Farmer Jack left his Mark

Its unmistakeable the impact that the closure of several big box retailers has had on the Detroit area. Here is another fine example of this at the corner of King Rd. and Fort St. in Riverview:

The Farmer Jack was the large building in the middle with the orange awning. Every space in the strip is empty except the Dunhams. Its also fairly ugly and run-down if you look up close. Its really sad that companies can't manage their affairs better. Circuit City, HQ, Farmer Jack, K-Mart. This would not have happened or been tolerated 10 years ago....I also love the moss growing on the Marquee sign.

More pics of the shops at Park Plaza is Lincoln Park

The shops at Park Plaza/Plaza at Lincoln Park

The Shops at Park Plaza or The Plaza at Lincoln Park...So...which name is the correct one? Is it the one on the Marquee to the right? It could also be the one on the banner sign that welcomes you as you drive in, pictured below. Whatever...lol I cannot even describe the untapped potential of this shopping center, which is one the most unique I have ever seen. Its in Lincoln Park off Fort Street with Emmons st. running down the middle of it. There is also access from Dix/Toledo rd; via Emmons, which is a resdential street...yes..it has a residential street running right down the middle of it.

I still havent figured out if thats a good thing or not, but anyway. The basic concept and design is pretty neat. There are a few problems though. Considering how large it looks, it actually a quite small strip mall. I you were to drive by it you would think it has more stores that are maybe hidden inside, but no...It only has 2 empty spaces; a former Farmer Jack and a carpet place, but whats left isnt enough variety to attract more shoppers. I doesn't help that the empty Farmer Jack is the largest space in the center..Even larger than the Jc Penny...The Farmer Jack space begs to be a 2 story Barnes and Nobel or Borders if you ask me. They could line the backside of the center with more stores giving the center a better mix. This of course is what I would do in a better economy though. Its too cool of a shopping center to let it go to such waste IMO. If I had the money I would snatch this place up and turn it for sure. Below are a few more pics. I'm sure you'll agree that it has a lot of unused potential.

More pics will be uploaded in the next few days...

Circuit City to close all remaining stores

Well, my camera broke before Christmas so I havent been able to get any pictures of Fairlane Town Center yet. They are still comming; trust me.

No suprise to anyone, but this years holiday shopping season was dismal. Working in Retail for both my jobs I noticed a significant difference versus last year. Much less people than last year and it was really sad. Other than spending time with loved ones, there wasn't much for anyone to celebrate this year. Many people that rely on getting a Christmas bonus wont be getting one this year and so on...

It seems as things are bad all over things are much worse in the Detroit area. Nothing could be worse then the death of another big box retailer. Say goodbye to Ciruit City; they are closing their remaining stores after failing to reach agreements with potential buyers. They closed 150 stores late last year in an attempt to buy time to reorganize and find a company willing to buy CC to attempt to save it. It was annonced yesterday that all deals that they had with potentail buyers have fallen through and that all remaining stores will close.

::sigh:: well there you have it. I really don't have anything else to say. When are we gunna step up and put a end to or severely limit outsourceing? Are we really saving money doing that anymore? We need to clean house here people. We are no longer the example of what to be; we are the example of what to avoid.