Taylor Gibraltar Trade Center closing to make room for: another Menard's!

**mtburb** · May-04-14, 11:31 AM

TAYLOR — Gibraltar Trade Center officials have confirmed they are closing the Taylor location and are consolidating their operations at their Mount Clemens location. The changes are set to happen by the end of the year.

The public weekend marketplace at 15525 Racho Road is home to about 200 vendors, both permanent and temporary, and the center has been open in Taylor since 1982.

The trade center's owners are reportedly in talks to sell the 80-acre site to Menard Inc., a home improvement retailer that operates nearly 300 stores in 14 states.

City officials have confirmed a Menards store is coming to Taylor, although a spokesman for Menard Inc. said the company “had nothing to report at this time” when reached by email.

Well, it appears that Downriver's version of "a rural-themed Somerset Collection" is on it's way out to allow Menard's to erect another new store. According to the comments, there are also rumors that Costco is wanting to erect a store of their own nearby too.

What are your opinions on this? I certainly will definitely never go all the way to Mount Clemens, even after this closes.

http://www.thenewsherald.com/article...mode=fullstory

**Honky Tonk** · May-04-14, 11:38 AM

Originally Posted by mtburb

http://www.thenewsherald.com/article...mode=fullstory

Well, it appears that Downriver's version of "a rural-themed Somerset Collection" is on it's way out to allow Menard's to erect another new store. According to the comments, there are also rumors that Costco is wanting to erect a store of their own nearby too.

What are your opinions on this? I certainly will definitely never go all the way to Mount Clemens, even after this closes.

Now where will I buy my guns and knives?

**SDCC** · May-04-14, 12:37 PM

Went to many a gun shows downriver...Menard's is kinda junkie...Costco is on point...

**rooms222** · May-04-14, 12:47 PM

Originally Posted by SDCC

Went to many a gun shows downriver...Menard's is kinda junkie...Costco is on point...

Maybe they should have the Briggs Trade Center at Michigan and Trumbull for a couple of decades or so, until the area can support a big box store.......

**Wesley Mouch** · May-04-14, 01:20 PM

The message I take from this is that downriver Detroit must be rebounding. I think downriver was hit very hard by the banker's crisis. Perhaps Menards counted cars in the Home Depot and Lowes nearby and realized there's room.

They're rather a small-town chain, afaik. I think they're right that there's room for a player that's a little bit less sophisticated than HD/Lowes... but from my experience beats them on prices.

**compn** · May-04-14, 01:32 PM

hadnt been to gibraltar in years.
i think ebay took a lot of that resale market.

not impressed with menards at all. lots of cheap looking chinese made stuff.

**DetroiterOnTheWestCoast** · May-04-14, 01:35 PM

Originally Posted by compn

hadnt been to gibraltar in years.
i think ebay took a lot of that resale market.

not impressed with menards at all. lots of cheap looking chinese made stuff.

You don't like to "Save Big Money"?

**313WX** · May-04-14, 01:35 PM

Originally Posted by Wesley Mouch

The message I take from this is that downriver Detroit must be rebounding.

That's one way to look at it.

On the other hand, Menard's already stated they were going to be expanding across Metro Detroit, since it's a new market for them. This could simply be a case of them increasing their investment in a market that was already underserved by them [[after all, even with stagnant growth, I think a region with ~4 Million people can support more than 2 Menard's), versus this having any bearing on Downriver's health. Now if there were more Home Depot or Lowe's stores opening, then it may be a different story.

If anything, the fact that the Gilbralter Trade Center, who has been around for decades, has decided to close out of its locations suggests to me that things aren't as sunshine-y as some would like to them to me, as that means they're getting fewer vendors to invest in booths due to decreased traffic from customers who can afford what the vendors have to offer.

**compn** · May-04-14, 01:38 PM

Originally Posted by Wesley Mouch

They're rather a small-town chain, afaik. I think they're right that there's room for a player that's a little bit less sophisticated than HD/Lowes... but from my experience beats them on prices.

"Menards, Inc. is the third largest retailer after Home Depot and Lowes in the home improvement industry of the United States"

**Hermod** · May-04-14, 01:48 PM

We need some Tractor Supply stores for the urban farming.

**mtburb** · May-04-14, 02:28 PM

Originally Posted by Hermod

We need some Tractor Supply stores for the urban farming.

One actually opened nearby in Trenton a while ago.

**Hermod** · May-04-14, 02:53 PM

Originally Posted by mtburb

One actually opened nearby in Trenton a while ago.

They are a very well run company. They are following the Walmart practice of starting in the sticks and then moving into suburbia/urbia rather than the Grants/Woolco/Caldor/Kmart/Fields/Ames/Zayre practice of starting in the cities and moving out.

**softailrider** · May-04-14, 05:25 PM

Originally Posted by Honky Tonk

Now where will I buy my guns and knives?

Those were / are pretty crappy gun shows. They're better then nothing though.

**Meddle** · May-04-14, 05:36 PM

Originally Posted by mtburb

What are your opinions on this? I certainly will definitely never go all the way to Mount Clemens, even after this closes.

I can't see the independent vendors 'consolidating operations' there either. At least when I was going there, many of the vendors were locals trying to make a buck. Some of them may not even know where Mt. Clemens is.

**Meddle** · May-04-14, 05:40 PM

Originally Posted by Wesley Mouch

Perhaps Menards counted cars in the Home Depot and Lowes nearby and realized there's room.

If those two are already there, I don't see room for a third.

I remember Schoolcraft and Middlebelt and the surrounding area with Forest City turned Handy Andy, Builder's Square, Home Depot and Home Quarters all within a mile or so. Wasn't long before they started dying off.

**Wesley Mouch** · May-04-14, 05:49 PM

Originally Posted by compn

"Menards, Inc. is the third largest retailer after Home Depot and Lowes in the home improvement industry of the United States"

Thanks for that info. I'm surprised, since I've seen them in fairly small towns in rural Michigan.

They are only in 14 states; from their website:

A family-owned company started in 1960, Menards® is headquartered in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and has 280 home improvement stores located in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Today, Menards® is known throughout the home improvement industry as the low price leader; it's no wonder our famous slogan – SAVE BIG MONEY® – is so widely known and easy to remember.

**mtburb** · May-04-14, 06:04 PM

Originally Posted by Wesley Mouch

Perhaps Menards counted cars in the Home Depot and Lowes nearby and realized there's room.

As a matter of fact, the Home Depot is literally kitty-corner across Eureka from the GTC...the nearest Lowe's, however, is actually in Southgate [[at the northwest corner of Trenton, Pennsylvania and Fort).

**Hermod** · May-04-14, 06:04 PM

Originally Posted by Meddle

Builder's Square, Home Depot and Home Quarters all within a mile or so. Wasn't long before they started dying off.

Hechinger's became Home Quarters and bought Builder's Square. It wasn't the individual stores, it was the head office in the DC area. Mr Hechinger had an aversion to closing unprofitable stores and as a result lost the whole company.

That Great Guy · May-04-14, 06:32 PM

A Win Win situation

If the August SMART fails and mass transit ends, the bus drivers can work there

If the tax wins, then Detroit residents can take the SMART bus there and work?

Are they Union? does anyone know?

**rb336** · May-04-14, 06:34 PM

Originally Posted by compn

hadnt been to gibraltar in years.
i think ebay took a lot of that resale market.

not impressed with menards at all. lots of cheap looking chinese made stuff.

Just like most of the others. The lumber seems straighter there than Home Despot or Lowe's though. Of course, there are local lumber yards that are better still

That Great Guy · May-04-14, 06:55 PM

Originally Posted by compn

hadnt been to gibraltar in years.
i think ebay took a lot of that resale market.

not impressed with menards at all. lots of cheap looking chinese made stuff.

Just Googled them Cheap Salaries too

So, vote in another tax INCREASE next August

That will teach those low income workers to get Unionized?????

**KJ5** · May-04-14, 09:34 PM

I wonder if this will help the Russell at all. It's a lot closer than Mt. Clemens. The weekend marketplace there is seriously lackluster. They had a rummage sale at Tangent Gallery today and that was livelier than the Russell for me.

**DetroitPlanner** · May-04-14, 10:16 PM

Originally Posted by compn

hadnt been to gibraltar in years.
i think ebay took a lot of that resale market.

not impressed with menards at all. lots of cheap looking chinese made stuff.

Menards makes it a point to highlight made in the USA products. A lot of it is cheap looking American Stuff!

**Honky Tonk** · May-05-14, 07:12 AM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

Menards makes it a point to highlight made in the USA products. A lot of it is cheap looking American Stuff!

Damn right! Our stuff can be just as crappy as the Chinese!

**JDKeepsmiling** · May-05-14, 08:20 AM

Originally Posted by 313WX

That's one way to look at it.

On the other hand, Menard's already stated they were going to be expanding across Metro Detroit, since it's a new market for them. This could simply be a case of them increasing their investment in a market that was already underserved by them [[after all, even with stagnant growth, I think a region with ~4 Million people can support more than 2 Menard's), versus this having any bearing on Downriver's health. Now if there were more Home Depot or Lowe's stores opening, then it may be a different story.

If anything, the fact that the Gilbralter Trade Center, who has been around for decades, has decided to close out of its locations suggests to me that things aren't as sunshine-y as some would like to them to me, as that means they're getting fewer vendors to invest in booths due to decreased traffic from customers who can afford what the vendors have to offer.

When I was a kid, in the late 80's and early 90's, you could find all kinds of cool stuff at the Trade Center. I used to love wandering around, looking at all the various things that the sellers specialized in. In the late 90's the place really changed, and went to a bunch of people selling cheap Chinese stuff that they somehow imported or had a line on getting "wholesale". I will not be sad to see the place go.