Meijer to invest $75 M

[wolverine]

You're going to call me a hipster for this I'm sure... but I prefer Detroit without the big boxes. I like going to the market on Sundays, I like shopping at Honey Bee, I like stopping by Kims, and I like shopping in Hamtramck. So they don't sell Fruit Rollups, oh well.

No it doesn't make you one. But major props to your shopping habits, wish more people could do the same

[softailrider]

There is plenty of room for a Walmart. Brooklyn has a Costco, Home Depot, Lowe's, Target, Sears, etc.

Brooklyn also has a middle class tax base that can support those stores.

[jjw]

Walmart has a store in Baltimore also.

[rjk]

Is the Gateway project even still happening?

The answer to that question is the same as it has been for around the last six years:
Yes, it's going to open up next year.

[NorthEndere]

From the Free Press, last week...

The other four projects in danger of stalling without the tax credits are the planned renovations of the vacant David Whitney Building on Woodward near Grand Circus Park and several city-owned structures in the Capitol Park district downtown; the Shoppes at Gateway project at Woodward and 8 Mile near the State Fairgrounds site, and plans by Meijer and other retailers to build a shopping center on the grounds of the old Redford High School in northwest Detroit.

Did the plans change? Either way, what was already a project where things were going to have to be lined up perfectly to give it any chance, it seems as if Snyder's tax changes may be the nail in the coffin.

[iheartthed]

Brooklyn also has a middle class tax base that can support those stores.

So does Detroit.

[Hypestyles]

if the meijer deal does not come through it will set a bad precedent.. however-- when it comes to encouraging "independent" retail, what are the options on "one stop shops" that have the things that a meijer, wal-mart, k-mart, etc., has, or by default how do you help bring about a string of independent places that separately sell appliances, clothing, yard-care items, furniture, etc. at competitive prices?

[softailrider]

So does Detroit.

Those major retailers mentioned don't seem to share your opinion.

[iheartthed]

Those major retailers mentioned don't seem to share your opinion.

Yeah, mine and Home Depot's:

As other national retailers such as Kmart and Kroger have been pulling out of the city in recent years, Home Depot has been quietly making a tidy profit at its lone Detroit store.

Atlanta-based Home Depot Inc. celebrated its fifth anniversary in the city last March at a former Kmart location at 7 Mile and Meyers.

The 139,000-square-foot store is the most profitable in its 100-store region that includes Michigan, Toledo and parts of Illinois and Indiana, said Jen King, senior manager of public relations for Home Depot's northern division.

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=171627

[wolverine]

Yeah, mine and Home Depot's:

Must be all the plywood they are selling for abandoned houses.






j/k

Does that location have a big rental center? I noticed at most Home Depot's located in or near downtowns of major cities nearly half of the store is dedicated to tool rental.

[iheartthed]

Must be all the plywood they are selling for abandoned houses.






j/k

Does that location have a big rental center? I noticed at most Home Depot's located in or near downtowns of major cities nearly half of the store is dedicated to tool rental.

I have never been into that particular Home Depot. But the urban Home Depots that I have been to in Manhattan and the Bronx seemed to carry the standard Home Depot stuff. The only difference I noticed is that those locations carried home cleaning products that I don't recall seeing at any Home Depot I have shopped at in suburban Detroit.

[lincoln8740]

The answer to that question is the same as it has been for around the last six years:
Yes, it's going to open up next year.

HA!

I love it when someone interjects a dose of reality around here

[Supersport]

This topic always grows tiresome to me, because it almost always starts with "Where do you go shopping though?" I'll admit, we shop more than our fair share at the Meijer in Allen Park. While I enjoy shopping Eastern Market, time does not always permit.

I grew up with Meijer, it's a Michigan based company, and in my opinion, it's the best big box retailer out there. If they built a Meijer at Gateway, I'd still go to the one in Allen Park. From downtown Detroit, you're looking at a 10 minute commute to Allen Park, where as 8 mile would likely be closer to 15 minutes. Commute aside, I have Home Depot, Lowe's, Best Buy, Barnes and Noble, Petco, Staples, Target, Bed Bath Beyond [[yeah, I said it), dozens of smaller stores, and dozens of places to eat.

Shopping is not an enjoyable experience for me, and the older I get, the less I like dealing with people, and the quicker I'd like to get the shopping over with. Can Meijer succeed in the city? I point to the Home Depot, as mentioned above, as proof that a business can succeed here. As for the "where do you shop?" question, I highly doubt anybody who lives any place else in metro Detroit conducts all of their shopping in the community they live in. Very few possess every big box retailer you need, and very few offer the convenience I enjoy in Allen Park with them all packed in such close proximity. I also have to agree with those who really don't care if Detroit gets a bunch of big box stores. They are an eye sore, consume gobs of land with their parking lots, and really can't be implemented "smoothly" into Detroit's current landscape, as we DO lack an urban feel in a great part of the city. Keep your big box, I'll gladly drive my 10 minutes so it's not in my backyard.

[Strathcona]

You're going to call me a hipster for this I'm sure... but I prefer Detroit without the big boxes. I like going to the market on Sundays, I like shopping at Honey Bee, I like stopping by Kims, and I like shopping in Hamtramck. So they don't sell Fruit Rollups, oh well.

The market is closed on Sundays--unfortunately. I agree with you and there is no reason why we can't have both.