Cherryland Center

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Cherryland Center
Entrance to the outdoor promenade
Map
LocationTraverse City, Michigan
Coordinates44°44′06″N 85°35′53″W / 44.735°N 85.598°W / 44.735; -85.598
Address1150 W. South Airport Rd.
Opening date1976; 48 years ago (1976)
Previous namesCherryland Mall
DeveloperSchostak Brothers
OwnerMcKinley, Inc.[1]
No. of stores and services30+
No. of anchor tenants4 (2 open, 1 under construction, 1 vacant)
Total retail floor area167,505 square feet
No. of floors1
Public transit accessBus interchange BATA

Cherryland Center, formerly known as Cherryland Mall, is a shopping center located in Garfield Township near Traverse City in the U.S. state of Michigan. Opened in 1976, the site served as the only enclosed shopping mall in Northwest Michigan until 1992, when the nearby Grand Traverse Mall opened. In 1999, the property was redeveloped as an outdoor shopping center. A number of anchor tenants closing in the 2010s led to the property being deemed a "dead mall", despite retaining a high occupancy rate.

History[edit]

In April 1976, the first tenants for Cherryland Mall were confirmed: a Kmart discount store, a Kroger supermarket, and a branch of Michigan National Bank.[2] Kmart opened in November 1976,[3] followed by Kroger in December.[4] The same month, H. C. Prange Co. (now Younkers) and Sears had been confirmed as the other anchors.[5][6] The Sears store replaced a catalog merchant located in downtown Traverse City.[7] By late 1977, the rest of the mall was opened.[7] Peripheral development the same year included two smaller strip malls and a Zantigo fast food restaurant.[8]

In 1998, plans were announced to demolish the interior mall portion while leaving all four anchors intact. Under these plans, the Sears and Younkers stores would also be expanded.[9] As part of this renovation, Sears expanded its store into the western third of the mall in 1999. When renovation was complete, the center was converted to an outdoor mall.[10] The mall was foreclosed on by Wells Fargo in 2010; also, Tom's Food Market, which had taken over the supermarket space in 1986, closed.[11] In June 2011, the space became Big Lots.[12]

On June 6, 2017, Sears Holdings announced that Kmart would be closing as part of a plan to close 72 stores nationwide. The store closed in September 2017.[13]

On April 18, 2018, it was announced that Younkers would also be closing as parent company, The Bon-Ton, was going out of business. The store closed in August 2018.[14]

On May 31, 2018, Sears Holdings announced that Sears would be closing as well in September 2018, as part of another plan to close 72 stores nationwide. The closures of both Younkers and Sears left Big Lots as the only anchor.[15] In 2020, a new Wendy's opened in an outlot of the Cherryland Center.[16] In March 2022, it was announced local market Cherry Republic would be purchasing a building in downtown Traverse City that houses Studio Anatomy. Studio Anatomy launched a campaign to raise funds to acquire and move into the old Younkers space. This venue would include: a large live performance venue, vinyl records shop, craft brewery, recording studio, art gallery, and leasable artist studios.[17] On June 8, 2022, TC Curling Club announced they had closed on a $7 million deal to acquire the old Kmart building. In the fall of 2022, TC Curling Club changed their name to TC Curling Center, which will be the second anchor store, along with Big Lots.[18] In June 2022, Biggby Coffee began construction on a drive-thru only location in the Cherryland Center parking lot. In July 2022, it was announced that Arkansas-based chain 7 Brew Coffee was planning their first Michigan locations, both in Garfield Township. 7 Brew purchased their property at the Cherryland Center in November 2022. 7 Brew Coffee will replace the vacant Hometown Pharmacy location in between Big Lots and the new Biggby Coffee.[19]

In August 2022, TC Curling Center opened to members for board meetings and tours of the new facility. It opened for full use in January 2023. In December 2022, it was announced go-kart company K1 Speed would be transforming the empty Sears location. The owner of the new facility plans to use the front portion for the racing facility with hopes to bring a Sky Zone trampoline park to the back portion of the building.[20] Biggby Coffee opened on December 6, 2022.

In January 2023, it was announced Starbucks was going into an outlot of the Cherryland Center, along with additional retail space [21]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Cherryland Center". McKinley Properties. Archived from the original on 29 June 2013. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  2. ^ "Kroger store in new mall '99% sure'". Traverse City Record-Eagle. 29 April 1976.
  3. ^ "But suburban centers grew". Traverse City Record-Eagle. 28 February 1977.
  4. ^ David Hayes (27 January 1977). "Mall ready to grant leases". Traverse City Record-Eagle.
  5. ^ David Hayes (17 December 1976). "Prange department store to go in mall". Traverse City Record-Eagle.
  6. ^ David Hayes (1 February 1977). "Fashion to be theme of many mall stores". Traverse City Record-Eagle.
  7. ^ a b David Hayes (20 October 1977). "Sears consolidates in Cherryland Mall". Traverse City Record-Eagle.
  8. ^ David Hayes (23 July 1977). "$35 million in building starts here". Traverse City Record-Eagle.
  9. ^ Bill Echlin (2 September 1998). "Cherryland mall to get a facelift". Traverse City Record-Eagle. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  10. ^ "Shopping mall to become Cherryland Center". Traverse City Record-Eagle. 7 February 1999. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  11. ^ Bill O'Brien (11 September 2010). "Cherryland Tom's to close". Traverse City Record-Eagle. Archived from the original on 30 June 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  12. ^ Bill O'Brien (29 June 2011). "Big Lots heading to Cherryland Center". Traverse City Record-Eagle. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  13. ^ "Traverse City Kmart to close".
  14. ^ "Traverse City Younker's to close".
  15. ^ "UPDATE: TC Sears to close".
  16. ^ "Thinking Outside The Box: Outlot Development Breathes New Life Into Local Retail Epicenters".
  17. ^ "Save the Studio".
  18. ^ "TC Curling Club Closes on Kmart Purchase".
  19. ^ "Two Seven Brew Drive-Thru Coffee Shops - First in Michigan - Proposed for Garfield Township".
  20. ^ "Sears Building Sold To New Owner To Open K1 Speed Kart Racing".
  21. ^ "Starbucks, More Retail/Restaurant Uses Planned for Cherryland Center; Rennie School Road Development Eyed".
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