Universal Mall

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Mall facts and statistics
Universal Mall


Location	Warren, Michigan, United States
Opening date	1965
Developer	Melvin Simon and Associates
Management	Universal Mall Properties
Owner	Universal Mall Properties
No. of anchor tenants	4 (2 open, 1 empty, 1 being sub-divided)
Parking	1,500 spaces (estimate)
No. of floors	1
Website	http://www.universalmall.biz

Universal Mall is a mall in Warren, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The mall is located in Macomb County at the intersection of 12 Mile Road and Dequindre Road, convenient to both I-75 and I-696. The mall is considered "dead" by some, as many stores have left. Anchoring Universal Mall are AJ Wright, Value City, and Burlington Coat Factory; in addition, the mall features a food court and movie theater.

1 History
2 Downfall
3 Turnaround
4 The Mall Today
5 Anchors
6 Former anchors
7 External link

[edit] History

Originally named Universal City, the mall opened in 1965. The mall's anchor stores at the time were Montgomery Ward, Federals, and Woolworth. Ben Franklin, Cunningham Drugs; about 50 other stores rounded out the tenant roster. By 1977, Federals declared bankruptcy and closed all their locations; their store at Universal City was converted to Crowley's. The 1970s also saw the arrival of development around the mall, including a movie theater and a large E. J. Korvette department store (now a Kmart Supercenter).

In 1968, Oakland Mall opened in nearby Troy. This mall, featuring Wrigley's Supermarket, Sears, S. S. Kresge, and Hudson's, was slightly larger than Universal City. Though it proved no threat at first, Oakland Mall would later double in size, gaining a J.C. Penney (and more recently, Barnes & Noble and Steve & Barry's).

An eastern wing with a food court, titled the "International Eatery", was added to Universal City in the 1980s, and a western wing with Mervyns was added in 1989. Around the same time that Mervyn's was added, the mall was re-named Universal Mall, and the nearby theater complex moved into the mall itself.

[edit] Downfall

Universal Mall continued to hold its own throughout the 1990s, despite increased competition from nearby Oakland Mall (and, to an extent, Lakeside Mall). In 1997, the long-established Woolworth dime store chain closed all of its locations, leaving a large vacancy in the mall's Montgomery Ward wing. By 2000, Montgomery Ward closed as well, further decreasing the traffic in the north wing. The Crowley's store was bought out by Value City and renamed "Crowley's Value City" (later dropping the Crowley's name entirely), leaving it and Mervyn's as the only anchor stores. As the mall lost its anchors, it would also lose many chain tenants. Spencer's Gifts, KB Toys (formerly Circus World), B. Dalton, Hallmark, Famous Footwear, Gap, Zales Jewelers, Musicland, A & W, and Olga's Kitchen would be among the many stores and restaurants leaving for other malls (mostly Oakland Mall) or disappearing entirely. One lone holdout, a food vendor called Kreme & Korn, today it is one of the oldest remaining tenants in the mall.

[edit] Turnaround

The mall fell into a state of disrepair in the late 1990s as it was losing stores, and due to maintenance issues, the mall's fountain was also shut off. Occupancy slumped to about 45%, and most of the remaining tenants were independent boutiques. However, new management came in the form of Universal Mall Properties, who would give the mall a much-needed remodel and cleaning. In September 2001, the 75,000 square foot Burlington Coat Factory opened, occupying the former Woolworth space and several other spaces in the former Montgomery Ward wing. A.J. Wright opened in 2002, taking up the former Ben Franklin space. Since the new management took over, occupancy has increased to 75%, although the tenant roster is still predominantly local and independent shops.

Mervyns announced that it would shutter several underperforming locations in spring 2006, including all Michigan stores. Since the closure, Universal Mall's western anchor is now vacant, and as of autumn 2006 no tenant has been confirmed to take its place.

[edit] The Mall Today

Although considered "dead" by some accounts, Universal Mall is still viable as a community shopping center. Many events are held at the mall yearly, including a classic car show. The new owners are also working on plans to fill the vacancy left by Montgomery Ward, and new stores are opening as well.