Rank Metro Detroit's Malls/Reasoning

[MicrosoftFan]

Here we go:

1. Somerset- an obvious choice. They simply have stores that you can't find anywhere else in the area. A luxury mall with high margins should keep it around for a long time.
2. Great Lakes Crossing- for reasons similar to Somerset, except the luxury aspect is lessened in favor of outlet mall pricing. But unlike most dying outlet malls off backwater freeway exits, this one is actually thriving. Where else can you find a mall with an aquarium?
3. Partridge Creek- it's outdoors and unique, and this will draw people here for a while. It's a generally good place to walk around, and has a great selection of stores to go along with it.
4. Twelve Oaks- despite Sears closing, Twelve Oaks is still a really strong mall. The Apple Store certainly helps, and it sees strong foot traffic more through its "hall stores" than its anchors.
5. Southland- as malls around the country have been on decline, Southland has gotten a second wind from a new owner. Cinemark boosts foot traffic and there are now restaurants on the periphery, in addition to an H&M. Downriver teens flood the halls of Southland on weekends, since there is NOTHING ELSE TO DO.
6. Briarwood- sure, Sears has departed, but it has just about everywhere else. Otherwise Briarwood is a decent mall, and the Von Maur makes it stand apart from others.
7. Macomb- this mall has done a good job of converting departed anchors into speciality stores like At Home and Dick's. They've also updated the exterior to make it seem less like a hulking monstrosity from the 1970s into more of a modern strip mall. But there really isn't anything that sets this mall apart from generic shopping centers; you go to Dick's because that's where it is, not because it's in the mall.
8. Oakland- spends its entire life living in the shadow of Somerset, but hey, at least it has a Penney's. There isn't much to set it apart from other malls, however. It's stable and should be able to hang on for a while.
9. Fairlane- The death of Fairlane has been greatly exaggerated. There is still a lot of foot traffic in the mall and the Ford Town Center Offices are a unique aspect. Macy's and Penney's might not hang on here forever through, and it could go south real fast. An indicator of the pulse of the mall will be if the Sears space gets remodeled or subdivided into new stores.
10. Westland- The last mall in Metro Detroit with a Sears come spring. And boy, this Sears is spotless, probably because nobody shops here. Macy's departing really hurt the mall, but the Kohl's here is huge and will keep it alive for a long time. The corridors are mostly occupied with forgettable stores.
11. Lakeside- Probably more alive than Fairlane, but the city is actually talking about tearing down the mall, so its days may be numbered. One of the four Taubman "super regional" malls in Metro Detroit.
12. Laurel Park- Aside from a Von Maur, there's nothing else of interest here. Carson's has departed, and the food court is basically empty. This mall will need a new anchor to survive, otherwise it will die fast or slowly like...
13. Eastland- what the hell is keeping the lights on? Finish Line? Just die already! You could fit just about every store that's left here into a few strip malls along Vernier. Every anchor of note is just sitting there, empty, and what the hell is a Shopper's World?

[313WX]

and what the hell is a Shopper's World?

You must be new to Detroit, lol.

Shoppper's World is a no-frills department store that catered to lower income customers on the east side. Basically like the Aldi of department stores.

Deride them all you want, but for years in the 80s, 90s and 2000s, this store filled a huge gap in retai that was missing when the mainstream department stores [[Montgomery Ward, Hudson's, Crowley's, etc.) rapidly fled the city. They also helped to breathe some life to neighborhood shopping centers that would have declined even faster without them [[Warren & Conner, 7 Mile and Gratiot, Joseph Campau in Hamtramck, etc.)

[SyGolden48236]

.....and what the hell is a Shopper's World?

Shopper's World is the Neiman Marcus of the ghetto.

[313WX]

Shopper's World is the Neiman Marcus of the ghetto.

HA! I kind of like that analogy better.

[softailrider]

Oakland Mall was there way before Somerset. It may be surviving in the shadow of the Somerset Mall but it wasn’t always like that.

[Pat001]

In addition to the rise of online retailing, one must also take into consideration the general economic decline of SE Michigan that resulted from de-industrialization. Over the past 25 years thousands of jobs have disappeared; people have moved away. There aren’t enough customers to support all these malls – even the upscale ones.

[Bham1982]

I'm amazed Oakland Mall has hung on so well. It isn't exactly thriving, but it seems to be semi-stable.

I agree with the general ranking, but would probably reverse 2, 3, and 4.

[Zacha341]

Indeed. Shopper's World predates Family Dollar, Forman Mills etc. and in between employment I shopped there often. They occupied buildings that would have otherwise been torn down. It is needed, and like Forman Mills [[another hidden gem for discount price clothing) provides good deals on a budget!

You must be new to Detroit, lol.

Shoppper's World is a no-frills department store that catered to lower income customers on the east side. Basically like the Aldi of department stores....

[Zacha341]

They're in a great location and near a decent strip mall and the John R. corridor of other shopping options. So it gets pop-in shoppers who may visit the other options as well, nearby.

I'm amazed Oakland Mall has hung on so well. It isn't exactly thriving, but it seems to be semi-stable.

[Zacha341]

Nah, Forman Mills is, hands down! The Connor store the best IMO.

Great bargains, especially for mens clothing. Similar to TJ Maxx and Burlington they glean some designer items. I've found business clothes as well and casual there. You have to look carefully for the nice items but they're there. Excellent for families with children.

Shopper's World is the Neiman Marcus of the ghetto.

[gnome]

I am not a Mall shopper except for two times a year. Valentines Day and the bride’s birthday.

I prefer small malls because I cannot tolerate trudging through a massive parking lot with additional trudging inside.

For such requirements I prefer Laurel Park in Livonia, Oakland Mall in Madison Heights and formerly Westland Mall.

[Scottathew]

My family doesn't shop often at malls, but here are the three that we go to...

1) Great Lakes Crossing - It has a wide variety of stores as well as some attractions for kids and the movie theater. This is the most frequently visited mall by my family

2) The Village of Rochester Hills - This is the "fake downtown" of Rochester Hills over at Walton and Adams. We mainly go here for the events that they hold [[Santa, 5K, movie nights) and don't often shop there.

3) Somerset Mall - It kind of close and has a lot of stores. We're not high-end people so we don't really feel too drawn to it.

And that's pretty much it, I don't think we've really visited any other malls in the last few years.

[EGrant]

2) The Village of Rochester Hills - This is the "fake downtown" of Rochester Hills over at Walton and Adams. We mainly go here for the events that they hold [[Santa, 5K, movie nights) and don't often shop there.

Always thought they could close off all those streets in The Village and it would be a lot better. The place is literally surrounded by parking, so I have no idea why people would need to drive through it.

[401don]

Oakland Mall's massive parking surrounding the mall combined with the fact it's not very busy makes it a lot easier than Somerset if you are looking for the same stores. Or as Yogi Berra would say about Somerset, nobody goes there any more, it's too busy.

[Towne Cluber]

Oakland Mall's massive parking surrounding the mall combined with the fact it's not very busy makes it a lot easier than Somerset if you are looking for the same stores. Or as Yogi Berra would say about Somerset, nobody goes there any more, it's too busy.

...Except they only share a handful of the same stores.

[Scottathew]

Always thought they could close off all those streets in The Village and it would be a lot better. The place is literally surrounded by parking, so I have no idea why people would need to drive through it.

Yeah, I'm not really in love with that aspect of it. It's a mall that you might be able to drive and park right in front of the store you want to go to. I guess maybe it would help quick shopping needs during low-volume times, I'm not sure.

It's an interesting concept.

[Towne Cluber]

The Village of Rochester Hills was not well executed and will need to be renovated sooner rather than later if it wants to survive long-term. If I remember correctly, there were zoning issues when it was originally planned.

There are better versions of it in other states that include hotel, residential, office, and a gym.

[sirrealone]

It'll be interesting to see what happens with the Villages over the next few years. Now that Carson's has closed down, they have a great big space doing nothing that will have to be dealt with. Being a smaller mall, I would expect they might have a tougher time filling that than they probably will at Partridge Creek.

They're also about to open a brand new Barnes & Noble there. They took over a few other stores and built it from scratch. When was the last time you saw a new bookstore built? They claim they're not closing the one on Rochester Road, just a few miles away, but time will tell, I suppose.

I remember when the Villages was an enclosed mall. Meadowbrook Mall? I remember little about it except they had a bookstore [[B. Dalton) and a place where you could get cider and donuts. As a kid, that was pretty rocking.

[sirrealone]

I always thought it was a dirty move by Taubman to get rid of his interest in Lakeside, then build a new mall a mile down the road.

[Gistok]

You must be new to Detroit, lol.

Shoppper's World is a no-frills department store that catered to lower income customers on the east side. Basically like the Aldi of department stores.

Have you ever even been to an Aldi's? It's "value shopping" not "Ghetto shopping". Even the middle class shops at Aldi's.

While even Kroger will sell food imported from China and Vietnam... Aldi's sticks to USA produced items, as well as a lot of goods from their HQ country of Germany and also other countries in Europe. Which would you choose?

Aldi's might be low frills... but it will be one of the largest grocery store chains in the world [[#3 in the USA in a few years). And their stores are now expanding to double their size. Good reviews in the retail industry...

https://storebrands.com/aldi-private-brand-powerhouse

A Dollar Store they are not!

[313WX]

Have you ever even been to an Aldi's? It's "value shopping" not "Ghetto shopping".

I never said it was.

Are you implying Shopper's World is "ghetto shopping?"

[Pat001]

The Village of Rochester Hills was not well executed and will need to be renovated sooner rather than later if it wants to survive long-term. If I remember correctly, there were zoning issues when it was originally planned.

There are better versions of it in other states that include hotel, residential, office, and a gym.

I got an idea - put a roof over it and make it into -- a mall!

[Former_Detroiter]

You must be new to Detroit, lol.

Shoppper's World is a no-frills department store that catered to lower income customers on the east side. Basically like the Aldi of department stores.

Deride them all you want, but for years in the 80s, 90s and 2000s, this store filled a huge gap in retai that was missing when the mainstream department stores [[Montgomery Ward, Hudson's, Crowley's, etc.) rapidly fled the city. They also helped to breathe some life to neighborhood shopping centers that would have declined even faster without them [[Warren & Conner, 7 Mile and Gratiot, Joseph Campau in Hamtramck, etc.)

As soon as I saw a Shopper's World at the Eastland Mall I knew the mall was in big trouble.

[Zacha341]

Some would probably consider SaveaLot grocery store to be ghetto!

I resemble that remark, as I shop at SaveaLot and Aldi's...... Love the no GMO, organic options at Aldi's!

I never said it was.

Are you implying Shopper's World is "ghetto shopping?"

[Onthe405]

I remember when the Villages was an enclosed mall. Meadowbrook Mall? I remember little about it except they had a bookstore [[B. Dalton) and a place where you could get cider and donuts. As a kid, that was pretty rocking.

Yes, it was "Meadowbrook Mall". The largest tenant was Frank's Nursery fronting Walton. Meadowbrook was the first cheesy attempt to create a faux "small town Main Street" . . .only to be leveled--and replaced by another one.

The irony is that there was a downtown Rochester-- which was a real "small-town Main Street" shopping experience just a stone's throw away. I'm not sure what the MM developers were gunning for, but it was always a morgue and an abject flop.

Back in the 70s, Rochester was still an emerging exurb, and the population wasn't large enough to support a mall featuring major department store anchor[[s). I suppose it was a misguided attempt as a local, scaled-down alternative to Pontiac/Oakland/Somerset. The "country clutter" theme was dreadful, but amazingly resilient to this day.