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Michigan Planner

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Weird. We NEVER go through somerset. Just directionally it makes no sense fors. It is amazing how close we live to each other and given how the area is set up, how different our social cislrcles are!

Growing up it was always 12 oaks and summit mall (remember that place!?!)

I grew up way out on the east side so it was Lakeside for us. Looking at vacancy data, it appears that’s quickly becoming a ghost mall.

I work for one of the government entities right across from Summit Place Mall. I had actually never even heard of it until I started working up there back in ‘07. At that point all that was left in the mall was Macy’s, Sears, Ruby Tuesday, Mrs. Field’s Cookies, and Foot Locker. I remember going in there and wandering around during lunch one day and it was just so depressing.

The people I work with who lived up in that area called it Scummit Place Mall though I guess it was actually quite high end even into the early ‘90s.

FWIW, other than doing curbside pick up from CPK on day back in the fall, I don’t think I’ve even been inside Somerset in 3 or 4 years. Before we bought a house and had kids, we used to live in the apartments just behind the south side right outside Saks so I used to walk up there all the time. Even if I wasn’t shopping it was always a good place for people watching.

We’re almost exactly halfway between Somerset, and all the stuff at 14 and Orchard Lake and when I was doing pick-up from CPK, I would have rather gone to the one on Orchard Lake but that one had shut down at some point. I hate dealing with the traffic near Somerset and along Big Beaver (not that Orchard Lake is any better). There has been endless construction at Big Beaver and I-75 for what seems like 5 years now and it seems to tie up everything for a couple miles on each side.
 
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PhilKenSebben

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I grew up way out on the east side so it was Lakeside for us. Looking at vacancy data, it appears that’s quickly becoming a ghost mall.

I work for one of the government entities right across from Summit Place Mall. I had actually never even heard of it until I started working up there back in ‘07. At that point all that was left in the mall was Macy’s, Sears, Ruby Tuesday, Mrs. Field’s Cookies, and Foot Locker. I remember going in there and wandering around during lunch one day and it was just so depressing.

The people I work with who lived up in that area called it Scummit Place Mall though I guess it was actually quite high end even into the early ‘90s.

FWIW, other than doing curbside pick up from CPK on day back in the fall, I don’t think I’ve even been inside Somerset in 3 or 4 years. Before we bought a house and had kids, we used to live in the apartments just behind the south side right outside Saks so I used to walk up there all the time. Even if I wasn’t shopping it was always a good place for people watching.
Makes sense. And yeah, summit was actually really nice in he 90s, it was very fun to go to and walk around, it had 2 bookstores which was always great. I take my son to great lakes to go people watching. It is fun!

Twelve oaks is actually really nice, but it is also dying rapidly sadly. Lost two anchor stores in 18 months or so
 

Piobaire

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When I crossed the border to live it was all about Fairlane. The Borders on Michigan was also great place to hang and meet up with friends. Is Fairlane even still open?
 

Michigan Planner

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When I crossed the border to live it was all about Fairlane. The Borders on Michigan was also great place to hang and meet up with friends. Is Fairlane even still open?


Fairlane is still there and still pretty full, but from what I've read it's not nearly as high end as it was back in its heyday either. Ford actually came in and took over one of the anchor spots and has something like 1,500 office workers in there (or they did before #WFH). Once Ford finishes their buildout of the Michigan Central Station, I believe the plan is to move all those Ford workers out of Fairlane and over to the train station. That will probably be the end of Fairlane. Like Lakeside (and it sounds like 12 Oaks), I don't think there's much of a future in this area for traditional old school shopping malls with acres and acres of concrete parking lots around them.

Even Partridge Creek, which is a newish "lifestyle center" out in Clinton Township is really struggling. I'm an urban planner by education and work in economic development and thought they made a big mistake when they designed Partridge Creek and set everything so far back off of the main roads and didn't include any uses other than retail and food. It's basically no different than any other traditional shopping mall surrounded by a sea of parking, except you don't get the added benefit of being indoors come January and February.

Great Lakes Crossing may not be the fanciest, but the company that manages that one does a very good job at adapting quickly and bringing in unique uses. Places like the LEGO Experience (or whatever it's called) and the Sea Life Aquarium seem to do very well since there isn't anything else like them anywhere nearby and the population up in that area is still growing pretty quickly (by Metro Detroit standards) so they can support a lot of other new development, like the Top Golf place, which people seem to love.
 

greekgeek

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Small world, was just at Somerset last week, that is a pretty nice mall. Finally received my daughter's dresser 3 months late from PB kids. Looks great from 10 ft away but quality of details left a lot to be desired. appearantly my expectations were too high as the display is exactly the same. Looks like the crate and barrel closed.

Oh yeah, and there's a chik fil a....
 

PhilKenSebben

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Small world, was just at Somerset last week, that is a pretty nice mall. Finally received my daughter's dresser 3 months late from PB kids. Looks great from 10 ft away but quality of details left a lot to be desired. appearantly my expectations were too high as the display is exactly the same. Looks like the crate and barrel closed.

Oh yeah, and there's a chik fil a....
The crate and barrel got poached to 12 oaks! They are taking over a massive footprint there
 

PhilKenSebben

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Take your blight talk to your own thread you Michiganders!
But the texas thread is full of blight already......we have nowhere else to go!?
 

greekgeek

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Take your blight talk to your own thread you Michiganders!
Judging by the McMansion expansion going on in nearby hoods, blight of 60's colonials is going down.

Scooted on by this monster the other day, looks kind of fun. I could get down with the 2 story outdoor fireplaces.
20210306_181630.jpg
20210306_181814.jpg
 

greekgeek

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The crate and barrel got poached to 12 oaks! They are taking over a massive footprint there
Never been, I'll have to check it out sometime when we are out that way. I liked the CB store at Somerset, pretty big on 3 floors. Kind of pricey for what you get but really great customer service and you get to see much of it in person.
 

Numbernine

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Judging by the McMansion expansion going on in nearby hoods, blight of 60's colonials is going down.

Scooted on by this monster the other day, looks kind of fun. I could get down with the 2 story outdoor fireplaces. View attachment 1569332 View attachment 1569334
The road from Sandy up into Little Cottonwood Canyon is lined with these monsters.Makes me feel like Hunter Thompson in Vegas.
 

PhilKenSebben

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Never been, I'll have to check it out sometime when we are out that way. I liked the CB store at Somerset, pretty big on 3 floors. Kind of pricey for what you get but really great customer service and you get to see much of it in person.
The full store is supposed to open later this year, they jusst have a temporary space right now!
 

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