Centerpointe Mall
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Centerpointe Mall (formerly Eastbrook Mall) is an enclosed shopping mall located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It opened in 1967, a year before Woodland Mall across the street. While for a long time it was considered a dead mall, Centerpointe has seen significant re-development and regained some viability. 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
Eastbrook Mall, as the mall was then called, opened to the public in 1967. At the time, it featured approximately 50 stores, with three anchor stores: Woolco on the east, Wurzburg's (a local department store) on the west, and Steketee's (another local department store) in the middle. A second, larger mall was being built across the street - the larger Woodland Mall, which featured JCPenney, 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.
Wurzburg's closed in the late 1970s and was replaced by Klingman's Furniture. Woolco closed all United States operations in late 1982. The large Woolco store was split among Burlington Coat Factory, F & M Drugstore (later MC Sports), and Showbiz Pizza Place (now 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
Since Eastbrook Mall had never been remodeled since its opening, the mall looked quite dated throughout the 1990s. 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 Grand Rapids, increasing competition even further. New management did take over, however, as Lormax Stern bought the mall, giving the mall a much-needed renovation, and a new name - Centerpointe Mall. The hallways were carpeted, and many interior renovations were made, making the mall look cleaner and more inviting. 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. In 2006, the mall was sold to General Growth Properties.
[edit] Centerpointe today
Some traditional mall tenants exist in the mall, including Lane Bryant, Christopher & Banks, and a nail salon. Centerpointe also contains a coffee shop, a Secretary Of State office, a Post Office Substation and several smaller local shops.
[edit] Trivia
- Eastbrook Mall's architechts were Grand Rapids, MI-based Hornbach & Steenwyk, the same architects who designed Dixie Square Mall in Harvey, Illinois.
[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.)
- Klingman's Furniture (140,000 sq. ft.)
- Linens 'N Things (38,760 sq. ft.)
- Menard's (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 Drugstore - later 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, F & M Drugstore, and Chuck E. Cheese's
- Wurzburg's - closed 1970s, now Klingman's Furniture
