Centerpointe Mall
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Centerpointe Mall is an enclosed shopping mall located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It opened in 1967, a year before Woodland Mall across the street. The mall features more than 35 tenants, including several big box stores. Centerpointe Mall is managed by General Growth Properties.
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[edit] History
Centerpointe Mall, or Eastbrook Mall as it was then known, built by Grand Rapids, MI-based Hornbach & Steenwyk, who are also known for having built the Dixie Square Mall in Harvey, Illinois. Both Dixie Square and Eastbrook featured a "V"-shaped floor plan and three anchors, although the two malls had little else in common.
Upon opening in 1967, Eastbrook Mall featured approximately 50 stores, with Woolco, and local department stores Steketee's and Wurzburg's as anchors. Klingman's Furniture opened in the Wurzburg's location after the store closed in the late 1970s. When Eastbrook opened, a second, larger mall was being built across the street - the larger Woodland Mall, which would feature J. C. Penney, Sears, and Kresge as its anchors when it opened in 1968. In fact, Sears had originally proposed to locate in Eastbrook Mall when it was being developed, but chose the Woodland site instead.
Throughout most of its life, Eastbrook was intended to serve as an ancillary mall to its neighbor Woodland Mall. While Eastbrook featured mostly local and discount-oriented tenants, Woodland featured mostly chain stores; even today, the neighboring centers complement each other in such a way.
Woolco closed all US operations in late 1982. The large Woolco store was split among Burlington Coat Factory, MC Sports, and Showbiz Pizza Place (later Chuck E. Cheese's). Also in the 1980s, Witmark (a catalog showroom similar to Service Merchandise) opened in the west wing, and TJ Maxx opened in the east wing. A new wing was added next to Burlington Coat Factory in 1987, bringing in Hills as another anchor. The Hills chain left Michigan by 1993; their Eastbrook store was eventually converted to Menard's. MC Sports also moved out in the 1990s; their store became Golf Galaxy, which it is to this day.
[edit] Renovations
Eastbrook Mall had never been remodeled since its opening, and by the 1990s the mall was beginning to look dated. Most of the inline tenants had left, and the aging mall had fallen into a state of disrepair. Also, a newer super-regional mall, Rivertown Crossings Mall, opened up on the other end of the Grand Rapids area, increasing competition even further. New management did take over, however, giving the mall a much-needed renovation, and a new name - Centerpointe Mall. The hallways were lined with carpet, and many interior renovations were made. New stores, including Steve & Barry's, Lane Bryant, and Dunham's Sports, were added. Burlington Coat Factory re-located outside the mall; their former store at Centerpointe was soon converted to Linens 'n Things. Steketee's, which had closed in 2000, was demolished and replaced with Nordstrom Rack. The former Witmark, vacant since the late 1990s, was converted into a skate park. Throughout 2004 and 2005, Old Navy, DSW Shoe Warehouse, and David's Bridal opened, along with several smaller inline tenants.
[edit] Centerpointe today
Some traditional mall tenants exist in the mall, including Christopher & Banks, Lane Bryant, Deb Shop, and a nail salon. Centerpointe also contains a coffee shop, a Secretary Of State office, a Post Office Substation and several smaller local shops.
Centerpointe's owner, General Growth Properties, also owns the Rivertown Crossings Mall in nearby Grandville.
[edit] Anchors & Majors
- David's Bridal (11,363 sq. ft.)
- DSW Shoe Warehouse (27,014 sq. ft.)
- Dunham's Sports (28,235 sq. ft.)
- Golf Galaxy (20,330 sq. ft.)
- Klingmans Furniture (140,000 sq. ft.)
- Linens 'N Things (38,760 sq. ft.)
- Menards (81,200 sq. ft.)
- Modern Skate & Surf (25,000 sq. ft.)
- Nordstrom Rack (36,900 sq. ft.)
- Old Navy (15,313 sq. ft.)
- Steve & Barry's (22,114 sq. ft.)
- TJ Maxx (33,051 sq. ft.)
[edit] Former anchors
- Burlington Coat Factory - moved, now Linens 'n Things
- F & M - prior to MC Sports
- Hills Department Store - closed 1993, now Menards
- MC Sports - now Golf Galaxy
- Steketee's - closed 2000, torn down for Nordstrom Rack
- Witmark - now Modern Skate & Surf
- Woolco - closed 1982, later became Burlington Coat Factory, MC Sports, and Chuck E. Cheese's
- Wurzburg's - closed in the 1970's
