Southland Mall opened on July 20th, 1970, 55 years ago. However, the idea and construction of the building started way before that, in 1962. But as of now, the once popular mall has been under speculation of closing. The rumors of the store closing came about in the middle of 2024. There was also talk about the mall being bought as a chance to save it. As of now, the mall has been purchased, but there are rumors that the mall is closing down once again, leaving the people in the downriver area wondering what will happen to their beloved mall.
Since the mall’s opening in 1970, the store has seen many changes, the most recent being the closing of Forever 21, no later than two months after Greenwood Global bought the mall from Brookfield Properties. An earlier change that was added to the mall was in 1991 the old owners announced a food court was to be added, and in November of 1992, the food court was opened, marked by a large triangular skylight in the ceiling. Shortly after the addition of the food court, they added an arcade called TiltArcade, which was right next to the food court. One of the first stores in the mall to open with it was a Kroger supermarket and a Lane Bryant. And three months after the mall’s opening, the Suburban Detroit Theatre opened in the west court of the mall. Later on, in December of 1983, the theater expanded from two screens to four and was sold to AMC Theaters three years later.
As the mall changed over the years, so did the number of people who went to the mall. The second reason that people stopped going to the mall was because of the introduction of online shopping. With online shopping becoming more prominent by the day, people are spending more time at home shopping than going to actual stores. Even though the companies that own the stores are still making money, the people who work in the actual stores are losing their jobs and are unable to provide for their families or themselves. The next reason people stopped going to Southland Mall is that they go so often that they get bored with the same stores, so they travel to malls farther away that have more options for places to shop and eat.
