The Lakes Mall

The Lakes Mall
The mall in December 2023
Map
LocationFruitport Township, Michigan, United States
Coordinates43°09′02″N 86°12′08″W / 43.150464°N 86.202209°W / 43.150464; -86.202209
Opening dateAugust 15, 2001; 23 years ago (2001-08-15)
DeveloperCBL & Associates Properties
ManagementNamdar
OwnerNamdar[1]
No. of stores and services100+
No. of anchor tenants5 (2 open, 3 vacant)
Total retail floor area645,677 square feet (59,985.4 m2)
No. of floors1
Public transit accessBus interchange Muskegon Area Transit System
Websitethelakesmall.com

The Lakes Mall is an enclosed shopping mall in serving the city of Muskegon, Michigan, United States. It is located in Fruitport Township, with a Muskegon mailing address. Opened in 2001, the mall features more than sixty retailers, plus a food court, in 645,677 square feet (59,985.4 m2) of gross leasable area.[2][3] Anchor stores are Dick's Sporting Goods and JCPenney, with three vacancies last occupied by Sears, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Younkers.

History

Interior of the mall, December 2023

The Lakes Mall was developed by CBL & Associates Properties of Chattanooga, Tennessee, on a site south of town, near the junction of Interstate 96 and U.S. Highway 31, at the southeastern corner of Sternberg Road and Harvey Street. Construction began on the property in late 1999.[4] On August 15, 2001, the mall's grand opening was announced, although Sears had been operational since March of that year.[5] The mall, upon opening, featured Bed Bath & Beyond, JCPenney, Sears and Younkers among its anchor stores.[3] JCPenney had relocated from a standalone store, while Sears had relocated from the former Muskegon Mall downtown. Dick's Sporting Goods was added in late 2004.[6] On April 18, 2018, it was announced that Younkers would be closing as parent company The Bon-Ton is going out of business. The store closed in August 2018.[7] On December 28, 2018, it was announced that Sears would be closing as part of a plan to close 80 stores nationwide. The store closed on March 14, 2019.[8] Bed Bath & Beyond closed in 2023.

Impact on the community

Prior to the development of the mall, the only major business that operated at the intersection of Sternberg Road and Harvey Street was a strip mall known as the Lakeshore Marketplace. This center, a former outlet mall, was eventually redeveloped into big box space (including Toys "R" Us, Barnes & Noble, Old Navy, TJ Maxx, and Elder-Beerman, which was converted to a Younkers furniture store in 2008), and several restaurants soon opened along The Lakes Mall's periphery.

Muskegon Mall, an older mall created by enclosing several blocks of Muskegon's downtown, had operated in downtown Muskegon since 1976. However, it was not considered a major retail draw for the Muskegon area, because it lacked the major chain stores present at the malls in Grand Rapids.[9] Since its opening in 2001, The Lakes Mall has been cited as the most popular retail destination in the Muskegon area.[9]

References

  1. ^ "New York real estate firm that bought Lakes Mall has several Michigan properties". July 27, 2016.
  2. ^ "The Lakes Mall". ICSC.org. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved December 21, 2007.
  3. ^ a b Diemer, Helen (September 1, 2002). "Light comes to The Lakes". Retail Traffic Mag. Archived from the original on December 3, 2008. Retrieved December 21, 2007.
  4. ^ "CBL & Associates Properties Starts Construction On New Regional Mall in Muskegon, MI". Business Wire. October 8, 1999. Retrieved December 21, 2007.
  5. ^ "CBL & Associates Properties Opens Regional Mall in Michigan". Business Wire. August 15, 2001. Retrieved December 21, 2007.
  6. ^ "Dick's dives into The Lakes". MiBiz.com. May 3, 2004. Archived from the original on June 30, 2007. Retrieved December 21, 2007.
  7. ^ "Bon-Ton Stores closing: See list of Boston Store, Carson's, Younkers, Herberger's stores". USA Today.
  8. ^ Thomas, Lauren (December 28, 2018). "Sears is closing 80 more stores in March, faces possible liquidation". CNBC. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  9. ^ a b Alexander, Dave (November 24, 2007). "Retail options keep consumers here". The Muskegon Chronicle. Retrieved December 21, 2007.
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