On the other side of downtown, in East Lansing, when the Spartan's aren't fighting, there shopping at the Meridian Mall in Meridian Charter Township, the suburb of Okemos, Michigan, within the East side of the city. Much of what is said about Lansing can be read in the
Lansing Mall post.
The Meridian Mall opened the same year as Lansing Mall, in 1969, with original anchor stores Woolworth discount division Woolco on the east end, local chain Knapp's on the west end, and a G.C. Murphy discount store in the middle. Some supermarket was next to the original theater space, two years later, the supermarket space was taken up when the theater expanded.
Many stores began to open along Grand River Avenue, such as Kmart, which closed in 1995, and replaced by Best Buy and a new Meijer across the street. Knapp's closed all there stores in 1980, and the Meridian Mall location was sold to JCPenney, as the anchor in Lansing Mall was as well, and new south wing added in 1982 brought Detroit-based Hudson's as the mall's new third anchor. Woolco closed all there stores in America in 1982, and there store space was split and converted to Service Merchandise and a new food court.
In 1987, a fourth wing was added on the mall's north side with the addition of a fourth anchor, Mervyn's department store. In 1999, after the mall was acquired by CBL property management group, Service Merchandise declared bankruptcy, and the store was then demolished as a new two-story, Jackson, Michigan-based Jacobson's department store, replacing the store nearby in East Lansing, which itself was converted to Barnes & Noble.
By the Summer of 2000, both theaters in the mall have closed, and Bed, Bath & Beyond, Steve & Barry's, and Old Navy were added to the mall, and MC Sports closed. the former MC was demolished for a new food court and Galyan's Sporting Goods store that opened in August 2001. The former food court was taken up by Schuler Books, that relocated from down the street, and Hudson's was converted to Marshall Field's.
The Jacobson's department store chain declared bankruptcy in 2002, and in 2003, the store was taken up by Younker's, as limited space by Jacobson's, Younker's operates its men and children's store in another storefront near the women's Younker's. In 2004, Dick's Sporting Goods took over the Galyan's. In 2006, Mervyn's closed all its Michigan stores, and Marshall Field's was converted to Macy's, and Younker's changed its men's store to the former Mervyn's store.
In 2013, H&M and Gordmans were proposed to open, and Planet Fitness and Shoe Carnival both have opened in the Macy's wing.
Here are pictures of the mall from June 2015, the same day the Oldsmobile Homecoming in Dimondale took place:
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| Former Knapps, currently JCPenney |
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| Former MC Sports/ Galyan's, currently Dick's |
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| Former Jacobson's |
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| Former Hudson's/ Marshall Field's, currently Macy's |
Thank you for reading and remember to ask questions and comment below.
TTTM
