.

[nain rouge]

I'm curious... are you planning on remodeling the mall anytime soon? Its early 1970s designs will soon look quite garish to suburban shoppers, and if you don't update you risk losing business to your newer competitors!