Not Dead Yet: Inside the bold reinvention of Michigan’s malls | Michigan's Mall Meltdown Pt. 4

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Upon closer inspection, malls are undergoing a transformation of sorts.

Online eyewear maker Warby Parker has opened mall stores so customers can try on glasses in-person and receive eye exams. Seeing merchandise in person is something shopper Marissa Cervera said she appreciates when shopping for jeans or a t-shirt.

"I generally like to to go to the mall to try things on," she said.

Netflix is also opening mega-experience stores in two U.S. malls.

In West Michigan, grocery store Horrocks moved from downtown Battle Creek to the Lakeview Square Mall, taking over anchor space there.

And in metro Detroit, there is already more than a billion dollars in planned investment to reimagine malls: like multi-use projects in Sterling Heights and Plymouth. Lakeside Mall is also transforming into a billion-dollar mixed-use development called Lakeside Town Center.

What’s driving this activity?

New projects in Michigan and across the country are combining retail, residential, and entertainment into new mixed-use developments. They offer consumers – especially Gen-Z shoppers – in-person experiences they crave.

Dan Kinkead, director of urban design at the Detroit-based SmithGroup, an international architectural and planning firm, explained how these projects are an opportunity to revitalize these malls.

"This is an opportunity for commercial real estate enterprise to bring life back to existing structures that may otherwise be dormant and really no longer fulfill the center point of their communities as they had been," Kinkead said.

Tucked away in a corner of the Lansing Mall, Shirley Carter-Powell runs an unorthodox operation from what you’d expect: two storefronts, both non-profits. The Against all Odds Foundation and Lillian’s are both funded by herself and her husband alongside fundraisers.

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An abandoned former Hollister store at the Meridian Mall now hosts an interactive selfie museum.

Andrew Gillfillan

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This is a look at Jackson Crossing Mall.

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This is a look at Jackson Crossing Mall.

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This is a look at Jackson Crossing Mall.

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This is a look at Jackson Crossing Mall.

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This is a look at Jackson Crossing Mall.

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This is a look at Jackson Crossing Mall.

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This is a look at Jackson Crossing Mall.

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This is a look at Jackson Crossing Mall.

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Here is a look at Westwood Mall in Jackson.

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Here is a look at Westwood Mall in Jackson.

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Here is a look at Westwood Mall in Jackson.

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Here is a look at Westwood Mall in Jackson.

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Here is a look at Westwood Mall in Jackson.

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Here is a look at Westwood Mall in Jackson.

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Here is a look at Westwood Mall in Jackson.

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Here is a look at Westwood Mall in Jackson.

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Here is a look at Westwood Mall in Jackson.

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Here is a look at Westwood Mall in Jackson.

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Here is a look at Westwood Mall in Jackson.

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Here is a look at Westwood Mall in Jackson.

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Here is a look at Westwood Mall in Jackson.

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Here is a look at Westwood Mall in Jackson.

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Here is a look at the Meridian Mall in Okemos.

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Here is a look at the Meridian Mall in Okemos.

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Here is a look at the Meridian Mall in Okemos.

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Here is a look at the Meridian Mall in Okemos.

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Here is a look at the Meridian Mall in Okemos.

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Here is a look at the Meridian Mall in Okemos.

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Here is a look at the Meridian Mall in Okemos.

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Here is a look at the Lansing Mall in Delta Township.

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Here is a look at the Lansing Mall in Delta Township.

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Here is a look at the Lansing Mall in Delta Township.

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Here is a look at the Lansing Mall in Delta Township.

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Here is a look at the Lansing Mall in Delta Township.

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Here is a look at the Lansing Mall in Delta Township.

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Here is a look at the Lansing Mall in Delta Township.

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Powell, who moved into the mall four years ago, says a lot has changed in the time she has been there, mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She says people aren’t coming back to malls like they used to.

"People are holding their purse strings tighter," she said.

She added that even those who have moved out to outlets aren't flowing with customers either.

However, Powell wants to remove the stigma that retail spaces like the Lansing Mall are dying. She said that brick and mortar stores like her free boutique provide a shopping experience unlike one people may find online.

"We're like their personal shopper," Powell said. "We help them find sizes, colors that look good on them, because that's what it used to be like."

Lately, Lansing Mall began diversifying its shopping experience.

"They have MMA fights, a card trading show, even arts and crafts that brings traffic into the mall.

In Mid-Michigan's aging malls, what’s moving in isn’t just new tenants – it’s a whole new idea of what a mall can be.

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