Why does Metro detroit have so many super regional malls? (Livonia: house, tenants)

[KoNgFooCj]

Somerset, Oakland, Fairlane, 12 Oaks, Lakeside, and those are just the ones classified as "Super Regional". There are several others with over 1 million square feet like Great Lakes, Eastland, and Westland.

This seems like more than enough for Chicago's metro area which is just over twice the population of Metro Detroit. I kind of understated it because Metro Detroit is such a sprawled and car-centric metro area, but it undoubtedly draws business from the city. Anyway, which ones do you think will survive into the future. Somerset's the obvious Alpha-Mall in the region so clearly thats not going anywhere.

[Nattering Heights]

Building a new mall is more profitable than redesigning an old mall. The recent trend is away from enclosed like Lakeside to open air like Partridge Creek, a fancy strip mall. People can park closer to where they plan to shop, instead of walking some distance through the mall. Two signs to look for in dying malls are Burlington, formerly Burlington Coat Factory, and non-retail space such as government offices and storage.

[snoopygirlmi]

Let's remember that it's only been w/in the past 5 years or so that most suburbanites have been willing to give Downtown Detroit a second look. The majority of people live, shop and work in the suburbs, so that's where malls got built. (People actively chose not to be in the core city. So, they didn't feel bad or have second thoughts about "drawing business away from the city".)

Somerset and Great Lakes are going to stick around because one's the high end mall and the other is the outlet/entertainment mall. They offer unique experiences for shoppers/consumers. The others are much more dependent on mid-level shoppers. Honestly - I'm surprised at how many people still shop at malls, given all the talk about how on-line shopping is changing the way that consumers shop.

Also, "in the future" is kind of vague. It could be "in the future" 2-3 years from now, 10-20 years or 50-100 years.

In the near future - malls aren't going away. In the longer-term future - who knows how innovative mall owners are going to have to be to keep their mall profitable? Are shopping patterns going to change? Are demographics going to change, more people moving in or out of an area? Is there going to a recession or a depression or economic boom times? There are just some things about capitalism that you really can't predict.

When I was a kid, I loved looking at the Sears catalog at my grandma's house and couldn't imagine a day when there wouldn't be Sears because it was so beloved by everyone. (I'm in my early 40's, btw) These days - Sears is closing stores everywhere and their quality and reputation has hit bottom. (And who would have thought that Hudson's (Hudson's!) would go out of business?!)

[mjlo]

Originally Posted by snoopygirlmi

When I was a kid, I loved looking at the Sears catalog at my grandma's house and couldn't imagine a day when there wouldn't be Sears because it was so beloved by everyone. (I'm in my early 40's, btw) These days - Sears is closing stores everywhere and their quality and reputation has hit bottom. (And who would have thought that Hudson's (Hudson's!) would go out of business?!)

Are you talking about the downtown Hudson’s or the chain? The chain didn’t go out of business it just got absorbed out of branding during the department store consolidation wars of the late 1990s. Almost all Hudson’s suburban locations throughout Michigan are still in operation. They just fall under the Macy’s moniker now.

[usroute10]

Originally Posted by KoNgFooCj

Somerset, Oakland, Fairlane, 12 Oaks, Lakeside, and those are just the ones classified as "Super Regional". There are several others with over 1 million square feet like Great Lakes, Eastland, and Westland.

This seems like more than enough for Chicago's metro area which is just over twice the population of Metro Detroit. I kind of understated it because Metro Detroit is such a sprawled and car-centric metro area, but it undoubtedly draws business from the city. Anyway, which ones do you think will survive into the future. Somerset's the obvious Alpha-Mall in the region so clearly thats not going anywhere.

What is the definition of Super-Regional?

Fairlane Mall and Oakland Mall are hanging on by a thread. Lakeside is also starting to decline.
Fairlane still has JC Penney's and Macy's, but it has lost a lot of tenants over the years. Oakland is smaller, has lost a lot of tenants as well, but still has Macy's and JC Penney's and Dick's Sporting Goods and is in a more popular, wealthier part of the metro area.

Eastland will die soon. It is in a steadily declining area straddling the Wayne County/Macomb County lines


Other notable malls in the metro area include Southland Mall, the only Mall in the downriver area of suburban Detroit, Macomb Mall, and Laurel Park Place. There is an upscale "lifestyle center" in Macomb County called Partridge Creek.

Many malls have died in the Detroit area over the past 15 years. The largest were Northland and Summit Place Mall (originally called Pontiac Mall), while the other smaller malls include Wonderland Mall, Livonia Mall, Universal Mall, and Tel-Twelve Mall.

[scorpio516]

Why?

Alfred Taubman. He was based in Michigan - went to Michigan and LTU (but didn't graduate from either). He invented the indoor suburban mall, Taubman Centers is based in Bloomfield Hills. Some of their malls are the most profitable in the world.

Why #2?

They are all still profitable.

[keraT]

I don’t see the point of Oakland mall when somerset is few miles away and has similar stores.

Even if mall disappear like universal mall did, it turns into strip mall. Still a semi mall.

I still go to mall often to get acupressure

[Coldjensens]

It is funny to me because I grew up here in the 1970s and 1980s then moved to California for 18 years. We moved back and it seemed like all the malls were gone or dying. This is partly because the center of shopping and mainsteam type living has moved to the north and I do not go up to the crowded suburbs all that often. Still I am pretty sure a lot more old malls have closed than new malls have opened. The two near us Southland and Farilane are basically in their death throes. We usually go down to that chain mall near Toledo if we want a mall.

How is Briarwood doing? I have not had any reason to go there, but in the old days it was one of our principal malls.

[highlanderfil]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

How is Briarwood doing? I have not had any reason to go there, but in the old days it was one of our principal malls.

It's seen a bit of turnover even in the last six months (Fossil and the Japanese restaurant Sozu have packed up shop, in particular - Fossil was replaced by Pandora and the eatery stands empty) and the Sears anchor is still empty (save for Spirit Halloween where my wife worked for a bit earlier this year and I helped clear out for a day). But there still seems to be a fairly decent amount of foot traffic any time I go there.

[ram2]

What about Great Lakes Crossing?