Fairlane Town Center

[Meddle]

Lost count of the hours I spent there. Disney and WB both had stores there; one on top of the other if I remember right.

[n7hn]

hudsons=macys ... I dont agree either

[Hermod]

Hudson's = Marshall Field's = Macy's

Wrong

Hudson's
[[drop down)
Marshall Field"s
[[drop down)
Macy's

FIFY

[Meddle]

Marshall Field & Company [[Marshall Field's) was a department store in Chicago, Illinois that grew to become a major chain before being acquired by Macy's Inc. on August 30, 2005.

The former flagship Marshall Field and Company Building location on State Street in The Loop of downtown Chicago was officially renamed Macy's on State Street on September 9, 2006, and is now one of four national Macy's flagship stores — one of two within the company's Macy's East retail division alongside its New York store at Herald Square. Initially, the State Street store was the lead store of the Macy's North division, immediately following the merger.

Dayton-Hudson, Target and May

After Dayton-Hudson Corporation acquired the Marshall Field's chain, the corporation decided to rename some of its Dayton's and Hudson's stores as Marshall Field's; however, these stores were outside of Field's existing markets and never adopted either the corporate culture or the higher-end merchandise for which Field's had become famous. Then in 2000, Dayton-Hudson renamed itself Target Corporation, having determined that Target was where more of its future growth would be and the more nationally visible division to stockholders. Target then merged the remaining Dayton's and Hudson's department stores into Marshall Field's. Some saw this as the beginning of a downward slide for Marshall Field's as Target Corporation focused more on its rapidly growing discount stores and introduced some of the brands carried there to the Marshall Field's stores, displacing some of Field's more expensive merchandise.

Finally, in 2004 Target Corporation sold the Marshall Field's chain to May Co., thereby exiting the department store business entirely. It was hoped that separating from discounter Target would improve Marshall Field's retail prospects, and that May Stores would "let Field's be Field's" and allow it to recapture its former cachet and upper-class customer base. However, May owned Field's for barely a year before it agreed in the Fall of 2005 to be acquired by Federated Department Stores, Inc.. Federated announced in February 2005 that it would use the acquisition of May, including the Field's stores, to create the nation's second-largest department store chain, with 1,000 locations.
[edit] Federated outrages Chicago fans leading to consumer boycott
Former Marshall Field's in Lake Forest, IL that closed in 2008 due to Macy's decision not to renew the lease. It was the only "old" suburban store left as the others closed while still operating under the Field's name.

After Federated's acquisition of May Co. they announced that all Marshall Field's stores would convert to the Macy's nameplate in fall 2006. This touched off a firestorm of protest that continued long after the changeover was complete.

On February 1, 2006, the Marshall Field's corporate division was renamed the Macy's North Division of Federated Department Stores. On September 9, 2006, all its operating stores were renamed Macy's and absorbed into that chain. Although the conversion officially occurred on September 9, 2006, it was implemented gradually and in effect by early August, as signified by such events as Macy's cars entered in the Bud Billiken Day Parade,[12] and Macy's displays in store windows.

In Chicago, Macy's move into the Marshall Field's building on State Street infuriated many residents. Dozens of protesters gathered under Marshall Field's famous clock the day the name change was implemented and a few dozen more gathered once again to mark the one year anniversary of the Marshall Field's name change. Macy's reported in December 2006 slowed sales in stores that once were Marshall Field's. In November 2007, Macy's announced that it would no longer try to lure angry and upset former Marshall Field's shoppers to their stores and instead would now be trying to lure new customers into the State Street Store.[13][citation needed] Macy's hopes to do this by adding an FAO Schwarz floor and a wine bar to the Walnut Room, as well as having Martha Stewart decorate the Christmas Tree in the Walnut Room.[citation needed]

On May 16, 2008 there were three Marshall Field's customers who were so outraged by Macy's decision to eliminate Marshall Field's that they attended the Macy's annual shareholder meeting and sharply questioned Macy's CEO Terry Lundgren over that move. Mr. Lundgren was told by one loyal Marshall Field's customer who was tired of being ignored, "You are pushing for 'my Macy's', but for me and most of my Chicago neighbors, I want my Marshall Field's."[14]

A protest two years after the change from Field's to Macy's was held at the State Street store on September 9, 2008, and protesters appeared at the company's annual meeting that year in Cincinnnati. Field's supporters still maintain their efforts through websites such as FieldsFansChicago

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Field's

[n7hn]

so....you proved that hudsons was sold,,,,, not a creation of. When something is sold, renamed, rebranded and redesigned, its not what is once was, I stick to Hudsons isnt Macys, no matter [[or due to) the amount of degrees of separation [[ie sale history)

[DetroitPlanner]

Hickory Farms?

wasn't hickory farms but I'll be darned if I remember the name of it.

[im habit formin]

The mall also has its own Police Department the only mall to do so in Michigan. the Fairlane Town Center Police Authority.

[faygoredpop]

I loved going to Fairlane. I also remember the monorail and I loved the skating rink there.

I remember going to see Star Wars there and boy was there ever a line up. I even remember they had an Arbor Drugs store, I believe by Penney's. Ever Christmas I would go there to get the perfume my Mom loved. They were the only place that carried it.

[mallory]

Mallory, whats your connection to chess king? I managed that store for a few years.

You probably sold me some clothes. Chess King is where I bought all of my clothes back in the 80's. Oh, to have a pair of parachute pants and wear them like to a party or something. Leave it to Old Navy to bring them back.

Had my first "legal" drink at Toll Gate. They didn't even card me. And their chili was incredible!

Hudson's was a department store. Macy's is an overpriced Target.

[Sarah]

Wasn't Arbor Drugs to the left of Penney's? I spent a ton of time at Fairlane and had my first job at the Limited Express [[before it was just Express).

[Detroitnerd]

Maybe I was too young. While you guys were knocking them back at the bar, I was at the Kay-Bee hobby shop.

[jackie5275]

wasn't hickory farms but I'll be darned if I remember the name of it.

It was a place called the Alpen [[like from the Alps) Pantry. It was near JC Penney. It was kind of like Hickory Farms in that is sold meat & cheese, but I would compare it more so to those cheese/sausage/gift shops in Frankenmueth.

[jackie5275]

Wasn't Arbor Drugs to the left of Penney's? I spent a ton of time at Fairlane and had my first job at the Limited Express [[before it was just Express).

As I remember, if you were facing JCP, it was on your left on the second level.

[DetroitPlanner]

Wasn't Arbor Drugs to the left of Penney's? I spent a ton of time at Fairlane and had my first job at the Limited Express [[before it was just Express).

It was a CVS and I think it was by the Sears side, where the B Dalton/Borders is/was though I could be wrong. I worked on the Penny's side and remember mostly ladies stores including Alberts in that area.

[jackie5275]

The monorail, the bad 1970s art, the maddening maze of ramps and stairs, the fountain, the movies, the skating rink. I saw "Uncommon Valor" there. And there were some pretty good boookstores. As for Chess King and Merry-Go-Round ... um ... parachute pants were kinda cool for a hot second.

I remember going there for the attraction when they first opened. Getting past the monorail was tough for a little kid. The whole place was like a giant maze. You could spend a whole day trying to cover it all. I later used to shop til you drop there while in college in the mid 80s & somehow ended up working at JCP from the late 80s to early 90s. I used to love that place. I don't go there too often now with Hudson's departure & general lack of anything I need or want these days. However, I'd say I spent a good 15 yrs of my life either shopping or working there.

[vivadetroit]

As I remember, if you were facing JCP, it was on your left on the second level.

and is now a giant Bally Total Fitness. It's the nicest Bally's in the area. there's also a DSW in there, which is a big draw if you like shoes & since it's the only down that way.

[DetroitPole]

The only thing I find good about Fairlane is that it is at least in an inner-ring suburb and connected to both bus systems.

The same people who laud how great a mall is are often the same people who lament the death of main street and mom and pop stores. Well, they're pretty inseparable.

Malls are not neighborhoods. They may be self-contained entities, but they defy any definition of a neighborhood. A mall if private property. You can be kicked out at will. There are no public spaces. There are no residents. As someone pointed out, there is no weather. Maybe some people think thats cool, but its a little too Orwellian for me.

So one can make the argument that it is a safe place for old people to shuffle around. This is largely true, except you can never really be sure of your safety in this day an age, when you never know when the next mall gunman is going to mow you down, somebody is going to jump you in a sea of cars, or get run down or totaled in the acres and acres of parking lot.

There is safety in numbers. Nobody feels unsafe on the Magnificent Mile in Chicago because it is swarming with people, retail, residences. Well, we put all our people and retail in malls, and in turn, downtown is deserted and foreboding.

Malls aren't going anywhere, but there is little question that we have too many of them in Metro Detroit. Many are now abandoned or nearly abandoned. Instead of scaling back, we build newer [[Great Lakes Crossing) or weirder [[Partridge Creek) malls, which in turn will be "bad malls" someday too.

I think this region would be better off with just say, Fairlane, Northland, and Eastland, and thriving downtowns in all our cities, not just Detroit.

[DetroitPlanner]

There is safety in numbers. Nobody feels unsafe on the Magnificent Mile in Chicago because it is swarming with people, retail, residences. Well, we put all our people and retail in malls, and in turn, downtown is deserted and foreboding.

Note Mag Mile is just like one big mall with several owners to boot! Everything but the sidewalk is a mall controlled environment. Mag mile is now overstored, with the higher parts of the brand new vertical malls virtually empty. Not so magnificiant anymore.

I do share your concern about the malls replacing main streets. Now malls are being replaced with strip centers that sell maximum profit stuff making the world even more homogeneous. Have you noticed how nearly every mall now has stores in it that are huge and have taken the space of several old stores?

This sort of development is very sad. It makes it impossible for a baker to open up a local store or a musician to sell musical instruments. It takes away our soul.

[Zacha341]

Doesn't Northland have a security force too?

The mall also has its own Police Department the only mall to do so in Michigan. the Fairlane Town Center Police Authority.

[im habit formin]

Northland Mall used to have their own mall police [[Northland Mall Police Authority)- gone to rent-a-cops now.

[Zacha341]

That so... I've not been in NL in ages. Too young oriented for me. I hate hearing screaming pop and rap music blasted at me as I walk by a store! That sorta thing does not engage me to enter said store. So why bother with the mall except that the have a great shoe repair place there...... I am more of a mega strip mall person now... with an occasional trek thru Fairlane or Oakland Mall!

Northland Mall used to have their own mall police [[Northland Mall Police Authority)- gone to rent-a-cops now.

[CLAUDE G]

Fairlane is pretty nice, I was just there a few weeks ago. One thing I can't stand is the stairs and elevators to go to the different levels. I would prefer everything to be on the first floor.

What is really surprising is how Eastland Mall really turned into a dump over the past several years.

If it wasn't for the Home Depot and Lowes at each end of the mall, I wouldn't even go near there at all. Intesting thing is that it seems all the Grosse Pointe people go to lowes, and all the Detroit people go to Home Depot.

[Zacha341]

I work on the deep east side but I don't do Eastland Mall or much else over there. Went there once during the winter... I just didn't feel safe [[I have the same reservations about Northland Mall). The parking lot seems small and crowded too. And they have nothing I really want there. I like that somewhat new mega strip mall off the Southfleid Fwy in Allen Park... what is the name?

Fairlane is pretty nice, I was just there a few weeks ago. One thing I can't stand is the stairs and elevators to go to the different levels. I would prefer everything to be on the first floor.

What is really surprising is how Eastland Mall really turned into a dump over the past several years.

If it wasn't for the Home Depot and Lowes at each end of the mall, I wouldn't even go near there at all. Intesting thing is that it seems all the Grosse Pointe people go to lowes, and all the Detroit people go to Home Depot.

[Meddle]

Well, since we're straying out of Fairlane and into other malls now, how are Briarwood and Twelve Oaks doing?

[313WX]

There really isn't any real "mall" on the eastside anymore. My guess is most Grosse Pointers just take I-94 out to Lakeside now [[I'm sure they could spare the necessary gas for an annual trip). The only store I really see many of them in at Eastland is Macy's.

We must be forced ot drive out of our way to Oakland, Lakeside, Partridege Creek and Fairlane for a vibrant mall with a large variety of stores. Macomb Mall about 5-10 years ago used to be the perfect alternative, but I just recently went in there a few months ago [[I hadn't been in there since Crowley's/Value City closed and especially since Steve & Barry's closed) and it seems like a post-apacolyptic weasteland. Roughly HALF the stores have been vacated. Then of course back in the 90s Bel-Air Centre was a reasonable substitute if you didn't feel like messing with Eastland [[but we know hte status of that place in 2010).

Actually, for a far east sider, compared to Eastland, Northland is indeed a breath of fresh air. The only worth while thing at Eastland for me at this point is Frullati & Target.