When I was a kid during the heyday of the Pontiac Mall [[which I still call it today)which became SPM, it was always crowded. My parents took us there at least once a week either to shop or to pay store credit card bills in person. We used to go to the movies there, and before the movie theatre was built, Waterford Twp used to put on a fireworks show for the 4th of July there in the parking lot. As a teenager, I was there almost everyday. At Christmas, it was always packed. Back then, I never could've predicted that place would become so vacant. My mom still lives out that way & shops at the Macy's there. I went to shop there with her once last year. We walked from Macy's to JCP through the empty mall. I was astounded at the complete emptiness of it. There was NOTHING. Looking back, I think the things that have done in SPM were the opening of 12 Oaks and the expansion of the mall. The expansion was making it like a 12 Oaks Jr. However, I think more folks liked the ambience of 12 Oaks and continued to trek out to Novi for it. I think Great Lakes Crossing was probably the last nail in the coffin, but SPM was in ICU long before GLC was built.